![]() There's a slight desynchronization between the two that will cause you to lose a second or two when switching, and the old scenes look so dated that they feel like more like creaky relics than interesting artifacts. Unlike in Halo CE: Anniversary, you can flip between old and new during cutscenes as well, though you might want to save that for your second playthrough. These scenes are dazzling re-imaginings of the originals, done with a technical prowess and cinematographic flair that made me want to play through the whole campaign just to see each one. In addition to getting similarly remastered visuals and sound, Halo 2: Anniversary also boasts a completely redone line-up of cutscenes done by the same company that contributed to Halo 4's excellent videos, Blur Studio. The anniversary treatment has also been applied to Halo 2, and The Master Chief Collection marks the first release of Halo 2: Anniversary. The smooth lines and alien elegance of the Forerunner structures remain nearly unchanged, a testament to the quality of the original art design. The environmental details and color saturation are richer in the more modern view, but it's still impressive to see how well the original architectural design of many of the buildings holds up. It's a neat trick that never really gets old, though you'll probably want to spend the majority of your time with the lush, vibrant remastered visuals. Unlike in that version, the switch is now instantaneous, allowing you to more speedily flip between decades. The gang's all here.Īs in the original Xbox 360 release, Halo CE: Anniversary features both the original visuals and audio as well as remastered visuals and audio, and you can switch between them with the press of a button. The tactics of the Covenant and the Flood enemies, the varying spaces in which you engage your foes, and the vehicles that are sometimes at your disposal all contribute to a campaign with enough variety and momentum to spur you onward through to the awesome final level (the slog of The Library level notwithstanding). Halo CE is where we first met Master Chief's signature trio of guns, grenades, and melee attacks, and deciding when and how to employ these in combat is still an entertaining endeavor that changes significantly as you ratchet up the difficulty. ![]() But once you get the cadence of combat dialed in, the tension and satisfaction of battle are still potent. This young Master Chief lacks the speed and urgency of his most recent self, and his gliding jog and floating jump require a certain amount of recalibration for those accustomed to more modern shooters. The story of humanity's first encounter with a halo ring is still an intriguing one, laced with quiet moments of awe and spiked with dramatic encounters. Released just three years ago, this remastering of the game that started it all has aged a bit itself, but it still holds up really well. ![]() Let's start with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. This review in progress will focus only on the four campaigns and how they are presented in The Master Chief Collection.īy clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Until I can put significant time into online play and mess around with Forge (also recently added), the full review will have to wait. The multiplayer is similarly arranged, but alas, that portion of the digital copy of the game I was provided with for review purposes was only patched in recently. All four campaigns are arranged neatly with all missions unlocked, free for you to pick and choose right from the start. My memories of playing Halo are inextricable from the time in my life in which each game came out, and playing through The Master Chief Collection has often felt like a stroll through an impeccably ordered photo album. As you hop from game to game, playing as Master Chief in his many incarnations, a timeline coalesces not just of the games themselves, but their place in video game history, their place in popular culture, and their place in your life. Sure, these games are direct sequels to each other, but there's more here than just continuity of story and evolution of mechanics. When you play The Master Chief Collection, you get a strong sense of a larger, cohesive whole. There's a lot of Halo in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and I'm not just talking about the four lengthy campaigns, Forge mode, and all that online multiplayer.
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