Immortal Master Chief Chinese Edition "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" Review

Microsoft's Xbox One has been in China for almost a year, but there are very few blockbuster games sold in China. Although with the stimulation of PS4 entering China, excellent games such as "Forza Motorsport 5" and "2K15" can appear in front of players, Xbox exclusive masterpieces have never been available to domestic players, which has also become one of the reasons for the poor sales of Xbox One.

However, in order to catch the attention of domestic players, Microsoft launched a powerful weapon. On August 13, the Chinese version of Xbox One welcomed its first exclusive FPS 3A masterpiece "Halo: The Master Chief Collection".

Why is Halo so highly anticipated by Chinese players?

Long before the birth of Halo, players believed that excellent FPS games only existed on the PC platform. Home consoles did not have good shooting games due to the limitations of controller operation. Until the advent of Halo, the situation of excellent FPS games being exclusively available on PC was broken. With its epic storyline, rich battle scenes and many other factors, it became the most popular console game of the year.

Thanks to the innovation of 343 Studios, "Halo" is not just a game. Its product series also includes comics, novels, live-action TV series and other forms, forming a multimedia ecosystem centered around the legendary story of "Halo", seamlessly meeting the needs of players in all areas. While the game is a success, it also drives the development of the game ecosystem industry.

After that, Halo 2’s sales reached $125 million on its first day of release in 2004, setting a record for the fastest-selling audio and video product in the U.S. Microsoft continued its efforts, releasing Halo 3 in 2007 and Halo 4 on Xbox 360 in 2012, which not only broke the sales record in the history of games, but also set a record of more than 1 million users playing multiplayer games on Xbox Live at the same time.

To date, the global sales of the Halo series have exceeded 59 million copies. The launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on the Chinese Xbox One can be said to have made up for the regrets left by the Chinese people before. It was ordered by many players during the pre-sale stage, and after it was officially launched, it was out of stock on JD.com. You can experience four games for 249 yuan, which is much cheaper than other games sold in China.

For old players who have experienced "Halo", this is undoubtedly a chance to relive the old days. For newcomers, it is an opportunity to fully experience "Halo".

Is the Chinese version of "Halo" different?

"Halo: The Master Chief Collection" includes the first four authentic works in the series, namely the HD remakes of "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary", "Halo 2: Anniversary", "Halo 3" and "Halo 4". The review room also got this game recently.

After downloading and entering the game, the game interface has not been modified for domestic players. The game options are clear at a glance and the Chinese localization is also quite good. Four games plus additional content are expected to make players feel very excited.

We started to experience the games in order from "Halo 1". The games did not load immediately. The emergence of achievements and difficulty selection has long become an unchanging content of FPS games. Except for the one-life clearance mode such as Fanatical Legend which is prepared for old FPS shooters, other difficulties can be completed after becoming familiar with the operation and process.

"Halo 1" was released in 2001, so one can imagine what the graphics quality was like in that era. However, this time Microsoft remade the game in HD and used the same game engine as "Halo: Reach".

Halo 1 Remastered

Halo 4

After entering the game, we found that the graphics of the remastered "Halo 1" are indeed much more refined, and the character outlines are smoother. Although the sense of realism and picture rendering are not as good as the "Halo 4" released in 2012, this remake is not just high-definition, but has been upgraded to a level beyond the original. For domestic players, it can be said to be a conscientious work.

The operation settings of the controller are relatively clear to ensure that novice players can quickly get started. In the battle scene, without assisted aiming, the difficulty of the battle will gradually increase depending on the player's choice, which is a test of the player's ability to operate the controller.

The most noteworthy thing is that Halo is praised as an epic game masterpiece comparable to movies abroad. In addition to letting players understand the storyline, the included CGs can be said to be a sci-fi blockbuster in every cutscene. The exquisite pictures and special effects undoubtedly give players a shocking experience. The character dialogues and CG animations are all dubbed in original English with Chinese subtitles, which effectively prevents some weird dubbing actors from dubbing without any ethics.

Whether the game content has been cut is the issue that players are most concerned about. After all, if a game is to be sold domestically, it must undergo multiple reviews by domestic authorities before it can be put on sale.

During the game, we found that the story plots and content of the four games have not changed, and the story content is very closely connected. After all, the fighting targets are alien creatures, so the game still retains a lot of original content. But compared with overseas games, there are still a few differences.

Overseas Master Chief Collection Halo News Interface

First, the Chinese version of Halo : The Master Chief Collection does not have the Halo News and Halo Channel modules. The impact of Halo News on the gaming experience is negligible. The Halo Channel includes: the TV series Halo : Nightfall, Halo competition videos, Halo behind-the-scenes footage, and in-game terminals. For Halo diehards, the lack of video content is definitely a great pity, but for most novice players, the lack of video content will not reduce the playability of Halo.

In foreign countries, the game terminal is an important part of collecting elements and exploring hidden plots in the "Halo" series, and it also involves many achievements. However, in order to prevent players from affecting the gaming experience due to the lack of terminals, Microsoft has specially listed the hidden plots and achievements as additional content in the collection to ensure that players can fully experience the game "Halo".

Halo 3

Secondly, the battle scenes in the foreign version of Halo are quite bloody, and a red blush will appear on the screen after the Master Chief is shot. In the Chinese version of the game, the blood effect is not obvious during the battle, and the enemy's body will disappear after 2 seconds. When the Master Chief is shot, only a red arrow will appear. This has to be said that the Chinese advocate peace and society emphasizes harmony. You see, it's okay if you don't bleed, and even the enemy doesn't have to bleed.

Third, in addition to the story mode, the game also has multiplayer battles. In the online battle link, due to the special reasons of the domestic network, it is currently impossible to match with foreign players. The selection of domestic players also adopts the principle of proximity. For the next-generation consoles that have just entered the domestic market, it seems that there is still some way to go.

"Halo" is coming to China, and Xbox One is hoping to make a comeback?

Before "Halo" entered the Chinese market, due to the censorship mechanism, some 3A masterpieces were unable to enter the country, which made the sales of Xbox One always unsatisfactory.

As one of the most important Xbox exclusive games, the approval of "Halo" has undoubtedly given many players a shot in the arm. Can the release of " Halo : The Master Chief Collection" in China change the poor sales of Xbox One in China?

The out-of-stock situation on JD.com and players' eager anticipation for Halo prove that Halo does have a certain influence in China. JD.com's marketing method of giving away Halo with the purchase of a console is also very common abroad, indicating that the domestic game market is gradually catching up with the international market.

However, players buy consoles to play games. There are only a handful of exclusive games for the Chinese Xbox One. Although Forza Motorsport 5 is a first-run exclusive, it is not very attractive to ordinary players unless they are car enthusiasts. Although 2K15 is a big game, it is not exclusive to Xbox. Not to mention Child of Light and Rayman Legends. Although players find them fun, they have no desire to buy a console for PC players.

The eternal truth about game consoles is that it still depends on the number of exclusive games they have. The approval of Halo is undoubtedly a good sign for the Xbox One in China. At the same time, we also look forward to Microsoft providing domestic players with more 3A exclusive games of the same level as Halo in the future.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.