Halo 7 will reportedly include the latter, but Halo Studios has yet to officially announce it, instead confirming “multiple” new Halo titles in the works. It’s worth noting that the leaker previously revealed that Halo: Combat Evolved was getting a Resident Evil-style remake before its official announcement, when others alleged it would be a one-to-one remaster.

In the meantime, Halo: Campaign Evolved is slated to arrive in 2026 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Alongside sprinting, it features four-player campaign co-op, three weapons from other entries in the series, and level changes, which haven’t sat well with original level designer Jamie Griesemer. On the flipside, however, co-creator Marcus Lehto thinks the remake looks “gorgeous.”

Black

Criterion Games might be best known for its work on the Need for Speed series, but its 2006 release Black also deserves a fair amount of appreciation. Despite being a far cry from what the developer was used to, Black was a compelling first-person shooter with some of the best visuals of its time. The story might not be something to write home about, but a solid set of shooting mechanics and thrilling firefights make Black a noteworthy game nevertheless – and it holds surprisingly well to this date.

A note before we begin: for the purposes of this list, we’re looking exclusively at strictly linear games. If a game is open world, semi-open world, wide linear, Metroidvania, places emphasis on exploration designed around backtracking, or anything of the sort, you won’t see it on this list. We know that’s a pretty strict way of defining linear design in games, but the very purpose of this feature is to celebrate that, after all, so do keep something in mind as we move ahead.

#15. WOLFENSTEIN 2: THE NEW COLOSSUS

MachineGames did an excellent job of redefining the Wolfenstein franchise with 2014’s The New Order, and then took the series’ new formula to even greater heights with its sequel. The biggest strengths of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus obviously lie in its story and storytelling, and getting to witness its gleefully over-the-top cutscenes and wonderfully bizarre personalities in a story that remains captivating until the last second is an unforgettable experience. It helps, of course, that the action itself can also be a lot of fun.

30. Burnout 3: Takedown

To say that Burnout 3: Takedown did away with the tropes that racing games were known for would be an understatement. Its aggressive driving gameplay, where Takedowns formed the core and driving into oncoming traffic kept your Boost meter topped, was a massive change of pace. This was something that anyone could pick up and it immediately felt fun. The fact that it featured a full career mode, split-screen support, multiplayer and some incredible visuals also didn’t hurt.

WARNING: There are spoilers ahead for all Halo games.

STEPPING OUT ON THE RING FOR THE FIRST TIME (HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED)

It makes sense to start with this one. For millions of people out there, this is the moment that defines Halo, and it’s easy to see even now why this is such an iconic moment. After fighting your way through mazy corridors and cramped rooms aboard the Pillar of Autumn in Combat Evolved’s first mission, you then crash land on the mysterious Halo ring. And that moment when you first step out of the escape pod and lay your eyes on the majestic and alien beauty of the landscape and the ring that curves into the horizon in the distance- that’s a magical moment that will never be topped.

Games that will be impacted include Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo: Spartan Assault, and Halo Wars. Aspects of the game such as matchmaking will be shut down, while others such as Achievements are yet to be ascertained. Of course, fans will still be able to play through the campaign and the Forge mode alongside Custom Games and Firefight.

343 Industries said that the move was made in an effort to move development resources to Halo Infinite, which is the same reason why Season 8 will the last content update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

343 Industries’ upcoming Halo Infinite also received a new campaign overview trailer, which showcases updated visuals alongside open world elements.

In 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved graced our Xboxs as what would quickly be known as one of the best launch titles of all time. Seeing that the Xbox’s chief competitor, the PlayStation 2, was somewhat underpowered compared to Microsoft’s behemoth console, Halo was the perfect excuse for Bungie and Microsoft to really show off the power and capability of the Xbox – and that they did. Not only was the first game in the series a more than competent shooter that featured vehicles, a wide array of fun weapons, and a compelling multiplayer mode, but it was also a graphical showcase for the Xbox. With the PS2 being somewhat underpowered and the GameCube not really utilizing its potential with most of its games, this game really made the Xbox ecosystem stand out with its highly detailed character models and environments. Real-time reflections and shadows were rudimentary, and often mixed with fake ones, but they were convincing for the time among the lush, expansive environments and compelling aesthetic created by Bungie’s lead artists. The different alien factions all differed greatly in their general look as well as the technology they used, so that was reflected in their visual presentation to a huge degree. The game ran well, played well, and looked great, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that it was remastered and re-released on the 360 and PC ten years later with some enhanced graphics and improved lighting and textures. This remastered “anniversary” version of Halo would allow players to switch back and forth between the old graphics and the new ones at any time, which was a nice touch, and also included support for the Kinect (remember that?). All in all, either version still looks good today by all reasonable standards, mostly thanks to the original artistic direction.

3 short years after the first game was released, we got Halo 2 on the same console. While the Xbox’s limits had been on full display for a while by this point, Bungie still had more than enough know-how and experience with the platform by then to really make a game that looked noticeably better than its predecessor. Halo 2 would serve as the pinnacle Halo experience up to that point, as it had basically everything that made the first game great but now with the extra 3 years, Bungie was able to iron out many of the original’s rough edges, as well as provide a robust multiplayer mode that looked indistinguishably as good as the campaign. Halo 2 would not merely be more of the same with some refinement though. The physics and graphics engine were both overhauled which allowed for several new techniques including “shadow volume” that would quickly become a mainstream way of casting real-time shadows from in-game environments. Doom 3 would also implement the same technique to an even greater effect, but that was after Halo 2 popularized it. Real-time reflections on armor and metal surfaces were also more pronounced as a result of the overhaul and it ultimately added up to one of the better looking games of its time as a result.

Halo 3 was sure to follow, and follow it did. This game would have the enormous benefit of being a game on new hardware, but also not quite needing to be a launch title, so Bungie had a bit more time to really crank out as much goodness as they could from the Xbox 360. Here we see yet again, a complete overhaul of the graphics engine. Bungie went with their own in-house development toolset and it really paid off with better lighting, depth of field effects, and a subtle motion blur that added a heightened sense of realism. While some of the techniques under the hood did require the game to render at an odd 1152×640 resolution, that was technically upscaled to a stable 1080pby the 360, making it a very sharp-looking game.

Halo ODST was an interesting game. It started out as a rather beefy expansion to Halo 3, but ultimately ended up being its own standalone release given the sheer amount of content that it contained. Given that this was only a couple years since Halo 3 launched, graphically it had more in common with it’d predecessor than not, making it the first game in the series that didn’t look like a massive improvement from the previous one. Which isn’t to say it was underwhelming in that department, just nothing to write home about in 2009. Outside of some interesting visual flair thrown in for flashback sequences, it was largely just a slightly more refined version of the look of 3.

The final Halo game to be developed by Bungie was Halo: Reach. The game had a lot of callback visual cues that more than successfully elicited plenty of nostalgia for long-time Halo fans despite Master Chief not even being the main character. The graphics were largely unchanged from 3. Much like ODST, Reach already had a solid foundation on which to build a great looking game, and it didn’t disappoint. The large battles, lush backdrops, and nice variety of locations does feel a bit limited by the 360 at times in Reach, but the occasional framerate stutter was not much more than a minor flaw in an otherwise gorgeous game.

Halo 4 was a landmark game in the series for myriad reasons, but most notably was the fact that Bungie would have basically nothing to do with it. By this time, the former Halo developer had split from Microsoft and gone multiplatform and were working on their upcoming original shooter Destiny. The Halo series would finally change hands with 343 Industries at the helm. While the game was primarily designed for the aging Xbox 360, it was also 2012, which means Microsoft’s next console was also kept in mind for a future enhanced release. While the slight tick up from Halo 3 was noticeable, the biggest changes seemed to come from a totally different artistic vision rather than technical improvements. Halo 4 was a game that still “felt” like Halo ultimately, but it also had a slightly darker tone to its visuals. Master Chief looks more weathered, his armor seems bulkier, and he’s just more imposing overall. Other characters’ facial expressions were brimming with subtle movements and emotive performances, which made them some of the best in the generation – across all platforms. 343 were handed such a finely-tuned playbook on how to make a Halo game, that they were able to really stretch beyond what most thought was doable on an Xbox 360 with global illumination, ambient occlusion, and image-based lighting that all basically added up to a very impressive illumination and shadow system that made some environments look positively next gen. As impressive as it was, it was really just a preamble to what the next game had in store. Halo 4 would also get that very logical Xbox One release a couple years later with some minor enhancements and a smoother frame-rate. This was in 2014, which was a perfect time to whet the appetites of Halo fans as they were eagerly awaiting the 5th mainline installment.

By this time Halo had done almost everything it could do. It had maxed out the capabilities of two console generations and seen enhanced PC and next gen versions get released. Even though many still considered the series the best its genre had to offer, it still had to share much more of the stage with Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Bungie’s new game Destiny. Among the things Halo 5 tried to stand out was its aiming to be the best looking first-person shooter to date, and while it didn’t slam dunk that goal as hard as it did with past entries, it certainly satisfied the eyeballs of those who played it. Gone were the vast majority of the baked in fake lighting effects of the past two generations, and gone were the majority of other tricks Bungie had to implement to make the previous games look better than they actually were. Halo 5 backed off a tad from the slightly drearier look of 4, and somewhat tiptoed back into the look of the older games with more green, lush, outdoor locations, and highly realistic water. Halo 5 did hang on to all the advancements in detail of character models that show wear and tear on various pieces of armor, though. 343 also wisely chose to continue valuing the frame-rate over resolution, and with the seamless dynamic resolution of Halo 5 in place, the game could go from 1080p while you’re walking around and taking in the atmosphere, to 720p during an intense firefight, and right back up without you ever even noticing a thing. The PC version would need to do this less of course, depending on the rig, but both the Xbox One and PC version of the game looked great.

Now, all of these games are playable on PC, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X in their ultimate forms. The most drastic improvements can be found in the Halo: Master Chief Collection which contains all of the games we’ve mentioned here before Halo 5. Depending on the game and the hardware you’re using, the games vary in how much of an upgrade they are, but even the most conservative version of the Master Chief Collection on the Xbox One is a sight to behold with much higher resolutions and rock-solid frame rates. While the collection launched in a somewhat rocky state, and that rightly impacted its reputation for a while, playing it today with all of the current updates and patches is far and away the best way to experience these games.

With Halo Infinite on the way, and 343 surely understanding that we’ll be paying close attention to its graphics, we are likely in for yet another visual stunner from the flashy, science fiction franchise that reinvented its genre all those years ago.

#9. HALO WARS

Halo Wars definitely had some good ideas, and it was by no means a bad game. Its campaign was solid enough in its own right, online play was fun, and it was surprising how well developer Ensemble Studios managed to make a real time strategy game work on a console controller- but there just wasn’t enough here for anyone to really latch on to. For Halo fans, it was a nice distraction, but not exactly what you’d expect from a Halo game, while for RTS fans, it was far too simplified and shallow to be anything more than a decent yet largely forgettable game.

#8. HALO 5: GUARDIANS

The absolute lowest point of the Halo franchise’s numbered entries, Halo 5: Guardians represented a series that just didn’t know what to do with itself anymore. Ask any Halo fan what their least favourite campaign in the series is, and the overwhelming majority will name Halo 5, which for some reason decided to focus on Fireteam Osiris, and Master Chief receding into the background. That could have been forgiven if it at least told a good story- but of course, that was definitely not the case here. Thankfully, Halo 5: Guardians had a great multiplayer component, one that made some smart changes and improvements to the series’ formula. Aggressive monetization was a letdown here as well, but by and large, there was a lot to love in the game’s multiplayer offerings.

#7. HALO WARS 2

Much like its predecessor, Halo Wars 2 deserves credit for translating the real time strategy experience to a console gamepad with surprising ease- but again, much like its predecessor, that came with some sacrifices. As a strategy game, Halo Wars 2 was far too simplified and pared back for genre fans to really be able to get much out of it, and it didn’t help that on the multiplayer side of things, the game was largely a step back from its predecessor. That said, Halo Wars 2 had a solid campaign, with excellent production values, cinematic and flashy cutscenes, and a surprisingly compelling story that explored some interesting parts of the Halo universe. Is it a must-play for Halo fans?Maybe not. But it’s still a solid enough game in its own right.

#6. HALO 4

343 Industries and Microsoft had a lot to live up to with Halo 4. Bungie redefined the entire genre and took the industry by storm with a number of stellar games released over the course of a decade, so of course, Halo 4 had to live up to impossibly high expectations. And maybe it didn’t exactly do that- it was definitely not nearly as good as its predecessors, but it was still an excellent way to start off the series’ next era. In spite of a convoluted story that made the ill-advised decision to focus way too much on extended universe plot elements, Halo 4’s campaign was a blast to play through, with 343 Industries proving beyond a doubt that at least where the core shooting and mechanics of the series were concerned, they were more than up to the task of carrying Bungie’s legacy forward. Multiplayer, though not perfect, and though not on the same level as its recent predecessors, was still a heck of a lot of fun, and laid down solid foundations for its successors.

#5. HALO 3: ODST

A shorter expansion-style game that had relatively sparse multiplayer offerings and didn’t feature series protagonist Master Chief whatsoever? Halo 3: ODST should have been a recipe for disaster- and yet it was a masterstroke by Bungie. No, it never touched the heights of other Halo games that came around it, but as series fans will tell you every chance they get, it still deserved more of the spotlight. It had an excellent campaign that brought a very different tone and style to the series than what we had come to expect from it in previous years, while on the multiplayer front, Firefight was an addictive, tense experience that fans seemed to just never got bored of. The fact that it shipped with Halo 3’s excellent multiplayer made it that much more of a compelling experience.

#4. HALO 2

How do you follow up on one of the best, most influential games ever made? That was the question that Bungie was faced with while developing Halo 2, and in retrospect, it’s safe to say that the answers they came up with were the right ones. The sandbox shooting of Combat Evolved was taken to new heights in Halo 2, which, crucially, introduced dual wielding, while the multiplayer offerings were a huge improvement over the first game, and pretty much set the standards that Halo as a series is still following to this day. Sure, development constraints meant that Halo 2 was not without its issues – the campaign, in particular, is far from perfect, not least because of its infamously abrupt ending – but by and large, it was a worthy follow-up to its spectacular predecessor.

#3. HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

The one that started it all, and the one that, frankly, is in so many ways what the series is still aspiring to even now. Halo: Combat Evolved was an absolute revelation, delivering a brand of sandbox shooting against vibrant and deviously intelligent enemies the likes of which were had rarely been seen in games before. Its campaign was packed full of incredible, memorable moments that captured audience’s attention and are fondly looked back on two decades from its launch, and the fact that the series still largely abides by the gameplay foundations laid down by Combat Evolved should tell you how timeless they were. Seriously, even today, going back and playing this game is an absolute joy- and that, after all, is the true mark of an unabashed masterpiece.

#2. HALO: REACH

Halo: Reach was the game that Bungie signed off with, the game that would bring about the end of an era for this massive franchise and usher in a new age at the same time- and boy did it live up to expectations. Sure, at the time it ruffled a few feathers with the introduction of abilities that many felt had no place in Halo. But once people calmed down and actually played the game, they realized that Bungie had managed to find the perfect way to implement them without compromising the series’ identity. A stellar multiplayer component was backed up by what is probably the best ever campaign in a Halo game here, all of it coming together in a game where Bungie were at their absolute best.

#1. HALO 3

Think back to the months leading up to Halo 3, and try and come up with a game that demanded as much hype, anticipation, and expectation as Halo 3 did. There aren’t many. The series was on top of the world back then, and millions upon millions were chomping at the bit to “finish the fight” with Halo 3. And without the shadow of a doubt, the game somehow managed to live up to those impossibly high expectations- it was just such a well-rounded experience. An excellent campaign that closed off the trilogy’s story in satisfactory fashion and was full of excellent levels and firefights, and a brilliant multiplayer component that commanded the attention of a deluge of players who logged in every day for a long, long time to come- to this day, in fact. Halo 3 was an absolutely incredible game that took the biggest strengths of all its predecessors and took them to their absolute zenith, to deliver the perfect refinement of Halo formula.

WARNING: There are spoilers ahead for every game and series mentioned in this feature.

HARBINGER (MASS EFFECT SERIES)

The Harbinger was built up over the course of two full games as the leader of a terrifying synthetic alien race that was hellbent on wiping out almost all intelligent sentient life in the galaxy. But king Reaper never really made it into his own boss fight. The final minutes of Mass Effect 3 strongly suggested that that would be the case, and honestly, after how well the series had built him up as the ultimate big bad, taking him on in a climactic confrontation felt like a no-brainer. Not for BioWare, apparently. Not only does Mass Effect 3 not feature the Harbinger as a final boss, it has no final boss.

Halo 3’s MCC port is the first time the game has appeared on PC. The game hasn’t seen the graphical overhauls that the Anniversary editions of Combat Evolved and Halo 2, but there are some visual updates. The game supports 4K resolutions and 60 FPS and has seen a lighting upgrade courtesy of Ruffian Games, who developed this port under 343’s supervision. There are enhanced settings that you can toggle, though this setting only effects the draw distance of world objects, rendering them at farther distances. There are default and performance modes as well, but given how well the game runs, they’re not necessary unless you’re playing on very old hardware.

"The resolution bump is huge and highlights just how well much of Halo 3 holds up. Halo 3 features detailed textures and lighting, and those aspects are still impressive today. The game also shows off Bungie’s talents for creating some stunning environmental spaces."

The resolution bump is huge and highlights just how well much of Halo 3 holds up. While it’s easy to poke fun at Halo 3’s character models (particularly the human models that aren’t the Chief or Cortana) and some of its animations, I was shocked by how good the game looks. Halo 3 features detailed textures and lighting, and those aspects are still impressive today. The game also shows off Bungie’s talents for creating some stunning environmental spaces. In Sierra 117, lush forests give way to flowing rivers and old industrial buildings. The shattered concrete of Tsavo Highway opens into large plains that find a balance between vehicle and on-foot combat, while the destroyed city at the heart of The Storm provides ample space for Warthogs and Mongooses to battle with a Scarab as Pelicans and Hornets take on Banshees in the skies above. Beyond, capital ships wage war in a series of jaw-dropping skyboxes. Halo 3 has its visual flaws, but the jump in resolution and framerate highlight the game’s many moments of visual wonder. It’s particularly good looking in motion, and I often found myself admiring how beautiful a lot of the game is nearly thirteen years later. The only downside is that the PC release does not currently support HDR lighting, which is something that the Xbox One version does. Hopefully, this will be patched in with ODST’s release, which is supposed to feature HDR support.

Beyond the visual updates, not much has changed. Halo 3’s story is a fun romp that ends the Chief’s first trilogy. Sure, there’s some clunky dialogue – who can ever forget the awful “To war” line – but it’s an engaging story overall, especially if you’re already a fan of the series. Reach gets a lot of credit for its portrayal of how devastating the war is, but for my money, Halo 3 sells it better. Fighting through ruined cities alongside an army of marines and Elites, being chased out of your strongholds, holding off the Flood, and betting it all on a last-ditch mission into uncharted space do a lot to sell the game’s stakes. Halo 3 feels like an epic, and more importantly, it feels like an ending. That hasn’t changed, even though several games have come after it.

What Halo 3’s campaign does best, however, is refine Bungie’s sandbox to its peak. The Brutes, now the primary enemies since the Elites are your allies, bring several fun weapons to the party, including the Spike Grenades, Spiker, Mauler (think tiny shotgun), and Gravity Hammer. The Spartan Laser makes its glorious debut here as well. In general, the weapons you’ll face in Halo 3 fire more slowly than they do in Halo 2, giving the player more opportunities to avoid them without hiding behind cover, and new grenade types and a reduced carrying capacity for each (2 per type) help reduce grenade spam. The assault rifle returns and is a far more useful weapon than the SMG. Add in things like equipment, single-use items that deploy things like gravity lifts, regenerators, flares, power drains, and bubble shields, and you always have a veritable toybox to play with. Levels are much bigger, too, allowing you to pick and choose how to tackle situations.

"Like it’s predecessor, Halo 3 is a game that rewards map knowledge, skill, and coordination, and it’s a joy to play. Learning when to take a fight (and when not to) is just as important as your aim, your ability to strafe, and how quickly you can think on your feet. "

This is never more apparent than during the game’s Scarab fights. These enormous walking tanks are a highlight of the game, and how you choose to fight them makes all the difference. The first fight gives you a bunch of Mongoose-riding marines armed with rocket launchers, but you can also opt for two different models of Warthog (one in the area, and one you start the level with), the nearby mounted missile launchers (which, like all turrets, can now be ripped off their mountings and carried around), or to just board the thing from a high place. And that’s just one of the fights. Later levels introduce Hornets, the first controllable UNSC flying vehicles in the series, so it always feels like there’s something new around the corner.

Even the hated Flood have seen upgrades. They can now infest the living and the dead in real-time, making every fallen ally or enemy a potential threat. You’ll fight more Flood at any given time in Halo 3 than before, but you have advantages. Shooting the infection forms out of their chest will now kill them instantly, and they’re not particularly vulnerable to melee attacks, offering new ways to take them out beyond the trusty shotgun. There are even pure Flood forms that can shapeshift on the fly, presenting new challenges. These changes almost make Halo’s most hated enemy, dare I say it, fun, because you have so many ways to combat them effectively.  That spirit applies to the entire campaign. Halo 3’s sandbox is all about giving you options, and it does a wonderful job of it. It’s no wonder that several of the game’s levels are among the most beloved in the series. It’s not a complete home run – Cortana (the level, not the character) exists, and it’s the worst level in the series – but the highs are absurdly good. Opinions on the best Halo campaign vary wildly, but I think Halo 3’s is much more enjoyable than 2’s, and one of the best in the series. Throw in the numerous Easter eggs, secrets, skulls and campaign scoring, and you have a game you can play for a long time. There’s even a new skull, called Acrophobia, that will let you fly.

Of course, the campaign isn’t the only thing on offer here. Halo 3’s legendary multiplayer returns in all its glory, with every map and mode you remember. While I don’t think that 3’s maps are as strong as 2’s, there’s a number of standouts here: Standoff, High Ground, Guardian, Heretic, The Pit, Valhalla, Epitaph…you get the idea. Like it’s predecessor, Halo 3 is a game that rewards map knowledge, skill, and coordination, and it’s a joy to play. Much of it is like riding a bike, but the skill ceiling here is a high one. Learning when to take a fight (and when not to) is just as important as your aim, your ability to strafe, and how quickly you can think on your feet. Mastery will require practice unless you never stopped playing Halo 3 to begin with. It’s definitely a game that’s better with friends, but there are so many ways to play it – Slayer, Capture the Flag, Assault, Oddball, Big Team Battle, Infection, Juggernaut, and so on – that you’ll be sure to find something you like even if you have to saddle up alone.

"343 has made several improvements to Forge, adding new objects, bigger budgets, object physics, rotation, coordinate snap and precision editing tools. There’s a ton of customization here if you want to dig into it, and it’s as easy as ever to share your custom maps and modes."

Forge is also here, and this update brings it into Halo 2: Anniversary and Reach, as well. 343 has made several improvements, adding new objects, bigger budgets, object physics, rotation, coordinate snap and precision editing tools. There’s a ton of customization here if you want to dig into it, and it’s as easy as ever to share your custom maps and modes. You can also use Theater Mode to view temporary videos of saved games, though there’s unfortunately no way to edit or save them without using an outside program. 343 has also used this update to improve the Master Chief Collection at large, adding new unlockable cosmetics for Combat Evolved and PVE, PVP, game-specific, and seasonal challenges for players to complete, as well, though progress is unfortunately not shared between the Xbox One and PC versions of the collection.

It’s a truly staggering amount of content. Unfortunately, it also comes with several bugs. The game had trouble tracking my progress across Halo 3’s campaign, and I often wouldn’t receive Achievements for things like picking up skulls or completing levels, which was not a problem when I did the same things on the Xbox One version. In addition, users are reporting issues with online co-op, keybindings, throwing multiple grenades or equipment items at once, and issues equipping certain cosmetics. 343 is aware of these bugs, and is working to fix them. Given how many of the issues in Halo 2’s port were corrected shortly after launch, I imagine the majority of them will be fixed quickly.

The real problem, and one without an imminent solution, is with Halo 3’s hit registration. This issue is caused by the increase in the game’s framerate. Halo 3 ran at 30 FPS on Xbox 360. In the MCC, it runs at 60 FPS. To determine how far a projectile moves in a single frame, the game divides the speed of the projectile by the “tick rate” (how fast the game logic updates, which is generally tied to framerate). The higher tick rate messes with this formula, which leads to a shorter hitscan distance for projectiles. As a result, certain guns, such as the Battle Rifle, don’t behave the way they should in multiplayer. It’s a major issue, but also not an entirely unexpected one. These are old games, many of which were never expected to run on a PC, and the fact that they do is a minor miracle. That said, this does have a significant impact on how Halo 3’s multiplayer works. 343 is aware of the bug and working on it. Hopefully, it’s something that they will figure out soon.

Most people who are going to get the PC release of Halo 3 have already made up their mind about the game regardless of what I or any other critic might say. Fortunately, this is a good port of a game that holds up remarkably well, and probably the best release in the MCC so far on a technical level. It’s not a home run: there are several bugs here, though most of them are fairly minor, and the lack of HDR support is disappointing, especially since the Xbox One version has it. But this is still a great game, and one that is very much worth playing today. It’s absolutely stuffed with content, and the collection around it is improving all the time.

It’s remarkable how current Halo 3 still feels. It was a game that was thoroughly ahead of its time, packing an enormous amount of replayable and customizable content into a single package. When it came out, I imagined how the features it had – Forge, File Share, Theater, Saved Films, Photos, modifiers for campaign scoring, and an incredibly customizable multiplayer mode – would be standard on every game in the future. That hasn’t happened. In many ways, we have fewer options in our big budget titles, not more. In 2007, Halo 3 felt like the future.  It still does today. It’s an imperfect game in its current form, yes, but still a great one. And thirteen years later, whether it’s your first time or your thousandth, that fight is worth finishing. See you online.

This game was reviewed on the PC.