Halo: Campaign Evolved Felt Unnecessary

By https://steamdb.info/app/2806050/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81428498

The Halo video game series are some of the most iconic video games in history, and the original Halo: Combat Evolved on the Xbox in 2001 proved that high-quality first-person shooters can exist outside of the PC. Fast-forward 25 years, and now we have a remake of the original Halo called Halo: Campaign Evolved now available on the Xbox, PC, and for the first time ever, on PlayStation. Saying that aloud made me feel a bit dirty.

The best thing about this Halo remake is that the visuals look outstanding on Unreal Engine 5. This hammered home for me while playing the “Silent Cartographer” level when you were on the island and you see the waves of the water look so clear and crisp. There is also a big upgrade in the character models and expressions, with Cortana and Sgt. Johnson being the highlights of these improvements.

In Halo: Campaign Evolved, there are new cutscenes, dialogue, and weapons to use in your playthrough, but the big addition in this remake are three bonus prequel missions with Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson, which I am afraid to say are nothing special and do not stand out from the original campaign levels. The overall gameplay has not changed much from the original 2001 release, though it did not need to change much at all. I noticed that there are a lot more navigation markers telling you the next point you need to go, as well as enemies getting markers above their heads. The enemy markers also give away where the camouflaged elites are, which is a spectacular oversight from Halo Studios.

I ultimately enjoyed my time playing Halo: Campaign Evolved but my main takeaway from this game was that Halo: Campaign Evolved felt unnecessary. Not only do you have the original 2001 Halo, but you also have the remaster Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary as part of the Halo Master Chief Collection. In the remaster, you can toggle between the original and remastered visuals. I can only recommend this game if you already have Xbox Gamepass. In no way you should pay full price for this Halo Remake on PC or on the PS5, especially knowing that Halo: Campaign Evolved does not include the multiplayer! If you want to jump into the Halo series, the best way to do that is to get the Halo Master Chief Collection.