Halo 2 has easily been one of the best Halo games in existence, and many ask for it’s reincarnation during it’s ten year anniversary. However, many others also reject the idea of playing a re-skinned game that they fear would be just as inadequate as Halo CE: Anniversary was.
ITT, I will list the promises yet also the troubles that a Halo 2 Anniversary would offer in the least biased way as possible. Prepare:
THE PROS OF A HALO 2: ANNIVERSARY
[/li]- A Halo 2 Anniversary is something that a large slice of the community has wanted. After Halo 4’s step away from a classic experience that many wanted, there is no doubt that a Halo 2: Anniversary would be extremely successful in sales.
Halo 2’s online-matchmaking was praised after it was patched. It was also the first Xbox Game to fully embrace Xbox Live. However, Halo 2’s ground-breaking Multiplayer can no longer be enjoyed after it’s servers were shut down on all of it’s platforms. A Halo 2: Anniversary with a complete Matchmaking would fix this.
Despite the fact that Halo 2 can run on the Xbox 360, it’s emulation is terrible. Transparent and obstructive shapes cover the screen, and it constantly crashes. If a Halo 2: Anniversary were to be “Halo Xbox One,” the game would be able to be experienced in it’s full glory.
If Certain Affinity (which have lately been hinting at a “Secret Project”) were to develop Halo 2: Anniversary, this would allow 343i to have more resources fixed on Halo 5. Halo 5 would release in late 2015, and it would have a full 3-year cycle that many prefer over a 2-year one.
THE CONS OF A HALO 2: ANNIVERSARY
[/li]- In Halo CE: Anniversary, fans were dissapointed to find that the Multiplayer they used to know and love was reduced to only Seven maps and forced in Halo Reach’s not-so-favored online matchmaking. Without a doubt, many fans fear that the same could happen with Halo 2, and even worse, the maps would be transformed to support Halo 4’s style of gameplay.
With Halo 5 being a huge worry for some fans, there is fear that making a Halo 2: Anniversary would cast resources away from 343 Industries’ ability to make Halo 5 as good as possible. Also, many fear that a Halo 2 Anniversary would also potentially leech away from Halo 5’s future sales; after all, many of Halo’s more conservative fans aren’t too happy with 343i’s adjustments to the Halo Franchise.
Since many believe that Halo CE: Anniversary actually celebrated Halo itself and Xbox rather than Halo: Combat Evolved, there is a possibility that a Halo 2: Anniversary would start an endless cycle of remaking every Halo game in existence. Would people start wanting a Halo 3: Anniversary? Would we demand a Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary: Anniversary?
Halo’s universe is as vast as it is compelling. A breath-taking story can be told in every corner of it. Because of this, many feel that a Halo 2: Anniversary would waste space that could be better off telling us a new story rather than one we’ve already known and loved.
With all of this being said: Do the pros of a Halo 2: Anniversary outweigh the cons? Or do it’s disadvantages outweigh it’s advantages?
If Certain Affinity is indeed working on this, I see no reason why it should be opposed. As you said above, it wouldn’t take away from the production of Halo 5.
I’m more of a Campaign guy, but it would be pretty awesome if they included original Halo 2 Multiplayer.
It can’t be that hard to do.
Sales would definitely be good as well. It’s another Halo 2, the game that are many Halo fan’s favorite.
But, if this does wind up being created, then I would hope it’s not a full priced game again.
Sorry did you say something? I can’t hear you over the sound of Delta Halo in HD…
No but seriously, I’d love an H2A no matter what. In terms of the “taking away sales from Halo 5” con, I’d hardly refer to that as a con. While it may take sales away from Halo 5, a Halo 2 Anniversary with working multiplayer and additions (that CEA should have gotten but didn’t) would significantly increase the player base’s outlook on 343industries.
I mean, so long as the money is going to Halo and 343i/Microsoft, it’s hardly a Con which game they spend money on isn’t it? And if the community gets a huge Morale boost from it which might change their outlook on 343i to a more positive stance, then it might even serve to INCREASE the sales of Halo 5, at least to give it a try.
Considering 343i also had very little to do with CEA itself, I don’t see it taking much time away from Halo 5 (and where Halo 2 Anniversary to release next year on its anniversary, then that actually gives Halo 5 MORE dev time as opposed to less.) and it’s development, however servers and resources may be a different story…
Really, the only con I see there is the continuous spree of remakes. That said, Halo 2 is now the only Halo game currently not playable on LIVE, the only one without achievements (on the xbox version) and the only one currently not playable in HD. In fact, it’s soon to be the only one not playable entirely (with the PC servers shutting down if they haven’t already) which gives it more reason for a remake.
Sorry for the disjointed post, I was pretty much just jotting down whatever came to mind.
If they did a Halo 2: Anniversary and included multiplayer I just know it would be in the same style as Halo 4. I just see them doing it.
In my opinion I don’t think they should remake Halo 2. I agreed with the Halo CE remake because it was the ten year anniversary since the multi-billion dollar Halo franchise STARTED.
They should focus all efforts on Halo 5, make a great campaign (I loved Halo 4’s campaign by the way) and a great multiplayer - they need to fix all the issues with Halo 4’s MM that everyone is complaining about.
They should perhaps look at Halo 2’s multiplayer and build from that instead of creating a remake, stick to the core gameplay and then add things, but make sure they don’t break Halo’s core game style that we all love.
And for the love of Halo fix vehicles and vehicle maps 343i!
I think the pros FAR outweigh the cons, from a fan point of view. For Microsoft, I think it’s the other way around, though.
Based on CEA, H2A would be incredible in almost every way. Even more so would it be if it includes classic MP. I think that H2A is Certain Affinity’s secret Halo project, or I hope, anyways. I really want to look out to the center of High Charity and see the Dreadnought in HD.
> Halo 2 has easily been one of the best Halo games in existence, and many ask for it’s reincarnation during it’s ten year anniversary. However, many others also reject the idea of playing a re-skinned game that they fear would be just as inadequate as Halo CE: Anniversary was.
Of course I would’ve liked to see an actual CEA multiplayer, but I wholeheartedly disagree with CEA being inadequate because of it omission. Every time I’ve booted CE’s campaign on the 360 I always said to myself if only this was in HD, or if only this was made now. I got exactly what I wanted and with CEA you knew what you were going to get. I would have paid the full price for the remastered campaign alone, but to sweeten the pot it was priced by almost half retail (In Australia anyway). Not to mention the map pack that came with it.
OT about Halo 2 anniversary, the only truly redeeming quality that would justify a remake is multiplayer alone. Tbh Halo 2’s campaign was messy and unless 343 are willing to tell the story Bungie wish they had (More focus on Earth’s fight) I don’t really want to revisit it.
While at first, I condemned the idea of a Halo 2: Anniversary; however, seeing what it could offer has somewhat changed my mindset.
Not only the fact that it could buy 343i more time to make Halo 5, but I never got to experience Halo 2’s online matchmaking. From what I’ve heard, it was among the best in the Franchise.
Also, we could get some more canonical preparations for Halo 5 through terminals. We could get one about Mendicant Bias and the Primordial. We could get one about the Covenant’s attack on New Mombasa, or how 2401 Penitent Tangent let Delta Halo fall to the Flood. Or we could even get some more stories about the Covenant itself through terminals!
I think the pros outweigh the cons by now. However, Halo 2 Anniversary must be the last remake we ever get. Period.
> While at first, I condemned the idea of a Halo 2: Anniversary; however, seeing what it could offer has somewhat changed my mindset.
>
> Not only the fact that it could buy 343i more time to make Halo 5, but I never got to experience Halo 2’s online matchmaking. From what I’ve heard, it was among the best in the Franchise.
>
> Also, we could get some more canonical preparations for Halo 5 through terminals. We could get one about Mendicant Bias and the Primordial. We could get one about the Covenant’s attack on New Mombasa, or how 2401 Penitent Tangent let Delta Halo fall to the Flood. Or we could even get some more stories about the Covenant itself through terminals!
>
> I think the pros outweigh the cons by now. <mark>However, Halo 2 Anniversary must be the last remake we ever get. Period.</mark>
Bring on ODST 2 I say. I would like to see an ODST story taking place in the Battle of Harvest and properly experience the threat The Covenant once imposed, especially from a marine’s perspective.
> > While at first, I condemned the idea of a Halo 2: Anniversary; however, seeing what it could offer has somewhat changed my mindset.
> >
> > Not only the fact that it could buy 343i more time to make Halo 5, but I never got to experience Halo 2’s online matchmaking. From what I’ve heard, it was among the best in the Franchise.
> >
> > Also, we could get some more canonical preparations for Halo 5 through terminals. We could get one about Mendicant Bias and the Primordial. We could get one about the Covenant’s attack on New Mombasa, or how 2401 Penitent Tangent let Delta Halo fall to the Flood. Or we could even get some more stories about the Covenant itself through terminals!
> >
> > I think the pros outweigh the cons by now. <mark>However, Halo 2 Anniversary must be the last remake we ever get. Period.</mark>
>
> I can see it now: 2021 Halo Trilogy: Anniversary
I still feel like that would be unnecessary, and that would mean that Halo 1 and 2 would have had 2 remakes while Halo 3 would have had only 1.
Despite the cons, Halo 2: Remastered is something that MUST happen. If a lot, if not most, of the community is asking for it, then 343 has to take that seriously.
> Bring on ODST 2 I say. I would like to see an ODST story taking place in the Battle of Harvest and properly experience the threat The Covenant once imposed, especially from a marine’s perspective.
I think I’d like ODST 2 to be a sequel to the first one, not in a different time-frame.
In my opinion, having a prequel to Halo: Reach would be a better game for bringing in the true terror and hopelessness of the Human-Covenant War. Because if you ask me, despite the low amount of personality that Noble Team got in Reach, I think that they have the potential to be some of the best characters we’ve ever seen. Perhaps the the playable character should be Thom-293, as it would help build a theme of “you die at the end of the game.”
> > Bring on ODST 2 I say. I would like to see an ODST story taking place in the Battle of Harvest and properly experience the threat The Covenant once imposed, especially from a marine’s perspective.
>
> I think I’d like ODST 2 to be a sequel to the first one, not in a different time-frame.
>
> In my opinion, having a prequel to Halo: Reach would be a better game for bringing in the true terror and hopelessness of the Human-Covenant War. Because if you ask me, despite the low amount of personality that Noble Team got in Reach, I think that they have the potential to be some of the best characters we’ve ever seen. Perhaps the the playable character should be Thom-293, as it would help build a theme of “you die at the end of the game.”
I would love a ODST sequel it would have to consist of the Squad tho, and perhaps towards the end of the game they become S-IV’s. The squad were some of my favorite characters in the series right next to Chief and Noble 6.
Also I would love a prequel to Reach whether it focuses on Noble team or just 6 it doesn’t really matter to me, they were a great cast of characters that we could really use an expansion on. Of course a game that hashes out the background of Noble 6 would also be an amazing game because we no so little about him and he had a rather interesting career from what we can infer about his past.
Great read. great reasoning. I feel you just about covered it, but I feel like you should’ve mentioned one more Pro.
A Halo 2 anniversary would introduce the Halo 2 story to people who maybe skipped over it the first time, or were too young to experience it. I’m that guy who owns literally every Halo besides Halo 2. My dad gave me Combat Evolved to emulate on my Xbox 360, but we never owned Halo 2, and by that time, we had already sold our original Xbox. It’s the one game I’ve avoided spoilers for, and have the faintest idea of what the story is. I’d love to play it, and I’m sure many others would too.
So, factor that in, alongside the many who’d love to return to play a cherished game, and those who left Halo after Halo 4, you’ve got a large player-base.
In conclusion, the pros outweigh the cons, and I do believe Halo 2 Anniversary would be a great success.
Exactly.
I dont care for Halo 2 multiplayer.
Also, for campaign it would be nice if they could get some of the guys from Bungie in to work on actually finishing the campaign.
> > I just want an HD Halo 2 campaign.
>
> Exactly.
> I dont care for Halo 2 multiplayer.
> <mark>Also, for campaign it would be nice if they could get some of the guys from Bungie in to work on actually finishing the campaign.</mark>
As great as that would be, it carries a heavy price: Ret-cons.
Which campaign would be considered canon? The original or the remake? If Anniversary’s campaign were to be canonized, that would mean that Halo 3’s campaign would be entirely ret-conned, which could drastically alter the entire Franchise.
In the end, it would be Halo 2’s original campaign. We can’t alter a widely accepted, pre-existing, storyline that connects directly to the current one.
Not worth it at all. They should focus on making new games, adding new things, and making them better. There’s no point to recycle a popular game to squeeze a little more money out of any fans of Halo 2.