I have 330+ hours on this product on Steam, on Xbox, I have at least another 500. Halo, and its respective franchise as a whole, has been a major part of my life for the past 16 years, and continues to be to this day. I first picked up a controller to play this game, in January of 2008. I played with my cousins at first, sharing laughs on Halo 3 while sending nasty alien creatures into orbit with a variety of weapons. For many people, I have had the honor to introduce them to the world of Halo and it's subsidiaries, from the book series, to Red vs Blue, back to the video games. Even though some may call this franchise "worn out", there is still plenty of charm enough to get people, even in the year of our lord 2024, to pick it up for the first time and become enamored with the franchise as a whole.

Notice how I did not call Halo: The Master Chief Collection a game, because it is not. Why would I say that?

The answer is simple: this is so much more than a game. It is a multi-faceted experience, unlike any game community I have been apart of in my life.

A decades long story, years of sitting around a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ plasma TV, drinking Mountain Dew Game Fuel, avoiding the outdoors and sunlight, hours upon hours of derogatory words being shouted into a McDonald's Drive Thru quality Turtle Beach headset on Xbox Live Chat, and the use of crusty Microsoft ChatPads to send messages, both kind and unkind, to other players.

This game has hands down the most interesting story-line out of any game I have every played. The realm of Halo, and the lore, has hooked me like no other franchise, hence why nearly 20 years after I first touched a controller, I log onto my computer after a 9+ hour shift at my salaried not-quite-blue collar job nearly every night.

I still choose this game over Halo: Infinite because, even with Halo Infinite's shiny graphics, grapple hook, and orgasmic sound effects, I still find myself longing for more of the "old" Halo, even though I know deep down, that Halo is dead and gone, and will continue to be.

Even though the "old" Halo is gone, I do not mourn the loss, as it really is not much of a loss when I can still play all my favorite games.

Halo is amazing, long live Halo.