Theatrical Release Date:January 1, 2010 Release Date:February 16, 2010 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Synopsis:
This sweeping science-fiction saga delves into the rich Halo universe with 7 exciting stories (told in 8 parts) focused on Master Chief's mysterious origins, the Spartans' advanced combat capabilities and the tense rivalry between Spartans and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs). Created in collaboration with some of the world's leading animators from Japan, Halo Legends draws you into the center of humankind's ongoing battles with the Covenant, dynamically depicted in cutting-edge animation styles that deliver breathtaking visuals and gripping adventure. Go beyond the game - and join the roll call of Halo Legends.
NOT a game, these are storiesFebruary 16, 2010 Erik Oleson(Sacramento, CA) 33 out of 41 found this review helpful
I'm going to try to give as spoiler-free of a review as possible.
I've been apprehensive of Halo Legends since it was announced, and was nervous with the crazy Japanese getting a hold of the franchise. When a few stories were put up on Waypoint, however, my concerns were diminished. Seeing that Frankie (Frank O'Connor) had control over what was being done in Legends, it led me to give credence to what I was once doubtful of. And I've read all novels, blogs, BWUs, and played each game so much that there is little I don't know.
Yes, there are quivering eyes, men with jaws too wide open, cheesy mid-action posing shots, and a couple other cliched anime items that slipped in, but if you look past these and accept them as artistic interpretation, you can see what is underneath and really appreciate the stories. Elite's losing a pair of mandibles and seeing a female elite in the context of 'the Duel' chuckling like a school girl was probably the worst moment of this entire DVD. With that said, this has given me MORE food to chew on than sinking feelings of Microsoft milking us all out of $20.
-The entire episode of Origins (Part 1 & 2) are pure gold. We get our first glimpse of Forerunners, and witness the true power of the Flood, not constricted by the hardware of the 360 and polygon counts. And they are scary. This is easily the best offering of the entire DVD, and all of Cortana's monologue was written by Frankie himself. Great stuff.
-Babysitter, Prototype, and Homecoming all feature similar-styled animation and actually decent storylines. There are a few canonical things that I am curious of, but I'm sure have explanations. One thing I am getting tired of is all of the suicide missions that these side stories keep telling. It's getting a little too predictable (same as in Halo Evolutions).
-The Duel is a tough one. I hated the animation style when I first put it on, but as it went along, I saw what the artists were going for and really appreciated it. A very dark tone was needed, and this conveyed it perfectly. Two things to note: elites without their top pair of mandibles in certain scenes is simply artistic interpretation, and the large hunters are entirely possible (as Frankie has said in response to this criticism).
-The Package is a unique one. The visuals are amazing. This is the first time we ever see Master Chief working with his Spartans as a team. Highly disappointed that you witness some Spartans (the GREATEST military minds on the battlefield) die to some pretty stupid reasons. Voice acting choice for the MC? Terrible. Overall very, very fun though.
-Odd One Out is just fun. Watch it and enjoy it. Reminds me of Dragonball Z, in a good way.
If you like Halo, buy it. My fiance is somewhat interested in the Halo Universe, but this gives her a chance to really appreciate what the writers of the Halo Universe have made, and we both could appreciate it.
Masterfully doneFebruary 17, 2010 Neel Gandhi(Los Angeles, CA) 12 out of 16 found this review helpful
First off the quality of this bluray is amazing. It is masterfully done and deserves credit. I ironically watched this on my PS3 and enjoyed every second of it. Having very little experience with the Halo Franchise outside of a few hours on Halo 3 I was curious to the larger universe that the games were set in. I know Bungie creates massively detailed worlds to set their games in and was curious as to what made Halo tick. I was very pleasantly surprised at the story and the quality of the animation in this release. The voice over work was excellent as well.
Here is my breakdown:
Voice Over:
Very well done, with great narration.
4.5/5
Animation:
Its great to see the various studios and artists create their impression of Halo. The quality control is excellent as expected from a AAA title franchise.
5/5
Blu-Ray Extras:
Could have used more extras, maybe even a Halo Reach beta invitation code or something. If there is one area that always could use improvement its extras!
4/5
Overall:
Well I would have given it a 4.5 out of 5 but that option is not available sadly. I asked myself did I regret pre-ordering the blu-ray and how badly did I miss the extras. To me personally I didnt think the lack of heavy duty extras called for a 80% score so I am giving it a full score. This is something you will enjoy, its feature length and worth the watch.
5/5
\
ExcellentMay 30, 2010 PKtech(California) Much better then I expected. I rented it for the kids but ended up buying it on Blue Ray after watching it.
Got Me Intersted In The Halo UniverseMay 31, 2010 Rockstar Romeraux(Baker,Louisiana) Before watching this film, I wasn't a Halo fan at all, but I was a little curious. I finally decided to watch it today, and it was so good, I had to watch it twice! It's not actually a feature film, but seven different short episodes on one disc, all done by different animation studios, so no episode is the same, and all of them are excellent. There is alot of action, drama, suspence, and even comedy in one episode done by the talented artists of the Dragonball series. I caught on to the Halo story pretty quick thanks to Origins 1 and 2, so I was able to enjoy all the rest of the episodes. By the time it was all done, I was facinated by the Halo story, and I will buy the games in the near future. Overall Halo Legends gets a 5/5.
Halo is the BEST First-person shooter game Ever.June 25, 2010 I Love Yahweh Yeshua Christ!(Brooklyn, New York) I do understand why some people Hate It or Didn't Like It which is because there is alot of Playstation 3 Fans and Fans of the previous versions of Playstation out there. Halo Legends is base on those video games for the X-Box and X-Box 360 and other sources in which I love the Halo Video Games for it is the BEST First-person shooter Ever for at least the way the Covenant and the Flood fight back against you when you play it on Legendary. There is 8 stories but I like the last four stories better which are: (1)Odd One Out which is a silly funny with a Dragon Ball flavor, (2)Prototype, (3)The Babysitter and (4)The Package in which I love this story the most for if you are a Fan of the Halo Game Series you will know why. In Halo Legends you get various art forms, Halo history, Sci Fi Star Trek plus Star Wars like battles, violence, love and more. The Flood are mention here and I have to say in the Halo Video Games they scare me more than Michael Jackson's Thriller video.
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
