I've had Halo: The Master Chief Collection for one week now. To describe its launch as a "debacle" is overly kind. Maybe it's karma -- I pondered throwing support behind Sunset Overdrive as a nod of approval for bringing something new to gaming. I withheld and went with the familiar, the comfort and nostalgia of Halo. I cannot believe we are ten years out from Halo 2. And yet this past week, I have been frustrated beyond belief at how disappointing the experience has been.
Waypoint tells me I have almost eight hours of playtime, 18 matchmaking games completed. I'd be curious to know how much time I have spent in the game not playing. I know I have waited over an hour to get in a single game of matchmaking. I know 343 knows that is unacceptable. And I appreciate that they are working on it.
But to put in perspective how outrageous that is, what a step back that is, I went to Bungie.net to check on my original Halo 2 stats. I played 12 matchmade games on the first night. TWELVE! We are talking November 2004. In November 2004, I was playing on Xbox -- before Kinect or RRoD or blades. I had been using Gmail for four months. Twitter wouldn't come around for a couple more years. But I played with randoms for hours. I am baffled that Halo: MCC could be released in such a state.
What now? I do not expect free DLC or a full refund. The apologies from 343 are nice, but ultimately, they do very little to ease the pain. I have played the Halo 2 campaign to pass the time, and it is nice. The game is beautiful. The new cutscenes look stellar. The soundtrack remains iconic and awe-inspiring. And when I get in games (it has unfortunately been three days now of unsuccessful attempts), every moment is tense and exciting and makes me smile until it is over. And then the wait begins anew. So what do I want? Just a game that works.
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