After numerous sequels and spin-offs, Microsoft seems more committed to the Halo franchise than ever. There's 2015's Halo 5: Guardians, as well as the original live-action series Halo: Nightfall that introduces new Halo protagonist Jameson Locke. But 2014 also hosts the ultimate archive of Halo, The Master Chief Collection. All four numbered Halo games are available on a single Xbox One disc, and the developers have put a ton of work into this substantial offering.
You can access every chapter of each Halo game from the start menu, along with all their multiplayer modes, as well as Halo: Nightfall. You can swap between the new and old graphics for both Halo: CE and Halo 2, and choose to approach the campaign from brand new angles. There are more skulls than ever hidden in the worlds, and stage playlists are like mini-campaigns--essentially mixtapes for the classic content. Now you can play all the vehicle missions in a row, or only play the Arbiter stages from Halo 2--sadly, you can't make your own playlists, but the developers at 343 Industries aim to keep refreshing the selection post-launch. Speaking of Halo 2, the Anniversary Edition included in the collection looks to be the most improved title of the bunch. Seen side-by-side, Halo 2's enhanced graphics look insanely good compared to the original, and the cutscenes have been reanimated from scratch to look incredible while keeping the core audio 100 percent authentic to the original soundtrack. And then there's the brand new footage that gives more background to the Arbiter, including details that connect Halo 2 to Halo 5. Halo 2 looks to be the crown jewel in the reassuringly good looking collection, due out on November 11.
Read on to see some of the first assets for the game
The Arbiter is looking great on Xbox One.
So is Tartarus, leader of the Brutes.
Classic maps are getting a makeover for the collection, including fan favorite Zanzabar.
Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.
