It's time to finish the fight, as Halo 3 is now available in the ever-expanding Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Windows 10 and Steam. Already available on Xbox One via the collection, this is the first time that Bungie's 2007 classic has been playable on personal computers. When finished, the Master Chief Collection on PC will match its console counterpart, including every Halo game from Halo Reach all the way to Halo 4. Players will be able to enjoy the full campaign and multiplayer suites alongside the Forge mapmaker and a few extras not available in any other version of the game.
Halo 3 is the final game in the first Halo trilogy, telling the story of Master Chief repelling the Covenant invasion of Earth and then heading back to the titular space rings to save the galaxy from devastating consequences. Originally an Xbox 360 exclusive, the Master Chief Collection version of the game has updated textures, but not fully revamped graphics and audio like Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. Despite that, the graphical upgrade that PC provides has been turning heads whenever 343 Industries showed it off. Now that the game is fully out there, players can see exactly what the developers have done to modernize this masterpiece.
The official patch notes for the update on Halo Waypoint reveal several new features and updates to Halo 3 on PC. For one, the game's audio now includes Waves integration, which makes it more in line with what players heard back on Xbox 360. This makes the battlefield sound more real, as gunfire you hear in the distance is coming from AI battling rather than a prerecorded soundtrack.
On the campaign side, there's now a skull in the campaign that lets players utilize jetpacks. A cut feature from several entries of the franchise that finally appeared officially in Halo Reach, it's addition here gives veterans a whole new way to fight the brutes. And for creative-types, Halo 3's version of Forge has gained additional items and an increased budget, which means players can create maps more impressive than anything possible before.
Additionally, several fixes from the collection's original release on Xbox One have been addressed. The Prowler will no longer be called The Mauler on the Post Game Carnage Report, and emblems return to in-game armor when playing multiplayer. The latter change is essential to those who played hundreds of hours of Slayer back in the day, as the game just didn't feel right without the ability to rock a flaming ninja on your shoulder. 343 also added the ability to start with more guns in Custom Games, so the craziest among the fanbase can enjoy a 300% health Fuel Rod Gun party on Lockout if they so choose.
For many, Halo 3 is a touchstone in gaming history. It was one of the first times that gaming shifted from its own little world into the ocean of mainstream exposure. It broke sales records and challenged Hollywood with its success, and some think that the franchise has never seen those heights since. With the full reveal of Halo Infinite just weeks away at the time of writing, there's a chance that the Xbox's premiere franchise can steal the show once again. With all the investment going into both The Master Chief Collection and the Halo brand after so many years, it's clear that Microsoft has high hopes.
Source: Halo Waypoint, Halo