What is wrong with Halo: CE Anniversary

For the first time I got acquainted with the Halo series recently – with the output of The Master Chief Collection on a PC, and she immediately fell in love with me very much. Halo: Combat Evolved is the first franchise game and a legend that is perfectly perceived even today, and definitely, without any doubt, it is recommended for passing.
One of the significant features of Anniversary Edition, which is part of the MCC, is the ability to instantly switch between new and old graphics. Passing old games, I prefer to see how they looked initially, but for the sake of interest I sometimes switched to an updated appearance. At first, it was really funny to compare old soapy textures with new clear resources, but after a while I began to notice that something was completely wrong with the remasted version. In this post I will explain why Halo: CE Anniversary is the worst remaster that I saw and why Halo problems: CE on PC has not ended almost 20 years.

The beginning of the legend

It all started when 343 Industries suggested Saber Interactive to make a Combat Evolved remake by a decade of game. This gave a studio that had not previously worked with such large franchises, a year to update the legend. The contract included an attempt to sit on two chairs (which will be the leitmotif of the entire project) – to completely process the appearance and music, while maintaining the spirit and gameplay. To do this, on top of the original engine, one more was hung – their own, for processing a new graphics. In addition, multiplayer was supposed to be included in the kit, so I also had to attach the Halo engine: Reach. It would seem that nothing portended trouble ..

Improving graphics: cheap or completely free

The principles by which geometry and textures were updated remain a mystery to me. Most of the weapons models were simply postponed from Halo: Reach. Already at this moment I want to call such an asset-flip project, but the worst is still ahead. Since some CE elements were not in Reach, many resources had to be taken not from it, but from Halo 3.

You can’t just take and transfer objects from one game to another excluding art design. All enemies in Halo: CE were very bright, distinguished colors. In combination with a low -cost landscape, this instantly allowed to read information from the battlefield. Now they just merge with the environment

Contrast is important.

In addition, Bungie for 10 years has completely processed the visual style several times, and the Reach visual in particular is completely unlike everything that was before it. The Halo 3 graphics is also a bad source: CE could not afford the share of realism achieved in it and was supposed to rely on stylization and simplification.

I remind you: we play a remake Combat Evolved.

However, what was created specifically for Anniversary looks more like a free fantasy on the theme of the original than as a true update of graphics. Everything went under the knife:

characters – you do not need to be a casting director to understand that a new model should have a different voice, which, of course, has not been updated;

Someone got better in 10 years.

What does he press?

Bungie generally knows who Linda-058 is?

I appreciated the joke about the goose carrying gold eggs;my respect to the one who brought this to the game – he has them from steel. But why did they do it?

Many changes in levels were made as if only to artificially add details to the detriment of common sense and original plan.

If these are pistons, then they push? If these are https://jettbetcasino.org/bonus/ pipes, then what they are doing here and what around them?

If these are pistons, then they push? If these are pipes, then what they are doing here and what around them?

The wheel of Samsara was gaining momentum, and with more detailed characters it was necessary to update their animations. In the original movement of the heroes in Katszen, there were a combination of natural animations of the character and point scripts. For example, if the master was needed to approach the terminal and press the button, Joe Stayteen (director of the symamics) went to the right place right in the game – at this time natural walking animations were played, and then launched a special script, an animistic pressing of the button. Therefore, the Katsets looked unrealistic, but naturally in the world of the game;I would say “cartoony” if this word was not such a cringzhov. It was part of the stylization, part of the appearance of Halo, and all this decided to replace the poorly executed capture of movements with. As a result, the symbols look jumping and amusing, and the characters move completely unnaturally.

As I pass, I just shrugged: 2011, what to do here;But then I remembered that Halo 3 came out a year earlier.

I hope the reader still remembers that the new graphics were imposed on the old engine. Therefore, clashes were calculated on the basis of the old, not new geometry. So now you can plant a whole clip into a tree that has changed its shape, but has preserved the hitboxes.

Love to shoot from shelters?

My favorite mistake is at the end of the Library level. They decided to put a wall that was not in the original.

If you go through it, you can see the level through.

They killed the atmosphere! Bastards!

If, when looking at the redrawn textures and models, a suspicion crept in that the authors did not play the original, then when looking at the picture as a whole, this becomes completely obvious. It turns out that Microsoft even had to intervene when Saber Interactive was overly fond of new effects, blurring accents.

Who needs to look at the ring? See better what cool atmospheric effects we can do!

To see how they still managed to ditch the atmosphere of levels, just look at 343 Guilty Spark and the neighboring Library. The player is introduced to them with Flood – conditional zombies of the Halo universe. They are represented very gradually, masterfully pumping the paraspens with the help of the environment.

In the mood is very similar to the MGS corridor.

Well, we will find out how they want to scare us in Anniversary?

First you need to add more light sources.

In this screenshot, I counted 9 new light sources, counting the pattern on the ceiling and the sight for one.

For some reason, the original was still given a flashlight, but now let’s completely remove the need for it.

Now, instead of turning on the flashlight, you can simply switch to a new graphics.

Surprisingly, the developers demonstrated that they can work correctly with lighting, however, only in the place where they trained to use the flashlight.

Screenshots from the first level. It turns out that it was possible.

Well, it turned out scary? Or more like a night club?

The main thing is not to listen

The main reason why I am so highly appreciated by Halo: CE and to this day – its soundtrack. Martin O’Donnell was written both epic and energetic tracks, as well as atmospheric and immanent, which became for me the most pleasant surprise of this game. I often stopped or simply avoided shootouts solely to listen to the music that clung to me from the first notes. Therefore, the new soundtrack was the most sick blow for me. Caution, ahead of a huge strip of fatal audio-dwelling.

I will analyze the changes based on my favorite track track – Under Cover of Night. By the way, he, like many other tracks, renamed him – now it CloAKED in Blackness. Good luck in search of your favorite tracks by name in the new OST.
The Pad in the introduction is not completely filtered, but it was at least reproduced on the same Roland JD990. The bass party is the first truly affected. Delay is now much less pronounced and adds noise rather (along with new noise effects). Initially, it was recorded from the synthesizer, but now it was played on a real instrument, on which a single sound sector is clearly heard, which is why the attack has become more pronounced, and the sounds of touching strings were added to the mix. Now, instead of alien atmospheric music, you can listen Red Hot Chili Peppers!

Around this place, without irony, a really good find of new composers appears-rare attacks of rhythm guitars, on which they finally imposed a corresponding retardation delay. Unfortunately, they decided to replace the stringly mandatory party of the original, which is not so pleasing.

To the entry of percussion, one can vulgarize the new noise effects that the authors added. Listening to the new OST while writing this article, I took off my headphones several times and approached the door – to check if anyone knocked. Great addition to mix! The characteristic feature of O’Donnell’s music is the tactes of silence, or such where the whole space is allocated only to one instrument. I think if it were Halo 3 remaster, one could say goodbye to piano music-somehow not cool, it sounds empty. Let’s add noise here, there will be super!

Without jokes, this is exactly what they did with Halo 2 Anniversary – the original sound was completely cut out of it, including the tracks of Breaking Benjamin and Incubus, as well as the original weapons effects. A real holiday for fans!

The percussion also does not correspond to the original at all. She especially became a victim of normalization. The viciousness of this technique is a matter of taste, but the fact is that in the original it was not even at all, on the contrary, O’Donnell fundamentally avoids it. The small drum in the original mix was the most loud element throughout the entire track, but now it is heard in the same way as the rest of the tools.

As for the vocal path, my version – initially it was needed to communicate with the main topic of Halo. This is exclusively my speculation, but the music of O’Donnella is very characterized by leitmotifs: the echoes of the main topic can be found in many other tracks. Surprisingly, if I am right, then this element was really good to a new entry. Nevertheless, this leads me to the next thought.

343 Industries and Saber Interactive were forbidden to attract original authors. Martin O’Donnell said in an interview that he would agree to work for free on the sound of a remister. What was a speculation on the vocal party could be a fact confirmed by the author. What was a mistake or inattention could be corrected or at least clarified.

A great solution to Microsoft: both graphics and sound definitely demonstrate strength and independence. As a result, the new composers played the same game as Saber Interactive – you need to move the old mood to a new quality, not having the slightest concept of what they wanted to achieve in the original.

Best Focus 2003

Until the current moment it might seem that a new shell, albeit a miss in style, but at least looks clear than an old soapy version. What if I say that Saber Interactive and 343i went to battle not just with the old man, but also with disabled?

Olds remember that for the first time Halo: CE hit the PC back in 2003, and Gearbox Software was engaged in porting. It was this port that the authors of Anniversary took as the basis, apparently due to the fact that the network part was worthy of. But how poorly everything else was done ..

In 2001, Bungie was one of the first to use BUMP Mapping. This additional texture allows flat surfaces to respond to light as if they have realistic irregularities. Gearbox as a result of an error or shortage implemented such a reaction only to dynamic light. That is, the textures unexpectedly acquired depth, if they be shone on them with a flashlight.

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