Remakes are a dime a dozen in the modern gaming landscape, and there's a possibility that even Halo will be getting in on the ubiquitous trend. Rumors about a Halo: Combat Evolved remake surfaced early last year, shortly before 343 Industries changed its name to Halo Studios, signaling a potential shift in design philosophy for the company. Part of the "Halo Studios" announcement was the reveal that the newly renamed developer would be switching to Unreal Engine 5, a revelation that lent further credence to the aforementioned remake rumors.
Of course, any and all rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, and Halo Studios hasn't commented on the veracity of these claims, nor has Microsoft. That said, it's not hard to imagine why these behemoth companies would be interested in pushing out remakes of older Halo games. The Halo franchise has been steadily decreasing in popularity over the years, and has long moved past the apex of its critical reception, when games like Halo 3 and Halo: Reach dominated the FPS market. Halo Studios can hardly be blamed for wanting to remind audiences of what made Halo so special in the first place, but it should do this by looking to the future, not trying to recapture the magic of the past.
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Halo Studios Shouldn't Remake the Old Halo Games
Modern Halo Is In Dire Need of More Allure, and Remakes Won't Help That
Resident Evil has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, and games like the RE2 and RE4 remakes have played a big role in that, but they aren't the driving force. Before Capcom remade RE2, it released Resident Evil 7, a bold new direction for the series that sold and reviewed well, proving that the franchise still had more gas in the tank. Then, when the RE2 remake came along, it was a celebration of a rich franchise, cherishing its roots while embracing and recognizing its new modern vision.
This isn't what would happen if Halo Studios were to release a remake of Halo: CE. There's been a strong sense that current Halo games are greatly eclipsed by their predecessors, and that Microsoft and Halo Studios haven't, for whatever reason, been able to right the ship. Thus, remakes of previous titles, even if technically competent and enjoyable on their own, would serve as reminders of the franchise's fall from grace, as it were. It wouldn't be celebrating its legacy, like the RE2 and RE4 remakes, but rather desperately gesturing toward the past in an attempt to play on audience nostalgia.
In the worst case scenario, such remakes could actually make current Halo games seem worse by comparison. For instance, if Halo Studios doesn't change the story of the original three games, then audiences will either be reminded, or learn for the first time, just how different Bungie's style of Halo storytelling was from 343's. And in most cases, that's not going to be a very favorable comparison.
It's also worth noting that the older Halo games, including Combat Evolved, have already been remastered, and look and run impeccably on PC and Xbox consoles; they don't need remakes.
Halo Studios Needs To Look Toward the Horizon
Modern Halo catches a lot of flak, and not all of it is deserved. The newer games may never reach the same heights as the originals, but that's out of Halo Studios' control in some ways: the world had never seen anything like the original Combat Evolved at the time of its release, and that kind of novelty is hard, if not impossible, to reproduce in a different era. Put a little more simply, Halo Studios still needs to establish its own identity as the Halo spearhead, and if it gets too bogged down in nostalgia-baiting remakes, this might never happen.
Halo Infinite
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- December 8, 2021
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 343 Industries
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- Slipspace
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.
With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.
Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.
Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
- Cross Save
- yes
- Franchise
- Halo
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 90 GB (November 2023)
