![]() ![]() In short, they zeroed in on what made Halo be Halo and put their focus squarely on those elements.Ĭonsider both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo Infinite. “Creating or designing for an established franchise versus a brand-new IP is very different.” In crafting Halo Infinite’s campaign, 343 returned to some core principles and themes that helped make the original Halo: Combat Evolved so rewarding. “I think 343 made some mistakes in chasing dragons they forgot that they owned their own dragon,” head of design Jerry Hook told me in the months before that game launched. It was because the studio managed to lock into something that felt right for the series and its characters, even after releasing a couple of numbered entries in the series that didn’t always gel. That game featured a campaign that really worked for me on multiple layers. ![]() Last year, I had the good fortune to speak to 343 Industries as the development team prepared to launch Halo Infinite. It’s here that the Halo TV show feels like it misses the proverbial last ship off the exploding ringworld. Caught up in a desire to introduce new characters, establish the bureaucracy of the UNSC, layer in additional pathos for main character John, and root everything in layers of interpersonal deception, the core thrust of what makes Halo special is left by the wayside. Nonetheless, adaptations do owe some measure of fealty to the core ideas, themes, and character arcs that define an existing fiction. I think that’s an especially limiting lens through which to evaluate an adaptation’s quality, and those concerns don’t factor into my difficulties with the new Halo series. That sort of vitriol has taken an especially nasty turn in recent years when casting directors have made choices that defy fan expectations along racial lines, selecting actors to fill roles based on talent and personality rather than a visual parity with those characters’ previous appearances. It deserves, and usually needs, significant changes to fit the new space. An adaptation is just that – a thing adapted into a new form. I often get frustrated when the rolling tide of internet hate threatens to overwhelm a film or TV adaptation simply because the involved showrunners, writers, directors, and actors make choices that don’t slavishly conform to established (and often nebulously defined) parameters that fans have set from the source game, book, comic, or other media. Warning:The following opinion piece includes SPOILERS for the Halo TV series up through Season One, Episode Eight. Somehow, even with all the trappings, this Halo series just doesn’t feel like Halo. The meticulously reproduced versions of Covenant and UNSC weapons and ships, the overwhelming power of a Spartan on the battlefield, and the semi-mystical nature of ancient artifacts related to the Halo – these are all the sorts of things fans should want, right? And yet, as each episode comes to a close, I’m left feeling cold about the entire experience. And all the pieces feel like they are in place for a good time. ![]() I’m a longtime Halo player, a fervent sci-fi fan, and a dedicated gamer I should be the target audience for this long-awaited adaptation. Each episode leaves me increasingly perplexed as I’ve watched from week to week. The entire Master Chief Collection is also set to receive upgrades for the new Xbox consoles, though 343 currently doesn't have anything new planned for Halo 5.While I haven’t been able to keep up with the confident viewing pace that some of my colleagues have, my longtime enthusiasm for the franchise couldn’t keep me away from viewing the new Halo TV series. While Halo Infinite's delay into 2021 was a big blow to this week's Xbox Series X and S launch, fans still have the PC version of Halo 4 to look forward to in just under a week. That "back to basics" approach should go nicely with the TV show's focus on the classic humanity vs. Halo Infinitehas run into its own troubles reaching the level of quality fans are expecting, but the game's expressed goal of returning to the charm of the original Bungie trilogy is one reason to stay hopeful. If the show finishes production in time for its 2021 projected release date, next year is set to be a big one for fans of 343's beloved FPS franchise. Other cast members include Danny Sapani, Olive Gray, Bokeem Woodbine, and Shabana Azmi. ![]() American Gods and Orange Is The New Black star Pablo Schreiber is set to fill the boots of the Master Chief. Hollywood has been making attempts to get a mainstream adaptation of Halo on screen for years, but Showtime's TV series is the first to make it into full production. ![]()
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