Was Halo Anniversary a faithful remaster? | Saber Interactive's take on Combat Evolved

Basically back in the late 2000s, early 2010s, 343 approached Saber with a project, a complete remaster of combat evolved in time for the game’s 10th anniversary. Saber accepted the project and what sprung from it is technically quite an accomplishment. Using Havok engine as an intermediary to make sure everything is in-sync, It's essentially two games running on top of each other. The gearbox software PC port of Halo as a base and then Saber’s Anniversary version as a coat of paint. Lots of care and careful consideration had to go into making sure everything synced up visually. If the ground texture was too elevated in anniversary graphics, players could look like they are clipping through the floor as they run through a room. Special tools were created so that the developers could make sure things added up visually. What they ended up shipping is really quite cool… But is it faithful to Combat Evolved?
Welcome to LateNightGaming where we discuss modern games on a regular basis and go in depth behind your favorite (Or least favorite) titles!
Twitter: bit.ly/2eP73LR
EarlyMorningGaming: bit.ly/1ZzPHzB
Gamertag: LateNightHalo
Facebook: bit.ly/1qpn5h6
Twitch: bit.ly/1N4xWBK
Spartan Company: bit.ly/25FUxjR

[@rosymuscovy7967]

Doesn’t matter which artstyle is superior, I’m still going to flip back and forth between them endlessly, lol

[@hedged-valley1148]

Sometimes I just picture myself flipping a lightbulb off and on in comparison

[@matthewcoyle4131]

It does matter though. The classic graphics aren't the original Xbox graphics. I think this channel has a video on it but Anniversary uses the gearbox pc port. The textures are far less detailed and some models (like Keyes) get messed up.

[@Phantom_Aspekt]

@@matthewcoyle4131 Thankfully they've been fixing some of the issues from the port in MCC, this year they patched Halo 1 on MCC to finally have working bump maps just like the original Xbox had!

[@matthewcoyle4131]

@@Phantom_Aspekt that's promising. I haven't checked out the new port yet. Still need to get around to replaying Reach.

[@nischalofchrist]

Can't resist pressing the TAB button.

[@Sqdlow]

I felt CEA missed the point of the ring being an ancient, minimalistic, abandoned location that hosted a civilizations past. Everything felt too clean, too new and polished.

[@Ebalosus]

A lot of people have said that, and I agree with it. While it looks better, the tone and atmosphere have shifted. The times between combat when you really get to look around and drink in the atmosphere are meant to be foreboding, not impressive.

[@jackburton307]

But it doesn't look better. Everything looks cartoony fake.

[@Sanya6496]

Man if only I could feel that way about CEA...after h5, I'm just going to be happy that CEA didn't go overboard with the clean and new look and too much brightness.

[@musashilee9718]

It's definitely 343i artistic approach to the Forerunners. Halo Wars 2 & CEA make their architecture feel too Tron-like futuristic. Some structures feel to brightly lit like the Library, 343 Guilty Spark, & some Forerunners levels in HW2.

[@Sanya6496]

@@musashilee9718 oh yeah as much as I love the cutscenes in HW2 the in game models are Forerunner stuff and regular marines and such still, infuriatingly, retains things that aren't Halo style.

[@tj8500]

I think that the Beach Landing in the Silent Cartographer was captured perfectly. I loved it!

[@AntzolY111]

Yeah that level god damn best Halo stuff in every way

[@tj8500]

@@AntzolY111 Definitely

[@AntzolY111]

@@tj8500 thank you man exactly no matter where you start you go around the island freely explore feel small on halo ring that part puts perfectly just i look up on the sky how tiny we are on the island I only wish bungie could capture that on Later halo games.

[@jcdenton3512]

Easily the best anniversary level in the entire game

[@musashilee9718]

Pretty much capture & emphasised what the remaster should be.

[@baransevim3969]

Short answer: not really, but it still looks pretty good in some places.

[@AntzolY111]

Of course original colors grey and blue I did miss it in A graphics. But switching A graphics are beautiful not same atmosphere but still holds very Halo vibes.

[@upy0ur5]

I had to switch to Anniversary graphics in dark places since the PC port flashlight doesn't work.

[@StainderFin]

agree uber bugged company did released it too soon not enough beta testing

[@iainkilcar7463]

Even shorter answer: no

[@nixoproto7545]

Its really just better graphic wise, the cutscenes still suck

[@HaloGrunt15]

They made Captain Keyes straight up look like Sylvester Stallone

[@BullworthGraduate]

There’s an idea if a Halo film ever happens. XD

[@compmanio36]

@@caleg2256 You can tell they're clearly trying to mirror his look in Reach in CEA, but the engine doesn't quite match the textures they're trying to slap on the model.

[@slub4542]

Dude Sergeant Johnson became Mexican. There are plenty of character models that Saber butchered in the remaster lmao.

[@warreng675]

Lol

[@akhilprasad7227]

😂

[@nicholasleon7819]

The reason why CEA doesn’t work and H2A does is because CE’s beauty was its simplicity. I believe it was Joseph staten who said CE was put together with duct tape and bailing wire. So when you try and remake it with elegant and up to date tools it just looks weird. Meanwhile halo 2 was an attempt to be cutting edge graphically and was made by a bigger bungie with more assets compared to the bungie that made CE, so when you take the remaster tools to it, it looks right at home.

[@randysavage1]

Also the gameplay changes. The elites are less aggressive, characters talk less, and their blood doesn't glow in the dark

[@Wuunderboy]

You are spot on! That's why I think Kashiera nailed it with her Halo 3 combat evolved

[@blizzary9369]

The silent cartographer was definitely the mission that saw the most positive graphical enhancements in CEA

[@nykcarnsew2238]

Blizz 4041 the exterior is the only part of the game I like more than the original

[@TheSchnieder6]

@@michaeloswalt2917 hell, just playing through casually on normal when CEA came out; so many rocks, walls, trees, etc. that had different models that didn't show the true hitboxes of the environment. Annoyed me to no end. It's a good thing that you can switch between the graphics without having to waste a second/third shot trying to find the actual hitbox.

[@alandadj1298]

Damn that mission looked good with Anniversary graphics

[@SonicBoone56]

@@TheSchnieder6 especially when flying Banshees near the edge of mountains. I kept hitting nothing. Switched to classic and bam, I'm hitting the mountain....

[@Chuked]

Truth and reconciliation, silent cartographer and assault on the control room

[@Name-eg1uf]

My most fav part of CEA would have to be the grav lift fights on truth and reconciliation just because it looks amazing

[@the_fc4life]

I love going thru CE Anniversary with the brightness way down. It helps restore some of the mysterious, foreboding, almost spooky moods throughout the game, while keeping the beautiful details and skyboxes of the remaster. It's not a perfect fix, and if you go too dark you won't be able to see the enemies that well, but I enjoy it 🙌🙌

[@fojisan2398]

Reshade ought to help

[@Shony338]

I honestly love The Maw, the desert atmosphere where the pillar crashed allows it to have a more warm feeling that the ship inside colors fit really well, plus the destructed parts of the ship look way better than just a gray skin over it

[@TheGoldNShadow]

The only thing I would change with The Maw is making it look more damaged.

[@iwu-xm3xc]

Although CEA isn't a true remaster of CE's OG graphics, I will admit that I was thankful (gameplay wise) for the library and 343 guilty spark being a bit brighter just for gameplay, but the flood horror feels just doesn't feel too right.

[@peskymacaw9033]

Is it a TRUE remaster? Yes Is it a good remaster? Not much

[@BullworthGraduate]

Chops Aguilar It’s more of a remake than a remaster.

[@TheChadPad]

Ya know, H2A wasn't even a true remaster, and it begs the question of whether we'll ever see a truly high-res version of these old games with all the original designs intact. I would pay to see that. H2A was still awesome, don't get me wrong, but I can't be the only Halo fan that expected something totally different from both of these remasters

[@pingsheng8768]

@@TheChadPad i like h2a cutscenes but cea cutscenes are weird

[@TheWideMurloc]

This kind of stuff is actually something myself and a few other modders are planning on fixing when we get our mod tools from 343. Mostly using h2a assets to replace some weapons, environment details, and characters, as well some back to the drawing board iterations of reach assets (like using the marines with more metal armor and no backpack instead of the ones chosen for CEA).

[@tristanbackup2536]

Don't forget to put in the proper MA5B recreated by 3D artist or a ripped from Halo Wars somehow. The one they used was just a MA5C reskinned as the MA5B. To us heavy lore fans, it is really annoying.

[@mastuhyeet6422]

I'll be looking forward to it.

[@TheWideMurloc]

Tristan Backup ive actually personally been planning the assault rifle replacement. Hoping to use the ma5d as a base, change the proportions and colors to match the 5b, where the original took a lower quality halo 3 model and changed just the colors. My goal is to ensure the changes match the original silhouette of the 5b as well while also having a better model

[@mrpiratefox4497]

But please dont change the Master chief model, its just the perfect evolution to the Mark V

[@TheWideMurloc]

@@mrpiratefox4497 I like it too, myself, but idk if anyone else in the group plans to do anything. I could see a few proportion changes happening though, some parts of his new armor seem bigger or smaller than they should

[@octakhan4673]

The beginning of The Maw is so atmospheric in CEA. The morning light seeping in through the escape pod hatches looked beautiful and really captured the atmosphere.

[@Henskelion]

The CEA recreation of 343 Guilty Spark (the level) is abysmal. All the areas that originally had blood splatters as part of the environmental storytelling have the blood either toned down or outright missing. In some cases it's comical, like the ramp down where you find the corpse of Jenkins and first fight the Flood originally had the blood of humans splattered everywhere, but now it looks like someone spilled half a cup of bacon grease on the floor. Even that infamous elevator shaft coated in Grunt blood is completely devoid of any blood at all. Just a total bastardization.

[@ZSTE]

Henskelion plus they extended the fog range so you can easily make out the flood in the distance near the start of the level.

[@Henskelion]

@Language and Programming Channel Either way CEA totally ruins the atmosphere of the level.

[@arbiter-]

But you have to admit the outside areas look amazing in comparison.

[@DeclanVH]

Probably the worst remastered level in the game

[@elongatedalbatross9318]

@@arbiter- No

[@noahparton3210]

The remastered style seemed pretty different artistically, lots of inconsistencies with the landscape

[@morp9426]

My favorite level is easily Halo. Just the way that the sun hangs in the sky, or the way the forerunner structures loom in the distance looks amazing to me. It reintroduced my feeling of exploration and wonder as I drove around.

[@dualitysystem8430]

I'm really torn on Halo Anniversary. On one hand, I love all the high quality textures and how they changed certain things to match up with Reach. On the other there are some parts of the game that I just think are objectively worse in the new graphics. There's a lot of sections where they tone down the blood for no reason, or how some skyboxes better display the halo on old graphics, or worst of all how some hotboxes for objects are completely different than what's shown in new graphics. That's not just a small issue either. Playing through CE on PC right now there are so many instances where I'll try to snipe an enemy just to hit a wall that's only visible on new graphics and blow my cover. I love how the new graphics look but there's just so many issues and a couple objective downgrades that keep them from being the perfect Halo CE remaster that I wanted.

[@ThisBirdHasFlown]

The toned down blood wasn't intended it seems. More a lack of foresight from the devs. The blood, for whatever reason, is often hidden by the game's fog. There was a mod uploaded not that long ago (which for some reason has been removed everywhere) that did nothing but remove fog entirely and it made the game a lot gorier, just like the original, simply because of the removal of it.

[@ZSTE]

Sniping invisible walls and missing hitboxes are why I mostly play in classic graphics.

[@Seedonator]

I think you meant wall thats only visible on old graphics, since the collision obviously is tied to the og

[@TerrorOmnibus]

Shit man those ghost walls are a plague, i remember once when i had a clean shot on an elite in Truth and reconciliation just to shoot a ghost rock i was taking cover behind. The damn trees also have this issue

[@leonardluke6]

The Ghost Walls were such a problem for me, it wasn't just like a 2 or 3 time thought out the whole game thing NO! it was ever damn level that it happened to me. Especially because I like to pick Grunts off from a distance with the Magnum before going all in.

[@TheForsakenEagle]

For the most part, I don't mind the remaster, but Kissy Keyes takes me right out of the game.

[@trashcan7594]

@Language and Programming Channel Halo CE Anniversary uses Halo 3's Cortana

[@whisperedflame6952]

Two Betrayals is my favorite level in CE, and I think Saber’s interpretation of the level being a snowy terrain lit by stunning moonlight while a hard, yet quiet snowfall swirls amongst a giant battle between the Covenant, Flood, and Sentinels is so immersive. As such, it’s my favorite remastered level in the game, and I’m grateful that my favorite level in general was, in my opinion, handled beautifully.

[@brennanfisher219]

Whisperedflame Two betrayals?

[@whisperedflame6952]

Brennan Fisher yes. That’s its name, I can’t believe I confused the two 😅.

[@ExiLeZH]

Imo the remastered version of the two betrayals is way too bright, it almost looks like daytime which ruins the atmosphere. I like the idea of what they wanted to do with the moonlight, but feel they overdid it.

[@ducktape-3470]

It was remastered with an Aim to Improve the game's look IMO, make it modern i guess. That's not how i personally think remasters should be done and instead the Aim should be to bring back the exact same feel we had for a game a decade ago with the power and knowledge of new graphics A very good example would be Age of Empires 2 from 1999, and it's Remastered version Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition in 4K visuals and all the textures updates and smooth animations in 2019 An excellent recreation of the game, built on the same engine, but it's so faithful that even an OG player will instantly recognise almost every single unit, object and UI element. Even Halo 2 Anniversary (I played it's Insider Version) feels far more thoughtful and the love and the faith for the game is easily visible in those graphics.

[@lotgc]

As a fan of starcraft brood war, I think SC:R did a really good job. The unit and terrain designs, they are all so very well done. If didn't know about the remaster, you'd think you were playing the og game, but that's not the case! It's amazing.

[@ducktape-3470]

You guys are subjectively right too, since it definitely felt like CEA was trying to tie in with Reach. Most notable when the changed Captain Keyes completely for example, and the marines and elites was definitely a plus. Chief himself looked like a letdown in game though. But i also think the backdrops, since even Taras is making a point about the atmospheric "downgrades"(not really a downgrade but the feeling has changed a lot) in mission 1,2,6,7,9 affect the player not feeling the same things such as fear, mystery and awe like the OG game about half of the places. Mission 3,5,8 are commendable for almost perfectly capturing the OG games look and feel with new graphics. And Mission 4, and 10 look absolutely beautiful and those are such meaningful upgrades on top of nicely capturing the OG feeling. Just looking at the beautiful water textures and made my cry about how good it was in mission 4, and mission 10 changed from being a blocky - textured grey interior to an actual shapeship (incorrect wording, sorry guys but u get it). Also, great skybox too. All things considered, as a game dev in study, I'm personally trying to learn from the mistakes others make, but i do believe this was a good, middle of the road remaster and always deserved praise for what it set out to do, since it also paved the way for a better remaster ala Halo 2 anniversary (just that's what i think personally). Thanks for our discussion. It was really cool when i thought about it from your perspective.

[@chrisloge5014]

One aspect that they really toned-down with the remaster is the blood effects. Combine this with the fact that the remastered version does not preserve dark areas of shadow as in the original game, and you end up with some locations that are stripped of their original narrative features. One of the biggest examples of this is the "blood elevator" in the 343 Guilty Spark stage. There is an elevator in the original game that you go down, where the lights turn off and all you can see is the bio luminescent glowing blood of Grunts covering the walls. Its a pretty horrific moment in the original, but in the remastered game the elevator is completely lit up, and the blood is so sparse and no longer glows so you can hardly notice that it is there and the effect is completely lost.

[@chrisloge5014]

About the Truth and Reconciliation stage - there are quite a few things in it that I didn't like as much as the original halo. For example, the ship itself. I loved in the original version how the ship has tiny lights across its underbelly, so when you look up you may be fooled into thinking that you are just looking up at the stars, only to be surprised that its actually a huge alien vessel. The remastered version completely eliminates this quality from this ship, and with it some of the mystique and shock by its appearance. Don't get me wrong, the graphical fidelity on the ship is indeed good, but when it comes to preserving aspects of the original game, I feel as if they missed their mark here. Also, one of the things I remember fondly about that Truth and Reconciliation was being able to use your night vision scope on the sniper rifle (one of the only instances in the game where this comes in handy). Maybe its because of how the remastered version handles lightning, but it blows out this view-mode with bloom or some other effect that makes it completely unusable.

[@jetts427]

Loving these style of videos from you! Takes me back to 2016! The music man, this is epic.

[@Dimebag-wx2rs]

There were some situations where trees would be skinnier in the anniversary than in the original, but hit boxes never changed so it would be very confusing when you shot from what you thought was at something from behind a tree only to hit the trees invisible hit box

[@Enderguy059]

I'd say it needs a helpful of mods to make it into a more faithful game graphics-wise Surprising how you didn't mention that one area in The Library that's got a wall hiding it in the Anniversary graphics

[@sab3re]

0:15 they never talk to me

[@airas1494]

Man I wish ur videos were longer, I love this kind of content u, hiddenx or act man put out, it's proper quality

[@alexblickhan5175]

Can you do a video on halo 2 A next? I’d like to know your thoughts on it. Beyond the gravemind, arby, and chief cutscene, I think it was a very nice adaptation.

[@neomcdoom]

Nah that scene was pretty fresh

[@ZSTE]

Only thing I hate in H2A is the damn sword sound, should be more of a crash than a bloop.

[@aceskeletonne7446]

@@jerryhoward6500 hopefully we can model swap for the mp sword with mods sometime soon

[@Reshi9984]

The Gravemind cutscene in 2A was too bright.

[@SonicBoone56]

Yeah, H2A is much for faithful to H2 while also working way better. I literally couldn't bother playing in classic graphics because H2A's sounds and music are much better. And of course the Blur cutscenes just help sell it even more.

[@llightskinned]

Basically any outdoor part in Two Betrayals, especially the "Final Run" portion where you have to get to the final banshees. That moment was the level where I was like "Damn bruh, there is a whole war going on right now, and I'm taking part in it." The remaster of TB was a little bright, but it still got the job done really well.

[@Invert_Scrub]

Personally, I think the use of Reach/H3 assets does a *great* job of creating visual consistency. I just replayed Reach into H1, and it was a really nice transition seeing all the same Elites and Grunts.

[@o_o-037]

For me, it's a tie between The Silent Cartographer, and The library. Being the level they chose for the demo version, TSC captures the main & exiting part of Halo, and that's the core presentation of starting a level in the middle of a firefight, And giving the player freedom to explore the level & learn how to play the mission in any order since it was non-linear in its objectives. back in my 1st year of High school, I remember playing the Halo demo on the School Library's crappy macs during lunch with my friends. If we weren't playing the Multiplayer, then we were playing TSC, and it was phenomenal for me. I remember browsing the internet at home for flash games to play but none of them captures my expectations regarding theme & gamepleay, but when I discovered Halo in my freshman year of High school, it was like being transported to a universe I didn't know I was looking for. Finally a Shooting game set in space with decent mechanics. But little did I know I was only given a taste of the Campaign, since it was set on an alien ring of unknown origin. The Library has become a universal meme of hate within the halo community. 99% of us all agree that it is by far the worst level ever made. But not me. I RELISHED it; The terrifying theme, the urge to survive for as long as I can in certain areas in order to progress, the possibility of getting overwhelmed by this weird alien fungal/virus thing that zombified anything it touched to the point where headshots no longer kill the infected, and the fact that this level is basically the first ever explanation given to the player of why this ring existed to begin with, it showed the player what this ring was hiding, and the fact that the forerunners literally had to build this ring to contain it, it's a no-brainier to the player why the ring existed at all. I felt that I was finally getting my questions of this ring answered, the forerunners built Halo to study & contain the flood, and I was brought in this cursed library to undo a breach that was supposed to be considered impossible. I Was in this place to stop this thing from spreading across the galaxy, although not in the way that I thought U would, and everything I believed playing that level 1st time was only half of the equation. The following cutscene in Two betrayals finally made sense of everything about the nature of Halo, and the 4 floors of hell I endured 5 minutes ago, was all a waste simply because the I was unaware of what 343 Guilty Spark falsely assumed I already knew. And that's why I love the Library; the fear, the struggle, the thoughts running through Chief's head as he fights to contain this intelligent sentient parasite, and the shock of why it was all a waste.

[@utisti4976]

The Library is actually one of my most favorite levels in the game. 343 Guilty Spark introduced the Flood. The Library showed you what the Flood can really do, and emphasizes how powerful and scary they can be. Silent Cartographer is still better though. :P

[@UnfunnyFigs]

still pretty impressive considering it was done in the early 2010s and with how hellish the Halo source code is and as for the best CE:A level it has to be the Silent Cartographer. it looks so good and it still has that old school charm and feel to it

[@tiveeshasilva8454]

I haven't played Halo: CEA but by looking at other people play, the night time levels are really good looking.

[@pillbox2235]

It's pretty cheap on steam right now

[@DeevDaRabbit]

3:42 Well, it IS called "Pillar of Autumn" so...

[@themoneyguy7387]

Me being young at the time I had never played the original halo CE so the first time o ever touched it was when anniversary came out for the 360, I was hype because I had played EVERY game except CE, I was astounded by how beautiful it looked and how consistent everything was kept with modern day halo like 3 and reach, personally I loved it

[@Ben10man2]

So glad you covered this topic. Fantastic job 🤙 Keep up the great work, and speedy recovery.

[@BajaBlastUrUterus42069]

I’m just happy you’re back up to speed and making content again. Keep moving forward ❤️

[@lukeskywalker1215]

Love your videos! They are amazing and always so calming while informing at the same time.

[@ohno5507]

The best level for CEA is Truth and Reconciliation. I think it perfectly executes the ground area, and does a great job of translating the Covenant ship's interior. It keeps the feeling of exploring an advanced alien ship with incomprehensible technology. Even if it takes some creative liberties, it doesn't detract nearly as much as other levels. I also love the appearance of the bog in 343, even if the lighting could be better. I just wish more of the weapons sued Halo 3 models, because I think the H3 shotgun and sniper rifle match way better than the Reach models do. That being said, the covenant weapons are absolutely beautiful, and the magnum is also really good.

[@Naded]

dude great video, always making great points when it comes to the remasters of the original games

[@jlat96]

Glad to hear you feeling better!

[@GSG743]

Best level is a perfect tie between Truth And Reconciliation and Halo Best Model is The Assault Rifle Best Area is The Covenant Part of Truth And Reconciliation. Thx For Reading.

[@owenpattaylor]

As someone who was first introduced to Halo through the CE Remaster, I'll always have nostalgia for the way it looked. While the changes they made weren't very faithful to the original, I've gotten accustomed to them. It's very interesting to see the perspectives of folks who were raised with the original and saw it differently.

[@EricksonFilmsYT]

Was really fun playing this together the other day! Anniversary will always have a special place in my heart as it was my first experience with CE

[@Sanya6496]

Assault on the Control Room is probably what CEA does best. I personally felt that CEA made my favorite leve, Two Betrayals, too bright. I always thought of that level as being in the nighttime, where it's mostly hard to see and there's battles raging everywhere as the Flood continue to spread while everyone tries to kill you. The Master Chief is off doing his own thing but rather than being bombastic like AoCR, it's forboding and gloomy. The brightness takes a lot of the mood away and gets rid of the contrast between a big army battling just the Covenant like usual and the Covenant, Sentinals, and Flood all out to get your blood and you, armed with the knowledge you're basically running around on a giant nuke and decide to stop the countdown. Two betrayals feels really like a race against time and the anniversay edition didn't create that same feeling, unlike how beautifully it translated the level Keyes.

[@Balomis]

For context, I hadn't played the CE campaign for probably 10 years. During the mission Arriving on Halo, when Chief first drives into the Forerunner tunnel you have to turn on the light bridge. It took me a while to remember that you have to go up the ramp on the side and hit the switch so I was confused about where I had to go. The darkness of the original game gave you clearer wayfinding by illuminating the important areas/paths you had to follow. The Anniversary's extra detail, lighting, and affects, while beautiful, actually made the game harder to follow or navigate. Also, the ability to switch between original and anniversary graphics at the push of a button will never not blow my mind. That's a very impressive feature!

[@-Cheif]

Silent cartographer, Truth and Reconciliation, Really look stunning with the new graphics. The sky box in truth and reconciliation is just sooooooo beautiful, and looking out the window of the battle cruiser when in the hanger bay is just absolutely magnificent. The swamps in 343 guilty spark is really good and the forerunner stuff looks amazing but it loses it’s spooky scary vibe.

[@hyruleflower5695]

A lot of good points, some things I'd like to add are that elite's shields don't seem to flare as much when taking damage, which makes it a lot harder to gauge how you're doing against them, and of course, the frequent models like trees and rocks whose visual dimensions don't match their physical dimensions, which can lead to things like your shots being blocked by an invisible tree or your plasma grenade bouncing off an invisible rock and sticking yourself with it.

[@arbiterrokz6841]

Good to see you're better and recovered

[@teneesh3376]

I think noodle explained why the forerunner structures and motion capture looks perfectly. The structures look like the inside of a gaming pc. The motion capture looks like food fight

[@PrincelyWhistle]

The best looking level for me was the second mission, Halo. It looked BEAUTIFUL. As much as I love the original with the minimal sky box with just the sun shining light onto the ring, the remaster had better graphics. The sun looked gorgeous, the blue sky looked calm and the green of the grass was sooo soothing to look at. The vibrance of all the colours really pulls me into the level.

[@Reshi9984]

“The remaster had better graphics”

[@jonwallace6204]

Love how in Anniversary there are parts of The Library where you can clip through the modern graphics. Even better, the rocket launcher at the very end of the level being hidden behind a false wall.

[@norncare1]

I always really liked how they handled the Covenant stuff, especially the interior of the Truth and Reconciliation. It’s simply stunning, the amount of detail they put in, that alien metallic purple shine.

[@fresherturtle1154]

There is a spot near the end of The Library where a wall is in the place of one of those dips in the wall with weapons and maybe health. The wall in Anniversary’s graphics has no collision, letting you pass through and feel out where the original portion is.

[@thesenate5770]

I know I'm really, really late but one thing I do like about Halo CE A is the music. Bravery, Brotherhood that plays in Truth and reconciliation when you attack the hangar is actually one of my favorite songs from either edition of the game

[@jamestheviking983]

Silent Cartographer. Absolutely. It's my favorite level, I love the feel of storming the beach, taking the position, then exploring the island to find ancient structures, and I feel the remaster kicks it up to 11.

[@DeanT1987]

I agree for the most part anniversary ruined the atmosphere except on silent cartographer and maybe AoCR

[@markuskrakowski1022]

Silent cartographer is my favorite halo mission, and anniversary fucking nails it, it changes the tone slightly, to make it feel almost tropical and I love it, it's so colorful and exotic feeling

[@mattboy5296]

My hope is to eventually have the entire original trilogy be remastered in the style of Halo 2: Anniversary, Blur cinematics and all. It's too much to ask for Halo CE to get it done for the 20th anniversary because Infinite is releasing the same year now, but maybe the 25th anniversary in 2026. Hell, work on Halo 3 at around the same time and have it ready for its 20th anniversary in 2027. It's definitely possible I think.

[@stuartcully9794]

Just found out that the odd looking guy who wakes you up on PoA is a Make a Wish kid who passed away shortly after and 343 inserted into the game.

[@Ikcatcher]

I recall playing The Library with a friend and was confused when he causally walked through a wall and ended up in an endless void. It was only when I switched to old graphics I found out that there was actually a room there and Saber didn’t bother modeling and just added a wall there

[@ChazMcGutter]

The biggest thing that bothers me in Anniversary is that they used the model for the UNSC army for the marines instead of the marine model from Reach.

[@Fullmetal9876]

Honestly, the fact that I can flip between OG and remaster keeps most of mmy gripes moot. At this point i'm just happy to have Halo on PC to relive and re-love, and Modding the hell out of it will fix the major gripes. Stepping out of the crashed dropped ship on Halo and driving through the level gave me the same sense of wonder I had whe i played Halo CE for the first time, so ultimately that's my favourite level. But I agree, they butchered the mood of the flood levels.

[@sammysoso207]

I think what really helped Halo 2 Anniversary was Blur Studio's art direction on the cinematics. Saber had to follow that and use Blur assets.

[@toddhoward1133]

I think i know why I like combat evolves tone so much. The obscure and subtle story accompanied with change between sprawling landscapes and vast dark somewhat catholic inspired metal-like alien architecture that just makes the game so intriguing. Quake and unreal had maps that are(somwhat) similar in tone and lighting. I love the remaster of halo ce but for different reasons. The remaster kept some of the original feel but mostly abandoned the OG art style and primarily made it feel like a more recent bungie halo. I didnt realize they used halo 3 and reach assets and retextured them for the remaster. That was smart and it all feels like bungie halo because technically it still is apart of bungies halo.

[@eclipse9304]

CE is a victim of early 2010's "cram detail into everything" trend. There is value in not stuffing every inch of space with lines.

[@Jetstreamsamdidnothingwrong]

I like it but the flood levels really suffered from the lighting changes And sometimes can be annoying with the weird hit detection On some of the environment

[@anomalyinc3239]

People who complain about CEA largely miss the point of what 343 & Saber were going for CEA came out in the middle of Reach's lifecycle including remastering CEA maps in the Reach engine for the Reach playstyle Similarly with the Campaign CE is the most divorced from Reach out of Bungie's games despite taking place just a few weeks after The Fall of Reach 343 & Saber in addition to remastering the graphics were trying to bridge the continuity gap especially since the covenant forces were pursuing them from Reach all the way to installation 04 Meaning the covenant armor would be the same the vehicles would be the same the troopers would look the same the weapons would look the same or similar Not to mention other details that help bring CE in line with the other games like Cortanas Halo 3 mode Some of the CE terminals that reference Halo The Flood And the reference to Linda 058 on the Pillar of Autumn Not saying CEA is perfect but its pretty damn impressive especially in the timeframe they managed to make it in Alot of the supposed damning changes made to the original CE were actually done to make the game fall more in line with the continuity of the other games and books. And it did .

[@SockEater4293]

Hopefully there's nothing else to try and consive making you slow down in Video production. First it was that back problem (I think that's what it was), and then it was Covid. Nice to see you making vids again!

[@LateNightHalo]

Derrick Stegall the plan is to get back into the swing of things!

[@SockEater4293]

@@LateNightHalo I like hearing that, hope that this year doesn't get any worse than it already has.

[@Designation6]

I’ll just leave Luke’s video on how the Flood’s introduction was ruined kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYekeZmgfsudaZo

[@Ninja7546]

I love it, but the main gripe is certainly the lighting in some levels. Yeah I kinda agree that chief's model could have used some more work, perhaps even used more inspiration from Reach's MK5 model. The ring vista also seems more clearer and prominent in classic mode. I like the new graphics, but sometimes the clouds and atmospheric haze took away from it's initial effect when stepping out the pod for the first time.

[@Wesley_H]

On the mission Truth And Reconciliation there is a path leading up the gravity lift. There is a rock that you can hide behind as you snipe off the first couple of Elites. But you have to be far enough back from it that you are likely to be spotted. This is because when you switch to Anniversary graphics, the rock appears slightly smaller so it looks like you should be able to brain the passing elite. But the hitbox on the rock is based on the original graphics. So when you switch, the original rock appears bigger, making the shot ricochet upward and saving the elite. I emptied three whole mags on my sniper rifle before clueing into what was happening.

[@gmclucy]

The only thing I have to say is that on The Library there's this one part (or possibly multiple parts) where you can walk through a solid wall in anniversary and be in a little alcove with health and ammo that's there in classic

[@itsthemumu8585]

I to this day just love the original graphic’s color scheme more. The very vibrant and contrasting colors, that old-school glare off of the shiny objects, it’s nostalgic and I didn’t feel like Anniversary really paid respect to that. You can update the graphics without taking away the art style I fell in love with as a kid. H2A is a perfect example of this, and I rarely switch back to the old graphics because it PERFECTLY captures how I viewed the game as a kid while modernizing its look at the same time

[@DonLasagna]

Me and my brother would switch between the graphics a lot to compare, and we would call the anniversary edition graphics "turning the lights on" whenever we'd switch back to it. I think the biggest drawback of the anniversary edition is how bright it is, and I would love to play it with a lighting mod if possible. Some modders have already done some great work with reach and enb/other mods

[@6Buster6Cherry6]

Silent Cartographer was my favorite mission in the original and that holds true for the remaster. It's such a beautiful and open level.

[@ThunderStruck115]

My main problem with the remaster is that the geometry does not match up in multiple places, and since it used the classic geometry for gameplay purposes, that means I often find my shots hitting a tree branch that I couldn't see in remastered mode, or the side of a tree which is wider in classic mode.

[@alinzelnan]

5:00 As someone who recently played this game for the first time this really was a great moment because it's so beautiful. When switching to the Anniversary graphics I was pretty disappointed with what I saw. It's a problem in general with many newer games, graphics look beautiful and all but every game looks the same, art style is way more important imo.

[@matthewleto1180]

3:30 that guy’s anniversary model was based off of a fan who had cancer. He wanted to be in the Halo universe forever, even after he died.

[@taylorkeating6884]

I absolutely agree with your comments on 343 Guilty Spark. Last year when a streamer I watch (theduckgoesmoo on Twitch, theduckgoestwo on YT) went through Halo for the very first time via MCC, we told him to switch to classic graphics for 343. Ended up getting a great reaction to the reveal of the flood.

[@BrotherSurplice]

It's just hit me, but the remastered Captain Keyes looks like one of the puppets from Captain Scarlet or Thunderbirds

[@guido95com]

I think the best halo ce anniversary's level is the silent cartographer. It was even used during a reveal gameplay prior release

[@mattuiop]

Imo they should do a "2nd Anniversary" edition. Where they redo the graphics again but make it far more faithful to their source material. Like those fan renders of the halo 1 marine.

[@mrpiratefox4497]

Now that they have Slipspace engine for Infinite, there should be a 20th anniversary of Halo CE in 2021 using Slipspace

[@MidnightDubstep]

Hope you're doing better dude nothing is much more important than you feeling better

[@__gig__]

One minor-ish issue I've had is that the level geometry is not exactly the same between the original and the remaster. This has led to me dying behind cover that wasn't actually there and shooting enemies just to find that my bullets were hitting a tree branch or something that was removed in the remaster.

[@unfathomable3434]

There's one cutscenes that is better in the O.G graphics. On the silent cartographer Chief kicks something down a bottomless pit and it's dark you can't see what's down there. But in anniversary you can just tell it's ground.

[@BioTroy]

3:29 I genuinely can't remember where or find the source, but I believe the reason he looks the way he does is as a tribute to a Halo fan, they put him in the game. They wanted to give him the most important role of "waking the chief and kickstarting your adventure in CE".

[@BioTroy]

Ah I found it! From an old community update in the "when you wish upon a star" section! www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/the-halo-bulletin-a-note-from-bs-angel

[@5nanometers]

These videos are so poetic

[@user-uw6vo1ev1l]

truth and reconciliation was always one I remembered I got Halo CE Anniversary for my 10th birthday and I remember playing the level, it was my first shooter game and it had the best graphics of any game id ever seen as I was used to playing old n64 games. The level always looked so cool to me and it still does and the soundtrack is amazing for it I always remembered the "under cover of night/cloaked in blackness" playing, it was the first time I found myself enjoying a games soundtrack. Halo CEA's levels were great and I have many memories from my first play through I remember I liked the graphics so much I never played in the original sty of graphics. Halo CEA is still one of my favourite games and it is my second favourite Halo game right after Halo 3

[@Frosted_Over]

You are saying exactly what I have been thinking for a while now, I came back to play all the halo campaigns in order and after reach I was conflicted wether I should use classic graphics [for nostalgia] or anniversary [for consistency with reach] but I would get to silent cartographer or just any other of the first levels and be like “this doesn’t seem right” (the mood felt off) then go back restart and use classic but then there would be a voice in the back of my head saying that it would be better consistency wise to use anniversary (and I have also never completely ce on anniversary). So I started asking my self did the intentions between the two even match up and now I’m here. Because I want to try to play an experience that is true to what bungie intended when creating ce.

[@jackofalltraits2145]

My favorite level in the classic graphics is by far HALO, I just love the green fields, the deep orange/red of Threshold, the grey/light purple mountains, and to cap it off with an amazing blue/purple skybox that's filled with stars, not to mention the texture for the halo ring which still holds up.

[@milohargadine1601]

CEA has this issue where some (not all) of the environmental models have had their shapes changed, but not their hitboxes, often times you’ll line up a shot, only to find out that you’re aiming at an elite behind a rock when you switch graphics

[@nigralurker]

I'd like to add that the main issue with the art style is the lack of color contrast. This is especially true for levels like Library that utilize orange which doesn't go well with the brownish nature of the flood. That level in particular is suppose to be a gauntlet and the original purple/bluish hues of the levels helped contrast the green/brown look of the Flood.

[@AtlasofSol]

My man made a wonderful video under 10 min. thats how you tell he loves what he does

[@bansho7076]

Am I the only one who was annoyed that they made the sun orange on Halo (the level)? They seemed to have thought that because the sun was hanging so low, it should have been twilight. Bungie, however, properly understood that Halo's (the structure) atmosphere was too thin to cause the scattering necessary for the orange glow. I feel like this is a recurring problem that I have with the newer games, a sense that the developers aren't putting in as much thought into why things are the way they are in the game the way Bungie used to; like the newer games are being designed by a group of graphic artists rather than a group of sci-fi nerds like the past.

[@TheSuperNuggetDude]

Wished combat evolved had blur cutscenes and did not overdo the anniversary graphics. They made it too light and it was my first time playing Combat evolved. It was still a mysterious experience regardless but I still wished there were more darkness. Halo 2 was my first halo btw and seeing that remaster was just a dream come true.

[@Skull0fDeathXBL]

Something that also threw me off is how they pushed back the wall as you walk along the ledge you walk along in the beginning of halo so in anniversary is an extra foot or so back from the original and i also believe i encountered a large rock that was either added or removed entirely between the two on two other levels

[@GrOuNdZeRo7777]

An odd thing original CE got right was the Warthog's .50cal muzzle flash, in reality a .50bmg produces a bright crisp flash (albeit with blanks) and is a bit too blurry in anniversary.

[@BioGoji-zm5ph]

Glad to see that you've recovered from the Big C, LNG! Hope you're feeling better now!

[@guido95com]

in anniversary graphics there are some great concept i still play the old graphycs but i think that silent cartographer, assoult on the control room and keys ore really good. Olso i like the flood consistent with the halo 3 model

[@tipsy241]

The forerunner structures in halo anniversary look like they just unlocked the neon underglow customization in needs for speed underground 2 while the forerunners structures in the original halo ce looked like sci-fi dungeons covered in ancient yet obviously alive and technology-enriched cobblestone. The exterior of the latter structures also featured long flat yet roughed up surface. Giving off the same impression of "is this one single piece?" And "how the hell did this get here" whilst still retaining their timelessness appearance.