Campaign Evolved proves that the first Halo adventure is still fun to play 25 years later

Date:
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
Halo: Campaign Evolved brings the classic sci-fi shooter to modern standards.

FULL STORY ======================================================================The
Halo series is in an awkward spot right now. With 2021s Halo Infinite being the last major release, the franchises status as a system seller isnt as strong as it was two decades ago. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a safe yet surprisingly competent remake of Halo: Combat Evolved that attempts to bring back the glory days. Review info Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Release date: July 28, 2026 My earliest memory
of Combat Evolved on the original Xbox was when I could barely read. My dad was visiting his university friends from back in the day, and he left me with their college-aged children. I remember getting absolutely cooked in PvP, as the only video game I had ever played before that point was Pokmon . 25 years later, Ive played every major Halo release, and even revisited 2011s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster to see how it fared before diving into Campaign Evolved . When playing these two back-to-back, they really put into perspective how much small changes could yield substantially different experiences. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: The same old story (Image credit: Xbox) Like the original game, Halo: Campaign Evolved follows the space marine Master Chief after his starship, the Pillar of Autumn, crash-lands on a large ring world. The Covenant alien race wants to destroy Earth, and it's up to Master Chief, along with his AI companion Cortana, to fight back against them. Its the same exact story told in the original. Although its not particularly deep, it sets up an enticing universe that
makes you eager to discover more about the Covenant, as well as the secrets
of this new ring world.

Campaign Evolved offers three new bonus missions that, together, act as a prequel to the events of the main story. Here, Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson join up, and the duo infiltrates an enemy ship to steal some data
that could point them towards the Covenants home world. In these missions, Master Chief doesnt have Cortana yet and is surprisingly more of a chatterbox than his usual stoic self. He and Sergeant Johnson constantly exchange quips Johnsons sarcasm juxtaposes well with the Chiefs more nonchalant attitude.

However, its tonally inconsistent. Without going into spoilers, the ending doesnt explain Master Chiefs stoicism in the following events of Campaign Evolved . Chiefs demeanor here would fit better in a post-Bungie universe, where the series became more character-driven beginning with Halo 4 . But as
a prequel to the original trilogy, his frequent yapping feels out of character.

Additionally, the three missions trade the originals streamlined level design in favor of the more modern Halo combat arena approach. Large-scale
firefights across long structures and domes are everywhere. Halo is no stranger to enemy skirmishes, but they were kept at close to medium range encounters. I wont lie and say I didnt have fun playing these, but I just
wish Halo Studios kept the new levels more uniform with the originals design philosophy. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up
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The prequel missions also reintroduce the Jiralhanae brutes, which were first introduced in Halo 2 . These furry monstrosities are a nice change of pace when considering that enemy variety was limited in the original. Back to basics (Image credit: Xbox) The first-person-shooter gameplay isnt as revolutionary as it was back in 2001, but I enjoyed going back to the more boots-on-the-ground experience compared to flying around everywhere with Chiefs grappling hook in Infinite . There are so many small adjustments and additions to the gameplay that actually made me take modern Halo gameplay mechanics for granted.

For starters, you can now hijack enemy vehicles, something you couldnt do in the original or even the Anniversary remaster. You instead had to either
shoot the enemy piloting the vehicle first, or blow it up, hoping that it was still operable afterwards. When I replayed Anniversary ahead of Campaign Evolved , years of muscle memory conditioned me to hijack a vehicle, only to remember that Chief cant do that and subsequently get run over and die!

Along with the typical weapons like the pistols, assault rifles, and rocket launchers, Campaign Evolved includes new weapons found in later Halo games like the Needle Rifle and the Brute Spiker. Best bit (Image credit: Xbox) Campaign Remix unlocks after completing the game once. This takes all of your discovered Skulls and randomly chooses at the start which ones to activate, providing a fun and unpredictable experience. Its a zany approach to spice up subsequent playthroughs and increase replayability. These new weapons
actually feel more of a fit for the bonus missions. The Needle Rifle almost felt like a cheat code when I used it during the main campaign. Energy Swords were also in the original game, but Chief couldnt pick those up. Now he can, and I never got tired of hearing the satisfying sizzling plasma every time I pulled it out. Effectively doubling the total weapon count, the minute-to-minute gunplay is more varied and fun than ever.

The radar now also shows an arrow up or down on red dots to indicate whether an enemy is above or below you. Verticality was always a personal issue for
me in these games, so this is much appreciated. Power-ups can be held like in Infinite , letting you activate them when you want rather than in older Halo games where they activated upon pickup. This had a tangible impact on how I approached certain levels compared to the original, like Truth and Reconciliation, where I could choose the optimal time to turn invisible and sneak past enemies.

On the surface, these changes may seem minuscule. But when actually playing Campaign Evolved , I came to appreciate the gameplay iterations that came
with later Halo games. The human connection (Image credit: Xbox) Whereas the original only supported two-player co-op, Campaign Evolved can support up to four. This increase makes shootouts even more hectic and exciting, especially during the bonus missions where having a full team fits the combat design ethos. Online co-op is an easy process, as all you need to do is invite other players to your fireteam. Crossplay between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox players is a big plus too.

Performance is solid, even with bullets and explosions going off every
second, although cutscenes can lag sometimes.

You can also find skull collectibles scattered throughout the campaign, which are gameplay modifiers that make your runs easier or harder, like enabling infinite ammo or disabling your sprint function. Theres a whopping 42 skulls to find, so not only do finding the skulls add more replayability to the campaign, but also turning them on does too.

The biggest letdown of Campaign Evolved is the lack of any PvP multiplayer. Its a staple of the Halo series that makes this remake feel a bit lesser.

Even with the lack of PvP multiplayer, Halo: Campaign Evolved is comfortably the best way to play the first Halo adventure with all the bells and whistles that come with the modernized features of later games. The new bonus missions are fun if not a bit uneven. Campaign Evolved feels good to play, whether
solo or with friends. Should I play Halo: Campaign Evolved? Play it if...

You love the series This goes without saying, but if youre a fan of Halo , its well worth checking out Campaign Evolved for its updated gameplay mechanics and revisiting a classic.

You like first-person shooters Halo is the console-defining first-person shooter game that set the bar for many other modern franchises. The gunplay feels as slick and precise as ever in this remake.

You like a more streamlined experience Compared to more recent Halo games like Halo Infinite , Campaign Evolved harkens back to more old-school level design rather than an open world. Don't play it if...

Youre looking for PvP multiplayer Unfortunately, as the games title
suggests, this remake only includes the campaign. If you want to experience multiplayer, go play Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary via the Master Chief Collection . Accessibility features Halo: Campaign Evolved has an extensive suite of accessibility features. This includes text options like subtitles, HUD text, and voice chat text size. You can also adjust font, line spacing, and dialogue color for friends and foes.

Theres screen narration with volume and speed sliders, as well as color filters. You can adjust color correction strength, brightness, and contrast. Furthermore, you can turn on and off screen shake, flashing effects, and motion blur. For crosshairs, you can change the size, color, opacity, and thickness to see what works best for you.

There are also options to change directional damage indicators, navigation points, and even teammate markers to make finding things easier. Things like voice chat volume, widget opacity, and fade-out timer can be adjusted too.
How I reviewed Halo: Campaign Evolved I played about 15 hours of Halo: Campaign Evolved (and counting) on Xbox Series X with a SANSUI 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor UWQHD. I finished the campaign, finding as many collectibles
as I could along the way. I also played through the three prequel missions,
as well as participated in a few missions with other reviewers in co-op.

First reviewed July 2026 Halo Campaign Evolved: Price Comparison No price information Check Amazon We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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