Combat Evolved: The 10 Most Memorable Moments From The Halo Franchise

Picking out the most memorable moments in the Halo franchise is fraught with difficulty, and yet when you sit down to do it, certain moments do stick out. It's those spine-chilling cutscenes that live with you long after the credits have rolled, or those breathtaking plot twists you didn't see coming. Together, Master Chief and his sidekick Cortana have taken part in some of the most memorable moments in all of gaming, and it was my unenviable task to pick the best of the lot. Some you'll agree with, some you won't, but rest assured, these have been chosen in good faith. After sixteen years of memories, this article is a small thank you to Bungie and the entire Halo team. Of course, heavy spoilers lie within, so tread with caution if you've yet to play every entry in the series. Otherwise, get ready for a trip down memory lane. 10) Master Chief vs. Locke - Halo 5 In a series stacked with highlights, Halo 5 was a letdown, but a showdown between Fireteam Osiris head-honcho Spartan Locke and the inimitable Master Chief is a serious highlight. Tasked with tracking down Chief and his team - who've gone rogue in search of Cortana - Locke finally catches up to Blue Team and orders them to stand down. "Sir, you are absent without leave. This is your once chance to come home peacefully," he tells Chief. Chief ignores the warning, sending his squad on their way and telling Locke he "has a job to do." "Cortana's our concern now, sir." "Like hell she is," Chief spits, before engaging Locke in a hand-to-hand slugfest, captured in glorious HD, that sees the two combatants switching stances and trading blows. When a well-placed elbow cracks Chief's visor, our hero redoubles his efforts and disables Locke. Halo 5 is an exercise in character switching, as you play as both Chief and Locke during the campaign, but affections ultimately always lie with the former, and Chief is able to escape his pursuers and seek out Cortana. The game failed to make the sort of seismic impact of its peers, but this encounter between the its cover stars ranks among the best moments in the entire series. 9) Legendary Ending - Halo 4 The Master Chief's space helmet is something quite special: familiar yet distinctive, functional yet sleek and a far cry from the bulbous helmets worn in real space. And since the dawn of Halo, fans have wondered what MCPON J0hn-117 - AKA Master Chief - is hiding behind that mask. That question is answered in a special Halo 4 ending, unlocked when you beat the game on "Legendary" difficulty. Mourning the death of his beloved AI companion Cortana, Chief makes the slow walk back to the Infinity space ship. He begins to uncouple from the suit, armor peeled away by mechanical arms, leaving the mask to be prized from his face last. On normal difficulty, Halo 4 ends here. But on Legendary, the scene plays for a split second longer, revealing a pair of hooded, sunken eyes staring out from the abyss beyond. As news of the reveal spread, many fans questioned whether it was fair of 343 to decide what Chief looked like. But I would argue that reveal is subtle enough not to step on any toes, and offers a sweet reward for beating the game at its toughest. Plus, why should Chief stay hidden forever? 8) The Arbiter - Halo 2 By the sixth mission of Halo 2, you're snugly assuming that you'll be in the shoes of Master Chief for the entire ride. After all, Halo: Combat Evolved was played utterly from Chief's perspective and the early going of its sequel suggests the same. And then Bungie flips the script. Suddenly, you're stepping out onto the planet Threshold in the body Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee, a Covenant Elite seeking to disrupt heretic forces led by Sesa 'Refumee. Armed with an awesome energy blade, the Arbiter and his Covenant allies must take care of the heretics and reach 'Refumee. But getting there is no easy task, and the level mixes stealth and combat for a challenging yet enjoyable ride, including a whiplash dash in a Banshee. Most of all, getting to play as a character other than Chief for the first time is a notable departure from the norm, and a fork in the tale achieved with aplomb. 7) Warthog Escape - Halo 3 The Arbiter reappears in Halo 3 and helps Chief make it off Halo during the game's madcap final salvo. That salvo is, of course, the Warthog escape level, which delivers a fitting swansong to a brilliant ride and can be played with a co-op partner for an added thrill. With the Arbiter taking shotgun and the planet on the brink of destruction, you bid a hasty retreat before it goes up in flames, avoiding falling debris and navigating jump ramps to safety. Set to the backdrop of an epic orchestral soundtrack, Chief and the Arbiter navigate through the minefield just in time. It's an epic setpiece and a brilliant change of pace, while the chance to play alongside a co-op partner makes it more satisfying still. The resulting blast separates Chief from the Arbiter and forces him towards Requiem, the setting for Halo 4. Despite this, the final level in Halo 3 is a satisfying conclusion to an epic trilogy. 6) Return To Sender - Halo 2 Chief's at his daredevil best in this classic cutscene from the early going of Halo 2. After discovering a bomb aboard the Cairo station, and having vanquished the Covenant on board, Chief decides to return the bomb to its sender. He grabs the spiked monstrosity and directs it towards the rear of the ship. Opening the station's doors, he waits for the bomb to fly towards space and leaps after it, directing it to the Covenant ship. Ask anyone about the cutscene they remember best in Halo 2 and this will likely be top of the list. It establishes Chief at his badass best and lets you know that Halo 2 will pull no punches. Most games wait until their final act to wow the audience, but the sequel to Combat Evolved makes waves beginning to end. 5) Discovering The Flood - Halo: Combat Evolved We all love twists, and the appearance of the Flood in Halo: Combat Evolved is up there with the best of them, rendering the Covenant a superficial threat in the face of this new alien menace. The reveal is in many ways reminiscent of the first time you meet the marines in Half-Life 1, and this dab-handed u-turn makes a similar impact, appearing during the mission known as "343 Guilty Spark." In search of Captain Jacob Keyes, Chief heads to his last-known location where the good Captain was looking for gear to beat the Covenant with. Keyes has been unsuccessful, though, and his whereabouts are revealed in a classic scene ripped straight from the pages of the horror playbook. The Covenant have accidentally released the Flood, a type of fungal zombie that have the potential to wipe out humanity for good. And when Chief discovers found footage recorded by a member of Keyes' team, he realizes that Keyes is not in one place, but several. The horror that unfolds is Alien-esque, complete with blood-curdling screams that send shivers down players' spines. It's a classic moment in the series and a deserving member of this list. 4) Leaving Cortana - Halo 2 "Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it." So says Cortana as Chief bids goodbye to his AI companion and promises he'll be back, before the player heads for earth on Truth's Dreadnought, leaving their omnipresent sidekick behind on High Charity. The relationship between Chief and Cortana is one of the most compelling subplots in the entire Halo canon, and this goodbye during the penultimate leg of the journey is a particularly affecting one. As Chief heads into the atmosphere, blasting off for earth, player wonders whether Cortana will be seen again. Few goodbyes are as painful... 3) Cortana's Death - Halo 4 ...But perhaps this goodbye is the worst of all. Halo 4 reaches a climactic head with the"death" of beloved Cortana, who sacrifices herself to save Chief by uploading her final unstable personality into the system and shielding Chief from the Composer, lethal Forerunner technology that will eviscerate her longtime protector. Finally, she summons the strength to appear as a hologram and now, in semi-human form, reaches out to touch Chief. "I've waited so long to do that," she says, drawing her hand down his cold metallic shell. "Where next?" Chief asks. "This time, I'm not coming with you," Cortana reveals, having lost the strength to continue. This touching ending neatly rounds off a story arc that begins during the opening hours of Halo 4, where it's revealed Cortana has outlived her seven-year lifespan and is proceeding to self-destruct. In Halo 5 we learn that Cortana didn't really die, but turned to Forerunner technology to keep her alive; technology that has turned her against Chief in the process. Cortana's death in Halo 4 is not really a death at all then, but certainly the end of a chapter that began right back during Combat Evolved. A memorable piece of storytelling indeed. 2) Guilty Spark's Betrayal - Halo: Combat Evolved With the Flood on Chief's radar, the supersoldier makes it his mission to recover the Index, a key that will unlock Halo's weapon and purge the threat once and for all. Aiding him is the egocentric Guilty Spark, a maniacal one-eyed robot who convinces Chief to take the steps necessary to securing the key. Once successful, Guilty Spark transports them back to the Control Room where he urges Chief to take the next step and activate the ring. But Cortana intervenes, revealing that Spark is out for his own gain, and that the Index will not only demolish the Flood, but all life on the planet. Betrayal complete, Chief averts disaster just in time, and the scene cements Guilty Spark as one of the series' most memorable antagonists. 1) Stepping Out Onto Halo - Halo: Combat Evolved Crash-landing on an alien planet known only as Halo, you exit the pod to be faced with a strange world dominated by an arcing ring that extends across the skyline. Those first few steps out of the pod and onto this hallowed turf signal the start of a monumental journey, one that has rewritten the course of video gaming history. Halo: Combat Evolved remains a work of art, and it has helped redefine what's possible on consoles. Before long, you're leaving the pod well behind and engaging Covenant troops, commanding the Warthog and taking the first steps towards immortality. The size and scope of the levels, the brilliance of the enemy AI, and the sheer breadth of options in combat continues to keep the original Halo apace with contemporary shooters. Given its age, that's pretty remarkable, and Combat Evolved is packed with twists, turns and surprises from start to finish.