As Halo fans impatiently wait for the video game series' fifth installment, 343 Industries has found a way to feed their need in the meantime. Following the success of the Halo: Anniversary Edition, a remake of the original game with a major tech upgrade, 343 is following through with the rest of the series in similar fashion, with a massive bundle called Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
But no game in the series will get as much of an overhaul as Halo 2. This fan-favorite entry was first created for the original Xbox, way back when, so it hasn't aged particularly well. To give it the love and attention it deserves, 343 not only upgraded the graphics, physics, and audio, they also hired Blur Studios to remake the game's cinematics. And boy-oh-boy did Blur deliver.
Halo 2's campaign mode told a compelling story about Master Chief aiding in Commander Keyes' quest to stop the Covenant from activating the various Halo rings. A parallel story unfolded regarding a Covenant character called the Arbiter, who quickly became sympathetic and would eventually become Master Chief's ally. The cinematics that pushed both stories forward were fine for the time, but look archaic today.
Blur did a lot more than merely re-render the cut scenes in high definition. They made the cinematics anew, as if they were creating them for the first time. So the characters are much more realistic, the settings are bigger and more detailed, and the whole world comes alive like a big-screen movie.
343 Industries has released a new trailer for the upgraded Halo 2 that consists purely of Blur's cinematics, and it's a wonder to behold. See for yourself.
To truly appreciate what Blur has done, you need to see the new cinematics alongside the old ones. The upgrades are just staggering.
Entertainment Weekly has more comparison shots here.
With every new narrative work that's released, it's almost as if Microsoft and 343 Industries are thumbing their nose at Hollywood. "You don't want to make a Halo movie? Then we're going to show you what you're missing out on."
Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes with the first four games, all-new multiplayer modes and maps, Ridley Scott's Halo: Nightfall film (which sets up the story of next year's Halo 5: Guardians), beta access to Halo 5's multiplayer mode, and more. It will be in stores November 11, 2014 exclusively for Xbox One, for $60.
Photo: Microsoft
