Recapping EVERY Halo book in a sentence or two (feat. Hot Takes)

With Halo Infinite delayed to 2021, now seemed like the perfect time to help catch people up on the last two decades of Halo literature – in the quickest way possible!

You may have recently seen Brian David Gilbert’s delightful descent into madness in his Unravelled series, where he read all of the Halo books over the course of a year as a relative newcomer to the franchise.

I, with all the biases and hot takes of a twenty-year veteran, have similarly assumed the mantle of summing up all of the thirty Halo books in a sentence or two.

Debunking the false ‘leaks’ about Halo Infinite and 343 Industries

Following the delay of Halo Infinite to 2021, you may have heard some allegedly ‘leaked’ reports about the state of the game and 343 Industries from Brad Sams, which has been making the rounds, uncritically reported on by various news outlets.

I know, it’s 2020 and facts don’t matter any more, but it’s completely false information and easily debunked.

Why Installation 07 is the perfect setting for Halo Infinite

“It was known as Installation 07. It has become a sacred tomb for millions, though some may still live. I do not know.”

It’s been known since 2018, but we have finally received concrete confirmation: Halo Infinite is set on Installation 07, ‘Zeta Halo.’

While this is a brand-new Halo ring for the games, fans of the expanded universe will no doubt be well-acquainted with it from Greg Bear’s masterful Forerunner Saga.

Let’s delve into the known history of Installation 07, and explore why it’s the perfect setting for Halo Infinite.

Let’s analyse the Halo Infinite demo’s approach to storytelling

“Spartan, we thought you dead, yet here you stand…”

Now that we’ve had some time to digest everything we were shown for the Xbox Games Showcase, let’s analyse what 343 Industries had to show for Halo Infinite.

From the characterisation of the Master Chief, to the parallels and references to previous games, to our new antagonists – there’s a lot to discuss.

Step inside!

I was invited to a Halo Infinite media briefing with 343, here’s what I learned… (campaign insight, new composer, and more!)

“Set a fire in your heart, Spartan! Fight hard. Die well.”

Two years following its announcement, we have just seen our first glimpse at campaign gameplay of Halo Infinite!

I was lucky enough to be invited to a media briefing with 343 Industries’ own Chris Lee (Studio Head) and Paul Crocker (Associate Creative Director), who provided insight into new characters and features, along with the announcement of Halo Infinite’s second composer and more.

Here’s everything I learned…

How Mendicant Bias has shaped the Halo universe to finish the fight (and failed)

“I am Mendicant Bias. This is what I have done.”

Some of the greatest, most enduring mysteries of the Halo universe are instantly called to mind and summed up by that strange name. Beggar after knowledge. Mendicant Bias.

Where their (co-)creator, the Didact, sought vengeance for 100,000 years, Mendicant Bias has single-mindedly sought atonement.

This quest for redemption has made them a pivotal character behind the scenes, to the point where their actions set into motion all the major events of the Halo story (because they couldn’t find the brakes).

With Halo 3 now on PC, this is the perfect time to examine the full extent of Mendicant Bias’s involvement in the past, present, and what potential lies ahead for them in the future of Halo in their ongoing efforts to finish the fight.

Why the Banished are the PERFECT antagonists for Halo Infinite

“We stand together, brothers to the end. We are his will. We are his legacy. We are The Banished.”

It’s finally been revealed. We’re fighting the Banished in Halo Infinite!

The Brutes are back! Here’s why they’re the perfect antagonist for the next movement of the Master Chief’s odyssey…

Why the Librarian is Halo’s greatest antagonist

“She is stubborn, brilliant as a nova, dark as a singularity.”

The forces of antagonism in the Halo universe are among some of the most memorable (and quotable) in gaming.

From the soft-spoken machinations of the Prophet of Truth in Halo 2, to Atriox crushing some of the most powerful symbols of the series in his fist – these are characters you don’t soon forget.

Halo 4, however, rather spectacularly buries the lede here. It has become clear that the greatest threat faced not only by humanity, but the galaxy itself, is not an all-consuming parasite, or an army of warmongering mercenaries, or even the Didact himself…

It’s the Librarian.

Why I’m excited for the Halo TV show

After seven long years, the Halo TV show is finally within sight.

Over the last year, we’ve been slowly seeing more and more tidbits of news about the show trickle out, following what feels like millennia of “It’s coming, stay tuned!”

Last November, it was announced that the cast had assembled, the table reads completed, and production was ready to begin – and nothing, not even the Flood could stop it! (How naive we were about all things 2020…)

Given all this additional free time that it’s now our civic duty to observe, I thought I’d share some of my own thoughts on the potential of this series and why I’m excited for it.

About the mysterious ship in Halo 1 Anniversary, and why Halo NEEDS Terminals

(Or, ‘Why Sequence’s Terminals are one of the best things in Halo.’)

During 343 Guilty Spark’s millennia of isolation on Installation 04, a strange alien vessel crashed on the ring. The community hasn’t stopped wondering about it since.

So, if we’re not meant to get any answers about what it is, let us instead explore why 343 Industries decided to tell this story, and what Sequence’s Terminals represent as an integral aspect of storytelling in modern Halo.

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