The stuff of legend, or will this animated collection go down in infamy?Halo book and DVD releases in particular have always struggled to shake the acquainted taste that comes with handling a franchise so steeped in science-fiction lore. Halo: Legends comprises of a set of animated adventures featuring the Master Chief, the Elites and the UNSC forces, but does it do anything to buck that trend?
THE EPISODES
THE BABYSITTER- A relatively predictable romp featuring a group of ODST dropping it into combat against a Prophet. Nothing revolutionary here...6/10
THE DUEL- Now this is just bizarre, boasting a weird Japanese anime style to the battle between the Arbiter and his closest rival. One for fans of that genre of art, me thinks, if they can understand what the heck is meant to be going on. 4/10
THE PACKAGE- To its credit, this one does try to provide some depth regarding the origins of the Master Chief and his Spartan-II squad, but it doesn't do much the main trilogy of games didn't/couldn't. 6/10
ORIGINS- Easily the highlight of the set, this two-parter basically tells the story of how the Forerunners were wiped out by the Flood and the subsequent war this led to over the course of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3. So if you want a strong outlook on the series in its entirety, look no further! It's certainly the least confusing piece on the DVD and Blu-Ray. 9/10
HOMECOMING- Another rather pointless Master Chief adventure that places a focus on the Spartans yet ends with a big anti-climax. 5/10
PROTOTYPE- And another pointless endevaour, once again with an ending that can obviously have no bearing on any of the overall canon, and as such sucks. 4/10
ODD ONE OUT- Thankfully, Legends is rounded by a hilarious parody of the Halo series, featuring comedic Spartans and ptyerodactils (yep, you read that last part right!). This one must be seen to be believed. 8/10
THE EXTRAS
There are a few pretty decent bonus features on both the DVD and Blu-Ray sets: the DVD has a neat Making of Halo Legends documentary for anyone who's in for the behind-the-scenes experience, as well as a doc called Halo: Gaming Evolved which basically chronicles how the video games franchise itself has gone from strength to strength, while the Blu-Ray also packs in a Halo: The Story So Far plot recap from Combat Evolved to ODST which makes for a nice companion to Origins.
THE VERDICT
If you're a Halo fan and want to get a vague idea of where 343 Industries (who produced these shorts) may take the series this Autumn and beyond, then Halo: Legends may be a good place to start. That said, it is definitely a release for hardcore fans only, requiring a lot of foreknowledge regarding the universe and the events of the series that even at roughly a fiver for the DVD and a tenner for the Blu-Ray doesn't warrant a purchase from relative newcomers to this big franchise.
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