Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection gathers six mainline entries of the cult sci-fi series about humanity's fight against the alien Covenant alliance, and on Xbox Series X/S it offers an optimized version with higher resolution and a smoother frame rate. The collection includes remastered versions of the first two games, reworked Halo 3 and ODST, Halo 4, and Halo: Reach, so the player can go through the entire chronology of the Master Chief's story and the supporting cast in one package and switch between campaigns without having to buy them separately or hunt down old consoles. The legendary combination of shooting, grenades, and melee combat that made the series famous back on the original Xbox remains the core of the gameplay across all the entries and holds up surprisingly well, though it's noticeable how the pacing and level design gradually shifted between the series' different eras.

The Xbox Series X/S version brought support for higher resolution and higher frame rates, up to 120 frames per second in multiplayer, which made a substantial difference especially in competitive modes where smoothness and responsiveness play a key role. The collection also includes the extensive Halo: Reach campaign telling the story of the fall of the planet Reach, which players who only know the later entries will appreciate as a missing piece of the puzzle. The collection also features extensive online multiplayer across all the entries with crossplay support between consoles and PC, thanks to which the community remains active years after the individual games' original release. The audio side, from Martin O'Donnell's iconic musical theme to the distinctive sounds of weapons like the battle rifle, ranks among the most recognizable in the entire gaming industry.

The Master Chief Collection was initially plagued by technical problems when it launched on PC in 2019, but these were gradually resolved, and the collection became the definitive way to enjoy the Halo series on a single platform. On Xbox Series X/S it offers an ideal entry point for new players as well as a nostalgic ride for veterans, and it still serves as a reminder of how fundamentally the first game in 2001 shaped the genre of console first-person shooters for years to come.

Why play it: For new players and nostalgic veterans alike, it's the definitive way to go through the history of the series on a single platform, a series that shaped console first-person shooters.