The long-rumoured remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved game is coming to PS5 and Xbox but it’s only half the game.
It’s been rumoured for years, with Microsoft itself dropping a number of heavy hints, but now it’s official: Halo is coming to PlayStation 5, as part of a multiformat remake of the original Xbox game.
That’s something that 15 years ago not even the most zealous fanboy would’ve dreamed of, but what was once the crown jewels of the Xbox exclusive line-up will be appearing on Sony’s rival PlayStation format, implying that all future Halo games will too.
The remake has already been heavily rumoured but in the end it’s only turned out to be half a game, as it will not including any competitive multiplayer options, just co-op.
2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved is one of the most important video games of the modern era, as not only was it the killer app for the original Xbox (without it there probably never would’ve been an Xbox 360) but it helped to established first person shooters as a viable genre on consoles.
GoldenEye 007 on the N64 had already done that four years previously, but it was very unique type of first person shooter, whereas Halo pushed a more PC style of action and, with 2004’s Halo 2, online play.
None of this will be reflected in the remake, which is called Halo: Campaign Evolved and includes only the original story campaign and co-op support.
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To be fair, the campaign was also extremely influential, inventing many elements which continue to be standard today, including recharging shields, the ability to carry only a limited number of weapons at once, and sandbox style gameplay with advanced AI and vehicle usage by both allies and enemies.
The remake has no release date yet but will launch sometime in 2026 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC (once again, Microsoft’s promises of supporting the Nintendo Switch 2 have not materialised).
As well as four-player co-op, which was not featured in the original, and two-player split-screen (which was) the remake will introduce completely new visuals, developed in Unreal Engine 5.
It will also include ‘new story content’, with developer Halo Studios (née 343 Industries) promising ‘better wayfinding, navigation, and diversity in enemy encounters.’
Even at the time, Halo: Combat Evolved was heavily criticised for its repetitive building layouts and copious backtracking, and the implication is that some of this will be removed or at least lessened.
The controversial Library level will definitely be changed, with Halo Studios stating that they want to ‘reevaluate the pacing and enhance the environmental storytelling.’
Not only will there be new lines of dialogue, with completely re-recorded voiceovers, but also three completely new prequel missions that will extend the original’s running time of roughly 10 hours.
The game already received a remaster in 2011, which later became part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but while Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary did make more changes than normal for a remaster it didn’t change anything fundamental in the design, with the ability to swap between the original and new graphics at will – which is unlikely to be an option for the remake.
Nothing has been said about the multiplayer mode, which allowed for split-screen play or up to 16 players in LAN matches, but rumours suggest that Microsoft is planning a separate live service title focused solely on competitive online play.
The online multiplayer for 2021’s Halo Infinite was initially very well received but poor support by Microsoft and Halo Studios quickly saw it decline in popularity. If the rumours are true. they will presumably be looking to try again, this time with cross-play PlayStation 5 support.
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