Halo was once a legendary franchise that could practically carry a console generation on its own. It introduced spades of players to both military sci-fi and first-person shooters and revolutionized the genre with its clever blend of engaging storytelling and open areas. Halo’s lasting legacy, much like its movie counterpart, Star Wars, is what has sustained public interest in it, despite a series of major mishaps, disappointing entries, and an undeniable lack of innovation.
Halo has remained somewhat stagnant for a long time now, with 343’s handling of the franchise proving to be somewhat tumultuous.Halo Infinite disappointed fans with its lackluster campaign and cut content. Long before that, however, Halo 4 and 5 failed to live up to fans’ lofty expectations after Bungie delivered what is potentially one of the greatest video game series of all time. Now, for an altogether ridiculous reason, Halo has hit rock bottom yet again, and it is clear there is only one course of action that can save it.
Halo Has Finally Hit Rock Bottom
Campaign Evolved Shows The Series Is Regressing
The announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved likely excited a number of people, particularly those who’ve been locked exclusively to the PlayStation line of consoles for over two decades. Perhaps it excites those who absolutely need to have the glossy, over-polished, and overdone Unreal Engine 5 visuals in every game they play. However, for a lot of people, myself included, Campaign Evolved was a clear sign that the Halo franchise is all but dead at this point.
To be clear, Campaign Evolved looks perfectly fine. Its inclusion of three brand-new missions is a little exciting, if only because it’ll add more lore to an already fascinating universe, and give us a deeper insight into Master Chief and Johnson’s relationship. However, its potential quality – there are plenty of red flags popping up already in its gameplay trailer – is irrelevant. What is more important is the fact that this is a remake of a remake of a game from 2001.
Halo has had a bit of an identity crisis ever since the fourth mainline entry, and Campaign Evolved is further evidence of that. It’s a strange regression during a time when what the series needs more than ever is innovation. Infinite felt like an attempt to recapture the style and tone of the original games, but it ultimately failed. Campaign Evolved feels similarly desperate, yet, unlike Infinite, completely unnecessary.
While Combat Evolved Anniversary certainly has its flaws and doesn’t address every issue in the original experience, it did a decent enough job of bringing a great game into the modern era. We simply do not need to see that again. We also don’t need to see another remake of Halo 2, something that has recently been leaked to be coming. That game received a gorgeous remaster in 2014 that’s practically a remake, and is in no desperate need of an Unreal Engine 5 version.
Remakes Won’t Save Halo
Returning To The First Game Will Only Go So Far
All of this is to say that remaking the first game is the wrong move to save face and restore the goodwill that once heartily imbued the series with a sense of hope and potential. Rather, it feels like yet another desperate move, much like the rebrand from 343 to Halo Studios, that will ultimately fall short of expectations. While perhaps a tad speculative, it almost feels as if Halo Studios saw the success of Oblivion Remasteredand figured they’d attempt to ape it.
Halo: Combat Evolved has a special place in all of our hearts, but I really do not need to play it all over again. By this point, unless you’ve never played Halo before, you’ve likely suffered through the endless halls of the Library a million times. Doing it again in what could be a good remake simply isn’t as appealing as it may have once been, even if it looks all flashy running in UE5.
I’m not trying to discount the value this may have for those on PlayStation. However, I almost feel like PlayStation users will end up getting a bad deal, especially if the admittedly flawed Master Chief Collection never launches on PS5 as a result of these remakes taking its place. They could end up having to spend a fortune to play all of these games that the majority of us have been able to enjoy for peanuts. It is extremely reminiscent of the recent failed Gears of War remaster.
More importantly, none of this will save Halo. Even if PlayStation players are impressed by Halo: Campaign Evolved, they’re only going to be led to disappointment as they make their way through the remaining games, especially the most recent titles. What Halo needs is a fresh new entry, one that doesn’t adhere to Bungie’s vision or 343’s impression of said vision. Indeed, what Halo needs is to be completely rebooted.
Halo Needs To Be Rebooted
New Characters, New Stories, New Everything
I am aware that Halo 7 is allegedly in the works, according to recent leaks. However, I cannot be alone in thinking this is a mistake. Rumors of the next Halo game and what it’ll ultimately be about have been circulating the internet for some time, especially after Halo Infinite’s frankly disappointing ending. Yet, while typically it is somewhat exciting to speculate, this time, I feel absolutely no hope, love, or desire for whatever the next Halo brings.
Master Chief’s story and its supporting cast of characters have been so thoroughly run into the ground at this point that it can often feel as if there’s nothing interesting left to say. When Bungie realized this, it smartly created two of the best Halo games, ODST and Reach, to explore other facets of this extremely broad universe. 343 have clearly not gotten that memo, and instead insist on flogging Master Chief’s well-armored corpse until it disintegrates.
What Halo needs is a fresh start, one that takes the essence of Bungie’s masterpiece and adapts it into something Halo Studios feels confident making, something that plays to its strengths, rather than attempting to adhere to Bungie’s. Halo needs to ditch Master Chief and introduce a new character – although not like Halo 5’s failed attempt. It needs to feel brand-new, exciting, and innovative.
It feels silly writing this, but there’s a reason Halo is called Halo and not Master Chief. He’s a great character, but perhaps it is time for someone else to lead this franchise. It happens all the time, and to great success, so why not give it a go here? After all, if remaking all the Halo games 343 didn’t make is the only thing 343 can think of doing right now, then surely a fresh start couldn’t hurt.
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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Halo Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Microsoft Studios
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
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Yes – all platforms
- Cross Save
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Yes – all platforms
