DF Retro Extra: Halo 2 - Revisiting E3 2003's Impossible Xbox Demo!

Bungie originally envisaged technologies for Halo 2 that turned out to be completely impossible for the team to deliver in the actual game. That original vision debuted in an extended gameplay demo created especially for E3 2003 - but was scrapped soon after. In this DF Retro Extra special, John revisits that demo, explains why it was impossible for OG Xbox hardware and compares it with the final game to see just what - if anything - of that work persisted into retail code.
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[@Silikone]

"Were you even born when Halo 2 was announced" Stop making me feel old.

[@chrisg8339]

I was 19 when it was announced lol

[@Poever]

15

[@madfinntech]

I was 19 too, lol.

[@MrQuatoe]

I was 11.

[@hazy33]

I was 34

[@SpawnWave]

I remember watching this demo over and over again, it was absolutely unbelievable back then.

[@ark14700]

Now go watch that cutscene in Halo 2 Anniversary. It may be Blur CGI, but they made it look as good as even the top blockbuster movies

[@MrBriman27]

Shut up Spawn Wave, no one wants to hear you. Go back to your channel

[@shortty7618]

Same. 10 year old me was watching it over and over trying to figure out if it was a secret level to unlock or something lol

[@LittleRainGames]

Spawn Wave and i was so dissappointed ig wasnt i the final game. I played every level hoping it would come, then i beat the game and realized i would never play it.

[@Mr.Honest247]

Spawn Wave Too bad the final game was shit. 😞

[@blondbassist]

During this demo Dual Wielding wasn't implemented so the 'Dual SMG's' were actually just one weapon, you couldn't drop one of the SMG's like you could in the final game.

[@roflBeck]

It looks just like the dual weapons in Halo Custom Edition. Neat!

[@AJadedLizard]

@@roflBeck It's interesting you mention that; the Brutes are just reskinned Spartan bipeds (they share death animations with the player and Marines from the original game) and the Brute Shot appears to be firing regular plasma rifle projectiles instead. The Battle Rifle is also wearing the Assault Rifle's reload animation and lacks its ammunition counter, suggesting to me it's just a reskinned MA5B in this build, limited to semiauto and given a headshot modifier. Those were all tricks modders would use to implement Brutes and various other Halo 2 mechanics in the first game via Custom Edition.

[@MaxLittleBuddy]

The 1 shot battle rifle in that demo has a melee combo that eventually get cut

[@snowontheweb]

Man I miss those days....

[@erikheijden9828]

Grow up

[@n64isit45]

The golden age of the gaming industry

[@ItPutsTheLotionOnItsSkin]

When E3 was about actual games and not SJW infested politics/agendas and microtransactions. It was _still_ really cringey though. That will never change.

[@mitsoshalokiller]

Ha!Look..a Greek fella...Ti kaneis aderfe Ioanni?

[@HarryBillyBobGeorge]

At that point I'd never even played a video game and I feel so much nostalgia for this demo. Maybe it's the bad animation, video quality, and over-the-top flair at the E3 booths

[@ToneyMo]

Great example of how E3 has been functioning for over a decade now. The devs always want to push their game to be bigger and better than anything before. In some cases the hardware, time or even financial limitations hold back that vision. Halo 2 still blew me away even after that E3 demo, the new gameplay mechanics and the thousands of hours I would pour into multiplayer LAN parties more than made up for any downgrades to the games visual presentation. Great video DF, you guys have been on fire this past year

[@Cyrribrae]

Tony MO - To me, it highlights how much the industry has raised its standards or expectations. Even if the graphics were modern, a couple of gameplay innovation reveals like these wouldn't barely even get people clapping today. I think that pushes devs and platforms to have to up the ante - not in the game dev side where most are already beyond maxed out for budget and staff, but on the presentation side. In many ways, I think that sucks. We get excited, but are often left down. Devs are distracted from the game and can take a bunch of heat if they go too big or too small. Honestly, the whole industry is paradoxically in a better place than ever while also being in one of the hardest and harshest environments

[@gamerxt333]

E3 famous for it`s bulls*** tech demos

[@ToneyMo]

Mykel Hardin nothing will ever best the joy of getting 16 people together in the same building for a LAN party. That's magic that online play just can't deliver.

[@sansai81]

I imagine if you asked this to a bunch of soldiers who have deployed they'd say "Yo!" There's a reason we were miffed when Microsoft insisted on online connections for Xbox One.

[@zrexx4832]

Modern gaming just feels so restrictive. Games are always trying to conform with the current fad, so you never REALLY have any choice about what kind of game you actually want to play. Then you have all this corporatized bullshit that not only makes the game and its content less accessible, but it breaks your fucking immersion because you can’t play something without seeing pricetags pasted over everything. I miss the days when you could pick whatever kind of game you wanted, when the game industry recognized there were different niches/tastes of consumers and gave us more variety. I also miss the days when there were no paywalls, no ads to buy shit, no developers harassing me after I already bought their fucking product. The 6th generation was the “age of freedom” for gamers, meanwhile everything nowadays is anti-consumer and I fucking hate it.

[@Inriri]

One of Bungie's greatest talents was being able to make fantastic teasers/trailers/demos. Halo 3's Believe campaign is still the best advertising I've ever seen for a game.

[@Comkill117]

Believe made me want Halo 3 as a kid. I never played the first two (they were rated M after all and I was like 8 when 3 came out) but I remember seeing ads for Halo 3 and just thinking that it was the greatest thing ever. Somehow I convinced my parents to let me get it (I showed them some parts of it and they said it didn’t look all that bad) and it is to this day one of, if not, my favorite games. Just goes to show how good this series was back in the day.

[@georgebaggy]

the believe campaign was false advertising

[@WonderMePartyStrip]

georgebaggy how? Halo 5 was the real false advertisement.

[@georgebaggy]

They were both false advertisement. The Halo 3 Believe campaign depicted a bunch of epic shit that never happened in the game. The difference was Halo 3 still had a great story, even if it was completely different from the one advertized.

[@WonderMePartyStrip]

Bruh Believe campaign are a bunch of interviews of old people on how they remembered the war. See "REMEMBERED". So you wanted Halo 3 to take place after the war. No Master Chief nothing.

[@EposVox]

The demo version of this level seems to fit in WAY better with Halo 3 ODST interesting enough :O I wanna play it

[@hirola]

It makes sense that ODST is set during Halo 2 then lol

[@alexdenton1174]

When I first watched Joe play the ODST reveal it was as if the stencil engine was still resurrected in New Mombasa. Add a couple of Shadow transports and Covenant artillery on Costal Highway and it wouldve fit with the H2 E3 trailer perfectly.

[@dingle2987]

ODST fulfilled on that promise imo. It also improved the enemies like Drones having different ranks, and highest rank drones being able to walk on the ground. Or the two hunters types reconciling the different fuel rod guns in Halo 1 and Halo 2.

[@hmm8445]

Good news

[@SB992REBORN]

ODST RESURECTED THE STENCIL GRAPHIC FEIEDLITY FOR YEARS TO COME!

[@LegendaryGaming16]

That ending when he pulls out the plasma grenade and dives in still gives me the chills to this day.

[@DigitalSlurm]

When this demo level didn’t appear in the game I was gutted. Major let down.

[@AdiMercury]

DigitalSlurm same here

[@ExaStarless]

*salutes Major Let Down

[@sinar212]

Man...me too

[@SWBGPGMG]

I never saw this presentation and took the game for what it was, and i loved it ! E3 always put your expectations too far and you can't feel anything but disappointement when the game is released, even though the game was a masterpiece .

[@FreekHoekstra]

same here, he gets back to earth... and I was like here it comes... and then it didn't... I STILL want to play this level, it still looks soo good... and I don't just mean the graphics, I mean the level layout and scripting looks far superior to the final version.

[@MishraArtificer]

I sat here for a few minutes, wondering where I'd seen that collection of buildings in the clouds that the Pelican flies through in the shot just before it landed...and then it hit me: they reused it in Halo: Reach, for the Falcon-heavy level in New Alexandria.

[@KIager]

R.I.P. Bungie.

[@zybch]

Klager yeah.... no! Look at the mess of destiny 1 & 2 and be glad they aren't anywhere near halo any more.

[@Audfile]

Klager R I P Xboner

[@berleezysmakemorewalkingde9177]

Mikey C they are with Activision which is why destiny is ass

[@mareo187]

Klager because they went full Destiny that's why. Well i agree anyway because Destiny tries so hard to be the official successor of Halo but its not because instead it does mostly everything most Halo fans despise and most of the key of the Halo games either left to venture into other studios or went back to Microsoft which is funny because Bungie was sick of tired of making Halo and now most of the key people went back.

[@reminiscentiaoff4669]

Glad to see Staten working on Halo lore again.

[@TedThomasTT]

I skipped school to watch this, those were the days.

[@Sk8foxx]

For a second I thought u meant to watch THIS video lmao

[@youdungoofed1]

But e3 is in the summer time.....

[@champreed9721]

Ditched when the game out the next day and for every dlc launch

[@Mr.Honest247]

Ted Thomas You’re full of shit, E3 was in the summer. Fishing for comment eh?

[@richbandicoot]

Mr. Blunt e3 is early june, A lot of people still have school during that time

[@simonnice9030]

Is it weird that I get a little teary-eyed when seeing this trailer again? This game and its predecessor has created so many good memories for me. I've never been as hyped for a game as I was after I've seen this E3-trailer. 13 years old at the time, and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

[@Noctury_Gaming]

This game is ICONIC.

[@Yerinjibbang]

legend!

[@miggle8547]

Noctury I believe you mean ICONTHICC

[@Creedio90]

heretic!

[@NicolausCamp]

Halo 2 still has my favourite campaign of the series to date. Love the back and forth switching with the Arbiter. The graphically enhanced Xbox One version is even better, and those extra pre-rendered cutscenes are really icing on the cake!

[@sgtcoffman]

I really didn't like the Arbiter levels that much, but I enjoyed the story of it. The color palette wasn't very pleasing to my colorblind eyes on most of the Arbiter levels, which as an 11 year old, I remember that fondly. I love the story though, gosh dang it was so good in my opinion.

[@jfangm]

ODST's campaign was better, overall. Still, LOVED Delta Halo.

[@Mr.Honest247]

Nicolaus Camp I’m sorry Halo 1 had the best campaign. You must have very dull taste to consider Halo 2 the best campaign. It’s widespread knowledge(not opinion) that Halo 2 has a terrible and disappointing campaign. It’s average multiplayer is what saved it from being completely forgettable.

[@KiwiInGermanyMTB]

@@Mr.Honest247 "widespread knowledge" you are an idiot. It is the best campaign and the only reason it had any criticism was because of its cliffhanger ending. Halo ce campaign was amazing also, perhaps the best story but level design and the story of the arbiter in h2 was epic

[@mayfieldd357]

Mr. Blunt Lmaoo you’re funny as shit. Halo 2s multiplayer was epic staying up all night doing custom games on 4 player split screen with the big screen tv back then. Technology wasn’t that advanced and even then, developers like bungie always have a vision for a game that breaks the hardware limits even for PCs. It’s not their fault that the Xbox wasn’t as powerful as their vision. With that being said the campaign was overall still very epic and close to if not on the same level of CE. What CE had over H2 was better friendly Ai ( both games enemy AI were great) and it felt more Like a war rather than infiltration, ( silent cartographer ) that’s mission alone was epic on its on just dropping off the pelican and storming the beach decimating the covenant. H2 still had its fair share of open field missions ( delta halo ) and the one where you fly the banshee ass the arbiter to kill the heretic. It only seemed linear because it started off as tight spaces and opened up to an aerial combat mission and closed out in well thought out increasingly tight combat sequence. With that being said I’m gonna play mcc. Seeya!

[@irshaadhashim8847]

I still wish they'd release this demo to the masses at some point. I remember it giving me goosebumps the first time I saw it!

[@thisisJim85]

It wasn't/isn't a demo. It was a video they made. Bungie spilled the beans on their own incompetence in the dvd released in the collector's edition.

[@Razgriz_01]

Its a real demo, only its a demo specifically made for E3. Meaning if you do anything that was not on the script, you will get bug-central.

[@thisisJim85]

RazgrizOne Have you ever watched the dvd that came with the collector's edition of Halo 2? They state very plainly that it was only a video. It was not a playable demo then, or now.

[@thisisJim85]

RazgrizOne The only truth to saying it was a demo is that it was a demonstration. The guy they had holding a controller was doing absolutely nothing but acting.

[@southpaw117]

Where exactly in that video did they state it was a recording? And if it truly was, why did they record several variants? Why not just one? To keep up the illusion?

[@roguesquadron521]

Man I feel old. I was 13 when this demo first came out, and my friends and I were "Halo-crazy." I must have watched this demo hundreds of times waiting for Halo 2, and boy was it worth the wait! Now that I"m 30, I"m happily revisiting the series (at least, Bungie's games) with the Master Chief Collection coming to PC. The original Halo trilogy (and Reach) will always hold a special place in my heart.

[@l3875]

Me too

[@darkmagiciangirl573]

Digital Foundry has become so much more in the last year and even more in the last few months, you guys deserve all the love in the world, your channel is just so well done and the content never dissapoints. I love all of you c":

[@iPlayiOS]

Awesome video yet again. Halo will forever be my favourite franchise. Started when I was 6 with Halo: CE, still playing now when I'm 22!

[@sgtcoffman]

Same here. I started gaming with Doom 2 when I was just 2 years old (until I had nightmares and my mom got rid of the game haha), but after that, the next big game I remember is Halo. I was 8 when the first game came out and my neighbor got it. I fell in love the first time I played it. Fast forward to now and I've read every book and always look forward to the next game/book. Can't wait for Halo 6 even if 4 and 5 were disappointing for most.

[@AdiMercury]

sgtcoffman I started playing Halo CE when I was 13, and waited Halo 2 as a Messiah. I found Halo 4 very good for story and graphics, Halo 5 was not impressing imho, except for the finale.

[@sgtcoffman]

and thats where we differ. I actually really despise Halo 4 compared to Halo 5. I was extremely impressed with the graphics on Halo 4. The fact that the 360 could handle that blew my damn mind. The story was good, but everytime I play it, I just.... don't have fun. I can play through Halo 5's mostly spotty story and have a great time and I think it actually all falls onto the gameplay. Halo 4 was a stepping stone in game mechanics. If they would have taken the fairly rock solid story of Halo 4 and put it together with Halo 5 rock solid mechanics, we would be sitting really really well. The story that was promised through Hunt the Truth was looking to be amazing and one of the best marketing campaigns of all time, only to be retconned out and never spoken about again in game. For once though, game mechanics take the cake for me. I need to have fun when I play a game and in Halo 4, I cannot think of a single level that I enjoyed, especially the final level. Flying the longswords should have been cool, but instead, if you were playing with friends, it was atrocious. If even one person died, almost everyone else was guaranteed to die because of the screen shake when the longsword exploded. Not to mention the inexcusable final boss fight. It could have ended the fight like that maybe, but we didn't even get a chance to try to fight the Didact. I could honestly talk about what I like and dislike about the Halo franchise of late for probably hours, but despite all of its shortcomings, I still love the franchise.

[@sunnyfrisch]

iPlayiOS not mine. I prefer Gears of War any day. Halo has boring weaponry throughout all races, crappy vehicles with even worse weaponry, and a protagonist, who‘s suit has to exchange even simple gadgets...and often enough large scale enviroment not looking like a warzone at all...Boring.

[@iPlayiOS]

Sunny Frisch Gears is also good, just not as good. Sorry you missed out on the glory days. I'd belittle Halo too if I missed out - fortunately for me, I didn't.

[@NexGenTek]

Ah! Halo 2 My Favorite Halo cant wait till they release the Halo Master Chief Collection Update..

[@ArabianFreedom]

Is Halo 2 online broken or something?

[@SuperCer054Real]

The Arabian sometimes

[@SuperCer054Real]

The Arabian they are gonna update the game because of Xbox One X and so they will also improve it in general

[@kevboard]

CEROSER the One X enhancements are the secondary goal here. the whole collection is being redone. completely new matchmaking system, completely new main menu and a completely new net code.

[@sladey21]

Just bought an x and im waiting for the update before i buy mcc

[@cacheclear]

IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM

[@john_laser]

SO DO YOU

[@Andrew_Sword]

"Were you even born when halo 2 was announced?" Stop it, just stop it

[@krono5el]

remember everyone losing their shit when chief commandeered that ghost : D

[@retrorich3679]

The level of excitement and buzz back then for this particular E3 was of the highest order, I remember been completely blown away but not just halo 2 but doom 3, halflife2 and many more was definitely a turning point for Xbox too back then.

[@DJHeroMasta]

Gah! My entire childhood in one video 😄. I *love* Halo 2!

[@Poever]

DJHeroMasta but it’s an M rated game?

[@DJHeroMasta]

Poever Hahaha? Are you serious? Those ratings didn't mean a damn thing. We setup LAN matches for almost every family event. That ESRB rating was straight up bullshit. Should've be "T". I still play it from time to time on my Original Halo Edition Xbox.

[@dom4591]

Poever your parents didn't let you play M rated games? You really missed out on alot...

[@postscriptum8142]

Halo and childhood? What are you kids doing here?

[@DJHeroMasta]

We're all kids! Just kids with bills.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

This was pretty fun to watch, I’d never heard of this demo because I was too young when Halo 2 came out, but it’s fascinating how the art style changed, I honestly think both versions look good but the way Halo 2 looks is really impressive to me, it’s almost like a prediction of the next generation though, with the brown cityscape.

[@ChrisGower]

Halo 2 was the game that convinced 3 of my PS2 owning uni (college) housemates to trade-in for Xboxs. We bought a LAN router, hung it messily above the stairs - connected every room up and turned our uni house into a 5-way Halo 2 (and 1) Deathmatch. Getting hammered while playing Halo 2 rockets only or sniper rifles only deathmatch was the perfect way to pre-game before heading out to bars/the club.

[@larrytaylor2692]

This is what halo infinite is really missing nice lighting and the glow from bullets and particles flying around

[@Nesuji]

Look at all the blood. Man, I wish Halo kept that... Alien blood looks so cool when its splattered across the floor/ on walls etc... And the sound of the SMGs sounded so good. The battle rifle sounded perfect. Im happy they went with the 3RB instead of Single shot but I wish they kept a similar sound profile.

[@samuraizebra3219]

You couldn’t be more wrong. The triple shot burst for a headshottable laser accurate weapon is what made the BR so OP and the most overused weapon in the game, especially in Multiplayer. Imagine if the BE was only single shot like the demo, no ez kills for people who can’t aim and pull the trigger at the right moment. This is why I loved halo reach DMR way more. Bungie learned so much by that point, especially for multiplayer balance, which the game almost hinges on. Yea halo 2 balance was destroyed by this BR, I hated it then and still do in all its boring crappy iterations afterwards. Rant mode: off

[@MrSEA-ok2ll]

Halo 2, for those old enough to remember, it was astounding...I would like to see such a surprise at E3 this year and the use of splitscreen and system link again. It is also impressive what Dev's could do with 64mbs if ram...simply amazing.

[@Comkill117]

Mr. SEA Halo 2 is Legendary.

[@MrSEA-ok2ll]

@@Comkill117 true.

[@TheJakeSweede]

I though halo 2 was amazing when it came out. I was pretty young, and i loved the recent lotr and star wars movies. I never even knew what kind of games were possible, at that point i had only played some racing games, sports games and childrens adventure games. The only other types of games i knew about were scary horror games, gory games, or games with what was senseless voilence in my mind (like counter strike). I was blown away by halo 2 the first time i saw it at a friends house, was unlike anything i had seen, it was super cool. It was also my first FPS experience on console, so that took a while to get used to. But i thought it felt like you were playing an epic action movie, I was simply amazed as a kid, and couldnt stop thinking about it.

[@AllGamingStarred]

Story of my life

[@SonicTHedgehogDX]

I was around 11 When I first saw the E3 Demo, I was completely speechless at how great it looked, and I recall finishing the Game when it released, and spending sometime on the internet trying to find where this level was.

[@ANTANTANT360]

"I bet you can't stick it"

[@crashmer]

She said it :D

[@IxShocKzy]

You’re on.

[@OmegaF77]

"In."

[@Comkill117]

“You’re on.”

[@Dreadnott117]

Always gives me chills.

[@Dan-1031]

I wish H2A remade this demo

[@aninjaguardian]

I actually re-watch this e3 demo every now and then because they crowd reactions are amazing

[@MirandaAndUh]

Back then, this was incredible. When I got the game, I was surprised this segment wasn't in it, but it didn't take much to realize precisely why what we got was better. Hyper-scripted gameplay setpieces don't work for Halo, and they totally remove the emergent fun of the action. The visual effects, framerate, and models are also better in the final game -- sacrificing some lighting details for that was a fair trade.

[@CharlesLawsonSermons]

Who else wanted to play that demo so bad, back when that trailer was released, JUST to explore that beautiful looking city?! If 343i could get a working version of this demo in HD I would kiss them!

[@Phoenix-gz9xb]

Wow. Memories flooding back..That game blew me away on launch.

[@lebendigesgespenst7669]

I always found it interesting that Halo 2 changed the look of new Mombasa from the E3 presentation to the retail release but then ODST took so much inspiration from that very same presentation for the look of new Mombasa

[@cMARVEL360]

Honestly this was the MOST Epic Halo demo that has ever been done! I remember getting this on a DVD that came with some Game Magazine, I used to watch this almost EVERY SINGLE NIGHT with the Surround System! Those Long Sword fighters left the biggest impact on me over the years, the whole scene and the sound was just amazing! But seeing this again here, I have to admit that I think Bungie reached this Level of development with Halo:Reach. Halo:Reach has the exact vibes that this demo is giving off, and they even feature a section with the Long Sword fighters dive bombing a Scarab with this same Epicness. Bungie did good with Reach.

[@cMARVEL360]

referral madness Did you play Reach at it's launch?! I was 21 at the time and I remember it being Hated and everyone saying how BUNGIE "Ruined" Halo. The Theme repeats but the developer has changed. Maybe you just aren't a Real fan of the Series and cannot Adapt with it.

[@revatronprime4120]

cMARVEL360 honestly yeah everyone says the same thing

[@bballskiller]

cMARVEL360 - lol the big change was a sort of “**** you* to Microsoft when Reach first dropped. Honestly though, Reach was such a great Halo game. Not on the level of greatness of Halo 2 and Halo 3 but damn near.

[@Mr.Honest247]

bballskiller Halo 1 was the true masterpiece. Everything after was disgusting.

[@IamNOVAone]

I was 8 when Halo 2 was announced. That’s crazy for me to think about.

[@mareo187]

Christian Young the same

[@halofanaticboy]

I was 6 or 7 when I first played Halo 2. Good times

[@George83_Thomas]

Happy birthday

[@arkonomus]

Rewatching this demo again, I feel like a lot of the important gameplay aspects in this demo actually made it into the game. Dual-wielding, vehicle hijacking, the new weapons and enemies, improved AI, etc. While this demo sequence wasn't in the final game I feel like most of what they showed off actually made it in! Also, while the lighting was definitely different, i feel the visuals and environment in the final game don't look any worse than in the demo (I prefer that everything was brightly lit instead of being unable to see anything in the dark). Lastly, i realised that a lot of the design and aesthetic of demo New Mombasa was translated into ODST. :) great vid.

[@mayfieldd357]

The funny thing is I’m the demo the dual smgs were actually one weapon and had no recoil whatsoever. If you look closely he picks them up at the same time rather than one at a time

[@ah6169]

Man setting up LAN connection between 2-3 xboxes on the weekend with your friends over along with Pizza 🍕....those were the days !!

[@ProDudeFilmsGaming]

I have a video of the demo on my Xbox. It came with it on there because it was a Halo edition one, and 6 year old me was thinking “gee this mission is cool I wonder why it was not in the game”. Never even knew how much as a phenomena the Halo 2 demo was until a few years back

[@tastycookiechip]

They honestly should've delayed it by a year and made it a launch title for the xbox 360. Could you imagine Halo 2 with a year a fine tuning, this E3 level and battles on this scale and sound design but all on 360 hardware and Bungies potential used to their max potential.

[@Y0URGRANDMA]

"halo 2 is all about large open maps" have to disagree there, infact most of the game was claustrophobic the first game was way more open, colorful and overall a better looking imo.

[@halinaqi2194]

Generally speaking halo 2 maps are pretty open except for a few exceptions, cairo station, sacred icon, the oracle, and high charity. Most other levels are bigger just due to sheer size, but what I think you're talking about is the effective playable area, not explore-able area. While H1 has some open missions, lets not talk about the corridor shooting of truth and reconcilliation, 343 guilty spark, keyes, the library and pillar of autumn. Out of H1 10 missions 6 have heavy indoor shooting sections, and 1 has heavy copy and pasting level design (the library), and 1 reused map (Two betrayals), 2 partially recycled maps (The maw and Keyes). I am not saying these maps aren't open, but they do have a lot of corridor shooting in them, except two betrayals. Halo 2 has a fair share of indoor fights, but halo 1 is just as guilty. What matters isn't the how open the levels are but the enjoyment factor you get from playing them. H2 has better graphics, there isn't an argument there, H1 was more colourful, but H2 had better geometry, lighting, effects, sound effects, textures and voice acting. H2's seemingly brown colour pallet is only really evident in Outskirts, metropolis and the arbiter. Halo 2 has 13 unique levels and 1 copy and paste type level (sacred icon), H1 has 7 unique levels, 1 copy paste level, 3 partially recycled levels, a total of ten. H2 has 6 open based vehicle levels, H1 has 4 open based vehicle levels, including the warthog run, that would be 5. In your opinion it may be true, but it isn't factually speaking.

[@franklinbrown7389]

I love this content. I think it’s so important to capture the thoughts and feeling of the people who experienced these shows. It give so much depth to these videos. These videos do a great job at giving the viewer context of the attitudes of the gamers anticipating these games. I hope you keep making these.

[@nibblethegamecat]

I wanted to drop by and thank you John for all these amazing retro episodes! I can't even imagine the amount of time, effort and love you pour on these. But the end result feels very professional and nostalgic. Simply amazing work, I'm hooked!

[@Gottaculat]

Man, I was getting ready to go to college when Halo 2 was announced, and had already lost a couple former classmates to the war. Weird to think buddies you played Halo: CE LAN parties with never played Halo 2 because they'd been killed in action. I feel really old when I realize I remember watching the trailers for The Lion King and Jurassic Park, and can't believe it's been what? Almost 27-28 years? FML.

[@DJ88Masterchief]

I would love to see this demo played in HD! If 343 has this laying around they could release a new video with the MCC being fixed as well.

[@pmmcrobb]

I remember watching this video ad nauseum my freshman year in the dorms. Bought an Xbox the summer I graduated for the sole purpose of Halo multiplayer. Spent most weekends my first year playing 16 man matches over the network, with the other systems being in the same hallway, yelling taunts down the hall at the other team. Then came this game the following year, and suddenly we were able to match against kids from other dorms. Some of the best memories of my life.

[@scullystie4389]

I must have watched this a hundred times in high school. I was actually in boot camp when halo 2 released. I’ll never forget because on thanksgiving we got bussed off to a church for dinner and they had a couple xboxes with brand new copies of halo 2.

[@paulolameiras861]

One of my most hyped games ever. I was so disappointed when i realised the the E3 demo was not in the game!

[@Stangleripkis]

Paulo Lameiras the mutiplayer is gold. Pipe down

[@Mr.Honest247]

Paulo Lameiras Fuck “not” in the game, the graphics and look in the final game were so terrible that I couldn’t give a shit if they put the level in.

[@matternicuss]

This demo played a major part in me buying a Xbox in the first place ;) While the final game didn't quite live up to the demo visually, it was still a great console FPS.

[@Saphir__]

This demo still holds my top spot for most hyped demo. I had rewatched this thing so many damn times when I was 15.

[@GuillaumeB7]

That and the trailer with the bomb! At least that part more or less ended up in the game.

[@gabethebabe3337]

I remember playing split-screen with my older cousin on Halo CE. I was 4 years old and we beat the game together and then after a few months he showed me THIS gem on his computer. I watched in anticipation as I saw new features, weapons, and enemies. My dad bought me my first Xbox for Christmas 2005 and it came with Halo 2. I had already played it with my cousin by then, but I just HAD to have it. I remember noticing the changes in the final game and wishing I could play the E3 demo, but I still loved it. I played the campaign over and over again because I didn’t have Xbox Live until 2008. The cliffhanger ending did not bother me because I knew Halo would deliver come Halo 3. I had a blast with this trilogy, and I’m glad I got to experience the hype around what is not only my first split-screen co-op experience, but also my first favorite video game series. Thank you Bungie for making a good chunk of my childhood a found series of memories.

[@razor_no1]

15 years later and PC still doesn't matter at E3

[@madfinntech]

PC sells software and hardware without advertising. And E3 itself doesn't matter anymore.

[@DigitalFoundry]

Ehhhh...I dunno, this was the E3 where Half-Life 2 debuted. Doom 3 and Far Cry were also on the way. PS2 owners got Metal Gear Solid 3 as well. It was a good time for everyone.

[@razor_no1]

I play most games @ 144fps with G-Sync, IPS and 1440p. But I wonder why the PC has no big reveals or shows like consoles since its as popular and has more player overall.

[@S197_GT_Gotti]

RAZOR yeah it just matters all year round....lol

[@Yodagamer1]

Often times Microsoft's e3 announcement are for both PC and Xbox one.

[@mononoke721]

This demo blew my little mind back in 2003. Tis a shame it didn't entirely reflect the actual finished product, this still being a problem in the industry today, but at least most of the new mechanics shown in the game made it in, and it definitely captured the epic kickassery that Halo 2 would still deliver. Of course, back then, I was too young/stupid to notice the visual downgrade between demo and game, but then Halo 2 was still the best looking video game I'd ever seen/played at the time, so perhaps this ain't so surprising.

[@TheVengefulVadam]

Nice video! Very well-detailed when it comes to describing the normal maps, stencil shadows, and other small aspects.

[@jcostilla1983]

This game has a spot in my heart. Halo 2 just came out after HS. I had a shitty warehouse job, my own car and still lived at home. I had such a blast playing this game non stop. The game had me on the edge of my seat. Halo2 multiplayer was super fun and awesome, it introduced the party system that kids now take for granted. I still play and enjoy Halo2 today via MCC but what a fun game to experience back in the day.

[@h3llrazah420]

Loved halo2, put so many hours into multiplayer playing with my friends. playing clan matches and custom games lol.

[@mike-0451]

Wish they would put it up for download

[@Smexbi]

When I think of graphicly impressiv games from the early 2000s, I allways think of Metroid Prime. Playing it with component cable with the Trilogy on a Wii/WiiU it still looks really nice.

[@Gorilla_Jones]

The end of that demo, with the violin's and elites is still goose pimple inducing.

[@retailradiotv884]

This topic was an instaclick for me

[@tefthaus2825]

Keep it up John!

[@l-Jeremy]

Amazing game; amazing time to be alive, kids in their twenties today have no idea how epic that launch really was for the gaming industry! Nice work Jon

[@LarsBars17]

I remember this demo so well. I watched it repeatedly from the time it was shown to the time the game launched. I was completely disappointed at how much this particular scene changed in the final game, with the final game just having a much less inspiring atmosphere. But I grew to love Halo 2 over the years for what it was! Thanks for diving in to this DF!

[@brycevo]

I always loved this Demo. I wish we could have gotten a level more similar to this version of New Mombasa. It felt so much more Futuristic and Alive. Halo 2 is still amazing.

[@Mr.Honest247]

Bryce McKenzie In what world? Halo 2 was pure garbage last I remembered. Unless you mean Halo 1...the true masterpiece.

[@halinaqi2194]

Lol h2 multiplayer revolutionized multiplayer forever. H2 story was widely regarded best in the franchise. Only downsides are the difficulty balancing.

[@pascalg.-berardi9242]

I remember being in awe watching the demo, telling myself "so THIS is what Microsoft meant saying the Xbox was the most powerful console". Then the game came out and felt (visually) very drawn back. I was still in love with Unreal Tournament that I didn't care much for the MP. For me a game like Metal Gear Solid 2 is still far more impressive thanks to the careful art direction and creative ways they used to simulate advanced graphical effects. And a game like Star Wars Rogue Leader feels technically much more mature, with advanced graphical techniques like self-shadowing, multiple light sources, bump mapping of such quality that it can almost be mistaken for DX11 Tessellation, no pop ins, and an uncapped mostly high framerate.

[@zwimmy]

The first time I played Halo 2, the E3 demo was still fresh in my mind and I actually found it kind of cool and interesting to see the similarities and differences between the demo and the release version of the Earth levels. It was actually really exciting and a bit mind-blowing to see things take a different turn than I had expected, like the scarab shooting down the pelican. Imagine if the demo had made it into the game exactly as it was, I would have thought "oh, I've already seen this before".

[@sumyungguy8322]

Man the 2000's we're so awesome for gaming. You had the game cube, the Xbox, ps2 everyone on the school bus was playing Pokemon with there gamboy advance's. Every game that came out was finished out the gate. What a great time for gaming. I miss those days

[@Balnazzardi]

Back when you actually got hyped about Halo......those were the "good old days"....

[@Macho_Man_Randy_Savage]

Ahh, that texture popping! I still remember it to this day! Still, this game looked amazing and was a blast...and still is!

[@498fun]

I still remember the excitement of seeing the disk with this on it when my Official Xbox Magazine came in. I had just finally finished Halo a few months ago (I was so bad back then it took me forever) and I remember my disbelief watching this. I said out loud after Cortana ended with "I bet you can't stick 'Em" "This is impossible! " I guess I was right back then.

[@dootslayer3907]

I remember watching this over and over. I was so excited. The game was still good but man scale of the level looked so fun.

[@lugookeke57]

Xbox is in a state of decay

[@DerpDerp27]

Lugo Okeke no it isn't

[@sgtcoffman]

Derp Derp I am a Halo/Xbox guy at heart, but it really is. Sony and Nintendo both have exclusives that people actually look forward to. Microsoft has Halo and most of the people nowadays probably don't even look forward to that. I do because of the fact stated above, but Microsoft needs to step up their damn game and do something again. I would place bets that the average person could name more exclusives for Playstation right now than they could for Xbox sadly. Final note, while I am an Xbox guy, I have no issues with any other platform. I have all 3 of the current gen consoles and a PC and I use all of them. Just wish my boi Microsoft would step up their game again.

[@finanzberater8669]

sgtcoffman v that’s because they are ignorant as fuck, Halo 5 and Gears 4 are great games but people act like it’s mediocre at best which is a disgrace to the devs who did the impossible and continued 2 top notch IPs!

[@sgtcoffman]

Finanzberater While I wouldn't go so far as to call Halo 5 great (I can't speak for Gears 4, but I know a die hard Gears fan who really dislikes that one. I haven't asked his reasoning yet) I would still call it good and in my own opinion, better than Halo 4. The story was pretty fucked up though. No one can deny that the story Hunt the Truth was trying to hint at is way different than what we got, plus the lack of Chief in the game was disappointing at best. We finally get Blue team after waiting since 2001 and we get them for 3 whole levels? Also, Jul M'dama was setup as this overarching bad guy and could have been a great antagonist in Halo 5. Instead, hes killed in the first 10 minutes, in a cutscene no less. WE didn't even get to kill him haha. The game definitely has its upsides though. I LOVE the movement. Finally after all this time, we feel like a Spartan when we move. We can sprint, we can bust through walls, we have mobility, and we can clamber. Its awesome. The guns also sound really good. There is a lot of power behind most of the weapons and you can hear it. The story, despite me REALLY wanting to know what it was supposed to be, was still good for me. I had a great time with the game, but you cannot say the game was without fault. It definitely wasn't perfect.

[@tobsmonster2]

Finanzberater, No, the games just aren't competitive with what other companies are doing today. And like the guy above I've been an Xbox guy through and through, but everything they've done since the launch of the Xbox One has been pathetic in my opinion. And the sales numbers show that A LOT of people agree (PS4 world wide has sold almost double the Xbox One, and the Switch that came out last year isn't far behind the Xbox One either...they were all much more closely matched in the previous Gen. )

[@SolidMGSnake]

RIP single fire DMR

[@juliansalazar7097]

I turn 28 tomorrow and I thought I had forgotten this presentation. Man, was I wrong as hell. I remember this presentation/demo like it was yesterday. Time fucking flies... Halo 2 was incredible and it had some of the best multiplayer ever created. Hands down, Xbox Live was next level.

[@sythiktv]

While I got Halo 2 at launch, I was too young to follow its development. Halo 3's E3 announcement, though, gets me. The real-time reflections, the storm's visual appearance and lighting, Chief's armor detail in the trailer and the later released screenshot in front of a high quality door, and the "This is what Halo 3 is going to look like." statement.

[@connor040606]

Downgrade Confirmed.

[@madfinntech]

Indeed.

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

I dont think the graphics are that much of a difference. We arent talking Killzone 2 levels of difference

[@IxShocKzy]

Mega Drive I think he’s talking about the first Killzone 2 trailer, it looked surreal, but the difference between that trailer and the final game was generations apart, he refers that Halo 2 final Is closer to his presentation than Killzone ever was.

[@mastadope397]

Mega Drive But at least Sony got your 💰

[@thebaitthatisnatori157]

Mega Drive The trailer used made devs die inside at the event, it was a early trailer meant for the publishers I think.

[@mastadope397]

Mega Drive What's a Xbox?

[@dark1x]

While this is true keep in mind that this Halo 2 demo WAS a real demo running on Xbox dev hardware. The Killzone 2 2005 trailer, however, was never intended to be released to the public. Sony screwed Guerrilla Games over in that particular situation especially claiming it was a real game - when they basically had nothing at that point. Same happened with Evolution. THAT was a dark time for Sony.

[@KouryuTube]

I'll never forget how I felt watching this at the first time. I was a wide eyed 12 year old and nothing was more important. Lol. Halo 2 is a game that introduced me to so much. I think it was the first time I was introduced to an online gaming community, and it's largely because of how well they did it. I think it would be worth talking about how many online systems they created in this game that have become common place now. Messaging, party, friends list, matchmaking, and etc.

[@Goldpanda94]

I still think about this demo sometimes, that vision of New Mombasa, the architecture, the structures, the concept of it is still one of my favorite futuristic sci-fi cities. The release version pales in comparison and just seems like something that could be seen in a few decades while this city truly felt like 2552. This demo got me interested in buildings ( I love the ones during the intro flyby) and then engineering and then my current profession.

[@meleecraft]

"Stencil, the D is silent"

[@PACKERMAN2077]

Cat Down The Road to Recovery

[@lostmontanelas4236]

The only more impressive thing than this was Half life 2's 2003 demo, please, analise that one also when you guys have time

[@DigitalFoundry]

I think I covered that in my DF Retro on Half-Life 2!

[@lostmontanelas4236]

DigitalFoundry Really? Im going to check it now, thanks

[@postscriptum8142]

Lost Montanelas The Gravity Gun looked so bad in that demo.

[@mrsaintsgodzilla21]

I remember watching this demo on the Halo CE disk everyday. It was the only thing that got me through the wait for Halo 2’s release. God, I love the old days.

[@cwookdev]

DF should do a video checking out the Halo 2 Uncut mod, it's pretty fantastic, even adding back some of the cut shadows in cutscenes.

[@basslegion6537]

Hope a good E3 with many ,good games from MS , and at least some news about Halo 6

[@noobtubephails]

I remember being excited for Xbox E3 presentations.

[@DerpDerp27]

Dee0342 I'm still excited

[@noobtubephails]

Derp Derp These days im more wary for disappointment.

[@Comkill117]

Back when Xbox has games worth a damn. Now they’re all either on Xbox One + Windows 10, so on PC, or third party, so I can get them on something else. I miss when Xbox had exclusives, I really do. The only 2 exclusives I can think of are that Sunset overdrive game which never appealed to me, and Halo 5, which sucks even more than Halo 4 did somehow. You could argue MCC, but all those games are available on Original Xbox, and Xbox 360.

[@shawyo5]

Halo 2 exceeded my expectations and still stands as my favorite game of all time. I’ve never had so much fun playing a game. Ever. Long live H2! Great video bro! Loved the content and nostalgia blast.

[@npancratz]

And now 343 and the mod community are coming together to make a playable version!

[@Wogle]

I've always liked the way the E3 demo built up, but something about it never sat right with me. I think it was to do with how obviously scripted it was; especially evident when the grunt shows a lack of AI after getting off the warthog and standing to look at Master Chief. It never really felt like you were affecting anything with your actions, just moving from one set piece to another (despite how cool some looked). Yes, nearly all E3 demos are scripted, but they usually do a better job of hiding it.

[@TheJayson8899]

Wogle They went through hell trying to make this game, and this E3 demo was no different. The amount of effort they spent trying to get it working is amazing.

[@stopandchek]

Good video

[@CFHGARZA]

This was so long ago. I downloaded the "cam" version, burned it to a CD-R and drove to the comic shop everyone hung out at. This has to be the greatest E3 demo of all time.

[@legatomodi3522]

i think it for the most part they delivered. there was alot of buildings "popping in" to the scenes and gameplay, and maybe light and shadowing wasnt as elaborate as they wanted in the end, but for the most part they did deliver in the final game what they were saying they had. Maybe we didnt get this exact scenerio at night on a highway or whatever, but what we got was good enough. i hadnt seen the preview or anything and halo 2 was the first one i played, and it was incredible to behold in its time, even with the loading issues.

[@dreammfyre]

Halo MCC on PC, bitte... are my thoughts after watching this. Seriously tho, I think that would do wonders to the whole franchise. Last 5 years or so, both COD and BF has taken the crowns as the big first person shooter games, as HALO have become less and less relevant. By taping into the PC market, HALO's reach(hah) would extend into places where console gaming is almost nonexistent, like Russia or SEA, and thus reversing it's current negative trajectory. Win-win, Microsoft!

[@Comkill117]

re hash to be fair I think part of why Halo’s popularity has been in decline is the past couple games have been ok at best. Halo 4&5 aren’t very good and MCC has a lot of bugs, though I’d get a PC version for sure since I love this series so much.

[@glitchman1272]

Don't mean to necro but, we now have up to Halo 3 on Steam, with ODST, 4 and even Infinite on their way

[@Visuwyg]

I thought Halo 2 looked butt-ugly even on day of release. I was so disappointed. The FOV was also tiny, the first time I noticed this in a game. Other than visuals, I remember quite liking the campaign, especially the cliffhanger ending was mega hype!

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

troll

[@Tofuey]

You definitely didn't play it at launch then. The ending was the worse part of halo 2.

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

butt ugly on day of release? Halo 2 was the best looking console graphics at the time.

[@kosmosyche]

SHADOSTRYKR Dude, even Metroid Prime (which came out 2 years before Halo 2) looked better than that grey and bland mediocrity.

[@no1DdC]

Imagine what it looked like three years later on PC, when Microsoft insisted that only Windows Vista and Direct-X 10 were able to run this game. I remember a games journalist recalling how at a convention a Microsoft employee was just going on and on how good the game looked while he tried it out and he had to hold his laughter back, because it was just so incredibly outdated at the time. I remember following the console version at the time, since in 2003 the original Xbox still had some of that image of being a particularly powerful console that could take on PCs, but I wasn't impressed at all back then either. Half Life 2 and Far Cry were on the horizon, both of which looked a generation ahead. Purely from a visual standpoint, Halo 2 just demonstrated how consoles were beginning to fall behind of the PC in terms of raw power.

[@gameguru1234]

I will never forget the first time I saw Chief boarding the ghost. Fucking legendary moment

[@jjs6568]

Yea i vividly remember the mounting of enemy vehicles and knocking them off and literally being obsessed with it for the entire time playing the game.