Living La Vita Loca

162: Halo: Reach (Xbox 360), Halo Wars 2 (Xbox One)

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Episode notes

Everybody loves Master Chief. He's a video game icon. Don't get us wrong, we love him dearly too but it's okay to 'play the field' a little sometimes and see what else is on offer...

Back in 2009, it was clear that Bungie were feeling the same way. Contractually obligated to release two further games for Microsoft after Halo 3, they could have easily gone back to the 'John-117 well' but they made the decision to release Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach (2010, Xbox 360) sans Master Chief.

Could it be that the best Halo game is an installment without 'Mr Halo' himself? And why are we back chatting about Star Wars again?!

Whilst it is feasible to suggest Halo: Reach might be Bungie's best effort at a Halo game (they're all fantastic efforts in reality), what about their development successors, 343 Industries? Outside of 'The Master Chief Collection', its a little harder to say what their 'best entry' into the Halo series is and, a lot of their Master Chief centric attempts are mainly maligned by fans.

Hmmm... What about Halo Wars 2 (2017, Xbox One) then? A collaborative project with Creative Assembly, known for their Total War games, this spin off RTS landed between Halo 5 and Halo: Infinite with a well received prior installment already in the books. Is it possible that this is Halo Studios best attempt at a Halo game? Maybe.

Decisions need to be made. Are we the right people to do that? Probably not. Where's Master Chief when you need him eh? Enjoy the pod.