Hey there~
How was your week?
Mine was okay! I'm trying to figure out ways to expand this little corner, as posted on the previous article.
Information scattered all across the internet, but never all in one article, the next franchise we're gonna talk about is the one and only Halo franchise!
So, let's get to it, because we have lots of ground to cover.
Halo: Combat Evolved was the launch game of the first Xbox (2001) - fun fact they released on the same day (Nov 15) and that made Halo the flagship of the console. Microsoft Corporation acquired Bungie, Inc. to develop and publish the game.
Upon its release Halo was a commercial success and is regarded as one of the greatest video games ever, spanning off an ever-growing franchise that grows strong until present day.
One of the most praised and popular aspects of the game was its multiplayer feature which revolutionized the MMO genre.
Halo 2 was then released on 2004 and achieved Best Game of the Year 2004 elevating all previous qualities that made the first game of the franchise such a success.
Some of those qualities being the story, the characters and overall graphics of its predecessor. Also, the game was noted for enhancing the multiplayer feature.
Something weird and fun to share about Halo 2 is that it was promoted, not only with teasers and posters, but also by condoms which became the rarest collectable according to Xbox Collector.
On September 25, 2007 the third part of the franchise, Halo 3, was released and concluded the first trilogy's story arc that begun on Halo: Combat Evolved.
It was the first to release on the new Xbox 360 console and you could also buy it in a limited edition case that included a Halo poster (as seen below), two booklets - one art book and one encyclopedia with information on the characters, weapons, maps etc. - and two discs, one of which was called Essentials that included bonus features and the other was just the main game.
The next game to be released was Halo 3: ODST (2009), a spin-off of the original trilogy, which featured a different protagonist and was set during the events of Halo 2.
The following year saw the release of Halo: Reach, a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, which followed the Noble 6 squad instead of the main protagonist, Master Chief.
Halo: Reach was critically acclaimed with fans praising its story, character development and overall atmosphere of the game. It took the best elements of the previous games and combined them in one entry.
It seems to me that Halo: Reach is to this day the most loved game of the franchise.
And then a big change came along.
Bungie has announced their split from Microsoft on E3 2009 and went independent after Halo: Reach, leaving Microsoft without a developing team, leading them to create their own, 343 Industries.
Their first release was Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011), which is a remastered version of the first game.
Halo 4 was the next title of the main series and it was released on November 6, 2012.
Unfortunately, the main story of Halo 4 received some criticism, stating it was less compelling than the previous games.
Halo 5: Guardians is the only game that released solely on Xbox One (2015) with 343 Industries not showing any plans of releasing its PC version any time soon.
BUT there are some good aspects to it, which are the combat mechanics, the gameplay and the new technology enhancements AND Halo 5's multiplayer was better received than Halo 4's, despite the campaign mode being far worse.
Halo Infinite is the 6th main line entry of the franchise and got Action Game of the Year 2021, Online Game of the Year 2021, etc.
It is mostly known for - well, some memes - going back to its roots and amassing great hype for the franchise's comeback. Fans hoped it to be a breath of fresh air and it didn't disappoint.
I haven't yet properly introduced the main character, but patience is a virtue.
From the beginning we follow the storyline of Master Chief Petty Officer John - 117, who is an augmented human and part of the Spartan II program, serving under UNSC (United Nations Space Command).
Because for some reason the human race has actually united against some global / universal threat.
Master Chief's main purpose is to defeat the Covenant Empire and bring peace to the galaxy.
With that in mind, we see him take off for Installation 04, aka Halo Ring, after the Pillar of Autumn - the cruiser base he was onto - fell under attack by Covenant forces.
On Installation 04, Master Chief starts his journey with an AI called Cortana - yes, that one - given to him by Captain Keyes, whom he has to find and rescue.
After encountering the parasitic Flood and finding out about Keyes' infection and death, Master Chief learns from the Installation's Monitor (an AI called 343 Guilty Spark) that the Ring is actually a weapon of mass destruction and so he seeks to prevent its activation.
In the end he finds a way to achieve that and at that destroys the Ring and gets honors for his actions.
And with that concludes Halo: Combat Evolved.
Halo 2 events follow after the destruction of Installation 04 and it starts like this:
The story follows a new character, named Thel'vadamee, who was the Supreme Commander of the Covenant fleet that was supposed to guard the Halo Ring.
Due to his failure, he's on trial before the three High Prophets (Truth, Mercy, Regret). They strip him off his rank and is branded with the Mark of Shame - but nothing like Cersei's iconic meme.
However, he's given a second chance by being offered the title of the Arbiter as a way to redeem for his alleged treachery.
MC on the other side of the story attends the award ceremony, gaining medals. During the ceremony they're being attacked by Covenant ships and he lands on New Mombasa, Kenya, Earth.
That frickin' scarab was ENORMOUS!
In the meantime, Arbiter is tasked with finding and assassinating the Heretic Leader, a Covenant Elite who has gone rogue.
While he's successful in doing so, he is betrayed by the High Prophets, who have sent an assassin after Arbiter. He escapes, but is also captured by the Gravemind and that's the first time MC and Arbiter meet.
That's where Arbiter learns the truth about the Halos and the deceit of the Great Journey to Ascension, which leads him to reluctantly join forces with MC in order to stop the activation of the Rings.
Everything was a lie...how truthful.
Mind y'all that there's a scene in Halo 2 where Mercy is devoured by the Flood and Truth tells Tartarus to do nothing and goes about Mercy, merciless as Truth is, and tells him "The Great Journey waits for none, brother, not even you". I found this in particular the most interesting scene of the whole game.
Halo 3 begins with MC crash-landing on Earth (again..) in an East African jungle, where he finds Sergeant Major Johnson and Arbiter. Together they head on thwarting Truth's masterplan in order to save the Universe.
So, they're headed towards the Ark (aka Installation 00, the place where one can fire the Halos into complete universal disaster, it's also the Installation where everything begun).
After they encounter Truth, they manage to kill him and the three find out that the Ark has been contaminated by the Flood and they come up with a plan of destroying the parasites by destroying the Ark, but not the Halos.
That is: activating the new Halo Ring that's building into the center at the moment, taking the Ark and the Flood with it.
After this, MC is stranded in space and everyone takes him for dead, thus concluding the first trilogy and this article!
How did you find this franchise, or any of the games?
Did I miss anything you'd like to talk about?
Write on the comment section anything there is and I'll be sure to follow up.
Enjoy the weekend.
Sincerely yours~
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