Speedrun Fast: Halo 1, 2, 3

Welcome to Speedrun Fast, a brand-new weekly segment by yours truly. In Speedrun Fast, I’ll be presenting some of the best and most exciting speedruns out there. For this opening feature, I bring you not one, but three awesome runs covering the original Halo trilogy. And what’s more, they’re all in Legendary!

Bungie’s Halo: Combat Evolved made a gigantic splash when it landed on Xbox back in 2001. So much so that it, and its sequels, are still being played today. The Halo games are especially popular in the speedrunning community, even garnering its own website, haloruns.com. Runners are still combing the game, searching for new tricks and answers to questions yet undiscovered. In honor of some of Bungie’s (and now, 343’s) best work, feast your eyes on these exciting speedruns of the Halos one through three.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPe1BJxGsgo[/embedyt]

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Goatrope’s speedrun on Legendary is fascinating for a number of reasons. The commentary and explanations of his technique and relaxed atmosphere despite the harrowing situations he encounters immerse the viewer and keep them engaged for the ride. This run isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the few non-segmented runs on Legendary and an excellent lesson in the hidden mechanics of Halo: Combat Evolved.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztDHBsZ15AM[/embedyt]

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This is a zero shot speedrun, meaning the game is played start to finish without letting loose a single bullet. What’s more, it’s done on Legendary. Impossible, you say? Thought to be so for some time, until one day, it happened. This video also features commentary and explanations by a runner who has done several Halo games, among others. Eli’s mind-blowing run serves as another reminder of how awesomely rich an experience just one game can be.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8w086MomDg[/embedyt]

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Done by the aptly named Halo Speedruns, we finish off with Halo 3 on Legendary. The runner compares his times in the video with previous times for comparison, with a countdown timer appearing on close calls. One can’t help but tense up as the seconds count down, knowing that in a serious speedrun, every half-second is critical. The walkthroughs of the runner’s tricks once again serve to make the video informative as well as entertaining, and a worthy finish to this speedrun feature.

Or not! Remember Eli, who did the zero shot run? Have a look at this playlist guide for speedrunning Halo one, two, three, four, and ODST. Each video takes the viewer on a separate stage, for a total of 48. The Halo series welcomes new runners every year, and with new runners come new revelations and new ways to shave time off the clock. For those with any interest in speedruns, whether to watch or to play, Halo remains a fascinating series that has only grown stronger over time.