Halo: Combat DEVOLVED

In a few short months the anniversary edition of Halo: Combat Evolved will be released. Despite my near fanatical love for the original Halo:CE, I will NOT be purchasing this game upon its release. Let me explain to you the motivation behind my boycott.

The anniversary collection will utilize the EXACT same Halo:CE game engine and players will be allowed to play the single player campaign utilizing either classic graphics or the enhanced version. Players will also be able to switch back and forth between the two versions on the fly. This feature sounds pretty fantastic and it actually is…Fantastic. Now when we enter the multiplayer portion of the game, we hit a MAJOR snag. During multiplayer players will be able to play upgraded versions of the original Halos maps, BUT players will be forced to utilize the Game engine of the franchises latest title Halo Reach and they will not be allowed to utilize the classic Halo:CE engine that will be available during single player.

WHAT!? Why won't players be able to utilize the game engine of the original Halo:CE in multiplayer as well? Obviously it has nothing to do with technology, as clearly the game is capable of utilizing both engines. Why offer the classic experience with the EXACT same engine for single player, yet disallow its use for Multiplayer!?

That is the million dollar question and one that I have no trouble answering. The answer is FEAR. The multiplayer for the original Halo:CE is the closest thing to gaming perfection that I have ever experienced, the balance, fun factor, and overall level of competitiveness was superb. Unfortunately for fans, Halo:CE was created before the era of Xbox Live/ internet enabled console gaming, thus it could not/was not played online by the vast majority of fans . With the advent of Xbox Live, its sequel Halo 2, became a gaming phenomenon with millions upon millions of players playing against each other worldwide. The release of a Xbox Live compatible version of Halo: CE has been called for by fans for many years now. Now that they have the opportunity to do just this, why would they choose to disable the very feature fans desire most?

The answer is that the developers and or Microsoft, fear that the release of Halo:CE multiplayer will create a public relations nightmare. It will expose them to the sad fact that despite considerable technological advancement, 3 sequels, and the expenditure of an obscene amount of money, their original installment of Halo: CE remains vastly superior to any product they have released since. Furthermore by releasing the multiplayer of Halo:CE using its original game engine, it would most definitely be a HUGE HIT amongst Halo enthusiasts. Despite the critical acclaim this title would no doubt bring, it would compete directly with their most recent release, Halo Reach, as well as their upcoming title Halo 4. Its impact would not necessarily be a monetary setback, after all, a hugely successful game should only increase profits. More importantly it could strike a deep blow to the community psyche, developers ego, and perhaps set a benchmark that the developers are unsure their upcoming game Halo 4 can measure up to.

First of all, the competitive community would in all likelihood abandon Halo Reach in favor of the far more balanced and skillful gameplay of Halo:CE. The "Competitive Crowd" and substantial Major League Gaming Community has long maintained that Halo: CE multiplayer was vastly superior to the games current form, and many would gladly abandon Halo Reach in favor of a graphically enhanced Xbox Live enabled Halo: CE release.

The top Halo players and a very vocal "competitive crowd" abandoning the most recent iteration of Halo, in favor of a game created more than ten years ago, DOES NOT MAKE THE DEVELOPERS LOOK GOOD, let alone fit their image as progressive pioneers bent on furthering the quality of gaming. It would be as if a 2000 Ford dominated the 2010 model in performance tests despite the newest models highly inflated price tag. Consumers and the current Halo community might justly say, "wait a minute, this game was released over ten years ago, why is it so much better than the current rendition, what are these developers doing?". Asides from posing this dangerous question, It might also be a problem when Halo 4 releases next year. Chances are with the release of Halo 4, many influential community members and top competitive Halo players, might view the upcoming sequel as a downgrade, instead of being the next must have game. This would cost the developers and Microsoft both street credit and risk the all important dollar.

So what actions are they taking? They will release the anniversary collection and pander to all those who loved it by offering the exact single player experience (also a process that is cheap for them because they don't have to add anything new). Theoretically these players will buy the game for it's nostalgia factor while Halo Reach enthusiasts will be treated to an overpriced "Halo:CE Map Pack". Rather than give the consumer what they really desire they plan to keep the measuring stick low, this way they wont have to compete with themselves, nor risk alerting any of the younger Halo fans to the fact that their was once a far more enjoyable version available.

I cannot help but hate the cunning being displayed, as a consumer and avid Halo fan, it makes me sad to see the possibility of an incredible release, purposely castrated. This is exactly how franchises slowly fade away into irrelevance. Halo like many other franchises (COD, Madden) has become serialized, as they try to squeeze every last dollar out of a fanbase whose enthusiasm is rapidly deteriorating. I urge those who see the merit of my views to not purchase the Halo:CE anniversary edition in an effort to deter this policy of corporately enforced mediocrity.