Microsoft Reveals Halo: Master Chief Collection

Good news for Xbox One Halo fans, Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been announced!

Ever since the announcement and release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo fans have been speculating, wondering, and hoping that Halo 2 would get the same treatment. As we got closer and closer to E3 this year the speculation hit an all time high as rumors started to spread about the “highly likely” Halo 2: Anniversary. This proved to be true in spades as Microsoft announced the four game package that is Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Included in this bundle of Halo joy is Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4. All titles are said to run at full 1080p and at 60 frames per second. The package is appropriately named as it only features the games in which the Master Chief played the lead role, leaving out such titles as Halo Reach and Halo 3: ODST.

The anniversary titles are remakes of their originals released a decade after their initial launch. If we can expect the same treatment for Halo 2 that we got for Halo Combat Evolved, and it looks like we can, we will be seeing some major graphical upgrades.

As good as this all sounds for an Xbox One owner who wants to get into the Halo series or just doesn’t have all the titles included, some fans may be wondering what’s in it for them if they already own most of these titles.

The obvious answer is the Halo 5 Beta keys. That’s right, owners of the Halo: The Master Chief Collection get to be some of the first to experience Halo 5: Guardians in its beta which should be out about a month after the collection’s release.

The other big pro is that the collection offers a unified multiplayer experience for the Xbox One. Combined, the games feature over 100 maps from throughout the Halo series. While the maps will use the game engine of the game they are native to, this is all done automatically upon selection. Meaning you simply pick and choose any map from the collection and they’ll be set to the respective game’s engine.

You heard that right, the Halo: The Master Chief Collection maps will feature the fully intact, original multiplayer modes from their respective games. Halo 2 by Halo 2 rules, Halo 4 by Halo 4 rules and so on and so forth.

If that wasn’t enough and you just cannot satisfy your insatiable hunger for all things Halo, the collection also comes with access to the live-action Xbox One TV series Halo: Nightfall.

What? you feel like something is still missing?

Well, for the inner achievement nut in all of us the collection features 4,000 gamerscore with remade and redone achievements.

If you’re wondering what this beast of a Halo title will run you, you might be pleasantly surprised as it’s set to be $59.99. Currently scheduled to launch November 11th.