I know how much you love the first Halo. “It’s the game that made my childhood,” you scream across the Internet at me, who gazes upon your outburst like that one white cat in the meme. Don’t get me wrong, Halo: Combat Evolved is a great game…but it’s also pretty ugly. A product of its time, I know that but why would you want to play with those crusty graphics when you could instead just flip a switch and make it look so much better? That’s the best thing that came out of the Master Chief Collection on Xbox One and now, with very little warning, it’s the best thing about the MCC on PC as Microsoft just went and surprise dropped the original Halo for everyone to enjoy!
While the Master Chief Collection has been available on Steam for some time now, its offerings have definitely been a bit sparse. Launching with just Halo: Reach (AKA the best Halo game), the other titles in the franchise were to be added over time…we just didn’t know when that time would be. After last night we now know that at least one of those times was, well, last night when Microsoft dropped Halo: Combat Evolved into the PC version of the MCC. Beyond that, the PC version of Halo brings even more to the table than the Xbox One version. While the ability to switch between classic and enhanced visuals is nothing new, Halo now also features 4K UHD, ultra-wide display support, control rebinding and native mouse and keyboard support.
Beyond those updates, Microsoft has also thrown in a handful of community requested features such as “classic” multiplayer audio and improvements to Spartan customisation. You can purchase the game separately from the Master Chief Collection for just R80 or go all in on the MCC for R690. Later this year, we’re expecting Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, ODST and Halo 4 to all be added to the PC version of the Master Chief Collection but no release dates have been confirmed.
Last Updated: March 4, 2020
Kromas
March 4, 2020 at 11:16
Halo was only influential to a very small subsection of gamers limited to one console.
PC gamers had other way more influential games.
Also Halo sucked.
Jacques Van Zyl
March 4, 2020 at 12:11
I might be stirring the pot here, but you’ve seemed very “PC Master Race”/anti-console recently?
While I can’t argue against the PC being an overall better use of hardware, the disparity between consoles and PC is decreasing at a rapid pace, and I guess what I’m getting at is, why does the divide need to exist?
I’ve been having rather heated arguments with a console friend of mine and their staunch belief that exclusivity, platform or storefront, should be kept as is and even more exclusivity should be a thing. Meanwhile, I am stoked when games have full cross-platform play, I am hyped when I get to play console exclusives on pc or share a pc experience with console bros, and ultimately I dream of the day where games are truly available to gamers regardless of platform or storefront and we can all game together.
tl;dr – can we stop enforcing divides between gamers and platforms for just a bit please?
Kromas
March 4, 2020 at 12:11
a Few things.
1. Although I primarily play PC I do own consoles.
2. This is more about Halo not being nearly as influential as say DOOM,Half Life, Wolfenstein,System Shock,Quake and Unreal.
3. When posting in this particular space I tend to employ the anti console gamer to offset Kaasies pro console attitude. It is a little game we play
and finally 4. #PCMasterRace4LifeYo!!!
😛
Jacques Van Zyl
March 4, 2020 at 12:11
That number 4 sold me yo. Sorry K44sie, but can’t argue with the logic of 4.
Skyblue
March 4, 2020 at 21:45
At the end of the day we’re all gamer’s regardless of platform. I think the comparisons are starting to draw blanks as M$ release all their XBOX exclusives on PC and $ony are (very) slowly starting to follow suit. I still crank up my PS4 for Resogun, my XBOX for Ninja Gaiden and my PC for just about everything else these days. I won’t rag on the filthy Nintendo die-hards as I used to be one ;-p
All great platforms down to personal preference.
Skyblue
March 4, 2020 at 21:32
Yeah so I’m not sure how a “very small subsection of gamers” have made HALO one of the best selling game franchises of all time. I’m not a super fan of the series and I do think that a few of the early titles weren’t great at all but the last few have been much better.
I would still rather be playing DOOM, Titanfall 2 or Half Life though. Back to Black Mesa for me!
Alien Emperor Trevor
March 4, 2020 at 11:16
“I know how much you love the first Halo. “It’s the game that made my childhood,” you scream across the Internet at me”
Wrong. I remember exactly how I felt while playing it all those years ago. It was, “Why are they making such a fuss about this decidedly average shooter?”
Skyblue
March 4, 2020 at 21:15
Mostly agree. HALO REACH and ODST are actually better than the first few titles which featured long repetitive sections which were a pain in the ass for any self-respecting PC gamer.
I enjoy the story and lore of the series but the staunchest defenders of the titles are the multiplayer crowd who would have a System Shock 2 discover Half Life, DOOM, Bulletstorm, etc. all have extraordinary single player modes.
Llama In The Rift
March 4, 2020 at 11:08
https://media3.giphy.com/media/TlM1NVwqtIDIc/giphy.gif
New developers at Microsoft be like…
R1ker
March 4, 2020 at 12:08
I played the original Halo back in the day when it came to pc. I think it was about a year after it released on the xbox. And at the time i was just meh with it. Never bothered to finish it.
HvR
March 4, 2020 at 16:15
Same, it was 2 years after the original release which was probably a huge part of the problem like a week before Half-life 2 dropped….now talk about influential franchise.
Skyblue
March 4, 2020 at 21:20
Gamepass is truly the gift that keeps on giving. I have cancelled my PS PLUS! subscription and I have been reluctant to purchase anything since subscribing to Gamepass for XBOX and PC as the value offering is superb.
I will make an exception for DOOM Eternal on PC though and truly hope somebody makes a mod in which I get to visit Animal Crossing with a full loadout of weapons and ammo.