Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Hands-On Preview

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It's Almost Two Games in One

 

 

By far, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's biggest selling point is the fact that you can switch between the original 2001-era graphics and the new HD graphics that 343 Industries, Saber Interactive, and Certain Affinity labored so hard to polish up. But the truth is, it's not a instantaneous switch, like what we saw at E3 this past summer. When you hit the button on your Xbox 360 controller, there is a noticeable pause as the game flips from bright, blocky polygons to smooth HD textures.

 

 

 

 

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's Maps and What They're Originally Based On •High Noon (Hang 'Em High, Halo: CE)

•Penance (Damnation, Halo: CE)

•Ridgeline (Timberland, Halo: CE)

•Solitary (Prisoner, Halo: CE)

•Breakneck (Headlong, Halo 2)

•Battle Canyon (Beaver Creek, Halo 2)

 

 

If the game was just swapping visuals, that would be one thing. But that's not the case. At the press of a button, a flat sheet of blue coloring becomes a rippling ocean, reflections and all. Look at the Warthog in the old graphics, with its washed-out coloring and bland details. Flip the graphics switch, and you can suddenly see the fine textures, bumps, and grooves in the vehicle's body. Even at a glance, it's more than just upscaled polygons.

 

What players might forget is that Halo Anniversary is almost running two games at the same time. Whatever's going on under the hood feels like it's a bit more than just a simple visual tweak, as everything from lighting effects to environmental textures feels just a little bit different depending on which Halo you're playing. No other HD remake does that yet, and some frankly should

 

All-New Score and Sound Effects

 

 

Hearing 343 Industries' dev team talk about the new score for Halo Anniversary is almost heartbreaking. On one hand, they don't want to say that it's better than the original work of Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, but the developers nonetheless seem thrilled with the new music recorded by the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. Long story short, it's just as good, if not indeed plain better.

 

But what's really surprising is that you have access to both musical scores in Halo Anniversary. And it doesn't even matter which version of the game you're playing. Swapping the audio is a simple matter of making a trip to the pause menu to play the new music with the old graphics, or the old graphics with the new music. After hearing both, we think that kind of choice is downright rare for an HD remake -- especially from a console era where video games frankly haven't aged that gracefully

 

Old Maps are Better, Faster

 

 

At the press of a button, a flat sheet of blue coloring becomes a rippling ocean, reflections and all. Look at the Warthog in the old graphics, with its washed-out coloring and bland details. Flip the graphics switch, and you can suddenly see the fine textures, bumps, and grooves in the vehicle's body.

 

If there's one thing I've forgotten about Halo, it's that the multiplayer maps are fun, even if you're doing nothing but getting your ass handed to you. No matter what, you'll have a good time throwing grenades, melee-ing someone in the back, or simply getting gunned down because you were stupid enough to use an MSG at long range. Despite the fact that I'm probably one of the worst Halo players in the history of the game, revisiting the Beaver Creek, Headlong, and Hang 'Em High maps felt like slipping on old, comfortable shoes.

 

What's even more impressive is that even with the visual changes, the maps don't feel strange. Of course, that's not to say that they're completely the same -- the devs at 343 Industries made sure to tweak the layouts on all the updated arenas so that it's both easy and quicker to get around. A teleporter there, a few extra weapons here, and things are different, yet still feel just as tight.

 

And even if you hate playing online, you might want to just for modes like Firefight, where you're working against enemy A.I., instead of people who've been playing the game for ages. Or, you can simply engage in online co-op, something that should frankly be mandatory for any first-person shooter. Either way, you've got plenty of options.