by Chase Streetman
Nostalgia is a very rich field to sow.
In recent years there has been an absolute explosion of HD rereleases and collections of classic games. Since 2011, there have been more than 30 collections of well-loved games, few did more than update the visuals.
Even among so many collections, The Master Chief Collection is an unlikely beast.
It includes four campaigns and 106 multiplayer maps from four games. All the individual elements of the package should amount to at least $100 from most retailers, assuming that Halo 2: Anniversary would cost $60 like the first Anniversary title.
Featuring every core title from the Halo franchise, MCC is the perfect diving in point for anyone who missed the series the first time around, and is a pleasant trip down memory lane for long-time fans.
It almost feels too good to be true.
However, despite some serious failings, MCC delivers on most fronts.
The flagship piece of content in the collection, Halo 2: Anniversary, is definitely its strongest addition.
The graphical updates are brilliant and simple. Unlike those of Halo CE: Anniversary, where the changes were so dramatic that some characters and objects were virtually unrecognizable, the updates are done in such a way as to not completely divorce from the style of the original. This adherence to the source material’s style and tone means that everything looks as good as it felt a decade ago.
The updated score is also suitably dynamic, generally emphasizing the music more and boasting higher sound quality, making each dramatic setpiece feel more empowering than ever before.
A key feature of the Anniversary games is the ability to switch to and from the classic graphics. In Halo CE: Anniversary this was limited to gameplay and took a number of seconds to transition. In this iteration, this feature has been upgraded to allow instantaneous switching at the press of a button, and it can be done during cinematics.
The cinematics, created by Blur Studios, are among the best in the business. Other than simply being gorgeous, they really add to the overall tone by taking advantage of the new technologies that have been created in the last ten years. The strongest example of this is Gravemind, who looked like a moldy puppet in the classic version, now looks like a terrifying and disgusting creature.
There are many minor glitches in the campaign, ranging from textures flickering between classic and new graphics to elites getting stuck riding grunts. There’s nothing gamebreaking or even inconvenient, just distracting at worst.
Unfortunately, some aspects of the collection genuinely were too good to be true.
The multiplayer, even looking past its completely broken state at launch, leaves a lot to be desired.
The matchmaking itself is flawed to an extreme degree, match selection is based in votes, and playlists are barebones at most.
Following the post-launch patch that was meant to fix matchmaking, the matchmaking is still unacceptably slow. Matches still take about five minutes to find, and lobby merging is almost nonexistent. Post-match, it’s hit or miss whether the lobby will actually continue on to a new match, or if you’ll be forced to return to the menu to restart the whole process.
Vote-based match selection, especially in older games where people have age-old favorites, almost always leads to the same four or five maps and modes being played, and MCC is no exception. Be ready to play every version of Zanzibar every other match.
In one of many flailing attempts to fix matchmaking during launch week, 343 Industries removed more than half of the playlists, and its unclear if they’ll be making a return.
On the less-important end, model customization has been minimized in all five games. You can’t see the changes in real time, and armor has been locked into sets instead of individual items.
The actual matches themselves are as fun as they've always been, and the ability to switch between games to access any of the 106 maps is an incredible thing. Add to this the Halo series’ exemplary custom matches and four-player splitscreen, and the multiplayer package is still incredibly enjoyable.
Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4 all run at native 1080p and 60 frames per second, while Halo 2: Anniversary runs at 1328x1080.
Even with a broken matchmaking system and a less than reassuring timeline to have it fixed, The Master Chief Collection is still an excellent trip down memory lane for diehard fans of the series, and offers the convenience of all the games on one console to new fans who are just now wading into the series. Throw in a subscription to Halo: Nightfall and assured access to the Halo: Guardians multiplayer beta, and you’re getting way more than your money’s worth from this package.
