Halo: Campaign Evolved

As of right now, I am mixed. I love Halo to its core, but this game, just.. idk, wasn't it. The prequel missions felt like it was an Marvel Halo MCU movie. Chief needs to remain as a strong SILENT type. We (the people playing the game) ARE Master Chief. He is our vessel for the story. We are suppose to place ourselves in his boots. Please keep him quiet and back to a man with a few words. SGT Johnson just seemed like he was playing a character of himself. Like the writers didn't know this character very well but lets make him a MCU quippy one liner kind of guy. For the love of god too, I cant get pass this man being Steve Harvey. The voice actor for Johnson did a decent job. At some points I can buy it, and others I cannot. Also Johnson is a USELESS companion in these missions. During my gameplay he would sit behind a wall, and proceed to shoot said wall. I would receive little to no help from the man. Also STOP CALLING THE COVIES "BUGS" I don't recall him calling the Covies "Bugs," but during my gameplay it was like he had that saying like it was on a soundboard, just spamming it. The ODST character was.... fine. I love getting lore from the books to the games. But she also seemed very MCU... I grew up playing Halo, and I can beat a Halo game on Legendry, but holy crap man. I have never asked myself "wtf did I just die from" more than anytime playing this game. The feel for the game is SOOO close but it stubbles to feel like a Halo game. I didn't know I had to change so many freaking settings just to feel comfortable playing this game. I am going to play this a couple more times just to see if the prequel missions put a sour taste in my mouth or what but idk. I was very excited to play this, but feel kind of let down. I'm not sure if I like the whole "retelling" of the story aspect of it. I wish they just gave us H:CEA2. Where the graphics actually looked good. I'm skeptical of the future of the "retelling" story line. Don't get me wrong this game is VERY pretty and jaw dropping at times, but idk... meh Ill update this review once my thoughts become more clear.

Tremendo, juéguenlo

not good,

I would love to recommend this game, I feel like they really do care about staying as respectful to the classic while being wonderfully modernized, but I am crashing multiple times and its causing me to be stuck in a loop now.

Rating this game 8/10 Playing Halo Combat Evolved in Unreal Engine 5 was an experience I didn't realize I needed. It's amazing how a game that's over two decades old can still capture that same sense of adventure while looking so much more modern. Seeing the iconic environments, weapons, and characters recreated with updated lighting, textures, and effects made it feel like I was experiencing the game for the first time all over again. What made the experience even better was playing the campaign in co-op with friends. Halo has always been at its best when you're working together, whether you're clearing out Covenant forces, laughing after someone accidentally sticks a teammate with a plasma grenade, or scrambling to survive when everything goes wrong. Those moments are what make Halo special, and this version reminded me why I spent so many hours playing it growing up. The nostalgia hit hard from the very beginning. Hearing the familiar music, stepping onto the ring for the first time, exploring the mysterious Forerunner structures, and reliving unforgettable missions brought back so many memories. It's incredible how well the original level design and gameplay have held up after all these years. Even knowing what was coming, I still found myself getting excited during the classic moments that made Combat Evolved legendary. My only real disappointment is that multiplayer wasn't included. Halo's multiplayer is just as iconic as its campaign, and seeing classic maps like Blood Gulch, Hang 'Em High, Sidewinder, and Battle Creek recreated in Unreal Engine 5 would have been incredible. I can only imagine how much fun it would be to jump into custom games or classic Slayer matches with friends.

I've only done the original story so far, but this is my fair and honest opinion so far. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Beautiful: The Good: Halo Studios made a Halo game that I really wanted to like so I gave them ANOTHER chance. I was wondering if it was going to be UE5 with a Halo skin or if it was going to feel like Halo. It FEELS like Halo. I couldn't be more relieved. Maybe it doesn't quite feel like CE, but if this is their fresh start, it isn't a bad one. Throw in their additions and some changes. Hunter Flood type, some weapons from other games in the series, and re-imagined levels made the entire game feel fresh and exciting. The Bad: Some of the guns are weak compared to some previous games of the same guns. The requirement for an Xbox Live account to play single player OFFLINE is absurd. Do you NEED this for any game? No. Does it make it easy for players on all platforms to friend each other and play. Sure. But for SOLO play? Ridiculous. Death boundaries in a single player game with hidden skulls that you need to explore and find. Just let us explore! What are we going to do? Expose a glitch in the level that allows you to skip a part? NOBODY CARES! Hell, you might even grow a good speed running community. The Ugly: Pre-rendered cut-scenes? This should be an absolutely best the game should look...and it's locked at 30fps. Come on, in engine would be ideal, but at the bare minimum these should be 60fps. Chromatic Aberration and Film Grain that can't be disabled in the game? Come on! Want it on be default, okay, sure. But at least give us the option to turn that ♥♥♥♥ off without having to dig into the files to do so. The Beautiful: This game is gorgeous. Especially when you dial in the brightness settings. I took mine down to -50 for a really great experience. Doing that and playing on an OLED in HDR made this game look absolutely phenomenal. Visually? THIS is the best Halo has ever looked. The weapons, lighting, shadows, Flood, the details of each level, and vehicles is all beautiful. Final thoughts: If you love the Halo story, then THIS is the best way, in my opinion, to experience Combat Evolved. It's not perfect, but this is a big step in the right direction. Many friends are asking me if I recommend it. I've told them all, "Absolutely. if you can grab it for $30. I know they basically made a game from scratch, but let's be honest. it's an 6-8 hour campaign. I have been playing Halo since day 1 and I'm not happy with myself for buying the $70 version. $70 to play early and for skins...in a single player game....that is a first person shooter. Easily the worst game purchase decision I have made as far as Bang to Buck purchase. I should have waited. Not only for the release, but for it to go on sale. If you can snag it on a sale for $30, absolutely do it.