STACK Magazine November Issue 121

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GAMES
NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
FEATURE
056
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Halo Remastered
The Master Chief returns, all dr ssed up in contemporary magic. 343 Industries franchise
development director Frank O’Connor talks The Master Chief Collection with STACK.
Halo: The
Master Chief
Collection
is out on
November 11
W hile we patiently await the arrival of
Halo 5: Guardians and ponder just how
magnificent it’s going to look on Xbox
One, 343 Industries have struck upon an
ingenious way to keep us occupied in the
interim; and a novel way of keeping the cash
register flowing in the meantime. The answer
is of course Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
“It was simple in philosophy – put the entire
Master Chief saga on one console,
in one unbroken experience, so that Xbox
One players could enjoy a beautifully curated
and unbroken Halo experience in the lead up
to the launch of Halo 5: Guardians,” explains
Frank O’Connor, franchise development director
at 343 Industries, when asked where the idea
originally stemmed from.
“The ambition level was kinda huge – it’s not
simply a port, it’s a massive labour of love, with
creativity and ambition coming from necessity,
and you can almost feel the passion the
teams have for both the series’ legacy and
the opportunities the sheer scale of it offers.”
O’Connor says working on the collection
was paying “homage to Bungie’s standard
setting legacy”.
“In my, ahem, unbiased opinion, Halo is one
of the best console games ever. We loved
these games and hopefully you’ll see that in
the content. We want to treat it with the
reverence it deserves. And also build on
those foundations.”
But how far did the studio go with
remastering the collection? Was it purely
aesthetic, or did the gameplay undergo
work? Will new players to the franchise
think the older games feel dated?
“Halo set a fair number of console
standards that we now take for
granted,” says O’Connor. “So much
so that, to me at least, it feels fresh
and modern immediately. When you look at
what we’ve done in Halo 2: Anniversary – new
graphics, best in class cinematics – we are
bringing the classic experience to players with a
very modern wrapper.
“The gameplay in multiplayer mode really
set the standard for modern FPS play, so I
think players will love it. Halo: The Master
Chief Collection also includes accessibility to
Halo: Nightfall – a live-action digital series –
and access to the multiplayer beta of Halo 5:
Guardians. So there’s definitely something
new for everyone to enjoy.”
When the game was officially announced at
E3 this year, the feature that instantly appealed
to STACK was the playlist. O’Connor gives
us an explanation on how it works.
“At a high level, playlists will take moments
from all the games and combine them,” he says.
“So you have great, related moments from all
four games in a single playthrough experience.
“And since we’ve unlocked all four campaigns
from beginning to end, fans new and old can
experience Halo any way they want. It’s really
quite a lot of fun!”
O’Connor admits to being hooked on the
series to an almost unhealthy degree. “I can say
without a shadow of a doubt that I need this
game installed permanently – not for business,
but for pleasure.”
He also believes that the Anniversary
campaign and the new multiplayer suite in Halo
2 will be what appeals most to gamers initially.
It’s now 13 years since Halo: Combat Evolved
first enthralled early adopters of Microsoft’s
inaugural hardware entry into the console
market. This impressive oeuvre has led to an
expanded universe of literature, comic books
and live-action television. What is it about the
venerable and endearing Master Chief that
resonates with us? Frank O’Connor
summarises succinctly.
“He’s a vector for your
heroism; a template into
which you can insert your own
bravery and curiosity.”
The ambition level
was kinda huge
– it’s not simply a
port, it’s a massive
labour of love.