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Early in the afternoon on March 3, 2020, PC owners were given a very welcome surprise by the development teams alongside Microsoft. The surprise in question is the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary into the Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC. This release today is for both the Windows 10 version along with the Steam release of the game.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary joins the previously released Halo: Reach as part of the Master Chief Collection. Xbox One owners have already had the pleasure of playing through Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary so there is no fresh release for them today.
The initial download of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is about 650MB on Steam. After that, it seems as though players will need to launch Halo: The Master Chief Collection. From there, they will either be provided an in-game prompt to download the desired content, or they can navigate to Settings > Gameplay > Change Installed Games. From there, you can select the single player, multiplayer, or both options for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (and Halo: Reach).
Selecting both single player and multiplayer will begin an additional 6.5GB download. While the process is started within the game itself, you do not need to keep the game running for the download to occur. You may exit back to your desktop while Steam downloads the rest in the background. This is a rather odd way of going about things, but it is nice to have the option on what content can be kept installed
As with Halo: Reach, players are able to purchase Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on its own for $9.99 (USD). However, the game is also obviously included if you pick up the entire Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $39.99 (USD).
"Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary* comes to PC as the second installment of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Now optimized for PC, relive the spectacularly remastered edition of the original Halo campaign, created in celebration of the 10th anniversary of one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history. After crash-landing on a mysterious ringworld known as Halo, the Master Chief is tasked with helping the remaining humans survive against the overwhelming Covenant forces. While doing so, he and Cortana uncover Halo's dark secret and fight to protect all life in the galaxy.
Game Features
Game Features
- PC Settings/Optimizations: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is now optimized for PC and looking better than ever at up to 4k UHD and at 60+ FPS.* Other PC native settings include customizable mouse and keyboard support, ultrawide support, FOV customization, and more.
- Campaign: Experience the second chapter in the Halo saga and fight your way as the Master Chief through 10 unforgettable missions.
- Anniversary Features: Toggle between the remastered graphics in the Anniversary edition and the graphics from the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign.
- Multiplayer: Continue your Halo adventure with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's iconic multiplayer featuring an updated progression system and over 19 unforgettable maps.
