Prototype
If Odd One Out is "Haloball Z", Prototype could best be described as "Halo Gundam Wars". Hades Squad, a demolition team, is given orders to destroy a UNSC installation hosting a secret prototype of a fighting suit before it falls into Covenant hands. The leader, a marine known as Ghost due to his lack of human emotion when losing his entire team in a previous battle, defies orders and uses the suit to save the rest of Hades squad. The suit is a bit of a cross between a Spartan suit and a Robotech mech, armed with all manner of weapons.
The fight scenes here are the best on the entire disc, in my opinion, but keep in mind, I like giant robots more than most. Couple the intense action with a touch of sympathetic backstory and a dose of redemption, and you've got an excellent anime short on your hands. Prototype gets a big thumbs up.
Connor's take: "The big cannons and explosions are awesome."
The Babysitter
As The Babysitter begins, we meet a group of ODSTs, one of whom is Dutch from Halo 3: ODST. They've been selected for a top-secret, highly dangerous mission: to assassinate a Prophet. The squad's sniper, O'Brien, is angry, because a Spartan II will be joining the group as the primary shooter, and he is given backup duty. The rivalry between O'Brien and the enigmatic Spartan provides some excellent character development as the UNSC troops proceed to their target.
The Babysitter has a nice mix of plot, interesting protagonists, and conflict. Animation is crisp, and the action scenes on the planet's surface are especially excellent. My only complaint with this story is the big plot twist at the end. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but I will say that it was a tad predictable. Still, a solid story and definitely worth watching.
Connor's take: "It was not bad."
The Package
Continuing the trend, here we have "Master Chief Meets Star Wars". A Covenant fleet is holding an extremely important piece of cargo, dubbed The Package. Master Chief and a handful of Spartans are sent to retrieve it. They fly through space using Booster Frames, fighting off several Covenant ships on the way. Once onboard the flagship, the Spartans engage enemy troops with handheld weaponry. Eventually, Master Chief retrieves the package, engages an Elite in a Plasma Sword duel, and exits via escape pod, just in the nick of time.
This tale is longer than the others, and is the only one that is CG rendered. It looks great, and the action scenes are intense and plentiful. The only thing taking away from the experience are the obvious Star Wars ripoffs; you've got split-wing spacecraft, exploding enemy base ships, an evil Elite playing the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, and a laser sword duel on a round platform. In the end, though, I like Star Wars and I like Halo, so I stopped rolling my eyes and just enjoyed the ride.
Connor's Take: "Best one ever! It has Master Chief and it's in 3D."
As far as bonus features, there are your typical trailers, commentaries, and a mostly fogettable "Look How Awesome Halo Is" documentary. Exclusive to the Blu-ray (and worthwhile) is "Halo: The Story So Far" which relates the at-times complicated plot of Halo all the way to the end of Halo 3. This was especially beneficial to us, as we have not played the first two Halo games yet. (Blasphemy, I know, but I am late to the whole Xbox party.)
Halo Legends is certainly worth watching. I would wholeheartedly recommend individually downloading The Duel, The Package, and Prototype for the casual Halo fan, or even general anime aficionados. If you are a more serious fan of the series, and want a bit more of the story behind the games, the entire Halo Legends compilation is a worthwhile purchase.
Verdict
The Co-Op Experience: A second player can enter a level any time. Earn points with your friend and unlock together new special weapons and upgrades.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.