Halo Anniversary Review

Halo Anniversary Community Page

I remember walking with my friend to his house one day while he told me all about a cool new game he had got with his new games console. He boasted about donning a military green suit of power armour and killing hordes of aliens in a campaign to save the world from extermination. Upon sitting down and picking up the controller the title to game faded in slowly to the sound of choir music like a song from heaven. The title of this game was Halo and what happened after was an experience I will always remember

That epic experience was almost eleven years ago and since then Halo has spawned a wide range of sequels, spin-offs, merchandise and even possible movie tie-ins. The fan base for Halo is nearly so huge now that it might possibly dwarf the Star Wars community one day and it was all thanks to this franchise’s original game. As with all popular games these days though, spawn the armada of HD remakes and reboots that so many fans have come to either praise or groan at. Halo: Combat Evolved was obviously the target of one of these next generation updates and in some ways I am glad it received it.

Halo Anniversary retells the tale of our beloved Master Chief aka John-117 as he awakes from cryo stasis aboard the hulking space cruiser known as ‘The Pillar of Autumn’. Sadly for John he has been rudely woken up as his chariot is besieged by the invading alien force called ‘The Covenant’. What follows is an epic journey of how one of gaming’s icons came to greatness.

While the story is pretty paper thin when it comes to character development, it is the mystery and epic structure within its journey that made the game so great in the end. For years people had been longing for a tale that paid homage to the alien vs marine movie, which we bow our heads and call ‘Aliens’. It is with Halo that we experience that tribute along with an expanding canvas of twists and reveals that would make any sci-fi fan celebrate in sheer happiness.

As the title of this revisit to the still popular original implies though, this is an anniversary which comes booming with all new remastered HD graphics from the guns in your hand to the sprawling environments of the legendary ring world that you will be travelling in. Halo Anniversary is definitely a gorgeous game, so much so that in a way it even puts the slight blurriness of Halo Reach to shame.

What is great though is that while players can experience the all new lick of paint that has been offered by newly formed 343 Industries, people craving the old polygon models and one note textures and do so with a simple button press. This means that you can always switch between the old and the new to the old once again if you ever feel the need for that nostalgic feeling of a previous childhood long gone.

343 Industries has also put in some love for the audio quality of the Anniversary addition. While a lot of the original voice work and sound effects are still present, you can expect a much clearer and booming experience this time around thanks to the game supporting 5.1 surround sound.

The gameplay while unchanged still feels great to experience because not only was it one of the original console FPS experiences that we now see in everyday games these days but it just feels so balanced to play with. This also benefits from a vast assortment of weapons and vehicles that mean every encounter can be an all new epic one during your time in Halo Anniversary.

Halo Anniversary still comes with an additional feature though that fans have come to expect throughout the series. For the first time Halo fans can now play all the original Halo maps on one disc and of course in fully remastered glory. Sadly this multiplayer addition does come built in Halo Reach’s graphic engine, so those hoping to experience Halo Anniversary’s adversarial mode in its new aesthetic will be deeply disappointed. Not only that but the hopes of a new take on the popular cooperative Firefight mode is not included in the game either. It is a real shame really that fans won’t be able to team up and take down the hordes of Flood that made the later parts of the campaign so great.

I guess this is what the cooperative campaign is there for though correct? Yes the ability to play two player split screen is still available as part of the main story and thankfully the new visual quality holds up really well even under the heaviest of gun battles. This means that two players sitting side by side can experience the full visual treat with excellent framerate. What is even better now is that thanks to Xbox Live two players can now player from different areas around the world together without having the burden of having to be on the same console and on the same couch.

Halo Anniversary marks the return of one of video game’s greatest achievements since the likes of Doom and Half Life. The adventure that made Halo so great is still intact for fans, while also bringing in a more up to date take on the visual presentation of the ring world’s land. With an incredibly engaging campaign and now additional online cooperative support, will you be saving humanity alone or with a friend?

I remember walking with my friend to his house one day while he told me all about a cool new game he had got with his new games console. He boasted about donning a military green suit of power armour and killing hordes of aliens in a campaign to save the world from extermination. Upon sitting down and picking up the controller the title to game faded in slowly to the sound of choir music like a song from heaven. The title of this game was Halo and what happened after was an experience I will always remember

That epic experience was almost eleven years ago and since then Halo has spawned a wide range of sequels, spin-offs, merchandise and even possible movie tie-ins. The fan base for Halo is nearly so huge now that it might possibly dwarf the Star Wars community one day and it was all thanks to this franchise’s original game. As with all popular games these days though, spawn the armada of HD remakes and reboots that so many fans have come to either praise or groan at. Halo: Combat Evolved was obviously the target of one of these next generation updates and in some ways I am glad it received it.

Halo Anniversary retells the tale of our beloved Master Chief aka John-117 as he awakes from cryo stasis aboard the hulking space cruiser known as ‘The Pillar of Autumn’. Sadly for John he has been rudely woken up as his chariot is besieged by the invading alien force called ‘The Covenant’. What follows is an epic journey of how one of gaming’s icons came to greatness.

While the story is pretty paper thin when it comes to character development, it is the mystery and epic structure within its journey that made the game so great in the end. For years people had been longing for a tale that paid homage to the alien vs marine movie, which we bow our heads and call ‘Aliens’. It is with Halo that we experience that tribute along with an expanding canvas of twists and reveals that would make any sci-fi fan celebrate in sheer happiness.

As the title of this revisit to the still popular original implies though, this is an anniversary which comes booming with all new remastered HD graphics from the guns in your hand to the sprawling environments of the legendary ring world that you will be travelling in. Halo Anniversary is definitely a gorgeous game, so much so that in a way it even puts the slight blurriness of Halo Reach to shame.

What is great though is that while players can experience the all new lick of paint that has been offered by newly formed 343 Industries, people craving the old polygon models and one note textures and do so with a simple button press. This means that you can always switch between the old and the new to the old once again if you ever feel the need for that nostalgic feeling of a previous childhood long gone.

343 Industries has also put in some love for the audio quality of the Anniversary addition. While a lot of the original voice work and sound effects are still present, you can expect a much clearer and booming experience this time around thanks to the game supporting 5.1 surround sound.

The gameplay while unchanged still feels great to experience because not only was it one of the original console FPS experiences that we now see in everyday games these days but it just feels so balanced to play with. This also benefits from a vast assortment of weapons and vehicles that mean every encounter can be an all new epic one during your time in Halo Anniversary.

Halo Anniversary still comes with an additional feature though that fans have come to expect throughout the series. For the first time Halo fans can now play all the original Halo maps on one disc and of course in fully remastered glory. Sadly this multiplayer addition does come built in Halo Reach’s graphic engine, so those hoping to experience Halo Anniversary’s adversarial mode in its new aesthetic will be deeply disappointed. Not only that but the hopes of a new take on the popular cooperative Firefight mode is not included in the game either. It is a real shame really that fans won’t be able to team up and take down the hordes of Flood that made the later parts of the campaign so great.

I guess this is what the cooperative campaign is there for though correct? Yes the ability to play two player split screen is still available as part of the main story and thankfully the new visual quality holds up really well even under the heaviest of gun battles. This means that two players sitting side by side can experience the full visual treat with excellent framerate. What is even better now is that thanks to Xbox Live two players can now player from different areas around the world together without having the burden of having to be on the same console and on the same couch.

Halo Anniversary is available now on Xbox 360.