I’m probably one of the oldest Halo players around having reached my 60th year last March. And as such, I’ve been here since the beginning, with very fond memories of “Combat Evolved” on my PC. It was, and is still considered by many to be the best shooter ever. Diminishing even “Doom” to the status of any wanna be release!. But soon after those decidedly “heady” days, it began its own downward spiral as the technology responsible continued to get better and better. And for whatever reason, “CE”, and afterwards, Halo 2, 3;,ODST, and 4 became dedicated to the console, forgoing the PC’s possibilities for a standard platform that so desperately required the Halo market to survive!.
We all know this to be true. And as the PC market found other technically superior venues to entertain itself, it was only the market, so saturated by Halo’s entrance into every corner of the media machine that can take credit for it’s continued success. And now that Windows 10, which in my opinion is easily their best so far even if it was not being given away, allows for streaming to the PC and/or TV by Xbox One, we can stop the great unwashed debate and benefit from both venues in equality. My only negative impression being that while playing Halo 5 on my PC as streamed from my Xbox One console is that I still have no choice but to use a console type controller! I’d be even happier if Keyboard and mouse control would work on Halo and RTS games, and with my Thrustmaster Hotas-X flight stick for DCS sims and driving games. I can not get across town in Forza 6 now. Imagine how bad it would be on a PC with an Xbox One controller!
Everything else in Halo 5 looks and plays better then any of its competition even when being streamed. The next generation graphics look good on the console platform, and on the PC it shines like a new nickel. Please note: I would have applied this analogy to the penny, but as a penny isn’t worth the material used to create it, it somehow seemed wrong. But it’s the game play and story line that has reshaped it’s glorious return to be sure. Even though my book shelve are filled with the likes of Heinlein, Asimov, and even
Shakespeare, I have just had to add another to hold in some resemblance of order all that is documented as part of the Halo universe, including all the novels and short stories I’ve been able to locate!
It’s a glorious time for Halo. And though the time will come when something even better will come along. But I certainly hope not before I’ve taken my leave of this world. To do otherwise would just about kill me! <g> . .