Wake Me When You Need Me: A Look Back At Halo

Halo is a series that has done things few other games can claim to. It singlehandedly created the era of the console FPS. It defined the way cinematic stories would be told for years to come. It created Master Chief, one of the most memorable protagonists in gaming that stands shoulder to shoulder with Mario, Pac-Man and other gaming icons. It’s broken sales records, not just for games, but for all multimedia. It was the poster boy for Xbox Live, a system that changed the way we play multiplayer games.

All this and so much more. The universe of Halo is one that is full of lore fleshed out by multiple books, mini series, comics and even an upcoming television series produced, in part, by sci-fi legend himself Ridley Scott. Stories in this universe are so rich in their history that delving into them is something that will make you forget the real world and has done so for me, many times.

I am James Furlong and I’m a Halo nerd. This series of articles is as much of a labour of love for me as it is an opportunity for anyone unfamiliar with the whole franchise to get some quick understanding about it. With Halo: The Master Chief Collection so close to release I’m here to, firstly, enjoy playing the games I've loved since I was twelve and secondly, get everyone as excited as I am about there being a disc with all of Master Chief’s adventures on.

I’m not just going to stick to his story though, I’m going to talk about everything up to this point. I’m going to give an overview of the story and gameplay, I’m going to explore the best parts of every game and I’ll discuss each game and how I feel personally about them. I would like to state that I am going to stick to the main FPS’s though because, for me, that’s what Halo is about.

So stay tuned as we talk about each Halo game and get excited for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. I want to hear your opinions as well, I want discussion. What’s your favourite Halo moment? Why? Let me know below, I’ll be there looking forward to your comments.

Before we finish I thought I’d just give you a quick idea about my favourite Halo games so you have an idea about my opinion. My top two Halo games are 2 and ODST. Now 2 makes complete sense: it’s considered a masterpiece in every way, by fans and critics alike, but why ODST? I loved the atmosphere of Mombasa at night and a semi-open world Halo was a fantastic idea and it worked so very, very well with the way the story was conveyed. That’s not to mention Firefight: possibly my favourite horde mode ever.

So now you have an idea about what kind of Halo fan I am, let me know what kind of Halo fan you are. Like I said before, let’s get some discussion going!

Next article we’re going to focus on Halo: Combat Evolved. The game that defined a genre.