A free update is coming to Halo: Campaign Evolved this winter, which will evolve the game beyond just being about the campaign and add the classic Firefight co-op mode to the game.
The first news of this came from the 25th anniversary Xbox FanFest this week, where attendees have been able to check out the game mode in-person, but more information will be shared during Halo Fest, which is taking place from 12-13th December in Seattle. The mode is more than just a rehash of previous games, and the first hands on features some new maps.
The funny thing, of course, is that Firefight was not a feature of the original Halo. It didn’t debut until Halo: ODST in 2009, the side story to Halo 2 and 3 which followed ODST Marines in New Mombasa. However, it is possible thanks to the way that Halo: Campaign Evolved has been made, rebuilding the original campaign within the Halo Reach iteration of the BLAM engine, and then wrapping Unreal Engine graphics around it. With this game engine, Halo Studios was able to expand the game to feature four player co-op as on Xbox 360, where the Xbox originals were limited to two players – something that held true to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, even if online play was added there.
Firefight quickly became a fan-favourite game mode after Halo: ODST launched, and has been expanded and grown in many ways through the series that followed.
In our review of Campaign Evolved, Jim said, “Nostalgia is the name of the game here, and Halo: Campaign Evolved toes a fine line between preserving a beloved classic and updating it. Whether it’s the floaty feeling of driving a Warthog or hearing that familiar buzz when Master Chief’s shields recharge, Campaign Evolved captures that feeling of playing the original Halo brilliantly, as if reliving a memory from childhood. For those who never experienced Halo on the original Xbox or its other remakes and remasters, it likely won’t have that same magic appeal, especially if you’re comparing this doled up relic to more elaborate, modern first person shooters.”
Source: Halo
