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True to the rumors, Halo Studios has just announced Halo: Campaign Evolved, an appropriately titled Unreal Engine 5 remake of the game that kicked off the entire series - Halo: Combat Evolved, of course - coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, and PS5 next year.
As you can probably guess by its name, the remake is solely focused on remaking Halo CE's campaign and is stripping out the competitive multiplayer modes, but it is making up for the omission with new additions that are both exciting and inevitably divisive.
Pretty facelift aside, Halo: Campaign Evolved is updating some level designs as the studio specifically called out how pathfinding in missions like, infamously, The Library could be a headache. But maybe the most exciting addition is a little three-mission prequel arc that follows Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. (Ahh, the nostalgia.)
Maybe more controversial is that Halo Studios is going back to add features seen in newer games. Iconic weapons, such as the Energy Sword and Battle Rifle, are also making an appearance here, for example, which is really cool, as is the inclusion of two-player couch co-op and four-player online co-op for the first time ever. Oh, and you can hijack vehicles too.
The addition of sprint, however, will probably bring back the heated discourse from 2010... and 2012... and 2015... and... you get the gist. Though, thankfully, you can disable it if you like.
An Xbox Wire post states that "all of the new content created in Unreal Engine 5 is layered on top of code and systems carried directly over from the original games," to hopefully retain the feel of moving a 1,000 pound super soldier.
"We've added new lines to Guilty Spark, which guide players through the level, and there's new dialogue that gives more insight into the narrative as it plays out," creative director Max Szlagor added. "We're not changing the stories, it's about refining and adding context to this moment, and other levels like it, so players can stay on track."
"This is Halo for everyone," executive producer Damon Conn said.
Could Halo: Campaign Evolved be one of the best Halo games of all time?
