While classics Doom and Wolfenstein 3D are credited with creating the enormously popular first-person shooter genre, 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved did much of the heavy lifting in morphing it into what it is today. 25 years later, the original Xbox’s system-seller has er, evolved another gaming category – the increasingly competitive and ubiquitous remake.
Like so many recent remakes – and remasters and reboots and reimaginings – Halo: Campaign Evolved updates a beloved title for both a new audience and existing fans craving a nice dose of nostalgia. But where many of these do-overs fail to fully deliver, Master Chief’s return goes above and beyond.
Campaign Evolved checks all the expected “remake” boxes, updating the visuals and tweaking the gameplay to meet modern FPS standards. But even these predictable refreshes are much more than your typical bog-standard inclusions. The graphical update, for example, isn’t a mere paintjob with slightly prettier polygons, but a breathtaking, built-from-the-ground-up overhaul that easily stands toe-to-toe with today’s most cinematic shooters.
The remake further raises the bar with brand new content.
The Covenant-crushing action is equally impressive, retaining the fast and fluid gunplay that made the original a clip-emptying favourite a quarter century ago, but also building on that formula in welcome ways. From significant additions – many of which have been pulled from later series’ instalments – such as new weapon and enemy types, to quality-of-life tweaks, like the ability to sprint and hijack enemy vehicles, every update complements the comfortably familiar gameplay.
Campaign Evolved’s eye-popping visuals and refined mechanics make this a fight worth finishing… again. But the remake further raises the bar with brand new content. A trio of prequel missions – in which the iconic Space Marine teams up with fan-favourite side character Sergeant Major Avery Johnson to infiltrate a Covenant craft – add a few hours of play that never feels like tacked-on filler, but an organic part of the existing lore.
If there’s a gripe to be made about Campaign Evolved – which also recruits PlayStation owners for the first time – it’d be that it doesn’t bring back the competitive multiplayer modes largely responsible for the original’s success. But that critique is about as strong as 343 Guilty Spark’s loyalty, as the game’s content intentions are clearly stated in its subtitle. Besides, the superior supplemental mode from Combat Evolved – couch co-op – is back and better than ever.
