Good:
1/They actually fixed the hideous see through shotgun in anniversary and messed up 343 distant shading while in classic mode. Of us that complained, yes we are cretins. Mind you i did have to download patch
2/No huge slowing down of frame rate in either modes
Bad:
1/ Sound levels are all over the place in comparison to the original. The assault rifle sounds really good actually but it’s so loud now that it does your head in after so long. The trouble is that turning this down to a more acceptable level means you can’t really hear anything else, from other gun sounds, collision effects and just about all the voices. I’ve since listened to the original Halo1 sounds on my xbox1 and the emulated version already on 360, and it’s very much quieter than the din we have now. Guns are supposed to be loud of course but not to the extend you want to turn the damn thing down and as a result can’t here anything else
2/Not a big deal but the framerate is a bit skippy even on anniversary- more so actually. It’s fine to be honest but not buttery smooth as some people may have been expecting
3/Plasma charge doesn’t animate on occasion with just the sound activating instead. Not a massive deal but this shouts unfinished work by 343
4/Despite the gfx being fixed for 343 distant scenery regards to wrong shading, there is however badly emulated snowy mist on Assault on the Control room. Looking up high reveals that the top part of this world now longer fades to a beautiful white mist and instead we have a huge black mist and volcano top- this basically makes these top altitude sections very unsightly now especially when you fly your banshee up into them- your banshee and objects beneath this layer appears to invert shade to an ENTIRE white colour. Maybe not a biggy for some but for others, the illusion that has always been that thiese cliffs are incredibly high, well that’s lost entirely here now
5/ I could be wrong but i thought the plasma charged made the pad rumble where it doesn’t now in anniversary
6/ There are no metal crunching sounds for when a Banshee falls to the ground and Warthog clashes are the same. There is however a slight bashing effect that sound like a bag of crisps being hit. Not game breaking but a bit rubbish if you were to ask me
7/ I could be wrong but the plasma only seems to take half as long to charge now and even goes off by itself at times. Could be wrong but it seems to behave oddly now at times
8/Some of the locations in their new graphics look are really very well done, others are downright bad and something i’d only expect from a lesser experienced crew of designers. Some of the interior work for Assault on the Control room is very bad indeed and you may even cry
9/ Cutscenes now show a nodding of the head from Chief to signify where a silent yes or no has taken place and it just looks stupid. Not exactly subtle either. Further proof that if this truly was for the fans then 343 would have left that nonsense out. I know people are generally stupid but this sort of rubbish really isn’t needed and shows a lack of creative thought from either the actor or those directing these silly movements in the first place
Ugly:
1/ My face when upon noticing all the bad stuff
The biggest problem by far for me right now is the overpowering assault rifle sounds against everything else trying to be heard. The pistol is just as loud to be honest but it’s not a rattled off sound like the assault
What’s here in this package is terrific but it is spoiled mostly by rubbish playtesting. The Firefight map is worth it alone but fans that adore every inch of Halo 1 are going to be saddened by some of these things. Bear in mind i still play Halo1 more than any other game so these differences stand out considerably to me
Edit: i’ve added one more to the list of bad. Ae there any others niggles people want to mention here
