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The recent announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved has showcased an extensive remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, arguably one of the most revolutionary FPS games of all time. This sci-fi masterpiece is revered by fans, but the remake has promised several key changes to the 2001 classic. From new story missions, weapons, and dialogue to key gameplay and level changes, Campaign Evolved might craft a fresh experience entirely. Although this remake is being released on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation consoles, this change is not as surprising as others. More direct adjustments have been made to build this game practically from the ground up, leading to some controversies already for Campaign Evolved. It remains to be seen if the remake will be "better" than Combat Evolved in any way, but knowing what is different might help form player opinions. New Missions Add Expanded Story Content Three Levels Have Been Added To The Story The biggest difference between Campaign Evolved and Combat Evolved is the inclusion of three never-before-seen story missions into the game's story. Three "prequel" levels will be added before the events of Combat Evolved, following Master Chief and his close ally Sergeant Avery Johnson. These introductory missions will likely highlight the connection between Master Chief and the UNSC Marine as they face new dangers. As of this time of writing, there are little to no details about the content of these levels, including what part of the story before Combat Evolved they cover. Expanded content and forgotten Halo lore from novels might hint at these missions, but nothing is confirmed right now. Each new mission is set to introduce not just new story elements, but also new characters, environments, enemies, and more. This will bring the mission count in Campaign Evolved to 13, making it longer than Combat Evolved's overall narrative. Additional Weapons From Other Halo Games Nine Returning Firearms That Were Never In The Original Along with new missions, Halo: Campaign Evolved is bringing back nine different weapons from across other Halo games. This list of weapons includes many that were never usable in Combat Evolved, only appearing in Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and other sequels. Some of the nine weapons coming to Campaign Evolved include: Energy Sword Needle Rifle Battle Rifle Fuel Rod Cannon Sentinel Beam Many of these weapons make sense, as they were featured in Combat Evolved on certain enemies, but unavailable for Master Chief to pick up and use. The Energy Sword and Fuel Rod Cannon were often seen on Covenant Elites and Grunts respectively, for example. However, others are simply popular guns that fans grew to love in later Halo games, with the Battle Rifle in particular fulfilling that role. Vehicle Adjustments Allow For Hijacking Larger Room For Multiple Players And New Options For Travel Another large change in Campaign Evolved is to the vehicles that existed within Combat Evolved, specifically the Warthog. The classic Warthog has been given an extra seat on its rear bumper, allowing up to four players to sit in it at a time. This would allow an entire online multiplayer squad to get into the same Warthog during a co-op campaign run, making some missions easier to navigate. From what details have been shared on the Halo Waypoint site, two players can play co-op split screen in Campaign Evolved, a returning feature shared in Combat Evolved since its release in 2001. The design approach of Campaign Evolved also implements a mechanic seen in later Halo games — the ability to hijack a vehicle if Master Chief gets close enough to it. This will let Master Chief directly knock out enemies from a vehicle like a Ghost or Wraith, then take it over for himself. With vehicles like the Wraith not usable in Combat Evolved, this adds greater diversity to the vehicles you have at your disposal. You'll still be able to take control of Banshees, Ghosts, and the newly introduced Wraith in Campaign Evolved through hijacking. However, this also means Elite enemies can hijack your vehicle, adding an extra level of danger while driving that was never present in the original FPS. Game Modifying Skulls Will Be Increased More Challenges For Players Looking For Difficulty Skulls have always been game-modifying adjustments players can customize into their Halo mission playthrough, even in Combat Evolved. With the Master Chief Collection, players could add a number of skulls into their Combat Evolved campaign, creating a remixed adventure of their design. In Campaign Evolved, several new skulls are being added for even more effects to adjust your gameplay experience. Some of the Skulls being added are hinted to change enemy behavior, perhaps making them even more difficult to fight. Randomized weapons, new player attributes, additional environmental effects, and other modifications are teased to come with new Skulls in Campaign Evolved. These will likely add new levels of challenge or chaos to the known story of Combat Evolved's levels that veteran fans have never tried. Level Environments Have Received Larger Changes Larger Maps Alter Exploration Of Iconic Locations From limited footage of Campaign Evolved, a major change worth noting is how level environments seem to have been reworked. Some levels seem to be much larger or have elements of Combat Evolved taken away. A good example of this comes from the mission "The Silent Cartographer," arguably one of the most well-known and celebrated levels in Halo history. From the gameplay shown in this level, players have much more space to travel using the Warthog vehicle provided in the mission. This opens up vehicle travel through some areas that could only be accessed by foot in Combat Evolved, perhaps hinting at much larger sandboxes in Campaign Evolved's environments. Movement Abilities Modify Master Chief's Combat Controversial Sprint Mechanics Alter Combat And Missions From the same gameplay showing off "The Silent Cartographer," we can see that Campaign Evolved allows Master Chief to sprint at all times. This mechanic has always been controversial in Halo games since Halo 4, when it was first introduced as a core ability. In Combat Evolved, players were unable to sprint, moving at a fixed pace throughout each mission. The inclusion of sprint may be bad news to Halo fans who prefer classic movement mechanics, but those who prefer the series' modern mobility options may enjoy it in the remake. Sprinting will give players more movement during combat, allowing them to close in or run away from enemies faster. This also makes traveling across levels faster, possibly contributing to their increased size in the remake. This difference from Combat Evolved is one that comes with many caveats, as fans seem to either support it fully or vehemently oppose its addition. Enhanced Audio Seeks To Improve Battlefield Theater Reworked Gunplay Comes With An Altered Soundtrack The audio of Combat Evolved has also seemed to have been overhauled in Campaign Evolved, leading to new audio within the remake. Players can listen to a fully rebuilt soundtrack and sound design throughout the campaign, changing things as large as level OST to other factors as small as the sounds of reloading a weapon. The higher fidelity of some sounds create a different feel to Campaign Evolved, crafting something that can be enjoyed by veterans and new Halo fans alike. While some fans may miss the older sounds of Combat Evolved, fresh audio could add new levels of immersion to explore. Redone Cinematics And Dialogue Attempt To Refine The Iconic Story The Story Experience Gains Boosts In Detailed Quality Covenant enemies, allies, and Master Chief himself seem to have new voicelines as well, baked into the remake alongside classic sounds from the original FPS. Elites and Grunts now speak in English, a direct contrast to the beloved alien sounds from Combat Evolved those enemies made. With returning characters having new things to say, veteran fans might have fun picking up the differences from what was said before. One of the biggest controversies surrounding Campaign Evolved right now is the alleged implementation of AI generating new dialog, using sound-alike features of voice actors from Combat Evolved. These changes to dialog coincide with brand-new cinematic cutscenes, reminiscent of the Halo 2 Anniversary high-quality cutscenes found in the Master Chief Collection. These stunning cinematics have highly detailed, motion capture animations that will likely adapt the most iconic moments from Combat Evolved with new luster. Crossplay Allows Up To Four Players To Create Campaign Fireteams No System Restrictions Builds Unforgettable Team-Ups Combat Evolved has allowed four player groups to join up in campaign playthroughs online, ever since its first anniversary remake back in 2011. Yet, Campaign Evolved is the first time where Combat Evolved can be played across consoles with crossplay, no longer restricting players to all be on Xbox or PC only. The inclusion of Campaign Evolved on PlayStation is a huge departure for the series, which has usually been a Microsoft exclusive title. Even with limited crossplay in the Master Chief Collection version of Combat Evolved, fireteams had some unique restrictions. Now, seamless online play allows for four players to link up through online or networked play, across every platform Campaign Evolved releases on. Combat Evolved Multiplayer Not Available No Online Competition In Exchange For Expanded Co-Op While the co-op experience of Campaign Evolved has been enhanced, there are no multiplayer competitive modes in the remake for any player. This is a huge difference from Combat Evolved, which had several classic multiplayer maps even seen on Master Chief Collection online matchmaking playlists. This means that players won't be able to take each other on in iconic locations, such as Blood Gulch, Hang 'Em High, Battle Creek, or Sidewinder. These multiplayer maps are unlikely to be remade at any point for Campaign Evolved, emphasizing the remake's focus on a remastered story only.
