Halo: Combat Evolved Vs Campaign Evolved

What makes a remake better than the original? Better graphics, but also I’d argue taking a step further to add more story and gameplay content that makes it a fresh experience for both fans and newcomers. And Halo: Campaign Evolved nails that rubric to the best of its ability. It’s a fun, nostalgic time that gives you more missions, weapons, enemies, and gameplay additions like sprinting and hijacking vehicles.

What is Halo: Combat Evolved?

Halo: Combat Evolved is a first-person shooter game by Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios. It launched in 2001 as the first game in the Halo franchise. A pretty good start for Bungie, as the series went on to leave a mark on the FPS gaming scene, and more specifically, space-themed shootouts in industrial hallways and open zones. The story, too, tells one of the most unforgettable tales in sci-fi history.

In 2011, 343 Industries launched a remaster called Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Halo franchise. It pretty much retained the story and gameplay of the original game. The major difference is the graphics and presentation, although the game allows you to switch between the old and the new. 

What is Halo: Campaign Evolved?

Halo Studios and Xbox Game Studios have recently launched Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved. And before you say that it’s another money grab, the final product is actually pretty good. It goes beyond reliving the core story campaign and gameplay, adding an entirely new three-mission chapter. Plus, it revamps the original visuals and controls, adds weapons and vehicles from across the Halo franchise, features more enemies, and stashes away more gameplay-modifying Skulls to find. 

Story

The story in Halo: Combat Evolved takes place in the 26th century, where space travel is made possible by technology and progress. Humans live in space colonies, where they manufacture superhuman soldiers called Spartans. Convenient as well, an alien species called The Covenant wages war on humans. And when the battle gets too hot, a few soldiers have to lead The Covenant away from Earth, aboard the Pillar of Autumn spaceship. The spaceship crashlands onto a ring-like planet called Halo, where the series’ sci-fi adventure picks up steam. 

The war between the Covenant and the Spartans rages on. Master Chief takes the lead, alongside his AI companion, Cortana. A series of dramatic events unfold, taking you across the diverse biomes of Halo. You have constricted hallway scenes in alien spaceships, which call for more aggressive, close-quarters combat compared to the open zones. There are containment facilities and regions where you discover a new parasitic enemy called The Flood. And then it gets pretty terrifying, but you keep pushing through levels that are some of the best thought-out in FPS gaming.

It makes sense that Halo: Campaign Evolved wouldn’t interfere too much with the core story campaign. Master Chief and Cortana’s adventures on Halo are legendary and not to be messed with. It’s a classic that fans remember and feel nostalgic over to revisit in a new light. That’s the major change you’ll find advancing through the campaign, where the levels have been built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. The cinematics are more detailed and look stunning. The movement is smoother. And the overall presentation is pretty impressive for today’s age.

New Missions

Now, the new missions in the campaign follow Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson before the events in the main game. But they aren’t exactly the most compelling. I guess it’s pretty difficult to match up to a classic. It’s rather short and leaves you feeling meh after you’re done. I did enjoy the banter between Masher Chief and Johnson, perfectly light and playful.

Gameplay

As for the core level design, you’ll notice that Halo: Campaign Evolved doesn’t maintain the original design exactly as it was. And to some degree, it works for the benefit of your experience. You’ll notice that your movement now has a sprint. That you can hijack vehicles. Your arsenal is bigger and better, pulling iconic favorites from across the Halo franchise. Some are restricted to the new missions, as well as some enemy variants like Brutes, which might as well have been added to the rest of the game. It gets a bit repetitive, with waves of enemies coming at you as soon as you round corners. You’ll quickly learn the enemy placement patterns, while some levels feel like you’ve seen them a couple of times over. 

And the gunplay, while it has its moments, spraying bullets, can feel a bit sluggish when swapping. Actual gunplay is fast, smooth, and feels powerful. Sprinting also has a hand in speeding things up, especially when exploring. 

Verdict: Halo: Combat Evolved Vs Campaign Evolved

I think it’s pretty hard to get it wrong a third time when the original game and the 2011 remaster were fun games to play. So, the fact that the core story campaign and gameplay in Halo: Campaign Evolved remain intact is nothing I’m mad at. It’s still fun stepping foot onto Halo and getting warped up in the ups and downs of fighting The Covenant. As much as the story is a classic and will always remain one of the best sci-fi adventures, it’s good to have three new missions to play through. These tell a prequel story that we’ve never played through before, and while they sure could use stronger writing and more compelling arcs, it’s an enjoyable time that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

And the level designs have been built from the ground up, showcasing the power of Unreal Engine 5 in bringing colors and details to life. Halo: Campaign Evolved looks stunning and feels smooth to play. Having access to a bigger weapon and gear set from across the Halo series is another plus, as is the online multiplayer functionality, and the gameplay tweaks like sprinting and vehicle hijacking. Overall, Halo Studios and Xbox Game Studios deliver a better experience, perfectly fitting for fans and newcomers alike.