The latest tweets from @Halo. Perhaps most importantly, though, is Halo Top’s willingness to channel the visceral nostalgia of a youthful, fast metabolism: days spent scraping raw cookie dough from the depths of a mixing.
This is not a drill. 13 years ago, Bungie released Halo 3, one of the most successful first-person shooter games of all time, and now it has finally landed on PC ahead of schedule. This came as a welcome surprise for long-time fans of the series, as well as players who never got the chance to play the original version on Xbox.
Fans were welcomed this morning to an exciting release of the remastered title, which was originally expected to arrive later in the year for its anniversary. Halo 3's re-launch has been highly anticipated since the release of the Master Chief Collection on PC, featuring stunning graphics and updated models, breathing a breath of fresh air into a game that is already so beloved. Even old developers from Bungie are excited, with Brian Jarrard, the Marketing Lead from Bungie's Halo days tweeting out: 'It's Halo 3 launch night again. Here I am last time we did this, Sept. 24, 2007.'
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The game was intended to release later in the day, but the developers at 343 Industries clearly had other plans, and the game does not disappoint. Even from the early footage of the game, the graphical fidelity looks stunning, as well as the developers taking advantage of the Saber3D and Unreal 4 engines. Fans have been jumping into the nostalgia trip of the multiplayer mode, now with a refreshed player population, and early reviews of the gameplay have been positive, one fan tweeting out: 'So Halo 3 is delightful... enough said.'
This release comes ahead of Microsoft's Xbox Series X event, where Halo Infinite gameplay is confirmed to be shown. Original Halo Trilogy players are excited for this next-gen release, as the story is set to see a return of some of the series' most infamous enemies. In a leak from Mega Construx, of all places, the game is seeming to feature The Banished, a formidable enemy from Halo Wars 2. Not only that, but the game will join the long list of titles launching for Xbox Game Pass owners on both Xbox and PC, which is fantastic news for players looking to jump in on day one.
With an abundance of Halo announcements this year alone, it is hard not to be excited for what is to come. 343 seems to be on the right track after its controversial Halo 4 title rubbed some players the wrong way. What we will see from them on the Series X is yet to be revealed, but for now, enjoy the nostalgia of Halo 3.
Halo 3is available now as a part of the Master Chief Collection on Steam and Xbox Game Pass
MORE: Here's Why Xbox Series X Won't Have First Part Exclusives At Launch
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Source: Brian Jarrard, Twitter
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Surprise! There's a new addition to the Master Chief Collection on Steam. Seemingly out of nowhere, a PC remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved launched on the platform. While it was clear Bungie had plans to steadily roll out old, beloved Halo titles for the pleasure of PC players, the latest launch came as an utter shock and delight.
Okay, an utter shock might be an exaggeration. The official Halo Twitter dropped a not-so-subtle tease about getting an anniversary edition of the game that started it all following Halo: Reach. Many missed the brief trailer, instead learning about the launch of the port through third party coverage plastered around the internet.
It seems some of the most ardent Halo players had no idea this was coming. And why would they? Bungie and 343 Industries have been strangely hush-hush about the publishing schedule for all these ports. There really wasn't much marketing foreshadowing Halo: Combat Evolved's release, but that hasn't stopped Twitter users from airing their opinions.
Mixed feelings about the surprise
Fans who were plenty salty about the lack of transparency have been (temporarily) mollified by the release of Halo: Combat Evolved. 'The fact that Halo CE has yet to be released for MCC pretty much solidifies we won't see Halo 3 in 2020 on PC. 343i needs to be pulled from the Halo series desperately. They promised Reach – 4 by the end of 2020 and they are failing yet again,' tweeted one player the day the port dropped. This was followed just hours later by a 'I stand corrected' tweet when Halo: Combat Evolved suddenly appeared on Steam.
People are happy to finally play the game, but the unknown publishing schedule for the Master Chief Collection remains a concern. You may just have to keep faith that following the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, you'll get Halo 2, 3, and 4 as promised before the end of this year. Since 343 doesn't seem to want to market whether or not they will make good on this promise, you'd better keep your fingers crossed.
In the here and now, fans are flocking to their PCs to get a healthy dose of nostalgia. It's been almost nineteen years since Halo: Combat Evolved's initial launch, but even now the game enjoys a robust fanbase. Unsurprisingly, the Master Chief Collection is once again at the top of Steam's best seller's list. When Halo: Reach launched on PC, day two saw 161,000 concurrent players, a Steam record.
Is Halo: Combat Evolved enjoying the same success? 'So much nostalgia,' tweeted one player, 'Halo: Combat EvolvedAnniversary is now available on PC and it looks absolutely amazing!' Others are recounting their glory days with the original Xbox, with some asking their followers to join their trip down memory lane on Twitch.
Was Halo ready for launch?
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There are those who aren't wearing rose-colored glasses. While Halo: Combat EvolvedAnniversary is certainly a blast from the past, it's brought with it some old issues. 'I'm glad that with the release of Halo Anniversary to the PC version of the MCC @343i @Halo has decided to not fix any of the issues in the original gearbox port of Halo Combat Evolved and instead just once again release a bad port,' a less than pleased player tweeted.
Reviewers have stated that, while the game is good, it suffers from issues not seen in the Halo: Reach remaster. It seems in some ways, 343 Industries took a step back with this port. A reviewer from Windows Central noted there are some serious audio glitches that take away from the overall experience. Halo is known for its atmospheric, immersive music, after all. To have that missing from a playthrough is rather glaring. Worse, there are bugs involving framerates that can render even the most powerful of weapons totally inaccurate for considerable stretches of time. Not cool. That said, there have been few complaints on social media.
Twitter and the Steam reviews for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary mostly have good things to say. Maybe it has something to do with those aforementioned rose-colored nostalgia goggles. A quick glance at the 'Very Positive' Steam reviews confirms this, with players constantly bringing up 'childhood memories.' Generally, gamers seem happy to have a new game to play. In an era where nostalgia rules, Halo: Combat EvolvedAnniversary is undeniably a hit.