Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Multiplayer

Developer : 343 Industries, Certain Affinity, Saber Interactive

Publisher : Xbox Game Studios

Platform : PC - Steam

Release Year : 2019

A Variety of Fun

When I picked up The Master Chief Collection on steam during this year’s Fall Sale, I never thought I would jump into the multiplayer side of the collection this hard. I have been playing through the campaigns (so far, I have done all of the games on normal, and I am up to ODST on my heroic tour) and I have enjoyed them so much, but the social matchmaking in  multiplayer is where I am spending almost all of my time. I am having so much more fun than I thought I was going to in multiplayer, and I find myself queueing up for just another game again and again. Before I know it, hours have gone by, which to me is the sign of a good game. I am just surprised that I am having this much fun, because it has been a hot minute since I have jumped outline to fight it out.

Since I have been playing so much multiplayer, I think it is only fitting that I start this series of posts about Halo: The Master Chief Collection by talking about the multiplayer side of the collection. I want to go into which of the modes I like, and which of the modes I am terrible at, and everything in-between, because I want to get across to you all how much fun I am having here.

The Past

I have a long history with Halo and its famous multiplayer, starting with Combat Evolved back in 2001, and now extending to the “present” with Halo 4. Before I dive into why I have been playing so much of the multiplayer offerings in the Master Chief Collection, I think a quick look back on my personal history with the series, especially the multiplayer side of things, is a good idea. Context always helps, right?

Local multiplayer and the odd LAN party were how I experienced most of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, with both games providing my friends and I with countless hours and days of fun. Back in high school, eight of us would get together at my cousin’s place from time to time, and have one hell of an afternoon: one team set up in my cousin’s bedroom, ready to wage war in the name of Red; the other team in the living room, preparing to rain hell upon their enemies for the glory of Blue. The two original Xboxes linked up with one long ass cable, a digital conduit for the battles to come, and the battle for colour supremacy was on! It was so much fun, and is easily one of my favourite gaming memories, if not memories as a whole. I also played a lot of co-op too, both Halo and Halo 2, in my old friend’s basement. We slammed our heads into legendary for hours and hours, almost as much as we slammed into each other in good ol’ split-screen slayer, enjoying each and every moment.

When Halo 3 came out, and with everyone having Xbox Live by then, my friends and I played a lot of this game together not in person, but over the net. From PvP to the campaign, we would hangout on Live for hours playing both. It was a nice way to stay in touch, since by then high school was a year or two out, and it really made me love Halo 3. I think we even played some Forge mode here and there, which is something I have yet to try in the Master Chief Collection, but I do remember it being a good time; the ability to make your own maps and modes was an amazing addition to the game, even if I didn’t play it much.

Halo 3: ODST introduced the Firefight multiplayer mode. Firefight is a horde mode, where you and three other players battle against increasingly difficult waves of enemies, trying to survive and get that high score. Halo: Reach also had a horde mode called Spartan Ops, which is pretty much the same thing from ODST. I played a few rounds of it back in the day, and I can count the number of times I have queued up for Firefight in the Master Chief Collection on a single hand, which tells you how much I like it. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just not something I enjoy all that much. I’m glad it’s here for those who do like it, it’s just not my cup of tea.

Halo: Reach was the last time I played any significant online multiplayer in the Halo series, and it was not a lot at that. What I did play was fun enough, and coming back to it now is awesome, because the gameplay here is fast and snappy. After Reach, Halo kind of dropped off my radar; maybe it was because Bungie had left and there was a new team taking the reigns, or maybe it was because I was balls deep in WoW at that time, but I had not touched the series since Reach.

The Present

I was not expecting that I would play any of the multiplayer offerings here, let as much as I am, but here we are. I find myself queueing up again and again, loving almost every game I play, even when my team is getting stomped or I am in dead last. Sure, there are some game modes I am not a huge fan of, mainly because I suck at them (Snipers, my lord am I bad at that), but even during those games, I am still having a blast. You can tell that some of the people here have been playing this series forever, because they are going to school you, but hey! You’re not going to get any better unless you put the time in, right?

The Social Matchmaking is where I am spending most of my time, both the 4v4 and the 8v8 options. I include all of the games and modes in my search options, so I never know what I am going to get: sometimes it’s a game of slayer in Halo 2 Anniversary; or a round of capture the flag in Halo 3; other times it could be swat in Halo: Combat Evolved; and a whole bunch more from oddball, to head hunt, and the dreaded snipers only. This level of randomness when it comes to each match is so much fun, and it makes each and every game different and exciting. There is just such a variety of options here that add to the replay value of the multiplayer, I can’t help but queue up again and again, excited to see what the game has in store for me next! With so many options and modes, there is bound to be something here that almost everyone can enjoy. I honestly can’t get enough of it, which is really surprising to me: I assumed I was only going to go through the campaigns once, maybe twice, and move on to something else, but that has not been the case at all.

Due to the random nature of the matchmaking, you really get a feel for how different each Halo game plays. At first it was tough switching between the games, adapting to the intricacies of them, but now it’s a real joy. You learn quickly how to approach each match based on the game, either looking forward to the match, or dreading the combination you get stuck with. For example: say you are playing a slayer match in Halo: Combat Evolved, you learn really fast that the pistol is your friend, and every other weapon is basically useless. Now apply this to the five other games (Reach, Halo 2, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4) you can match into, and you can see that the learning curve here is real.

Now let’s talk about the game modes themselves, which ones I like, and which ones I could do without. What’s crazy is that even now, after almost 200 hours of playtime, I am still getting modes I haven’t seen before. The amount of content here is wild, and I am all for it. I am going to talk about the modes I have played so far, and hopefully I will be able to try the others sooner rather than later.

Game Modes

(This is for both 4v4 and 8v8)

Action Sack – This is a wacky category where each game is a different set of rules, ranging from random weapons on respawn, to grifball (a mode where you start with hammers and swords and you have to get the ball into the enemy’s goal). It’s a lot of fun, and I wish I got it more, because it can be a really wild time.

Capture the Flag – The classic multiplayer mode that is beloved (?) by one and all. I find 4v4 a little small for CTF, with the 8v8 games being a lot more fun to me.

Extraction Slayer – A lot like regular slayer, but as your team gets points, you get a bunch of different weapons. This cycle of weapons eventually culminates in the deadly golf club. It’s a wacky game, but lots of fun.

Headhunter – Kill the enemy team, steal their skulls, and take their heads to the capture points to get points. I’ve only played this mode once or twice, and I thought it was awesome. This mode is fast paced, with everyone playing really aggressive, which is great. Shooting someone who is carrying a lot of skulls, stealing them, and then taking them to the capture point is so satisfying and yet so enraging when it happens to you. Good times all around.

King of the Hill – I love king of the hill so much, even in the small 4v4 environment. I especially like the mode when the hill moves about the map, because it adds a level of intensity to an already frantic game mode.

Oddball – Hold the ball (a skull in this case) for as long as you can to win. I have only played a few rounds of this game mode, but I played it a lot as a kid, and I love oddball so much. So much. I always cross my fingers as my match is loading up hoping for oddball, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

Ricochet – Grab the ball when it spawns and take it to the enemy’s goal. You can either throw or run the ball in, with running the ball in netting you more points. The ball spawns in different locations after each goal, adding a bit of randomness to the match.

Slayer – Good ol’ fashioned team death match, either precision slayer (battle rifles and the like) or auto slayer (assault rifles, SMGs, and what not). There is something so cathartic about running around as a team, hunting the others, and trying to be the ones to come out ahead.

Snipers – This is the mode I am terrible at, like, absolutely terrible. No matter how many games of this mode I play, I am just not quick enough on the draw to make a difference. Maybe I have to change up my key binds, so I can scope faster, or maybe I need more practice, but I don’t think either of those would make a difference.

Swat – Aim for the head, because one shot to the head kills. At first, I was terrible at swat, but the more I play, since this mode comes up all the time in 4v4, I am starting to hold my own. This mode is a test of your twitch reflexes, and how well you know the maps, because if either of those are off, you’re about to have a bad time.

Community Service

For the most part, I have found the online community here pretty good. I have voice chat off, because I have no urge to talk or listen to people talk, so maybe I am missing out on all the negativity that was so rampant back in the day. Sometimes you get the odd person who is talking shit, which makes me shake my head, because like bro, we’re in social matchmaking, calm the hell down, but other than that, it has been a pretty chill experience.

The other day (December 18, 2025), I was in an 8v8 game, where half my time was a group who kept killing themselves over and over, which was a pain in the ass and was the only time I have seen a team score be in the negatives. Hopefully those jokers get banned or something, because throwing games like that is such a dick move. I am glad I have only seen something like that once, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be another 200 hours until I see crap like that again.

Just One More Game

Since I am trying to catch up on the backlog of posts I need to write for this here blog, I am filling my gaming time with Halo. Instead of starting new games, I am playing game after game of multiplayer, having so much fun; I didn’t think I would play any multiplayer, let alone spend hours and hours playing round after round, yet here we are. If you are looking for a game to fill your time this holiday season, you could do a lot worse than the Master Chief Collection, and I hope to see you on the battlefield soon!