It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the Halo name carries with it certain expectations. The original, for all intents and purposes, can be singlehandedly thanked for bringing shooters onto consoles, leapfrogging even Goldeneye and Perfect Dark as the definitive couch shooters. When the sequel was released in 2004, Bungie had, again, redefined what it meant to bring a first-person shooter to consoles, breaking the final barrier by introducing fluid online multi-player. Halo 3 outperformed both of its predecessors by managing to sell over ten million copies worldwide, and bringing the campaign mode online for the first time, while adding new features such as the Forge, which allowed for customization of the multi-player arenas.

When Bungie and Microsoft announced that Halo 3 would be getting a standalone expansion with a new hero, a new story, and a new spin on the franchise, the excitement was palpable.  When they announced that it would be $60, people were a little confused. It seemed like the developer and the publisher had some disagreements over the overall goals of the game, and it might have received an unnecessary $20 "Halo tax" to further pad a few wallets. However, with the Halo name attached, people expected great things, and Bungie didn’t seem ready to let anyone down.