Halo: Campaign Evolved

its halo, enough said

EXCELENTE

I really want to love Halo: Campaign Evolved. As someone who grew up with the original Halo: Combat Evolved, revisiting this campaign brought back a lot of nostalgia, and there is plenty here that I genuinely enjoyed. The updated graphics look fantastic, and the improvements to the controls make the game feel much more modern while still retaining the spirit of the original. I also appreciated the updated voice acting. Hearing Master Chief and Cortana working together again was a particular highlight for me. Most importantly, I absolutely loved the new missions that were added. Those additions gave me some genuinely fresh experiences in a campaign I have played countless times. The customization is another feature that, while appreciated, ultimately felt unnecessary to me. There are options available to change the appearance of the characters and equipment, but throughout my entire playthrough I found myself sticking with the default cosmetics. For me, it didn't add enough to the experience to make it feel like an essential feature. I also think it is great to finally see Halo make its way to PlayStation. Expanding the audience and allowing more players to experience one of gaming's most iconic campaigns is something I can absolutely get behind. That said, I have a very difficult time recommending Halo: Campaign Evolved at the price of a full modern game. At its core, this is still the same story and campaign that many of us have been playing for years. The graphical and control improvements are welcome, and the new missions are a fantastic addition, but I don't feel they provide enough new content to justify the asking price—especially for a release that is focused entirely on the campaign. The title Campaign Evolved sets an appropriate expectation: this is an evolution of the original campaign rather than an entirely new Halo experience. And as an evolution, I think it succeeds in many areas. But the pricing makes it difficult for me to recommend, even as someone who genuinely enjoyed playing it. Ultimately, I had fun. I enjoyed reliving a piece of my childhood, appreciated the visual and gameplay improvements, loved the new missions, and enjoyed hearing Chief and Cortana together again. I simply don't think the amount of content here warrants the price of a full-priced game. This certainly isn't the worst game I've played, and I don't regret experiencing it. However, I wouldn't personally place Halo: Campaign Evolved above Halo: The Master Chief Collection. If someone asked me where they should invest their money to experience Halo, I would still recommend picking up The Master Chief Collection. It offers substantially more content and, in my opinion, represents a much better value for someone looking to experience the Halo series. For Campaign Evolved, my recommendation would ultimately be to wait for a sale. There is a good game here, and there are things I genuinely love about it—I just don't believe the current price reflects what is being offered.