By Malcolm Carroll

Photo Credits/ Malcolm, Nivia and Jeff Carroll

I am an avid reader and video game player. I have played and read multitudes of games and genres. Among the many I enjoy is the Halo franchise.  I’ve read most of the Halo comics, played the games, and amcurrently making my way through the books. Halo: Outpost Discovery is one of the events I attended and here are my thoughts on the event as I experienced it.

Halo: Outpost Discovery is a touring fan experience that brings the Halo video game universe to life. It is a 3-day event that lets fans step into Halo’s beloved science fiction universe like never before. Halo: Outpost Discovery features more than 300,000 sq. feet of themed attractions, immersive experiences, community engagement opportunities, interactive panels, gameplay, and a marketplace.  This three-day weekend adventure began touring Summer 2019 and will be appearing in five cities across the United States in its first year.  Fans can experience the first-ever competitive Halo VR, play laser tag in the combat deck arena, and the Halo Hall of History where they can explore the Halo Ring.

Each one of the aforementioned experiences is enjoyable, some more so than others. I attended on Sunday the last day of the Orlando weekend. The tickets were $60 per person for the basic package however there were other packages available. As you enter the outpost you will find some very well detailed and lifelike models of the Master Chief and an Elite with other various weapons and memorabilia from the franchise scattered around with description of them and the Halo story accompanying them.

There is the Ring experience featuring more of these beautiful models and a sort of movie-like experience that shows you the inner workings of the ring. Then there is the Pelican Training attraction and Covenant Escape Room, Both require teamwork, however, I found both too painfully easy to be entertaining or immersive. There is a target range which was a challenge as you tried to hit targets with Halo-themed BOOMco guns. The heavy hitters being the VR experience and laser tag, these two were certainly the most entertaining of the event. The VR experience puts you in a 3v3 situation in a map that changes as the game progresses.

The laser tag is a 15 on 15 player game in which you’re given Halo-themed laser battle rifles to mow each other down with. Both experiences equip you with one of the Halo classic game tools like the energy shield which gives you longer survivability. There are also some Halo Fireteam Raven stations which makes the game sort of a Halo arcade game. Lastly, there is a “build your own” Mega Bloks station with a variety of models you can make.

All in all, Halo: Outpost Discovery was entertaining and I do believe was worth the 60 dollars. However, all the experiences had unreasonably long lines, with some people waiting for 3 hours just to experience the Halo VR which can be a bit saddening if you only bought a one day ticket. I would recommend heading to the popular ones like laser tag and VR first then decide where to go from there. Although I was unsure if it was going to be enjoyable, going to Halo: Outpost Discovery proved me wrong.  

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Malcolm Carroll is an avid gamer and reader. He plays a variety of video games, including games like Halo, League of Legends, and Warhammer 4400K. He’s also a fan of a variety of books from these respective series. He is in the top 5% of his class at a STEM magnet school in Hallandale Beach, Florida.