E3 2014 - Halo Master Chief Collection Hands On

When I was sitting in The Galen Centre, I was going over the list of games I figured would be shown during the press event. I thought it was a sure bet that Halo 2 would be shown, I mean it had been rumoured for months now. What I did not expect was that all of the 4 previous Halo titles would be released for Xbox One, or that they would be on a single disc.

It was only a short time later that I was able to sit down and take the chief through his latest outing, of course this was in Halo 2. Playing the game felt natural and it responded really well and perhaps the best feature, is the returning one from the Halo Anniversary, the ability to swap between the old and the new at any point. Unlike the former though, this is an instant swap, which means no fading to black, it is just that instant.

After my very brief time at the controls I passed them onto the next journalist in the line and while he was playing, one the developers from 343 were explaining the details around the single menu that players will see when they load it up. The moment you see that first menu screen, everything that the game has to offer is open to you. You can play any of the 4 Halo games or jump into any multiplayer map you want.

One of the best ideas that has been brought into the game is the idea of playlists. Everyone knows what a playlist is and here they help provide you set tastes of the game. Should you wish to play only the missions where you had to drive the warthog, select that option. Perhaps you want to take on the flood, simply select that playlist and you are ready to do just that. Each of the playlists that is included on the discs is built to offer up some fun and challenge, but none will offer quite the challenge such as the marathon challenge. This will start you with the very first mission in Halo and take you all the way through to Halo 4’s final moments, do you have what it takes to complete that marathon?

Another feature that is impressive, is the ability to have any multi-player map from any Halo game in your rotation. If you should select your favourite Halo 3 map and your buddy goes Halo 2 well the game will load all the information it needs and you want have to do a thing. This seamless multi-player experience was something the team really wanted to get into it and if this works as advertised could be something truly special.

Overall my time with the chief was short but it did showcase two things, firstly the upgraded Halo 2 game looks incredible and secondly The Master Chief Collection is something I really want to add to my own collection.