Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of four Halo games: Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4. The collection also features additional content including the television series, Halo Nightfall, and access to the Halo 5 Beta.
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The games included this compilation are set in the future and follow the story of Master Chief, a super soldier known as a SPARTAN, who fights for the United Nations Space Command, the main military organization for humans. The humans are at war with an alliance of alien races known as The Covenant, who have attacked human colonies throughout the galaxy. The Covenant is largely a religious entity whose members worship an extinct race known as the Forerunners. This race constructed massive rings known as Halos throughout the universe. The Covenant considers these Halos religious artifacts, but they are, in fact weapons. The Covenant seeks to activate the Halos while the humans, and Master Chief in particular, are trying to stop them. Master Chief is aided in his exploits by a female artificial intelligence called Cortana, and the two form a deep friendship over the course of the games.
The game autosaves throughout, meaning players can quit at any time and not lose much, if any, progress.
The game features multiple difficulty settings. Even on Easy, players will need quick reflexes and some strategic thinking in order to complete the game. The hardest difficulty, known as Legendary, is extremely difficult and can only be completed by very experienced players or by re-trying missions possibly hundreds of times.
Violence As a shooter, the gameplay involves dispatching enemies with a number of futuristic weapons. In the campaign mode of the game, all of the enemies are aliens. These aliens sometimes explode in large gushes of blood-like liquid, and some of the cutscenes depict humans being killed or injured. In online multiplayer, all players are portrayed as SPARTANs giving the impression of killing other humans.
Scary Imagery Some of the aliens may be considered frightening.
Sex & Nudity Cortana, the artificial intelligence who aids Master Chief, is portrayed as a scantily clad woman.
Strong Language The game includes many profanities including f*ck, sh*t, *ss, etc.
Discrimination The Halo games prominently feature women and minorities in powerful roles within the United Nations Space Command. The only thing that detracts from the game's inclusiveness is the visual portrayal of Cortana.
Like many other shooters, players may encounter sexist, racist, or other objectionable chat from other players. Players can mute this chat at any time.
- What do you think of the future that's portrayed in these games?
- What do you think of the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana?
- How does the game relate to military conflicts in the present day?
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