If you are new to the Halo universe this is your chance to have the classic trilogy all at once, from the prequel to the end, weirdly included Halo 4 resulting in five games total. You will see it differently than we had back in the days, it was uncharted territory both for development and entertainment, it was supposed to show the goodies behind the big X consoles during launch. You won't find that thrill anymore but the game is there.

If you're old school or if you just know what I mean from before, you will have emotional flashbacks and also some disappointments, mainly for what was done (or not done) to the cherry at the top: Combat Evolved. The remastering was done so carelessly, making it look like a high definition textured Frankenstein.


Right off the boat, I had to log in with some Microsoft email.

I expected a proper launcher to let me decide what to do and what to play. Fine, it is all good. I'm not tired of owning other 39948729 gaming accounts that force me into it. Though I'm running the Collection with my Windows 11 already bought through a mandatory email account, I still had to sign in. This isn't Google so I can't just click to log in. Just let me type my email then my password again. Phew, here we go, I can play now.

Wait, there is a second step, click into more other 348930 prompts to confirm I may accept everything. Done. Let’s do this. Not so fast. Another 212756 clicks then I can finally find Halo 1 in the menu so I could play it already. After the first time, things will supposedly get faster.

Yet it looks like I was never invited to this beautiful universe to live on it again. All that likely happens to recruit you into some sort of cult just to remember, this is actually aiming at the Online galore. Great, I love the Halo multiplayer and the old fun is back anew, but not when it was filled with reminders and bonus bullcrap that they shamelessly advertise, no matter how much it devolves into disasters like Halo Infinite's microtransactions. Collection is free of micro, but it is clear it attempts to convince you that any business post-buy is normal and worthy.


These games had unique main menu on its own, now gone due the launcher. I had no idea it was required to install the game - again - after installing the game (wat?) because the first three classics are never installed by default once you download it from your library. Halo: Reach is the only one that comes installed, you must run a second loader within the Collection's menu to install the others.

My blood pressure went down, I got scared. I THOUGHT I HAD TO PAY AGAIN to have the others unlocked, I guess I never paid attention. Thankfully it wasn’t that, but you can imagine. The PTSD those corpos gave me.

I spilled my coffee when I noticed that the downloading menu in there is just Steam's duplicate, meaning the launcher is not independent. The downloader is just playing like Microsoft doesn't need Steam when they actually do need, since their PC platform isn’t enough. You bet, to log into Live’s is nearly useless. They probably want you to install it while logged in into their Windows whatever, or Xbox live bull, or whatever the fakk they call it. It is like giving the hand to Valve but also giving them the finger. Bizarre relationship still.

The excuse for this is probably to give you control of your storage drives, they even give you the option to install the Multiplayer only, or the Campaign only, or both, for each game. I had to report to you how weird this all looks, but yep, it may work as intended. The series greatness isn’t being properly worshiped as it should, since the singleplayer experience is treated like a practical quick play. The Online is, and I just don’t like the order of appearances.


Since only the first two series disappointed me (Combat Evolved and Reach) because they had such effortless remastering that made things worse, I’m going to aim at the first game then. Except for Halo 2 Anniversary, it has been remastered years ago and it's great, (way too good, it blurs the other games) and Halo 3 that never had any remaster... Rest easy that from Halo 2 and up I have nothing to complain, it is all there.

My problem for real is with the first one. If you play the original game on the old green Xbox, you will notice several graphical features are completely absent. It is not true that swapping the video from "enhanced" to "original" will make it like it was. Graphics had a pivotal part of Halo CE that gave the game this magical thing, it wasn't just the combat. I expected better work from Microbillgates engineers, it is their most important game after all.

1- Especular light over surfaces = gone
2- Sun spot was completely removed, it is just an yellow cardboard on the skies now
3- Dream bloom effects and special particles = either gone or mishandled
4- Fantastic FX were either removed or replaced by uninspired new ones

Examples: Arara sound effects, birds and other animals that helped link the theories about the origins of Halo and dozens other sounds are just as gone. Tires over mud, gravel, etc replaced with something inferior. Some sounds were replaced nicely, such as the Plasma Rifle. Mostly are not as good and it shows.

Other sacrilegious things such as cutting light and colored effects from holograms, kills the original vibe mercilessly. Returning to the original options doesn’t help, because the props aren’t there.

The only remastering I really enjoy on CE is the music.


Objectives can be unclear sometimes, and the game overstays repetitive mechanics - and we could see that in 2001/03. They could have redone that. AI is a bit more aggressive I guess due the new combat tweaks. The problem is, nothing else was tweaked, giving it unbalanced random chaos like insane multiplayer, but in the campaign. Then the allied AI case worsens, crazy random explosions, AI making dumb decision as worse as ever. Avery Johnson still duplicates his clones instead of being invulnerable. So after many decades still, allies are rarely driving ghosts but they still refuse driving warthogs like Halo 2 does. The opportunity the devs wasted is now gone, just like lots of details they removed.


At least the gameplay has been slightly tweaked, it looks like the old stuff anew, despite the drawbacks, for all old games. I guess maybe they tried to level the old things with the new stuff. Halo 4 for example, I never liked it too much but it is a good game on its own due the combat, setting good standards. Sadly it tried the Mass Effect narrative, distant from Halo's style, but it is not a bad game. They probably shoved the fourth in there to help sell it since it never truly lived up to the legend.


In truth, Halo 1 for PC never looked better than Xbox's around 2003, and it was intentional.

Excessive long corridors for example were due the loading time back in 2001, they could have shortened it for today’s standard. Zombies using rocket launchers or misplaced vehicles, CE needed structure tweaks too. I admit it would probably end up a remake instead, because the game is just too old. To ignore this much is a disservice anyway, it deserved more than just new textures.


If you liked this review please follow my curator's page right here!

My fangirl instinct forces me to recommend you all the fun, it is quite endless from the sweet campaign to multiplayer, since most stuff survived. What I don’t like is the price we fans had to pay... Microsoft never released it before, we expected much more. The good thing is, the PC has it now. Thanks I guess, we just had to be manipulated by corpos over decades to have it.

If you are new to the Halo universe this is your chance to have the classic trilogy all at once, from the prequel to the end, weirdly included Halo 4 resulting in five games total. You will see it differently than we had back in the days, it was uncharted territory both for development and entertainment, it was supposed to show the goodies behind the big X consoles during launch. You won't find that thrill anymore but the game is there. If you're old school or if you just know what I mean from before, you will have emotional flashbacks and also some disappointments, mainly for what was done (or not done) to the cherry at the top: Combat Evolved. The remastering was done so carelessly, making it look like a high definition textured Frankenstein. [h1]The main menu; a sacrilegeous nuisance[/h1] Right off the boat, I had to log in with some Microsoft email. I expected a proper launcher to let me decide what to do and what to play. Fine, it is all good. I'm not tired of owning other 39948729 gaming accounts that force me into it. Though I'm running the Collection with my Windows 11 already bought through a mandatory email account, I still had to sign in. This isn't Google so I can't just click to log in. Just let me type my email then my password again. Phew, here we go, I can play now. Wait, there is a second step, click into more other 348930 prompts to confirm I may accept everything. Done. Let’s do this. Not so fast. Another 212756 clicks then I can finally find Halo 1 in the menu so I could play it already. After the first time, things will supposedly get faster. Yet it looks like I was never invited to this beautiful universe to live on it again. All that likely happens to recruit you into some sort of cult just to remember, this is actually aiming at the Online galore. Great, I love the Halo multiplayer and the old fun is back anew, but not when it was filled with reminders and bonus bullcrap that they shamelessly advertise, no matter how much it devolves into disasters like Halo Infinite's microtransactions. Collection is free of micro, but it is clear it attempts to convince you that any business post-buy is normal and worthy. [code]IT IS SUPPOSED TO ORGANIZE, BUT...[/code] These games had unique main menu on its own, now gone due the launcher. I had no idea it was required to install the game - again - after installing the game (wat?) because the first three classics are never installed by default once you download it from your library. Halo: Reach is the only one that comes installed, you must run a second loader within the Collection's menu to install the others. My blood pressure went down, I got scared. I THOUGHT I HAD TO PAY AGAIN to have the others unlocked, I guess I never paid attention. Thankfully it wasn’t that, but you can imagine. The PTSD those corpos gave me. I spilled my coffee when I noticed that the downloading menu in there is just Steam's duplicate, meaning the launcher is not independent. The downloader is just playing like Microsoft doesn't need Steam when they actually do need, since their PC platform isn’t enough. You bet, to log into Live’s is nearly useless. They probably want you to install it while logged in into their Windows whatever, or Xbox live bull, or whatever the fakk they call it. It is like giving the hand to Valve but also giving them the finger. Bizarre relationship still. The excuse for this is probably to give you control of your storage drives, they even give you the option to install the Multiplayer only, or the Campaign only, or both, for each game. I had to report to you how weird this all looks, but yep, it may work as intended. The series greatness isn’t being properly worshiped as it should, since the singleplayer experience is treated like a practical quick play. The Online is, and I just don’t like the order of appearances. [h1]Even the Gods Nectar got expiration date[/h1] Since only the first two series disappointed me (Combat Evolved and Reach) because they had such effortless remastering that made things worse, I’m going to aim at the first game then. Except for Halo 2 Anniversary, it has been remastered years ago and it's great, (way too good, it blurs the other games) and Halo 3 that never had any remaster... Rest easy that from Halo 2 and up I have nothing to complain, it is all there. My problem for real is with the first one. If you play the original game on the old green Xbox, you will notice several graphical features are completely absent. It is not true that swapping the video from "enhanced" to "original" will make it like it was. Graphics had a pivotal part of Halo CE that gave the game this magical thing, it wasn't just the combat. I expected better work from Microbillgates engineers, it is their most important game after all. 1- Especular light over surfaces = gone 2- Sun spot was completely removed, it is just an yellow cardboard on the skies now 3- Dream bloom effects and special particles = either gone or mishandled 4- Fantastic FX were either removed or replaced by uninspired new ones Examples: Arara sound effects, birds and other animals that helped link the theories about the origins of Halo and dozens other sounds are just as gone. Tires over mud, gravel, etc replaced with something inferior. Some sounds were replaced nicely, such as the Plasma Rifle. Mostly are not as good and it shows. Other sacrilegious things such as cutting light and colored effects from holograms, kills the original vibe mercilessly. Returning to the original options doesn’t help, because the props aren’t there. The only remastering I really enjoy on CE is the music. [code]OUTDATED MUST BE TUNED RIGHT[/code] Objectives can be unclear sometimes, and the game overstays repetitive mechanics - and we could see that in 2001/03. They could have redone that. AI is a bit more aggressive I guess due the new combat tweaks. The problem is, nothing else was tweaked, giving it [u]unbalanced random chaos[/u] like insane multiplayer, but in the campaign. Then the allied AI case worsens, crazy random explosions, AI making dumb decision as worse as ever. Avery Johnson still duplicates his clones instead of being invulnerable. So after many decades still, allies are rarely driving ghosts but they still refuse driving warthogs like Halo 2 does. The opportunity the devs wasted is now gone, just like lots of details they removed. [h1]Combat Revolved[/h1] At least the gameplay has been slightly tweaked, it looks like the old stuff anew, despite the drawbacks, for all old games. I guess maybe they tried to level the old things with the new stuff. Halo 4 for example, I never liked it too much but it is a good game on its own due the combat, setting good standards. Sadly it tried the Mass Effect narrative, distant from Halo's style, but it is not a bad game. They probably shoved the fourth in there to help sell it since it never truly lived up to the legend. [code]IF IT WAS A BETTER REMASTER[/code] In truth, Halo 1 for PC never looked better than Xbox's around 2003, and it was intentional. Excessive long corridors for example were due the loading time back in 2001, they could have shortened it for today’s standard. Zombies using rocket launchers or misplaced vehicles, CE needed structure tweaks too. I admit it would probably end up a remake instead, because the game is just too old. To ignore this much is a disservice anyway, it deserved more than just new textures. [h1]Final Score: 7,5[/h1] If you liked this review please follow my curator's page [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27184480/][b]right here![/b][/url] My fangirl instinct forces me to recommend you all the fun, it is quite endless from the sweet campaign to multiplayer, since most stuff survived. What I don’t like is the price we fans had to pay... Microsoft never released it before, we expected much more. The good thing is, the PC has it now. Thanks I guess, we just had to be manipulated by corpos over decades to have it.