Forgotten Art Style of Halo 2

[@Spendingryan]

The worst crime of all was not bringing back the awesome phantom sounds you would hear during the cutscenes when it was flying fast, but not bringing back the spectre might be the most heretic thing.

[@TheLastArbiter]

Halo 2 Elites were the BEST art design, hands down! They looked so imposing, sleek, nimble, and dangerous. I like from the front they seem to have no eyes, just that shiny helmet and the jaws. I think the Halo 3 elites look like toys

[@PackHunter117]

Reach Elites are goated with the Infinite Elites. However I do agree that the Halo 3 Elites are wonky to say the least. I prefer the H2A Elites however the OG Halo 2 Elite helmet doesn’t clip into the body armor like it does in H2A

[@TheLastArbiter]

@@PackHunter117 Reach ones are cool too. A more muscular version that look bigger and more ferocious, but still agile and act properly

[@PackHunter117]

@@TheLastArbiter I love how they don’t use melee you but they can even front kick and sidekick you. Not only are they good at shooting but they clearly know some martial arts too

[@TheLastArbiter]

@@PackHunter117 YES! I loved how they kicked like that! My brother and I would always laugh when they did that. Sometimes they do it right when you throw a plasma and you’d stick the bottom of their foot 😂

[@branstone]

@@TheLastArbiterlooks like soccer isn’t their type of sport

[@KRawatXP2003]

I agree. Halo 2 art style is more iconic and I personally prefer it too.

[@ORLY911]

I also really liked the Forerunner architecture the best out of all the games in Halo 2. It looks weathered and dirty rather than pristine, which is appropriate for something sitting there for a very long time. There's a lot more stone ruins which implies different levels of sophistication and technique with the forerunners.

[@xyreniaofcthrayn1195]

Halo 3 - halo 5 each installation had sentinels cleaning the most trivial of places in a concerted effort to remain at peak efficiency. Installation's 1-7 while having sentinels their network is dependant on the discretion of the monitor in charge of each installation so far no monitor has been obsessed with keeping each and every nook and cranny of each complex clean until a flood outbreak.

[@Videot78]

Halo 2 has such an amazing story, gameplay and art style. Had they kept the increased graphics in the older versions of Halo 2 and the other half of the storyboard (both cut due to time and graphics being too intense for the Xbox) it would’ve been the definitive best halo game across the community.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

Speak for yourself. It's probably my favorite game of all time.

[@ihavehart]

Love your videos dude. They really scratch that obscure Halo info itch I have 😂 Keep it up! Your content is extremely unique.

[@honor2323]

You should compare the H2 and H2A Design for the covenant, I would like to know your thoughts on it. I agree H2 and HCE artstyle was peak for the franchise

[@Hunterunt]

The H2A is almost identical to Halo Reach, which is built off of Halo 3, rather than Halo 2.

[@ugiustuskeiserus8066]

I hate how they just used the Reach fuel rod design

[@jurassicarkjordanisgreat1778]

I hate how they just used reach designs for everything. I miss the classic bungie style before reach@@ugiustuskeiserus8066

[@aidan8473]

I think that Halo 3's alien design was focused on making it less realistic, as they wanted the artstyle to be more stylized. I think it makes Halo 3 stand out as a timeless looking game, but I understand and love Halo 2's look still. It's something the series never went back to, and with the tech available even now, I don't know if it would be worth making them look realistic. Maybe I'm just used to how it looks now.

[@aidan8473]

Also I get what you're trying to say but they're aliens - there is no "realism" inherent to their design.

[@jayexld7770]

Halo 3 brought aspects of 1 and 2 together in a way that could’ve pushed a polished unique design for the series but uh, Reach had the best Spartans and Elites personally speaking.

[@Macbravolive]

it was my beloved childhood game too back in 2005 when i first got it. For the designs, -Marines resemble real life soldiers with that woodlands camo and BDU of the early 2000s -Grunts reminds me of a Tortoise face with Elephant's feets and cone shape shell backpack. they also behave and react like a rodent with squeaky voices. -Elites are like the nimble, fierce and tough honorable lizard warriors. They look like they have hooves than toes even tho they have toenails in the nude model? -Brutes are just a very primal and savage Ape and Rhino barbarians -Jackals. at first, i thought they are the Gungan from starwars. they do look very similar with the beak and shield. Plus, starwars ep1-2 was popular back then. -Drone, just your everyday annoying emerald wasp. it resemble beetles too -Hunters. At first, i thought they were bipedal orange Slug people, but it turns out they are made out of hundreds of worms. The texture wasn't very clear in halo 2 graphic. -Prophet, i didnt actually think much about them? i always thought their ear lobe are lop ears like rabbits. Most of the design were upgraded and detailed from Halo 1, i did wish the character design is kept in Halo3 but not as much as when halo 4 change so much.

[@purporium6902]

Your channel is underrated bro, you focuse in simple deyails who no one give attention. A genuine curiosity by random interesting stuff

[@Spartan_Tanner]

Ngl, I had no idea the Drones are more cartoony in Halo 3 than in Halo 2, can you compare Reach and 2's artstyle in order to see if anything from Halo 2 came back in Reach?

[@Hunterunt]

Halo Reach and most future games is built off of Halo 3 design.

[@PackHunter117]

The Drones did go back to a design more like Halo 2. Same with Hunters. Grunts and Jackals stayed mostly the same save for the new armor designs. Hunters also went back to a more silver color like CE. Only the Brutes and Elites are new. And the Elites still resemble CE. The Brutes are the only bad thing about the Reach Covenant design

[@PackHunter117]

I get much of your gripe with the art style however much of your criticism doesn’t make sense. The Drones have realistic eyes that look like wasps and bees. Bodies like a mantis. The Covenant have always used fancy armor hell they actually even have ceremonial versions of said armor that you see in Halo Reach prominently. This fact is even commented on with Spartans laughing at the Covenants seemingly disregard for standing out with say blue, red, and gold armor walking around in the snow. The Jackals are supposed to be like alien vultures and dinosaurs that have prominent snouts and eyes. Brutes still look amazing in Halo 3 and make sense since Truth upgraded them and they can still be stupid but now look like hyper carnivores with their eyes and huge teeth which again is their very nature. The ones I do kinda agree on is Elites and Prophets. However again the more elaborate and colorful armor makes sense because of everything I already mentioned. What are you meaning the art style was originally more realistic? They’re aliens after all and again their biology still reflects stuff in real life. The Grunts don’t need extra rubber like armor above their face. And look to Halo Reach, 4, 5, and Infinite if you want heavily armored Grunts. Hell H2A still uses the Spec Ops armor for Grunts.

[@Ethriln]

I feel like the change in Halo 2's Marine design could be interpreted as representing more relatable armour style/colouration that we would generally see today (As the game mostly takes place on Earth at the beginning when establishing our first impressions and when encountering marines), however with a futuristic twist. When encountering Halo CE's Marines, this usually takes place in space or on Halo itself - hence the use of more neutral, less earthy and more futuristic look. We're subconsciously reminded that the game is taking place on Earth itself (at least at the start) through the use of more earthly textures and designs. Just a thought anyways...

[@halo3iskewlyay]

As a fan of H3's artstyle I tend to agree with most of your points about gritty realism. H3 is definitely more "cartoony" but man, I just adore its lighting. It's beautiful.

[@augustocoss3687]

There's this Mexican 3D artist who Redid the Halo 2 Brute and Elite design and updated it to 4k graphics WHILE KEEPING IT INTACT. I think You'd like it. It actually prives that Halo 2 had the best Brute design, just not good graphics

[@bigza5097]

I agree, Halo 2 had the best elites they looked like real aliens. Halo 3 has the worst grunts they made them as ugly as possible. Halo 3 is really where they started to animate in a more stylized "cartoonish" artstyle that has just become accepted as the signature look of Halo. I've been wanting to make something about this and I'm glad other people recognize it, theres a team remaking CE in Halo 3s artstyle meanwhile id be just as happy to see Halo 3 modded to have Halo 2s artstyle as those games take place within like the same day or two

[@PackHunter117]

No one actually knows what real aliens would look like. Halo 3 still kept the lizard Elites however they look even more monitor lizard like. Grunts have always looked ugly not sure how they got uglier in Halo 3. Reach has the best Elites because they have the black eyes like Halo 2 and CE but are even more powerful and agile alongside being very dangerous. Add the plasma daggers for assassinations, the really cool EVA armor for the Rangers, and the amazing Infiltration Harness for the Spec Ops Elites and you have the best Elites in the franchise. And you can’t forget the fucking badass Ultras or Evocati.

[@soh1430]

All Halo games had different Artstyle Gigachad thinker Vs Nerdy Bungie and 343 Artstyle thinker.

[@theblueheart2662]

Bro literally made this video for me

[@defaultgraycat]

h2c was peak halo artstyle

[@Hunterunt]

You mean H2A?

[@Hunterunt]

Ohhh that makes sense

[@cooldudemcswagcooldudemcsw4697]

I like your video :) I think at least one reason that the enemies look ‘less realistic’ in Halo 3 is because it’s supposed to reflect the feel of the games. Halo 2 was the narrative low point of the story where things are grim and the odds against you, but Halo 3 is supposed to be bombastic and over the top as you face against an entire army and finish the fight

[@purporium6902]

I really really want this more "bestial" face or overhaul body desing of the brutes, this make them less ape, and more unique(I named them gorila-bear). And i like the antennae-like eyes of the buggers, but i also like the 3 and later desings. About the 3 and 2 desings being so different, maybe because halo 3 have a more "cartoonish" focussed art style, make their physical characteristics more proeminent. But about realism, halo reach make a great work(Except by the elites body shape), hyper detailed enemies and weapons, matching well with the more darker desing. And the H:Infinite grunt have this less rocky desing, and more smoother skin, and other desings have more "classical" desings (Basing in videos and photos, because i don't play the campaing, 249 bucks bro)

[@Albino_Basilisk]

I don’t know if I would call halo 2 more gritty. I would say it’s cartoony, just like halo ce is, with anime-like influences, and the rank colors were the brightest in those two games. Halo Reach is the grittiest, most drab looking halo game. Also, shoutout to the halo wars style (in game), tho the graphics are very low poly, it’s the last time we saw the halo ce/2 design style. I’m not sure why the cutscenes don’t reflect the in game model designs

[@PackHunter117]

Yeah the Halo Wars and Legends Elite butts are hilarious

[@Albino_Basilisk]

@@PackHunter117 they got massive glutes from all the teabagging they’ve done on their fallen enemies

[@PackHunter117]

@@Albino_Basilisk 😂

[@protocetid]

Glowing eyes is unrealistic except when it’s a H2 enemy? The H3 Drone does have iridescent armor, they gave it a soft underbelly possibly to emphasize that it’s weak. H3 Truth has a higher polycount and higher res textures, H2 has the best Elites I’ll give you that. Bizarrely you say a lot about the grittiness of H2 and the added detail that art direction calls for, yet completely leave out the game that beats it in those departments, Reach. Besides the Hunters and Elites were body proportions really changed in the sequels? The video gives me the impression you adore H2 and are exaggerating or fabricating reasons to explain why it’s peak Halo to you. It’s ok to have a favorite, your rhetoric is full of holes and not very convincing to be honest. Realism doesn’t equal better, in fact stylization can be more fun. Besides the toned down violence and the Reclaimer saga art change I don’t have a problem with how Halo changed. In conclusion, I don’t have an issue with H2 being the number one game for you, I just found the video kind of silly.

[@Hunterunt]

Thanks. Reach units are based off of Halo 3 designs. Halo 3 being when the shift away from Halo 2 happened. Reach still uses tons more bloom than Halo 2, so Halo 2 wins for dark/gritty. The Buggers are more shiny in H2 and The prophet looks more detailed in my opinion. Porportion-wise, examples are: Jackals have larger eyes and snout, Elites are thiccer. Anywhom a huge change in design shifting post Halo 2.

[@protocetid]

@@Hunterunt Reach does use more bloom but saying that makes the game less gritty is nonsense. Everything is more weathered in Reach, there’s a lot of greys and browns. It has some color but that’s because Halo is a fairly colorful franchise. Without double checking I’d say H2 is more saturated than Reach. The Spartans are even more realistic and carry various pouches and attachments like (I imagine) a real soldier does. Reach is a war story where the Spartan IIIs aren’t performing as many super hero stunts or saying one liners like MC does in H2. The Covenant have zero humorous moments and are the most menacing they’ve been depicted in a Halo game. The protagonist and their squad die because the Covenant commit genocide on an entire planet. Drones have compound eyes which is more true to life than the glowing bits they have in H2. Lastly Reach does not use H3’s Elites or Brutes. The Brutes have tattoos which is kind of cool but their face looks stupid in this game.

[@WarwickkkT101]

I would love to see all halo 2 assets in halo 3

[@wendigo40k47]

Halo 2 had so much swag man

[@halostopmotionandreviews]

I am a professional halo 2 meat rider. It is my favorite game for mods as well. Halo 3 and ce dont stand a chnace since halo 2 inovated so much in my opinion

[@nicholasdelaney1407]

Halo 2 Anniversary was a great remaster, however, it will never live up to the original, because you know what they say, the classic is always the best.

[@sx3708]

halo CE marines looked like that because that games main inspiration was Aliens (1986)

[@BlatantThrowAway]

Nice job with the thesaurus

[@TyrannoWright]

It's clear they tried to pull off a Doom 3 after 2002 but hit a snag with the Xbox's hardware limitations to keep much of the engine improvements. Resulting in that muddy and sometimes shadeless look everyone knows of the retail release. Imo I prefer CE's for the early bumpmaps and sharp detail textures really making models and maps pop out.

[@flooferfox2407]

Honestly I love all the art directions each game has despite not being consistent at all Whether it's the complete corny and simple childlike designs of Halo CE Or the more grimy realism of Halo 2 sure the often flat lighting doesn't do it justice and apparently it was supposed to be stencil lighting early in development or the high Fidelity yet simple cartoony nature of Halo 3 Especially with the beautiful lighting And honestly I could go on about reach and anniversary and even the reclaimer saga stuff Halos consistency in art direction is a mess but I kind of love it as it gives each game of the series a distinctive look from one of another

[@flooferfox2407]

Also great video ✨🖤✨

[@flooferfox2407]

I think my least favorite is infinite

[@flooferfox2407]

I don't know how Halo infinite managed to try having five different identities while having no identities of its own It doesn't commit to a single direction therefore it clashes but also doesn't do anything new so it's generic But even then there's still some things I like about infinite

[@chciken]

Halo 2!

[@Hunterunt]

🕊😄

[@ihavehart]

Halo 2

[@meerkat5818]

"Hopefully this mood will return in a future Halo title" Ummmm... Might want to check out Bungie's last Halo game

[@Loch_Ness_Lachster]

Love to see my main man @Hunterunt , hope everything going well with you, definitely loving these vids, can’t wait for more! 👍👍👍

[@Donoho-Studios]

I believe halo W was aimed at being more gritty while halo 3 seemed to go a more PG/Cartoon’ish route. Everything about halo 2 seems like it had a dirtier rougher feel to everything. Especially the brutes. The only change they needed was to be slightly less powerful. They didn’t need to turn into brainless pushovers in 3.

[@Nifty_Noob]

I MISS THE DBZ EYE PEICE FOR MARINES

[@Foreign0817]

I would have been cool to see covenant with pouches and more rugged equipment.

[@TerrorOmnibus]

Another one is how the spartans armor actually looked like metal instead of the plastic armor spartans got in H3 Halo reach sorta fixed it but the color options werent the best... Stil better than H3's

[@hasansabahgaminganimemovie7679]

I love this new style of video

[@zafelrede4884]

I noticed this when i played Halo 3 for the first time not too long ago. I had played Halo 1&2 on PC and was never able to play the rest until i got the MCC. I thought Halo 3 was really dissapointing but couldn't really point out why. At the time i was mostly bummed out by how much the arbiter was shafted. Every mission in Halo 3 is non-stop action with little downtime. I really enjoy those moments in Halo 1&2 when there are no enemies (either because you killed them all or they are too far away) and you can just soak in the atmosphere, and progress whenever you feel like it. Meanwhile Halo 3 just seems to keep rushing you. Not that there is much to look at anyway, Halo 3 has mostly boring setpieces.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

Finally someone said it!!!

[@zafelrede4884]

@@ashyoshicharizard3949 I think it's because every mission in Halo 3 gives you allies that come with you, which creates a sense of urgency and business. In Halo CE and Halo 2 you were often alone.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

​​@@zafelrede4884 the game just kinda feels empty. And i played it recently for the first time in a long while. Also you only fight brutes for almost the whole game and they are way to easy.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

@@zafelrede4884 and the halo 3 pistol omg worst in the series.

[@zafelrede4884]

@@ashyoshicharizard3949 Eh, i would say the pistol and SMG in Halo 2 are worse. Not only do they feel weak, but they sound and look like little pieces of plastic. Atleast in Halo 3 they look cool. But none of these weapons would ever compare to the arsenal you had in Halo CE. Those guns were awesome.

[@alastor-yw7og]

And what of the designs for the hunters in halo 2 along with tbe floods design?

[@strangegaming3060]

It's a tossup between CE and 2 in terms of aesthetics for me. CE felt more like 80s military scifi action with a touch of horror, while 2 felt more like it was trying to give itself its own identity by incorporating more real life imagery into their designs. Both approaches are great, but I think every game after 2 either struggled to find the right balance between the two. H3 and Infinite balanced them pretty nicely, but Reach leaned way more towards realism while 4 and 5 leaned more towards the scifi side (but not retro sci-fi like CE).

[@Guadeloop]

may i ask which copy of Halo 2 did you use for footage? just regular MCC? how do you feel about MCC's graphics compared to the original xbox? i played the Reclaimed mod for Proj. Cartographer and felt like the colors and effects popped out much more as opposed to the really washed-out colors of the MCC copy. good video btw!

[@jimjellyjinjamjimbo]

Halo CE has the best art style, but 2 is a close contender.

[@anguianoguerrero616]

Based, third is in game first halo wars.

[@thefallen2220]

I disagree with Halo needing to have ultra gritty designs, i mean it's a game where you are shooting aliens with advanced tech, and also H3 elites have my favorite armor designs with a lot of personality, the grunts i dunno i, IMO H2 grunts are more cute so i agree, H3 brutes are ugly AF so i also agree on brutes, for jackals H2 jackals design seem less like a bird compared to H3 and i feel like H3 designs have better quality, the prophet design didn't feel like a downgrade they look the same tbh, the hunters in H3 are the H2 hunters with better quality, drones i don't really care because i don't like them anyway Please don't rage on this comment this is my opinion, and also i love your mods!

[@ugiustuskeiserus8066]

Halo 2 isn't so bad when you look at Reach. Reach went the Uber-gritty style and lost the slight cartoonish charm the originals had. H2 still had some flare fun to it while Reach made it as realistic as possible. Reach still looks so good to this day because of it but it can't be denied that it is way different than the other games

[@thefallen2220]

@@ugiustuskeiserus8066 Reach looks very 3 to me like Hunterunt said

[@PackHunter117]

@@ugiustuskeiserus8066 That’s what made the art style so cool though. The UNSC became hyper realistic and the Covenant had their apex of Elites and others there to destroy humanity. Only the Brutes really suffered with the art style and gameplay.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

Drones are the best enemies

[@primusvsunicron1]

isn’t Halo 3’s lighting engine bugged?

[@trillmixin6999]

Halo 3 brutes and on were always strange to me. They looked like a balding 50 yo biker trying to relive his younger years 😂

[@PackHunter117]

Imo they looked like hyper carnivores that at any given moment would start beating the shit outta everything around them. Sadly their gameplay can be wonky sometimes. But in terms of design that’s what they make me think of

[@grailw9221]

you forgot one important thing, and it's the fact that all of the non human characters had distinct faces from one another. while after halo 2 they are simply clones with minor differences like skin tone, or scars etc. also as you've said halo 2's' art direction puts a'lot of effort into making the world grounded, and lived in, but you really did not mention that it does so. without sacrificing a bright color pallete, and visual diversity. it's been over 20 years and delta halo-regret is still beautiful, as it was back in 2004. what i'm trying to get at. is that you have a good argument. it's just that you miss a lot of a strong points. which is understandable. this is your first time doing a video of this type.

[@abobobini]

What do you think about Halo Reach?

[@Hunterunt]

Reach units are based off Halo 3 designs and still a ton more bloom in environment than Halo 2. When I refer to Halo 3 I mean post Halo 2 ( I assumed everyone knew that future games were based off Halo 3) probably couldve explain it better.

[@theneoreformationist]

Halo 2 had the best and most iconic art style by far. Every species felt like an animal of some kind with textured fur and a distinct, easily-recognizable appearance. Halo 3 was a great game, but I really can't think of any changes they made in Halo 3 that were beneficial. Even the original halo 2 ending was better than halo 3's story.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

Ohhhhh burn!!!!

[@heftymagic4814]

What about reach?

[@blueshit199]

halo ce had a better art style imo, was much more colorful and clean. in h2, the bump mapping makes everything look like clay

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

Ehhh no because after 2 everything got way to realistic

[@blueshit199]

@@ashyoshicharizard3949 not sure if that contradicts my opinion

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

@@blueshit199 it does

[@tiger_lord305]

Aside from content, I’ve been saying Halo 3 is a step down from CE and Halo 2.

[@hasansabahgaminganimemovie7679]

And how did they reply ?

[@tiger_lord305]

@@hasansabahgaminganimemovie7679 Mainly that Im wrong, but it’s usually because most people got into Halo during the 3 era

[@thefallen2220]

@@tiger_lord305 People have opinions you konw

[@anguianoguerrero616]

Before 343 destroyed it with their awful remasters.

[@JanoschNr1]

Well tbh H2 is pretty bad according to the CE art style, I mean in CE the Elites were Nobel, slick, almost elegant, in 2 they feel and act like cluncky monkeys ... and also added gorrilas to it's faction wich totaly did not fit.

[@Krokorok5678]

I think you're confusing halo 2 with 3 there dude.

[@ashyoshicharizard3949]

Halo 3 was just bad fanfiction.

[@JanoschNr1]

@@Krokorok5678 Nope, just get over it fanboy.

[@JanoschNr1]

@@ashyoshicharizard3949 Yeap

[@Krokorok5678]

@@JanoschNr1 nope your nostalgia blinded by ce

[@misterbanshee7992]

H3 was still a good game though.

[@igors2383]

👍

[@LonelyGamer4]

You complain that the gritty “realistic” style was ditched after H2 like Reach and Wars don’t exist

[@Lou-yf1jo]

Halo 2 doesn't have a art style.