00:00A rapid review of Halo Campaign Evolved, a fun, but fundamentally flawed remake that doesn't always understand the appeal of
00:06Halo.
00:07I submit that there are two types of video game remakes.
00:10The first type goes all in on transformation, taking big swings with its source material to the point that the
00:15remake can be embraced as a wholly new take on the original.
00:18Halo Campaign Evolved is not that.
00:21What we have here is the other type of remake, the kind that goes all in on modernization, offering perceived
00:26upgrades to an otherwise unchanged foundation.
00:29Halo Studios has no discernibly new take on Bungie's landmark FPS, other than a desire to make Combat Evolved look
00:35and play more like its later Halos.
00:37The faithful treatment sets an admirable goal, but that also means Campaign Evolved positions itself as a replacement for, or
00:44at least in competition with, the original.
00:46That's a hurdle that was always going to be tough to clear, because OG Halo is still a fantastic game
00:5125 years later.
00:52What Campaign Evolved does have going for it primarily is novelty.
00:56It's impressive to look under the hood and consider what Halo Studios has pulled off here.
01:00With the help of underlying Bungie era code, they've made Halo feel like Halo in an Unreal Engine 5 wrapper.
01:06Broadly speaking, it's a fun remix, but some of its biggest additions can feel like subtractions.
01:12Like its big graphical pass, while impressive, suffers from that generically real look that's become endemic to Unreal 5 tech
01:19demos.
01:20This Halo looks more real, but feels less alien.
01:23And after playing the original back-to-back, I often preferred how this game used to look.
01:28Some gameplay changes are thoughtfully done, but AI behavior is wonky,
01:32and the inclusion of modern trappings like Sprint and Always-On Waypoints only detracts from what makes Halo distinct from
01:39other games.
01:40It's a neat remake, but it also shows an unremarkable vision for the future of Halo.
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01:49We'll see you next time.
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