| Halo: The Master Chief Collection | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | 343 Industries[a] |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Series | Halo |
| Engine | |
| Platforms | |
| Release |
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| Genre | First-person shooter |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is acompilation offirst-person shooter games developed by343 Industries,Certain Affinity andSaber Interactive and published byXbox Game Studios. It includes the first six main games in theHalo franchise released between 2001 and 2012, originally developed byBungie and 343 Industries. It was released forXbox One on November 11, 2014.
At launch, the collection comprisedHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011),Halo 2 (2004),Halo 3 (2007), andHalo 4 (2012) with their respective multiplayer suites, and boasting graphical and performance enhancements, including resolution and framerate improvements.Halo 2 was remastered asHalo 2 Anniversary, with new art, audio, a set of remade multiplayer maps, and new cinematic cutscenes produced byBlur Studio to commemorate the game's tenth anniversary. The single-player campaign ofHalo 3: ODST (2009) was added in May 2015.
The Master Chief Collection was released forWindows between December 2019 and November 2020, coinciding with the additions ofHalo: Reach (2010) and the Firefight multiplayer forHalo 3: ODST. The Xbox One version includes access to thelive-action seriesHalo: Nightfall, and hosted theHalo 5: Guardians multiplayerbeta on Xbox One that ran in 2014–15.
The Master Chief Collection packages together thefirst-person shootersHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,Halo 2 Anniversary,Halo 3,Halo 3: ODST,Halo: Reach, andHalo 4. Each game features their campaign modes, multiplayermaps and game modes, in addition to including additional content that was added in further updates that is based fromHalo Online, content based from earlier builds of the games such as from pre-release multiplayer betas, and cut content from the original games.[3][4] There have been no story or gameplay changes to the original releases.[5] The games arefirst-person shooters with vehicular combat that takes place from a third-person perspective. Each campaign has fourdifficulty levels and access to gameplay modifiers known as "Skulls".
All four campaign modes can be played alone or cooperatively viasplit screen orXbox Live on Xbox One and Series consoles. The Microsoft Windows release does not have split screen capability, but it can be played cooperatively online with Steam friends and Xbox friends.[6][7]
As inCombat Evolved Anniversary,Halo 2 players can swap between the original and remastered graphics on the fly. Additions toHalo 2's campaign mode include "Terminals", and new prologue and epilogue cutscenes to link the series forHalo 5's debut.[3] Since only six of the game's multiplayer maps were remastered, there are twoHalo 2 multiplayer modes. TheHalo 2 anniversary multiplayer mode uses the six remastered maps, while the standardHalo 2 multiplayer mode includes all of the original game's released maps with a full graphical update but no remastering.[5] TheCollection multiplayer includes Mission Setlists, curated lists of levels selected from throughout the series.[3]
The Extras menu includes access to live-action video seriesHalo: Nightfall via theHalo Channel and theHalo 5: Guardians multiplayerbeta, until it was removed prior to the game's release (with the Xbox versions instead allowing players to launch directly intoHalo 5 from theMaster Chief Collection).[8] The compilation features newAchievements, and all difficulty and game modes are unlocked from the start.[3] The game launched with a total of 4,000Gamerscore spread across 400 Achievements—the largest amount of Gamerscore given to a game on the Xbox platform since its introduction.[9] The subsequent additions ofHalo 3: ODST andHalo: Reach introduced 300 additional Achievements for both Xbox One and Windows, bringing the total Gamerscore up to 7,000.The Master Chief Collection held the record for the highest amount of Gamerscore on Xbox and PC until it was surpassed byThe Elder Scrolls Online in 2025.[10]
343 Industries studio headBonnie Ross pushed forHalo 4 to be alaunch title for the Xbox One, but it instead released in 2012 for the Xbox 360. The timing left a gap in the release schedule betweenHalo 4 andHalo 5. Having previously developedHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversary forCombat Evolved's tenth anniversary, the initial plan was to release a similar standaloneHalo 2 Anniversary within the first few years of the new console's lifecycle.[11]
The collection was developed by343 Industries,Certain Affinity, andSaber Interactive, with development assistance byUnited Front Games and new cutscenes byBlur Studio.[8][12] Following the announcement ofThe Master Chief Collection at theElectronic Entertainment Expo 2014,Phil Spencer, head ofMicrosoft'sXbox division, stated that the collection originally began as just a remastering ofHalo 2 to celebrate its 10th anniversary. 343 Industries decided that it would be a great opportunity to release the other mainHalo titles for theXbox One in preparation for the 2015 release ofHalo 5: Guardians.[13] All of the games run at 60frames per second and have received lighting upgrades; all but theHalo 2 remaster have a nativeresolution of1080p.[14] On October 18, 2014, the game had been declaredgold, indicating it was being prepared for duplication and release.[15]
Combat Evolved Anniversary is based on the high-definitionremaster of the original game released in 2011 forXbox 360.[5]Kinect and Stereoscopic 3D features from the Xbox 360 version are not supported in the Xbox One collection.[14][16]Ruffian Games was responsible for developing theHalo 3 andHalo 4 ports which received only a simple lighting upgrade, and an increase in both frame rate andrendering resolution.[17][5] 343 Industries designed the interfaces and online networking. United Front Games worked on the unified interface that works across all games.[5] Coinciding with the release ofThe Master Chief Collection, 343 Industries developed the Halo Channel, anapplication for the Xbox One andWindows. It is a successor to the Halo Waypoint app that was released on the Xbox 360. The Xbox One app is integrated with the collection, allowing players to accessHalo: Nightfall and "Terminal" animations, unlock rewards for the game, and launch the games directly from the app.[18]
Saber Interactive, which co-developedCombat Evolved Anniversary, assisted in the remaster ofHalo 2's campaign.[5][14] It received a complete visual overhaul.[14] The game's soundtrack and sound effects, such as weapon audio, were updated as well.[14] The refinedHalo 2 cutscenes, as well as two new cutscenes created to complement theHalo 5: Guardians storyline, were produced by Blur Studio.[3][19] They feature the same structure and timing of the originals, andmotion capture was utilized for the animation.[19]
"Terminals", a feature first introduced inHalo 3, were added to theHalo 2: Anniversary campaign.[19] Their purpose was to create a "connective tissue" for stories within theHalo universe that explores the relationship between the different races within the Covenant and extensively covers the events portrayed inHalo 2.[19] Terminals also gave 343 Industries the opportunity to introduce Spartan Locke, a main character inHalo 5: Guardians.[19] Visual effect studio The Sequence Group collaborated with 343 Industries to provide the animation;[19] the group had previously performed similar work inCombat Evolved Anniversary andHalo 4.[20][21] Several voice actors reprised their roles includingKeith David as the Arbiter,John DiMaggio as the Heretic Leader, andTim Dadabo as343 Guilty Spark.Mike Colter provided thevoice-over for Spartan Locke.[19]
Once theHalo 2: Anniversary project was green-lit, executive producer Dan Ayoub at 343 Industries reached out to Max Hoberman of Certain Affinity for assistance on the multiplayer component.[19] Hoberman originally designedHalo 2's multiplayer and founded Certain Affinity after leavingBungie in 2006.[5][19] Certain Affinity was asked to remake several of the multiplayer maps fromHalo 2.[19] The team found it difficult to decide how many of the original 24 maps to redesign and eventually settled on six – two small, two medium, and two large – to provide some variation.[19]
Along with the visual upgrade,Halo 2's original score was re-recorded with theSan Francisco Symphony atSkywalker Sound studio.[14][19] GuitaristSteve Vai returned to the franchise to play on additional tracks withPeriphery guitaristMisha Mansoor.[19][22] TheHalo 2: Anniversary soundtrack was released on November 11, 2014.[22]
On June 9, 2014,Halo: The Master Chief Collection was announced at theElectronic Entertainment Expo with a trailer titled "Hunter and the Hunted".[8][23][24] The trailer was created by animation companyDigital Domain, which had previously collaborated on otherHalo commercials.[23][25][26] The trailer recreates a moment fromHalo 2, in which the Master Chief rides a bomb into a Covenant ship. It is narrated by Keith David, who voices the Arbiter.[24] Several other trailers were released prior to launch, showcasing the updated cinematics and Terminals featured inHalo 2: Anniversary, and gameplay from all titles across the collection.[27][28][29] On October 31, 2014, 343 Industries released a documentary,Remaking the Legend – Halo 2: Anniversary, chronicling the history ofHalo 2 and the development ofHalo 2: Anniversary; it also features interviews with developers at Bungie and 343 Industries. The documentary was initially broadcast onTwitch, and was later available on the Halo Channel,Xbox Video, andYouTube.[19][30]
In August 2014, UK retailerGame revealed two special editions ofThe Master Chief Collection. The "Limited" edition includes a steel book case, a map book, and an in-game modifier, while the "Mjolnir" edition includes all the content from the Limited edition, along with a 1-foot (0.30 m) statue of the Master Chief.[31] In October 2014, Microsoft announced a whiteMaster Chief Collection Xbox One bundle for Brazil and other "select markets".[32] A second Xbox One bundle containing the collection was announced for release in the United States during March 2015.[33]
The collection was released worldwide in November 2014.[34] 343 Industries confirmed that the collection would be available to download from theXbox Games Store on the day of release.[34] A 15-gigabytepatch went live to those who had digitally preordered it through the Xbox Games Store on November 6, 2014.[35] Players who preordered through the Xbox Games Store also received early access to the "Boom" Skull, which provides double the explosion physics in theHalo: Combat Evolved andHalo 2 campaign mode; it became available to all other users on December 12, 2014.[34]
At launch, many players experienced problems with onlinematchmaking modes. 343 Industries released numerous updates to address these issues.[36] On November 24, 2014, Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, issued a public apology noting issues "that have resulted in a frustrating experience, including long matchmaking times and low session success rates".[37] On December 19, 2014, Microsoft announced that as an apology for the issues, it would give a free month ofXbox Live Gold, a specialavatar and nameplate, and a freedownloadable copy of theHalo 3: ODST campaign to those who played the game between its launch and December 19, 2014.[38] The campaign mode ofODST was released to the public on May 30, 2015, and with it, 100 additional Achievements.[39] It is available to purchase separately to those who are not eligible for a free code for the add-on.[40]
Spartan Ops, the episodic content originating inHalo 4, was released as free downloadable content forThe Master Chief Collection on December 22, 2014.[41] Additional Achievements for Spartan Ops and the multiplayer mode were released on January 8, 2015.[42]
Halo: Nightfall—a series of weekly, episodic digital videos directed bySergio Mimica-Gezzan and produced byRidley Scott—launched soon after the collection was released. The series was designed to connect the stories of previousHalo games to the upcomingHalo 5.[3] TheHalo 5 beta launched on December 29, 2014, and ran until January 18, 2015.[43]
With the release ofThe Master Chief Collection, Microsoft and 343 Industries announced an officialesports league, theHalo Championship Series (HCS). 343 Industries partnered with theElectronic Sports League,live-streaming platformTwitch, and other tournament organisers to foster the competitive multiplayer community inHalo. The first season of HCS, featuringHalo 2: Anniversary's multiplayer, launched in November 2014 and ran until March 2015. It served as atest bed for ideas and future plans that 343 Industries had for esports inHalo 5.[44]
In April 2018, the MCC Insider Program was launched to playtest upcoming changes toThe Master Chief Collection, notably the various improvements to its interface and to its multiplayer modes.[45][46] As a part of the various changes, 343 Industries introduced patches to bring back well-knownHalo 2 glitches from the originalXbox version, such as sword flying in the campaign. This led to an increased interest inspeedrunning the game on the MCC version. On August 27, 2018, the changes were published for all players.[46]
In August 2020, 343 Industries announced that Xbox-PCcrossplay will be made available by the end of 2020, based upon input-based matchmaking.[47] The crossplay option was made available with the release of final game in the collection on November 17, 2020.[48]
On March 12, 2019, following a series of teases,Xbox Game Studios announced on theInside Xboxlive stream thatThe Master Chief Collection would be coming toWindows via theSteam digital distribution platform in addition to theMicrosoft Store.[49]Splash Damage andRuffian Games aided 343 Industries in the development of the port.[1] Xbox Game Studios rolled out the individual games in the collection as separate add-ons, starting withHalo: Reach and then proceeding chronologically fromCombat Evolved Anniversary.[1] Upon this announcement, 343 Industries' offices inRedmond, Washington, were overwhelmed by pizza delivery orders from anonymous users, particularly fromReddit.[50]
Halo: Reach was launched on Steam and Microsoft Store on December 3, 2019 alongside theXbox One version, as the first game distributed to PC players as part ofThe Master Chief Collection, but subsequent titles became available over the following year.[51] 343 Industries had set out to have the collection playable on PC before the launch ofHalo Infinite in 2021.[52] The final game to release on PC wasHalo 4, launching on November 17, 2020.[53] The PC version of the collection was simultaneously made available onPC Game Pass with the option to install the whole release, or individual titles through the subscription.[54]
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Halo: Reach | December 3, 2019 |
| Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary | March 3, 2020 |
| Halo 2: Anniversary | May 12, 2020[55] |
| Halo 3 | July 14, 2020[56] |
| Halo 3: ODST | September 22, 2020[57] |
| Halo 4 | November 17, 2020[53][e] |
The Xbox One version of the collection received an update enhancing the game forXbox Series X|S consoles on November 17, 2020. It features various graphical and gameplay improvements, including some features introduced with the PC release, such as the variablefield of view and running at 120FPS in both single player and multiplayer modes, with support for4K resolution on Xbox Series X.[59][60][61]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 85/100[62] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 9/10[71] |
| Eurogamer | 9/10[63] |
| Game Informer | 9.25/10[64] |
| GameRevolution | 8/10[74] |
| GameSpot | 6/10[65] |
| IGN | 9/10(Xbox One)[66] 9.5/10(PC)[67] |
| Polygon | 8/10[68] |
| Shacknews | 8/10[72] |
| USgamer |   [70] |
| VideoGamer.com | 8/10[73] |
| Trusted Reviews | 9/10[69] |
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(February 2015) |
Halo: The Master Chief Collection received generally positive reviews. Aggregating review websiteMetacritic gave it a score 85 out of 100 based on reviews from 69 critics.[75][62] Reviews praised the graphics, frame rate, and content included in the bundle, but criticized the matchmaking problems that prevented players from playing online multiplayer modes on release day.[68]
The technical problems affected the online experience.Forbes' Paul Tassi wrote the game on release "was just flat out broken", and though improvements have been made, it "may very well be the worst major game release in a decade".[76] Stuart Andrews of Trusted Reviews commented that "Halo 3 looks and feels surprisingly dated" when compared to the rest of the collection, particularlyHalo 2 andHalo 4.[69]
Following a series of cryptic pizza-themed teasers and the announcement ofHalo: Reach being added toHalo: The Master Chief Collection and the announcement of the game coming to PC,343 Industries was sent pizzas from fans as a token of appreciation.[77] Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard, community director at 343 Industries, eventually pleaded fans to stop sending pizzas, as the number of pizzas being delivered was becoming overwhelming.[78]
What is the Unreal Engine being used for? ... "Various UI elements across the entire collection." ...currently a lot of the UI elements in the game were built using a different solution for the game's UI. However, that original solution is no longer ... supported with updates, which will make it challenging for us to continue building and making changes in the future. Our ability to visualize and execute on future work would be more limited with older technology, [but] with Unreal Engine we are not facing those same restrictions. ...An additional perk of this new tool is that we can do much more complex UI visualizations in real time to support both armor customization options and our progression system for MCC.
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