New Halo Remake Rumor If True Is a Huge Mistake

A new Halo remake rumor is making the rounds, and hopefully, it is not true. There have been rumors circulating of a remake of the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, for a while now. That said, we haven’t heard anything about the project since July, when a report claimed the remake was set to axe the game’s multiplayer. Now, we have a new report claiming that Xbox is planning to introduce a very controversial feature among Halo fans.

Back in 2010, when Halo: Reach was released, it introduced sprint to the series. Before this, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST did not have sprint, and many Halo fans preferred this. Ever since the mechanic was introduced to the series, it has been controversial. So, fans, especially those who came to the series later, obviously prefer the mechanic, but many old heads prefer the Halo games of yesteryear, and also, as a result, prefer no sprint. You would expect a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved to not have sprint, but according to a well-known Halo insider, Rebs Gaming, sprint is being added for the remake.

A Mistake in the Making

The Halo franchise isn’t in a great place right now. Ever since the series shifted hands from Bungie to 343 Industries/Halo Studios, this has been the case. Because of this, it would make sense that Xbox would want to shift focus to the series’ past. Everyone agrees the Halo games of old are great, so remaking them is an easy call and a risk-free investment in an industry where the cost of development has made games more and more risky endeavors.

The market has also been pretty clear that it prefers faithful remakes more than remakes that attempt to modernize the game in question. Why would you add sprint to Halo: Combat Evolved? To modernize the experience of playing it and bring it in line with modern Halo games. But if you want to make a classic Halo game with a modern revamp, then make a new classic-style Halo game with modern features and mechanics. If you’re going to remake one of the best and most influential shooters of all time, then create a faithful remake. Trying to split the difference is an easy way to ensure nobody is particularly satisfied.

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Sprint also isn’t just a small change. If you add sprint to Halo: Combat Evolved, it fundamentally changes how the game plays and feels. There have been recent modern remakes that have modernized the original product to great success, like Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 4, but the changes are not usually as consequential. You want to modernize a 24-year-old shooter, which makes sense, but you do not want to make such a drastic change.

More than this, if you’re remaking the first Halo game, nostalgia is obviously the play. A remake of the first Halo game is not going to draw in any more new players than a new Halo game would. What it’s going to do is excite hardcore fans and perhaps draw back in lapsed fans. If that is your target audience, give them the game they remember. The more substantial changes you make, the more you water down the product. And if a Halo: Combat Evolved remake releases and it’s not faithful, it’s hard to imagine it resonating two decades later. All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.