10 Times Master Chief Infiltrated Other Games
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we're checking out times Master Chief and company unexpectedly dropped into games not in the Halo universe. For this list, we'll be venturing out of the known Halo continuity and finding the best times the Master Chief and his Halo companions made guest appearances or were otherwise referenced by non Halo games. Out list includes "Halo" characters in "Super Bomberman R" (2018), the Arbiter's appearance in "Killer Instinct" (2013), Master Chief's appearance in "Fortnite" (2017), and more!
Script written by Aaron Brown
Master Chief in Fortnite might be one of the least strange crossovers the game has ever done. Spartan 117 fits naturally into a combat arena and developers Epic Games even brought along not only a gravity hammer for some brute smashing power but also the Chief’s Pelican ship for his dropoff into the battle royale. While it feels strange to see the Master Chief quickly whip out a set of building plans and start throwing up cover, that’s nothing compared to seeing this hulking 7 foot tall Spartan soldier break into the series’ iconic dance routines. Not only was this a crossover of Epic proportions but it was also PlayStation gamers’ only chance to lead the Master Chief into battle.
As an icon of 90s first person shooters, Duke Nukem lead the charge on fighting invading aliens with 90s-style cool and one liners. By the time Duke Nukem Forever finally released in 2011 however, it was clear that Duke was a product of his time. Forgoing the innumerable advancements first person shooters had made since his heyday, the Duke still found time to stroke his own ego and call out some of the more popular modern shooters. At the start of the “Vegas In Ruin” mission, a soldier offers Duke the “Green Power Armor” he wanted, to which Duke retorts in only the way Duke can. It’s a fun jab and further demonstrates that if the Duke is going to be taking down aliens, he’s going to make sure the last thing they see is his chiseled jaw and sunglasses.
Before the overnight success and endless crossovers of Fortnite, there was the overnight success and endless crossovers of Rocket League. No matter the property, for a while it seemed like everyone had a skin or vehicle pack promoting their new film or video game in Rocket League, so why not one of gaming’s biggest franchises debuting on your console? The Hogsticker is undeniably the Warthog from the Halo Universe in all but name alone, for some reason. While you can’t customize any aspect of the vehicle besides the color, why would you want to? Even the rocket booster looks like a needler blasting you across the arena. Master Chief is certainly putting all those daring escape runs in the Warthog to the test chasing victory in the Rocket League arena.
The Master Chief is no stranger to explosions, so his cameo with the king of bombers makes natural sense. As part of Super Bomberman R making its worldwide release, gamers were treated to exclusive characters from their respective console’s library. PlayStation gamers got to play as Ratchet from Ratchet and Clank, while on Xbox One, gamers were given the chance to play as Master Chief Bomber, Arbiter Bomber and Grunt Bomber. Master Chief even comes with his own special ability, the “Spartan Shot” which he can use to either stun opponents or cause bombs to explode prematurely. The developers even took things a step further and got Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes to record Bomberman specific lines just for the game.
Not all crossovers have to make sense but sometimes they’re just too cool not to get excited about, and when you own one of the biggest properties in the world, why wouldn’t you cross it over with one of your other franchise titles? The Halo Mash-Up Minecraft Evolved was a skin pack for Minecraft on the Xbox 360 and while things could have easily ended there with players dressing their Steve as Master Chief, Cortana and a total of 40 characters from the Halo universe, Microsoft and Mojang went a step further and Halo-fied the menus and user interface, added over 30 Halo music tracks and even created 6 Halo-themed worlds for gamers to explore. While PlayStation gamers missed out due to Microsoft owning both properties, the Halo Mash-Up did manage to find its way to the Nintendo Switch in 2018.
For all intents and purposes, no matter what the Killer Instinct developers claim, this is THE Arbiter from the Halo series and he comes packing all the moves and weapons from that title. He even has his own stage in which to do battle called “The Arena of Judgement”. Everything from his energy sword to even his active camo makes the Arbiter stand out as a beast in combat against even beastlier opponents. The Arbiter’s lightning quick moves make juggling a breeze and his ultra attack is just an exercise in brutality leaving the opponent zero chance of escape. We imagine this is one fight in which the Chief is happy to have not crossed paths with The Arbiter.
The Master Chief is no stranger to sailing the stars so why shouldn’t he be a master of the sails as well? Players of the popular Sea of Thieves were able to earn the cosmetic upgrades to deck out their well, decks, in Halo and Master Chief inspired trinkets like Spartan flags, canons, and even a Master Chief Figurehead to guide their ship along the uncertain seas. While this was a timed exclusive and was purely cosmetic, the sight of Master Chief and his Spartan classed ship breaking through the waves more than made a statement for a pirate unlucky enough to cross this ship’s path. Players who missed out on these items will have a second chance with the release of Halo Infinite bringing these exclusive customization options around the port side once again. Spartans! You have your heading!
With the release of Gears 5, gamers were treated to 2 of Microsoft’s biggest franchises finally coming together to take on the Locust Horde. Gamers with the Ultimate Edition of Gears 5 or subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate could play as Kat or Emile from Halo Reach in all the game modes besides campaign, obviously. From playing Escape, Horde, or just good old fashioned multiplayer, there’s something oddly satisfying about seeing these iconic characters of the Halo series picking up a Chainsaw gun and slicing up locusts next to series mainstays like Marcus Fenix. We don’t get to spend much time with them but it’s still nice to see these heroic Spartans taking up yet another fight for humanity.
When Ninja Theory couldn’t secure the Master Chief for their fighting game franchise Dead or Alive 4, due to Bungie’s canonical restraints, Ninja Theory went a step further and created a Spartan of their own. Nicole-458 is an unlockable character in Dead or Alive 4’s already impressive roster if you can master the feat of completing every character’s story campaign and even has a backstory to explain her presence in the Dead or Alive universe. And it includes time travel because why not? Trapped in the 21st century, Nicole-458 guards the secrets of her ship while trapped in a time bubble and refuses to kill any of her opponents for fear of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff happening if she did. Her character became so popular she’s even been referenced numerous times within true Halo canonical lore.
Now THIS is how you do a crossover event. Under the guise of a UNSC training course, players get to take the Warthog through its paces in an attempt to catch a Pelican ride off the Halo Ring all while Cortana guides you through the track to your eventual dustoff all before the Halo itself explodes. With the massive Halo ring circling the sky as well as an enormous Covenant Dropship hovering overhead, zipping through the otherwise idyllic landscape is an exhilarating albeit short lived experience. Cortana commenting on the real world buildings as you whiz by is an especially nice touch. With other UNSC Marines joining your run for pickup and Banshees stalking your every turn, and not to mention the pitch perfect cinematic use of slow-mo, this Warthog run is something no fan of either series should miss out on.
“Fortnite” (2017)
Master Chief in Fortnite might be one of the least strange crossovers the game has ever done. Spartan 117 fits naturally into a combat arena and developers Epic Games even brought along not only a gravity hammer for some brute smashing power but also the Chief’s Pelican ship for his dropoff into the battle royale. While it feels strange to see the Master Chief quickly whip out a set of building plans and start throwing up cover, that’s nothing compared to seeing this hulking 7 foot tall Spartan soldier break into the series’ iconic dance routines. Not only was this a crossover of Epic proportions but it was also PlayStation gamers’ only chance to lead the Master Chief into battle.
“Duke Nukem Forever” (2011)
As an icon of 90s first person shooters, Duke Nukem lead the charge on fighting invading aliens with 90s-style cool and one liners. By the time Duke Nukem Forever finally released in 2011 however, it was clear that Duke was a product of his time. Forgoing the innumerable advancements first person shooters had made since his heyday, the Duke still found time to stroke his own ego and call out some of the more popular modern shooters. At the start of the “Vegas In Ruin” mission, a soldier offers Duke the “Green Power Armor” he wanted, to which Duke retorts in only the way Duke can. It’s a fun jab and further demonstrates that if the Duke is going to be taking down aliens, he’s going to make sure the last thing they see is his chiseled jaw and sunglasses.
“Rocket League” (2016)
Before the overnight success and endless crossovers of Fortnite, there was the overnight success and endless crossovers of Rocket League. No matter the property, for a while it seemed like everyone had a skin or vehicle pack promoting their new film or video game in Rocket League, so why not one of gaming’s biggest franchises debuting on your console? The Hogsticker is undeniably the Warthog from the Halo Universe in all but name alone, for some reason. While you can’t customize any aspect of the vehicle besides the color, why would you want to? Even the rocket booster looks like a needler blasting you across the arena. Master Chief is certainly putting all those daring escape runs in the Warthog to the test chasing victory in the Rocket League arena.
“Super Bomberman R” (2018)
The Master Chief is no stranger to explosions, so his cameo with the king of bombers makes natural sense. As part of Super Bomberman R making its worldwide release, gamers were treated to exclusive characters from their respective console’s library. PlayStation gamers got to play as Ratchet from Ratchet and Clank, while on Xbox One, gamers were given the chance to play as Master Chief Bomber, Arbiter Bomber and Grunt Bomber. Master Chief even comes with his own special ability, the “Spartan Shot” which he can use to either stun opponents or cause bombs to explode prematurely. The developers even took things a step further and got Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes to record Bomberman specific lines just for the game.
“Minecraft” (2014)
Not all crossovers have to make sense but sometimes they’re just too cool not to get excited about, and when you own one of the biggest properties in the world, why wouldn’t you cross it over with one of your other franchise titles? The Halo Mash-Up Minecraft Evolved was a skin pack for Minecraft on the Xbox 360 and while things could have easily ended there with players dressing their Steve as Master Chief, Cortana and a total of 40 characters from the Halo universe, Microsoft and Mojang went a step further and Halo-fied the menus and user interface, added over 30 Halo music tracks and even created 6 Halo-themed worlds for gamers to explore. While PlayStation gamers missed out due to Microsoft owning both properties, the Halo Mash-Up did manage to find its way to the Nintendo Switch in 2018.
“Killer Instinct” (2013)
For all intents and purposes, no matter what the Killer Instinct developers claim, this is THE Arbiter from the Halo series and he comes packing all the moves and weapons from that title. He even has his own stage in which to do battle called “The Arena of Judgement”. Everything from his energy sword to even his active camo makes the Arbiter stand out as a beast in combat against even beastlier opponents. The Arbiter’s lightning quick moves make juggling a breeze and his ultra attack is just an exercise in brutality leaving the opponent zero chance of escape. We imagine this is one fight in which the Chief is happy to have not crossed paths with The Arbiter.
“Sea of Thieves” (2018)
The Master Chief is no stranger to sailing the stars so why shouldn’t he be a master of the sails as well? Players of the popular Sea of Thieves were able to earn the cosmetic upgrades to deck out their well, decks, in Halo and Master Chief inspired trinkets like Spartan flags, canons, and even a Master Chief Figurehead to guide their ship along the uncertain seas. While this was a timed exclusive and was purely cosmetic, the sight of Master Chief and his Spartan classed ship breaking through the waves more than made a statement for a pirate unlucky enough to cross this ship’s path. Players who missed out on these items will have a second chance with the release of Halo Infinite bringing these exclusive customization options around the port side once again. Spartans! You have your heading!
“Gears 5” (2019)
With the release of Gears 5, gamers were treated to 2 of Microsoft’s biggest franchises finally coming together to take on the Locust Horde. Gamers with the Ultimate Edition of Gears 5 or subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate could play as Kat or Emile from Halo Reach in all the game modes besides campaign, obviously. From playing Escape, Horde, or just good old fashioned multiplayer, there’s something oddly satisfying about seeing these iconic characters of the Halo series picking up a Chainsaw gun and slicing up locusts next to series mainstays like Marcus Fenix. We don’t get to spend much time with them but it’s still nice to see these heroic Spartans taking up yet another fight for humanity.
“Dead or Alive 4” (2005)
When Ninja Theory couldn’t secure the Master Chief for their fighting game franchise Dead or Alive 4, due to Bungie’s canonical restraints, Ninja Theory went a step further and created a Spartan of their own. Nicole-458 is an unlockable character in Dead or Alive 4’s already impressive roster if you can master the feat of completing every character’s story campaign and even has a backstory to explain her presence in the Dead or Alive universe. And it includes time travel because why not? Trapped in the 21st century, Nicole-458 guards the secrets of her ship while trapped in a time bubble and refuses to kill any of her opponents for fear of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff happening if she did. Her character became so popular she’s even been referenced numerous times within true Halo canonical lore.
“Forza Horizon 4” (2018)
Now THIS is how you do a crossover event. Under the guise of a UNSC training course, players get to take the Warthog through its paces in an attempt to catch a Pelican ride off the Halo Ring all while Cortana guides you through the track to your eventual dustoff all before the Halo itself explodes. With the massive Halo ring circling the sky as well as an enormous Covenant Dropship hovering overhead, zipping through the otherwise idyllic landscape is an exhilarating albeit short lived experience. Cortana commenting on the real world buildings as you whiz by is an especially nice touch. With other UNSC Marines joining your run for pickup and Banshees stalking your every turn, and not to mention the pitch perfect cinematic use of slow-mo, this Warthog run is something no fan of either series should miss out on.
