Halo, A Brief History Part 2
Halo 3
Halo 3 was the first Halo game to appear on the Xbox 360, and it made a promise to the fans. It will allow them to finish the fight that Halo 2 cut short.
Once again developer Bungie made massive improvements to the already successful game. Halo 3 had a rich and compelling campaign that left very few questions unanswered. It featured multiplayer game play that fans had grown to love, and it featured four player campaign co-op. Xbox Live friends would be able to play the campaign together.
Halo 3 also introduced Forge. This tool allowed gamers to modify mulitplayer maps. It was not a map creator, but it did allow gamers to make significant changes to the game.
Halo 3. Get ready. The Chief is back.
Halo 3 also introduced theater mode. In this mode gamers could watch replays of their previous games. The controls allowed gamers to pause, fast forward, and rewind their previous games. Gamers could move the camera around the entire environment freely as the game was played back. Gamers could take pictures of awesome game play moments and share them with friends. Gamers could also record movie clips and share them as well. Halo 3 was a huge success, and Microsoft was far from done with Halo even though game developer Bungie was getting tired of it.
Microsoft owned Bungie at the time. Bungie and Microsoft had some internal struggles, and Microsoft agreed to let Bungie have its independence back in exchange for Halo. Bungie regrettably gave up its baby to Microsoft. Bungie was still obligated to create two more Halo games for Microsoft, and they did so willingly.
Something Different Halo Wars
In 2009 Halo fans were treated to two new games, and one of them was very different. Halo Wars was the first Halo game to be developed by a company other than Bungie, and the game play was much different.
Halo Wars was developed by Ensemble Studios, a game developer that Microsoft dissolved shortly after the release of Halo
Wars. Halo Wars was the first RTS game to appear on the Xbox 360. It allowed gamers to control characters from the Halo universe in an RTS fashion. Halo Wars did not sell as much as Microsoft would have liked. It seems hardcore Halo fans would prefer to run and gun, instead of play a strategy game.
Halo 3 ODST
Halo ODST was the next Halo game to be released, and this time it was back in the hands of the original developer Bungie. ODST took place on earth between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3.
Gamers this time around did not get to step into the shoes of Master Chief. Instead gamers were put into the shoes of a much more fragile Halo character, the ODST. ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. These were the best human soldiers in the Halo universe. They were not quite as strong as the Spartans, but playing as an ODST offered up a slightly different style of gameplay.
Halo 3 ODST took place in a dark city, and the story was told through a series of flashbacks. It was originally supposed to be an add-on to Halo 3, but Bungie quickly fleshed it out into a full blown game that fans quickly fell in love with. It offered more of a stealth type game play.
Halo 3 ODST also offered up something new. A new game type called Firefight. This game type was very much like the already successful Gears of War Horde mode. Gamers were isolated to a map where wave after wave of enemies attacked. The object was simple. Gamers had to survive. It a was fun and addictive addition to the Halo universe and fans loved it.
Halo Reach The Last Halo Game Developed by Bungie
On September 14th. Gamers were treated to the final Halo game to be developed by Bungie. Halo Reach was a prequel to Halo Combat Evolved. It brought things around full circle, no pun intended. It was a huge success. It offered up every thing that Halo fans loved and more. It had a rich and compelling campaign story that was a little darker at times. It had four player campaign co-op. It had competitive online multiplayer via Xbox Live. It had Theater mode. It had Firefight, and Forge as well.
Every aspect of Halo Reach saw vast improvements over earlier versions, and fans loved it. So what’s next in store for Halo fans?
With Bungie out of the picture, Microsoft has been building an internal Halo development team called 343 Industries. Rest assured Microsoft is not done squeezing money out of the Halo franchise just yet. Coming on the ten year anniversary of Halo Combat Evolved is a remake of the classic game, but this time everything has been redone in high definition. It is a great way to honor Microsoft’s greatest game franchise.
343 Industries has also announced that Halo 4 is currently in production, and it will see a release date in late 2012. Can 343 Industries keep Halo shining bright, or will Halo sink to unknown gaming depths?
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