Growing up as a kid with an Xbox 360, playing with my dad and brother became a bonding experience for us. One of the games we played was Halo, from Halo 2 releasing in 2004 and up; there was always new content and new Halo games for us to play and it became a prime part of my brother and my childhood. So naturally when I heard a Halo show came out this year, I was particularly excited, wondering if it could make me feel like I was “back in the good ol days” again. 

As I hopped into the first episode, I saw the timestamp at 59 minutes including a few commercial breaks meaning the show is around 50-52 minutes long. I naturally got excited and dove in. 

I shortly came to realize that it's not exactly like the games; the show focuses on mainly two people, most often being Master Chief, a Spartan from the UNSC who has been genetically engineered to be stronger, faster, and smarter on the battlefield, Kwan Ha, the girl you first meet in the show, originally in a group of rebels from the UNSC who’s people get slaughtered by a group of the covenant, who are the aliens in the war against Humans. This is more than the games have to offer, following Master Chief around fighting the Covenant and uncovering secrets of the UNSC. 

As I watch more episodes, I expected more of a Mandalorian type vibe from Masterchief’s side as in the games he rarely if ever took off his helmet, with only a few glimpses of his face across games. This shortly becomes false as he takes his helmet off quite frequently and also being called by his real name and not Master Chief. This was kind of a cool theme in the games that I wish they implemented in the show, portraying him as the Master Chief with the green armor and orange visor 

I wouldn’t recommend this show if you are coming back from playing the games and expecting the same story, and the same feel. The show is much more character based with multiple characters having a focus, with building characters personalities, separate lines of plot for different characters, and a lot of character development. 

Overall, personally I enjoy the show, it is in a setting I am familiar with, brings me some nostalgia, has good action and plot. Just lacks in some ways being like the old games and connecting with them. I would recommend watching it depending on what you are looking for and expecting from it. If you used to play the Halo games and want pure nostalgia in a show from this is not it, it won’t satisfy and if you expect like the games, its not. On the other hand, if your out there, looking for a new show to watch, and like a mandalorian-ish type character, Alien vs Human war, Human vs Human conflicts, and galaxy traveling. This show is a good combination of both so far and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.