Halo TV Show Puts Characters Above Combat

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I’ve watched the Halo TV show on Paramount+ and it’s clear that the show weaves a story that’s more about the story, character, and backstory that we don’t always get in the franchise’s combat games.

That way it’s a slow burn. Master Chief took off his helmet to show us that he is a real person with genuine emotions that you can’t easily see when he is wearing his helmet. I’m sure this version is controversial for gamers who prefer to see a lot of fighting. But this show is what happens when you take the game controller away.

The first season airs weekly and the next episode that debuts Thursday is Episode 4: Homecoming. In that show, the Master Chief takes Halsey and Cortana back into his past in search of answers about his memories. The hijacker Soren and rebel/refugee Kwan continue their quest to help save the planet Madrigal. There are also conversations with another Spartan and Miranda. Watch the video preview embedded in the story.

Halo plays Pablo Schreiber as the Master Chief, and he conveys Spartan-117’s brooding moments well, while Natascha McElhone Dr. Halsey, the brilliant and conflicted creator of the Spartan super-soldiers. These characters all have their differences against the backdrop of humanity’s war with the Covenant.

The Master Chief takes off his helmet to show a human side.

And I like it. I believe we’ll get a reward later, either in the form of a reveal about the origins of the Master Chief – or some battle scenes with lots of explosions that will make gamers happy. Each episode fleshed out a different character, and we see interesting tensions between Halsey and the brass, between the chief and Cortana, and of course, between the Covenant and the USNC.

It’s been nearly a decade since work began on the Halo TV series, and it took Steven Spielberg to make it happen as an exclusive on Paramount+.

There was some heavy fighting in the first episode when people first encountered The Covenant, and it was all pretty one-sided until the Master Chief showed up. But it was pretty authentic. When Master Chief took a few hits, he had to wait for his shield to recover.

Outside of battle, he shows emotion and is disturbed by memories that surface and mess with his rigid combat training and instinct to follow orders. This conflict is one of the reasons why in the first episode he refuses an order to execute the girl Kwan because she is a rebel.

While it took a long time to hit the screen, this Halo feels overdue, like the other video game treats we see Hollywood doing like the Uncharted movie. And now the audience is bigger than ever, with 82 million copies of Halo games sold to date and over $6 billion in total sales revenue.

So far, so good. But hey, I’m also a gamer. I want to see some great battle scenes as the season reaches its climax. I want us to really go to the Halo ring. The show has already been renewed for season 2, so it’s good to know we won’t be stuck.

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This post Halo TV Show Puts Characters Above Combat

was original published at “https://venturebeat.com/2022/04/13/halo-tv-show-puts-characters-over-combat/”