Developer 343 Industries hasn't always had the best luck with the Halo series. The developer's first two attempts to pick up where Bungie left off were met with derision and division from fans and critics alike thanks to some large departures from the series' early entries. Changes like equippable loadouts, more linear campaigns, iron sights, and lootboxes all felt geared to bring Halo more in line with other prominent first-person shooters. Such changes resulted in Halo losing much of its identity. However, the upcoming Halo Infinite seems to have rediscovered it, and the success of Halo: The Master Chief Collection played a key role in that.
Funnily enough, while 343's previous attempts to modernize the series have largely fallen flat with fans, its ongoing, consistent support for Halo: The Master Chief Collectionhas brought the developer much praise, and it's clear 343 has been listening to that feedback. Based on previews and the game's recent test flight, Halo Infinite seemingly has more in common with Bungie's titles than any of 343's initial outings. When Halo Infinite hits stores this December, itmay very well be the definitive modern Halo title, but one shouldn't necessarily assume it's going to render the older titles obsolete; these oldergames still have a lot of life left in them.
RELATED: Microsoft Has Something that Sony Doesn't This Holiday Season
Halo: The Master Chief Collection's Multiplayer
Despite how old The Master Chief Collection's contents are, each entry has been generously supported over the years. Halo 3, a 14-year-old game, is still receiving content updates including new weapons, maps ported from Halo Online, and fresh cosmetics. More recently, 343 announced a new Firefight mode that will pit players against waves of Halo's terrifying parasitic species, the Flood — a first for the series' wave-based survival mode. It's worth mentioning that this announcement came barely three months ahead of Halo Infinite's launch, implying that ongoing support for The Master Chief Collection isn't likely to stop anytime soon.
It's also worth noting that The Master Chief Collection's multiplayer, by its very nature, will boast significantly more variety than Halo Infinite's. If one gets tired of Halo Infinite's multiplayer after a few matches, the collection could be a good way for fans to get a different kind of Halo fix while taking a break from Infinite. Thankfully, each game in the collection is fairly well-populated. While not possessing a community as massive as the likes of Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, or Destiny 2, the vintage Halo games still attract thousands of players per day looking for some old-school Halo action.
The Master Chief Collection Modes Missing From Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite will finally be launching this December, but not all of its modes will be available on day one. A few features won't be arriving until months after the game releases, with the most notable late additions being the co-op campaign and Forge. These two modes have been integral parts of Halo for quite some time now, with the former originating in Halo 1, and the latter appearing in every mainline game since Halo 3.
Suffice to say, their omissions are shocking, but fortunately, The Master Chief Collection is well-equipped to meet players' cooperative or creative needs. The bundle's six campaigns all boast co-op gameplay, with four of the titles allowing up to four players to squad up, while only two games — Halo 1 and 2 — are limited to two players. When adding up the length of every Halo game included in the collection, that amounts to approximately 49 hours of playtime, which gives players a great deal of time to kill before Halo Infinite's big co-op update.
Forge in The Master Chief Collection is just as great of a time-passer, if not better. Within the mode, players can toy around with maps, weapons, vehicles, and more from Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 to craft their own custom maps for any purpose they see fit; maybe it's a Grifball arena, an intricately designed battlefield for capture the flag, or perhaps a backdrop for a Halo machinima. The possibilities are endless, making The Master Chief Collection the perfect avenue for Halo fans to flex their creative muscles while waiting for Infinite's Forge Mode to drop.
Between its strong multiplayer support and diverse modes of play, Halo: The Master Chief Collection boasts a resilient set of legs that will surely keep players coming back for more even after Halo Infinite arrives this winter. Anything short of a full server deactivation doesn't seem capable of halting this Halo bundle's success.
Halo Infinite will launch on December 8, 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: Halo Infinite Leaves Fans With One Strange Mystery
