The idea of Halo: Reach being added to the MCC has become a hot topic after 343i acknowledged that fans want it, among other features. It’s the only Halo game that doesn’t have a proper port to the Xbox One, with the rest of the 360 Halo library being in MCC, or getting it’s own port like Halo Wars: Definitive Edition. MCC already has the first four Halo games and ODST, so why is Reach left out?
Well, the obvious part is that MCC was originally just games that featured Master Chief as a primary character. Not an Easter egg or small cameo, these were the mainline Halo games where Chief was a central character to the plot (If you’re wondering why I’m not saying main protagonist, it’s because I consider Arby the main protagonist of Halo 2 and Halo 4 as Cortana’s story, seen from Chief’s perspective.) But in spring 2015, ODST was added to the collection as part of compensation for MCC’s abysmal launch. ODST was added because it’s Halo 3, just different. It could be added to the game without creating another huge mess. It was an apology, and one that probably wouldn’t have arrived if ODST was different enough from the normal Halo 3.
So that’s one reason, ODST was compensation because it was easier to add to the collection than Reach because it’s a slightly modified version of Halo 3. Not a strong reason, but a reason.
But there’s more.
Armor customization is a huge part of Reach, featuring the largest customization system in Halo’s history. MCC, however, limits armor customization a lot, with players only being able to chose armor sets and not changing anything beyond the armor’s color. No changing the shoulders or chest or anything. Halo 4 doesn’t even have the armor skins as an option for players. They simply aren’t in MCC. Same with visors, you’re stuck with a red visor.
Reach has all these features (minus armor skins) and then some. Pouches, tacpads, helmet attachments, all of these and some more are little details that can be added to armor but if Reach came to MCC without proper armor customization, something currently not planned I should mention, then how would it work? Do these smaller details just not show up on the armor beyond the basic versions? Do some armor sets get some of these details and others don’t? What about specific armor sets like Noble Team? People like to look like these characters, would 343i create armor sets based on their armor? Where do armor effects fit in? Are they even added at all?
Reach’s armor customization would be far too limited in MCC, even more than Halo 3 and Halo 4’s. A lot would be cut out. And a lot of people would be upset. On the bright side, nothing changes for the Elites!
Another reason is the playlists. MCC can barely support the five multiplayers it has. If a sixth was added, it would risk spreading the population way too thin. 14 playlists is not even close to enough for covering five multiplayers but at the same time, MCC’s population can’t support much more than that. Reach would get it’s own Team Arena playlist like the others, so that brings the count to 15. And Invasion is 6v6, not 8v8. So does it get it’s own playlist? Is it added to BTB? Does Invasion become rotational? These questions can be asked about a lot of the gamemodes and gametypes already in MCC. Infection, SWAT, Snipers, Grifball, etc. They’ve all become rotational or thrown into other playlists because of MCC’s inability to support populations for everything.
And now, the final reason(s,) and one I barely see talked about:
Crossgame, intelligent delivery, and DLC.
Let’s face it. Reach will be paid DLC if it’s ever added. I don’t care if you think you’re entitled to getting Reach for free. I don’t care if 343i should give it out as another form of compensation. The fact of the matter is Reach is a large game, the second most content rich game behind Halo 5 in the franchise. It’s going to be paid DLC. And if it’s not, I’ll get to that as well.
Crossgame playlists have largely been removed from MCC. Only two exist now, Social Slayer and Crossgame BTB, which is every game minus Halo 3. Reach would be added to both of these, it’s probably not getting it’s own BTB playlist like Halo 3. Only reason Halo 3 is by itself is because of being voted so much for four years that fans of the other games are sick of playing it. So it’s in crossgame BTB with CE, H2, H2A, and H4.
So now Reach has been added to the only 24/7 Slayer playlist and the only BTB playlist besides Halo 3’s. What now? Well, several things.
- As paid DLC, only a select amount of players will buy the game, while everyone else doesn’t. We now run into the same problem that Reach and Halo 4’s DLC maps went through, never showing up in matchmaking because not everyone in the lobby owned the DLC. So great! Reach has been added to MCC! You did it! Have fun never playing Reach BTB or seeing it in social slayer though. 343i already forces players to have all games installed if they want to play crossgame playlists because they want to avoid this problem. Don’t like Halo 4? Too bad, it’s fans want to play BTB. Don’t find CE all that fun? Well it has fans who do find it fun, you’re playing some CE BTB. Intelligent delivery is great if you don’t care about BTB or playing nothing but slayer but if you do, you can’t take advantage of that feature. - Reach is made free as compensation, but is an optional download that will not lock players out of the BTB and social slayer playlists. Well now you’ve just run into the same problem as number one. - Reach is made free as compensation, and is forced by everyone to download it. There is now a sixth Halo game added to MCC, please refer to my previous points going over playlists and populations for why this will not end well. - And now for the worst possible thing 343i could do that will destroy MCC’s population. Reach is added to MCC as paid DLC and locks players who don’t buy the DLC out of BTB and social player. Reach is a very devise game among the Halo community. Many people still hate the game as much, or in some cases more, than Halo 4 and Halo 5. They would be locked out of BTB and social player, and any other crossgame playlist added in the future, because they refused to pay for a game they don’t like. Halo 3 did the same thing with it’s DLC, locking players out who didn’t own all the maps. But not wanting to buy DLC maps and not wanting to pay for an entire game they don’t like are two different things. Players should not be locked out of their favorite playlists because they don’t want to buy a game they don’t like.
Reach should not come to MCC, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be ported to the Xbox One (or even PC) as it’s own standalone port like Halo Wars received. They could even add a portal to Reach from MCC like they do Halo 5. There’s just too many problems that’d come with Reach being added to the MCC.
Oh, and MCC is an absolute mess and we’re just now getting the game to a good status. Reach risks breaking the game and undoing all of this. We should be lucky MCC works as well as it does now. Let’s not run the risk of completely ruining the game again.