Halo is one of the great video game franchises that has been with us for more than two decades, since in November 2001 Microsoft used Bungie's creation as the test figurehead for its first foray into the console market. Now, seen with the perspective of time, there is no doubt that the Master Chief and his entire cohort of allies (and enemies) have been transformed into saint and sign of the legion of xboxers that populates the world
What is Halo?
Halo es a franchise created by Bungie and that Microsoftt endorsed over the years when verifying the enormous impact it had had in forging the personality of the Americans, and it boasts some very specific characteristics that have made it a totally different gaming experience. So much so, that its arrival on the first Xbox in November 2001 clearly marked the future of the FPS genre (first person shooter) which, until then, had not been exploited very successfully by other companies.
Not in vain, porting the shooter gaming experience from PC to consoles had been a challenge until that moment in which Bungie creates what we can consider as the first of its kind. optimized to be enjoyed almost the same with keyboard and mouse as with a gamepad. The entrance on the scene of the second USB stick analog to control the camera (or the direction of movement of vehicles), will be decisive to consecrate one of the fathers of this small revolution that at the end of 2021 celebrated two decades.
But if you like, let's quickly remember who is who in this video game saga.
Halo
It is a scenario that will sound familiar to you from the first game. That Halo that is present in some planetary systems of the game and that they are practically the cause of the Covenant bent on conquering them. Behind this objective is the religious significance that these structures have for the invaders, who believe that it is the door that opens the "Great journey" for them.
Master Chief
What to say about the protagonist of all the games that are part of both the first original trilogy and the later one called the "Reclaimer saga". He is a space marine with an amazing ability to get into the lion's den but always come out unscathed (thanks to our help, of course). It will be the main bulwark of humanity to face the threat of species They try to destroy us.
Cortana
What to say about the Siri that the Master Chief carries with him everywhere. Cortana is the voice of our hero's conscience, the one that maintains the deepest and most important conversations in some games and the one that provides us with valuable information in the missions. It became so popular thanks to video games that for many years it was the virtual assistant for Windows.
United Nations Space Command (UNSC)
The defensive force that Earth and Humanity can exhibit against invaders is a group of elite soldiers equipped with the latest technology and weaponry. The Master Chief belongs to this body, although there will be times when he chooses to go quite freely, specifically to the so-called Spartan, which have been genetically modified.
Covenant
Although there are other named threats in the franchise (Prometheus, Flood, Banished, etc.), Without a doubt, Covenant is the original and the one we all associate with the saga. Halo. It is about a series of peoples and races that fight in an almost suicidal way for the glory of the leader, who is practically a religious leader. His threat will extend throughout various games, planets and star systems with factions that will shape the table of Humanity's adversaries.
Halo Main Saga
Of all the titles that have hit stores, only six can be considered as main, of those who tell the story of Humanity's fight against the Covenant and other hostile peoples... with the opposition of the Master Chief. These are.
Halo Combat Evolved (2001)
As we have told you, Bungie broke the mold of the genre shooter on consoles with a great game which stands out above all for the gun play, for the inclusion of vehicles to move or fight through the gigantic settings, and for a plot consistency that left us glued to the screen. Over the years it has undergone remastering and you have it available on all Xbox consoles that have hit the market, as well as PC.
Halo 2 (2004)
After the success of the first one could not miss a sequel that takes us to Earth, where the Covenant storm the planet in search of revenge for the loss in the first episode. Not even the trial of one of the captured alien commanders will stop the hosts who want to annihilate the entire Humanity. As in the previous case, you have the game available on all Xbox consoles that have hit the market as well as PC.
Halo 3 (2007)
The battle continues with the Covenant forces invading Earth, brought to it by a new breed of enemy known as the Elite. The Master Chief will have to stop the plans of the invading forces They will be joined by the Flood, a race that manages to cross a mysterious portal that has opened right under the very nose of the UNSC Marines. This Halo 3 You also have it available to play on PC and all Xbox consoles, and it marks Bungie's farewell to the original trilogy. A moment that, for many, represents a before and after within the franchise.
Halo 4 (2012)
The trilogy of "the saga of the Reclaimer" begins, which is in charge of developing 343 Industries and the truth is that they change some important things that did not leave fans with a good taste in their mouths. Now, the Master Chief has just woken up from cryogenic sleep aboard a ship that ends up landing on a planet dominated by Requiem. A new conflict knocks on the door of the franchise, leaving behind part of what had made Halo in a planetary phenomenon.
Halo 5 Guardians (2016)
In this delivery we will learn that the Master Chief and the entire UNSC blue team have decided to defect, so the Osiris group will go out in search of it. The problem is that this small reckoning between old companions will be affected by an even greater conflict that, once again, endangers humanity.
Halo Infinite (2021)
Following what 343 Industries has done in the past, the story never connects with the original trilogy, moving between enemies that remind us of the old Covenant but without expressly becoming them. Now, the Master Chief will have to face a horde of enemies that belonged to those original Covenant but who call themselves "the Banished" and that many fans will remember from his games in Halo Wars 2 or from the pages of some of the novels that are considered canon.
Halo spin-offs
Apart from those titles that, on paper, develop the main story of the Master Chief, there are others who take advantage of this universe to offer us the same action from another perspective or through the eyes of soldiers who were fighting in other places against the same threat. Are these:
HaloWars (2009)
Microsoft decided to make an adaptation of the universe Halo to the genre of strategy in real time and the product of that intention is Halo Wars. Here we go 20 years into the past, before the events of Halo Combat Evolved and to the planet Harvest, where the Covenant are harassing UNSC forces.
Halo 3 ODST (2009)
Originally conceived as an expansion of Halo 3, Microsoft chose to release it independently as a single game. The action takes place at the same time as the events of Halo 2 and the protagonist is not a Spartan but an ODST, that is, a orbital drop shock trooper named Rookie. The Covenant will once again be the mortal enemies of Humanity.
Halo Reach (2010)
This Halo tells us events that occurred on the same days that the first game of 2001 takes place, only that Bring the action to planet Reach, where the Covenant have eliminated most of the Spartans and appear to be making their way unopposed. Obviously, we will be the ones in charge of removing that idea from their heads.
Halo Spartan Assault (2013)
How could it be otherwise tablets and mobile devices had their share of Halo, only in this case within an action game in aerial perspective, controlling soldiers and vehicles in a development that Microsoft defined as tactical combat.
Halo Spartan Strike (2015)
Two years later we returned to have a new installment of tactical combat only landing on consoles to delve into the missions and game mechanics. The battle against the Covenant returns to Earth. Again…
Halo Wars 2 (2017)
Microsoft once again leads the franchise towards strategy development in real time, narrating the events taking place nearly three decades after the first Halo Wars. The crew of the UNSC ship Spirit of Fire wake up near the Ark to face the Banished, that splinter faction of the Covenant that we already saw in Halo Infinite.