Bungie’s 2001 classic Halo: Combat Evolved is coming back... again. Following 2011’s Combat Evolved Anniversary, developer 343 Industries is reportedly working on another version of the original Xbox icon for Xbox Series, PC, and, most interestingly, PlayStation 5.
With recent trusted reports suggesting the new Halo: Combat Evolved revival is headed for PlayStation, it’s essential that this latest iteration isn’t just a remaster but a full remake that creates a whole new generation of Halo fans. (A new generation that isn’t just subject to a mediocre TV show.)
Twenty-three years ago, Halo: Combat Evolved defined what FPS games could be on a console, and it’s still a fantastic game today. However, major advancements made in level design, gun handling, and Halo’s decades of story developments mean this debut tale would benefit from a heavily revised script.
At its core, Combat Evolved is a remarkably simple game, and that still makes it a fun and accessible title today. Bungie’s “30-seconds of fun” mantra that fluidly combined guns, grenades, and melee still makes for some phenomenal combat encounters, the same mantra that fuels Destiny 2 today. The addition of vehicles in missions like The Silent Cartographer and the finale’s Warthog Run are as bombastic as games get.
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+ 3Following the release of Halo Infinite, which took clear inspiration from the original game, it’s evident that Combat Evolved is becoming increasingly dated in a way that a remaster can’t fix. Its dialogue and exposition can be clunky, missions are smaller than memories suggest, and the sense of wonder upon arriving at the titular Halo ring doesn’t hit as hard as it used to.
A remake of Halo: Combat Evolved doesn’t need to be an open world like Halo Infinite. It should remain a level-based affair but with a more open design structure. For example, rescuing marines in the game’s second mission, ‘Halo’, should include more exploration with optional marines to save. Instead of saving allies and sending them on their way, you could accrue a militia group, growing as you rescue more friendlies. The infiltration of Truth and Reconciliation should have more extended stealth segments and The Silent Cartographer needs to be massively expanded to bring back the feeling of awe it had in 2001.
It’s also imperative that any remake stays true to the core of Halo. Any redo of Halo: CE needs to retain its original art style, especially after Infinite finally returned to that gorgeous aesthetic, and a focus on mystery. While hardcore fans know a lot of the background lore behind the game now, newcomers should be met with the same mysticism that hit fans over twenty years ago.
click to enlarge + 3These are some of the moments that were done best in Halo Infinite, where rescuing marines actually felt meaningful. However, Infinite’s open-world structure made it far too easy to jump from place to place and abandon your crew, and the lack of the series’ cinematic linearity throughout most of its runtime was a misstep. A remake of Halo: Combat Evolved has the potential to be the perfect middle ground, offering a mixture of the series’ trademark cinematic gameplay and open exploration sections.
Furthermore, a remake could finally fix some of the lore inconsistencies left over from twenty-three years of novels, comics, and sequels. In fact, there are even lore inconsistencies between the original game and its tie-in prequel novel The Fall of Reach.
For example, Combat Evolved’s Master Chief was designed as a cyborg protagonist instead of the genetically engineered, kidnapped-child-turned-super-soldier we know him as today. Multiple characters reference this in the game, with marines shouting “Wow, a Mark V” and Cortana claiming that Chief’s “architecture isn’t much different from the Autumn’s,” a massive spaceship.
Other story moments were retconned immediately in Halo 2. In Combat Evolved, the Covenant knows the Halo is a weapon of mass destruction. In Halo 2 and the novel First Strike, the Covenant doesn’t know the rings will destroy all sentient life. There’s also the fact that humanity and Forerunners are seemingly the same species in Combat Evolved, which was later retconned as well.
Additionally, key Covenant enemies missing from the original games, including the ferocious Brutes, annoying Drones, and peaceful Engineers, should be included. While there are in-universe reasons why these enemies were at the Battle of Reach but not at Halo, these are just reasons of necessity. With the Brutes now being the main enemies of the Halo universe, it’s essential that they have some role in a potential remake.
click to enlarge + 3Halo: Combat Evolved is one of the most important games of all time. For years, new console shooters were dubbed “Halo Killers.” That won’t happen again, but Halo can still be a huge success with its own unique brand of gameplay and a universe filled with amazing lore that is still evolving with titles like Halo: Epitaph and the upcoming Halo: Empty Throne.
At this point, a simple remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved is absolutely pointless. We can play the original game in its original form or its controversial-but-fine Anniversary remaster on Xbox and PC. However, a full remake that boldly revitalizes the twenty-three-year-old shooter with a new script, more diverse enemies, and the addition of ODSTs on the battlefield would be the ultimate celebration of the series that made Xbox what it is today.