It is the franchise that launched the Xbox platform into one of the most successful gaming consoles in history. Its own success has spawned an entire entertainment franchise, stemming from comic books, novels, toys, clothing, and multiple critically-acclaimed video game titles. With this week’s release of “Halo Legends” on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital download, the growth of the Halo property is showing no signs of slowing down.

One of the most anticipated films up until last year was the feature film based on the Halo mythos, produced by none other than Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings”) and helmed by Neill Blomkam (“District 9″). Unfortunately, creative differences and usual Hollywood politics apparently all but killed any chance of the film being made. Stepping up to fill those cinematic shoes is a compilation of seven animated short films that expand the Halo universe.

343 Industries and Microsoft Game Studios gathered veteran Japanese anime writers and directors to produce these unique tales that at times, take great liberties with the franchise, but ultimately serve to flesh out the immense Halo story. Unfortunately, none of the seven shorts go beyond the ending of the “Halo 3″ video game, which will be disappointing for those who are hoping to be shown the fate of John 117. Master Chief is not a central character in each of the shorts, but does make cameo appearances in several of them.

“Origins” features Cortana, Master Chief’s A.I. companion, as she tells the broad and epic history of the entire Halo franchise. “The Babysitter” focuses on a group of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST) as one of the ODST deals with serving as back-up to a heroic Spartan. “Prototype” follows a hardened United Nations Space Command (UNSC) marine who confronts his own mortality in protecting his squad against an onslaught of Covenant forces. In “Homecoming,” a Spartan faces overwhelming odds and reflects on her past and the sacrifices she was forced to make as she was forged into a Spartan. “The Duel” blends decidedly Japanese artwork and culture and the little-known world of the Elite alien race to tell the tale of love, honor, and betrayal. “Odd One Out” stands out as the most fantastical and comical story of the set, as Spartan 1337 finds himself in another fine mess. “The Package” rounds up “Halo Legends” with a daring mission involving Master Chief and four other Spartans as they risk everything to rescue an important package that has fallen into the hands of the Covenant.

Visuals

Each story, similar to the recently-released “Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic,” has a different artistic visual style, with “The Duel” being unique in its watercolor style of presentation. When viewed in high-definition, the images throughout are incredibly crisp, but the majority of the stories take a traditional anime approach by limiting animation in favor of scenes of still shots which lack much action or movement. Of all of the shorts, “The Package” stands out with its unceasing amount of on-screen action, three-dimensional style (as opposed to flat, two dimensional artwork), and superb particle and glow effects – Master Chief has never looked so good.

Sound and Extras

While the short films were written and directed primarily by Japanese talents, the voices were dubbed in English. The voice acting is not perfect, but the music and sounds of Halo are meticulously reproduced.
Directors Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou provide commentary, a behind the scenes look at the making of “Halo Legends” is included, and the O’Connor-narrated “Halo: The Story So Far” brings much appreciated (and needed) clarity to the epic story that spans several games and books.

Conclusion

Halo fans will undoubedtly enjoy “Halo Legends” with its very memorable stories and characters, and the 119 running time will seem far too short. “Halo Legends” is rated PG-13 and will be released on February 16, 2010.

written by Rick Kim \\ tags: Halo Legends