Halo: Master Chief Collection almost seemed too good to be true when 343 Industries announced its existence at E3 last year. The impossible dream of having all four Halo games (featuring the Master Chief) on one console was finally being realised. That dream shattered when the game launched with a boatload of glitches and bugs in November last year. Now, about four months on, the game is still broken. And we’re not sure when it’s getting fixed.
Halo: Master Chief Collection was easily one of – if not the – most anticipated titles on the Xbox One in 2014 – it boasted four Halo games spanning 13 years, all updated and available on one console. Some players looked forward to playing the campaigns again, while others sought out a collective matchmaking experience wherein they could play all four Halo games’ multiplayer on one disc.
Bugs and the like are expected when offering four complete games on one disc; two of which ran on the original Xbox and now support two copies running simultaneously while in-game (hence being able to switch between old and new graphics).
The catch is that these bugs are game-breaking, and not entirely universal. To put it bluntly, some players can’t access the campaigns, some can’t unlock Achievements, and most can’t access the multiplayer (there are far more tiny issues, but that’s the gist of it). I myself can only play in the Team Slayer playlist, and that’s on the odd occasion I can find a game.
As an avid Halo fan from the very beginning, Halo: Master Chief Collection was a big let down. I have complete faith that 343 Industries and Microsoft will resolve the issues surrounding the game, and 343 has been great in handling updates so far, but until it’s entirely fixed they’ve alienated their core player base from what was supposed to be one of the greatest collections in gaming history; potentially even from the likes of Halo 5: Guardians.
I’m still a fan of Halo, and I play Master Chief Collection when I can, but it has the potential to be so much more. It’s just taking too long to get there.