Twenty-five years after first wowing us, Halo is going through an identity crisis.

that halo The franchise has had its ups and downs, but it's hard to feel like it's on an “up” point right now. Once an iconic franchise and a leader in the FPS space, it has taken a back seat in mainstream gaming. But beyond that, mainstream culture has taken a huge hit. halo It has the potential to remain a pillar of the industry.

For many fans halo When Bungie left the franchise, the recession began. The developer who created the first three halo game, together Halo 3: ODST and Halo: ReachPublished separately from Microsoft and proprietary rights fateIt wasn't perfect, but it was a natural progression of the studio's vision at the time. one side, halo The IP was entrusted to 343 Industries, a development team formed specifically by Xbox to manage the franchise, succeeding Bungie. 343 will add value next time. halo It is widely believed that the original entry, especially mechanically, saw the new studio struggle to capture and develop the vision and character of the IP, which diminished the franchise's influence and appeal over time. But why exactly? halo Following that trajectory, how will 343 Industries, recently rebranded Halo Studios, get out of the quagmire?

Why Halo is so special in the first place

It may not seem very revolutionary today, but Halo: Combat Evolved's single-player campaign amazed the world when it was first released in 2001. From some perspective, some of the biggest first-person shooters released before the first campaign. halo was GoldenEye 007, perfect dark, Turokand Doom 64—It was the experience audiences at the time expected from the genre. Make no mistake. These and other games are still special and influential in their own right. halo It took things to another level.

evolved combatThe shooting mechanics of are quite different from modern shooters. halo Banner: Basic mechanics like sprinting and ADS are nowhere to be found (with a few exceptions), cover is only occasionally useful in combat, and the guns players use rarely match actual weapons. Just in case, the first halo It wasn't a reinvention of the 90's shooting mechanics, it was an improvement on them. haloEven today, its gameplay is incredibly responsive, versatile, expressive and open, and doesn't lock players into a single optimal play style.

More than this, evolved combat's campaign was compelling and cinematic in a way that wasn't seen in any other game at the time. Bungie may not have taken a cinematic approach to the campaign, but it's clear they've put a lot of thought into the pacing, atmosphere, and drama to the point where the story feels immersive and well-coordinated, with twists and new ideas coming through naturally. This is something that future Bungie games will improve upon. halo 2 and halo 3 In particular, it has some of the most memorable and awe-inspiring set pieces in gaming history.

Points worth pointing out are the following effects: halo games, especially halo 2 and halo 3Participated in online console multiplayer. These games were instrumental in building the early Xbox Live community, which laid the foundation for the online shooting boom of the 2000s.

Pros and cons of recent Halo games

Naturally, Bungie is casting a long shadow, and Halo Studios has had a hard time escaping from that shadow. But I've always felt that gamers can be too hard on new things. halo Sometimes studios don't recognize or appreciate the value they've added to a franchise since the acquisition. First of all, modern shooting mechanisms are halo The game has improved a lot compared to its predecessor, Halo Infinite It had arguably the best gunplay in the series. And for better or worse, 343 Industries/Halo Studios halo Is it because the formula has been created over many years? Halo Infinite By adding an open world or more traversal options halo 5. It would have been easier if I had just tried it and made it. halo 3 Again, it's admirable that 343/Halo Studios tried something new.

But at the same time, these new ideas were not enough to sustain. halo We are at the forefront of our industry. By adding mechanisms such as sprinting and ADS, halo Slowly I started to feel something similar. call of dutyAs a result, it lost some of its original gameplay identity. This fit extends to other aspects of modernity. halo The same goes for scenario design, set piece design, and overall campaign structure. Perhaps the most shocking thing is something newer. halo The game feels rudderless from a narrative standpoint. New knowledge concepts and characters are introduced that we forget about in the next entry. Storytelling is essential haloAnd it often feels like 343/Halo Studios isn't confident enough on this point and regularly abandons the ideas they set out to do.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the decision to remake the campaign. Halo: Combat Evolved. This is probably the exact opposite of what Halo Studios needs to do now. halo We need new ideas that work, not rehash old ones. Broadly speaking, the audience wants it. halo We're trying to get them excited again and recreate a part of the classic game. master chief collection — I probably won't.

To be fair evolved combat This remade game has the potential to create a whole new fan base thanks to the PS5 launch, and it makes sense for PlayStation users to start playing the original game in the series.

How Halo can return to its former glory

It's easy to see haloWe see so many other underappreciated classic franchises that we feel like all hope is lost. I'll be the first to admit that I've felt pessimistic about the franchise for years and often wondered how much time it had left. But when I think about it recently, halo The game went well and I felt a renewed sense of optimism. Halo Studios just needs to focus on its strengths, like physics-based combat, and less on unnecessary or unnatural special effects, like the constantly frustrating Battle Pass system. Halo Infinite. Most importantly, Halo Studios needs to renew its vision: halo It's a narrative, not simply reacting to what you think the audience wants. This might mean leaving Master Chief behind for good this time.

And even if it's the future halo The game isn't up to the standards of its predecessor, and it's not the end of the world. There may still be room halo It's a legacy franchise with ups and downs, with some underwhelming entries, some good entries, and some fantastic entries. Maybe the next one will be fantastic halo It's closer than we think.