My Thoughts on Halo 3: Anniversary

Games Other Halo
1

Let’s Beat a Dead Horse

Okay, so it’s something that I know a lot of people want, but don’t expect to happen at this point. Halo 3: Anniversary is something I dream of on a daily basis, it could be truly amazing. While many expected it to be announced in 2017, and some hoping that 2018 would be the year, then 2019… and so on. Well I never really thought this.

I mean, look at it like this: Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary released for the Xbox 360, Halo 2: Anniversary released for the Xbox One, I think Halo 3: Anniversary will be released for the Xbox Series X, after Halo Infinite.

In my opinion, it makes total sense. They didn’t want H2A to look the same as H3A, they’d want it to look better, right?
So this is how I think, and expect, things will go down: Halo Infinite will come out holiday of 2020, as announced. Then we will get a year or so of Infinite stuff, whatever. E3 2022 rolls around, Halo 7/spin-off will be in early development and will come out in 2 or 3 years. What will 343 unveil? Halo 3: Anniversary. It wouldn’t compete with any other Halo title, as it would’ve if it were released in 2017 (Halo Wars 2).

I expect Halo 3: Anniversary to be either added to the Master Chief Collection as a 30$-45$ DLC, like Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST is now, or be released as a standalone title, like Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary was. However, I am very much leaning toward it being added to the MCC.

Say Infinite is the game we all want it to be, 343 will be on good terms with the fan base. Then while everyone is loving on them for bringing back a golden age to Halo, they unveil something many of us have been asking for, Halo 3: Anniversary. The fans would be in love with 343 (if the reveal trailer is good, as I would hope it would be), and 343 would be in the spotlight getting a ton of positive appraisal.

If all of this happens, 343 would both be seen much better by the fans, and would be able to bring in a lot more money from fans who didn’t like Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians.

I could very well be wrong, I probably am, but this is just what I think will happen. Do you guys have anything to add or anything that will totally change everything I just said?
Thanks for reading, you guys are the best.

-With respect, Unofficial_AI

2

I would love for them to give Halo 3 an anniversary treatment, with ODST of course included into this. If not just for the simple fact that the weapons sound like total crap in Halo 3. The assault rifle sounds like a popcorn machine, and I NEVER have liked the Sniper in Halo 1-Reach. I feel like in H4 and H5 the sounds for the weapons finally feel real. However, the MCC version of Halo 3 with it’s flaws in the multiplayer section ignored, really is the end all be all version of the game. The improved lighting, and effects are head and shoulders over the original X360 Release and with the way the MCC seems to be packaged, I doubt any of those Halo games will get any further treatments outside the MCC. Could be wrong, but it seems unlikely, BLUR would have to do those cinematic videos over again for Halo 3 ODST Reach and 4, I’m sure they’re VERY expensive, and would no doubt have to cost us something in return for adding them into MCC, which is why I lean to the seriouslyprobably not happening side of things.

3

I’m in the camp that wants H3A but knows it likely will never happen. And to be honest, I’m starting to soften on my desire to have another anniversary game. We need to move forward, not stay stuck in the past. H3 holds up pretty well still and 343 needs to build on the franchise instead of constantly reworking their predecessors content.

On a more technical note though: let’s say 343 does actually make H3A. They are likely not going to add it to the MCC. There’s nearly a dozen game engines and other software crammed into that one game. I don’t see how they could add any more content to a single title like MCC without having some major issues. Also, I doubt they would introduce an H3A a year or two after releasing Infinite, as that could mess with the player population online I would assume.

4

Halo 3 looks fantastic and runs great in the MCC. I don’t see the need for an anniversary remaster.

5

I feel like it most likely won’t happen. They updated it already and are neck deep in Infinite and MCC maintenance to add an entirely new Anniversary addition to mix. The BLUR cinematics would cost an arm and a leg on top of that. Once you’re beyond Halo 3 the graphics don’t really need updated. At the moment you can play through all three games and maintain a similar’ish level of quality.

6

To be honest, the only part of H3A that I’d want would be the Blur cutscenes, and that’s purely because Blur’s work is amazing and I’d love to see what they could do. As for the game itself, I’d rather it remained untarnished.

7

I’m with HappyPlace8166. The odds we see H3A happening are slim to none at this point, however much many of us would like for it to be made a reality. The fact is that Halo 3 is already, in many regards, graphically similar to CEA in terms of quality. Sure, CEA looks a bit better, at its best, but I’ve always found the remastered overlay job in that game to be inconsistent.

CEA’s modern graphics are often bloated looking and strange, so even though they technically look “better,” (textures and foliage density are really the only areas that surpass H3, IMO) than Halo 3 by approximately four years of graphical advancement on the 360, I personally think H3 looks as good in almost literally every area, exempting character facial models (Lord Hood, Miranda Keyes, and Johnson).

Halo 3 represented a graphical watershed advancement when it released for the 360. It never needed the same TLC as the sixth gen Halo 1-2 did, and it still doesn’t. The nail in the coffin for me is that by missing the 10 year anniversary, they’ve broken the Anniversary format for the other two games in the trilogy. By the time they got around to doing H3A, CEA itself could use another remaster. At some point in time, well enough has to be left alone.

I do think it’s a shame they didn’t do any kind of anniversary treatment for Halo 3, but I’m thinking it’s time to let this sleeping dog lie.

8

Halo 3 looks amazing still, and though it would be very nice to have all the bells and whistles that an anniversary edition would have to offer, I feel that it would be a huge plus if 343 added the bandana skull to not just Halo 3, but ODST, and Reach as well. It could be a kind gesture of thanking Bungie for their involvement in the original Halos or something. With that being said, a good time to implement such a thing can happen September of this year 2020…seems how Halo Reach was Bungie’s last installment and its turning 10 this year. Dont get me wrong either, I know 343 is busy with upcoming games, however, if they decided to add more little fascinating things to the above mentioned games… I personally won’t be offended!