Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

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Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
File:Halo-combat-evolved-anniversary-dvd.jpg
Developer(s)343 Industries (Campaign)
Certain Affinity (Multiplayer)
Bungie (Original)
Publisher(s)Microsoft Studios
Composer(s)Martin O'Donnell
Michael Salvatori
SeriesHalo
EngineSaber3D
Platform(s)Xbox 360
ReleaseNovember 15, 2011
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer, cooperative, Campaign, Forge, Theater

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, also referred to as Halo: Anniversary, or Halo: CEA, is a first-person shooter video game set in the Halo universe and is an enhanced remake of Halo: Combat Evolved.[1] Microsoft announced the game along with Halo 4 at their Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 press conference. The game reached gold status on October 15, 2011, and was released a month later, on November 15, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the original title's launch.[2][3][4]

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is the first game in the Halo series to be developed by 343 Industries. The game features several updates to the original title, including a complete visual overhaul, support for cooperative and multiplayer gameplay on the Xbox Live online service, remakes of several multiplayer maps from previous Halo games, and extras that do not affect gameplay such as achievements, terminals, and other hidden easter eggs.[5] The original game engine was replaced by the Saber3d engine in campaign mode and the Halo: Reach engine in multiplayer. The game is the first in the series to include Kinect support.[6][7]

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of Halo: Combat Evolved

Campaign

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's campaign has the same story as Halo: Combat Evolved, with the addition of achievements, terminals, and online co-op. The player has the ability to switch from the updated graphics engine to the original, and vice versa, by pressing the back button on the Xbox 360 controller.[8] The Anniversary edition also has subtitles available for in-game and combat dialogue. A new feature to this integration is the Library. When the command analyze is given, specific characters, vehicles and objects can be scanned and an index for detailed information on them is made available.[9] The remastered graphics are also available in 3D for 3D televisions.[10]

Multiplayer

File:HaloCEAscreenshots1.jpg
Screenshots released by 343 Industries. The opening screen (above) and a view of beach on Silent Cartographer (below).

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary supports cooperative campaign and competitive multiplayer modes. The campaign mode uses a remastered version of the original Halo: Combat Evolved engine. The multiplayer mode will use Halo: Reach's engine. The multiplayer beta was released on October 4, 2011.[11] Seven of the available maps have been updated and re-released using Halo: Reach's engine. Six of these maps are competitive multiplayer maps that are remakes from Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. Each map has two variants, classic and enhanced.

The enhanced and classic versions available in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary are Beaver Creek / Battle Canyon / Battle Creek, Damnation / Penance, Timberland / Ridgeline, Prisoner / Solitary,[12] Hang 'Em High / High Noon and Headlong / Breakneck.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's mulitplayer brings all the options from the more current games, like emblems, weapon loadouts, customizable armor, and selectable genders all on updated versions of original Halo maps.[13]

Firefight

The map used in the Firefight mode is set at the cliff-side beam emitter encounter in one of the last three encounters of Halo: Combar Evolved's second level, Halo. The map is vehicle-based, and unlike previous Firefight maps it contains friendly ODSTs and Marines that help out the players against the Covenant.[12] Despite being previously rumored, the Flood does not appear in Firefight.

Development

343 Industries started developing the original Halo: Combat Evolved to achieve the gold status, which correlates to complete development. To make the original Halo: Combat Evolved look and feel like a greatly-enhanced game, 343 used the Halo: Combat Evolved and Saber3d engines for the campaign and Halo: Reach's engine for multiplayer.[1] The development began under the codename Spark.[14] The game's ability to alternate between the legacy and remastered graphics engines in the campaign was made possible by the rendering engine developed by Saber Interactive. The technology allowed the developers to both update Halo: Combat Evolved's visuals and preserve the original gameplay at the same time. [15] Since the ability to switch between classic version and remastered version was provided to players, both engines were designed to work simultaneously to retain the spontaneity of game.[13]

Because of their previous contributions to the series - the Blastacular and Defiant map packs - Certain Affinity was approached by 343 Industries to streamline the multiplayer maps to take Halo: Reach's gameplay options into account. The campaign runs on the original engine with the help of Saber3d, whereas multiplayer is powered by the Halo: Reach's engine which was worked on by Certain Affinity. [16] Since 343 developed Halo 4 concurrently with the Anniversary edition, they decided t o use Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to link the original trilogy's story with the Reclaimer trilogy's, using game mechanics similar to Halo 3: ODST's terminals and data pads; extra backstory is also included, with Guilty Spark the subject.[17]

Soundtrack

Untitled

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary retains some of the original audio from Halo: Combat Evolved, though it is remastered to sound clearer, allowing it to work seamlessly in 5.1 surround sound. For this HD remake of the soundtrack, 343 partnered with Pyramind Studios to remake the original game soundtrack, using the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and the Chanticleer vocal ensemble.[18] All non-vocal audio for the game was re-recorded by Skywalker Sound.[19] The soundtrack had both a normal CD release and a vinyl release limited to 5000 copies.[20] Thirty-nine tracks are featured on two discs and most of the song titles are derived from the song titles of the Halo: Combat Evolved soundtrack.[21]

In addition to original music from Halo: CE, additional tracks are as below.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Original Soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."Random Slipspace Trajectory"3:39
2."Bravery, Brotherhood"1:26
3."Installation 04"4:20
4."An End of Dying"2:46
5."Pale Rider"1:31
6."Yawning Chasm"1:01
7."A Private Service"1:13
8."Rock in a Hard Place"1:17
9."Flotsam, Jetsam"2:49
10."Captain, My Captain"0:58
11."Suite Fall"4:21
12."Demons and Heretics"1:31
13."Exfiltration"1:07
14."Honest Negotiation Suite"8:49
15."Unless You Mean To Shoot"2:31
16."Infiltration"1:49
17."Strung"1:48
18."Still, Moving"2:01
19."Lions and Tigers and…"1:39
20."Between Beams"0:58
21."Paranoid Illusion"0:53
22."Xenoarchaeology"1:46
23."Choreographite"1:44
24."In the Substance of it"1:19
25."How to Get Ahead in War"1:52
26."Unreliable Exploration"1:13
27."Dewy Decimate"6:17
28."First Step"2:13
29."Arborea Above"1:28
30."Bad Dream"1:39
31."Cloaked in Blackness"3:41
32."Strident"1:00
33."To Sleep"1:02
34."Marathon Sprint"2:04
35."Fragments"1:47
36."Heretic Machine"1:36
37."Unfortunate Discovery"1:47
38."Heliopause"0:41
39."Didactic Principal"1:47

Marketing

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's trailer was released on June 6, 2011, at E3 which was later followed up with the teaser trailer for Halo 4. A 343 Industries video documentary was released shortly after the unveiling of the Halo 4 teaser, which contained some extra footage and additional information on anniversary edition. Those who pre-order the game would receive a code to download John-117's Mark V MJOLNIR armor for their avatars. Pre-ordering the game also gives access to the Grunt Funeral skull, which causes Unggoy to explode like plasma grenades when killed.[22] During the Halo Universe panel at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, a short trailer showcasing the animation used in the terminals with a narration by 04-343 Guilty Spark was shown to the fans.[23] Microsoft launched Halo Living Monument campaign consisting of a live-action short and video and Halolivingmonument.com website to celebrate the ten years of completion of original Halo. Website was activated on November 13, 2011, for the players and fans.[24][25]

Among the tie-ups for the marketing Pizza Hut will be running a Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary promotion in the United Kingdom from November 7 to December 19, 2011, during which anyone who orders a Halo pizza would receive two free days of Xbox Live Gold membership.[26]

Reception

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary received positive reviews. With the launch of first beta versions of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary many critics praised the overall gaming performance which it brought compare to classic version. The Inquirer praised the graphics and the use of 3D saying, "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a must have for Halo fans and if you never played the original then this is a great way of playing a classic title as it was and re-mastered."[37]

Halo: CEA was released worldwide on November 15, 2011 and was universally acclaimed by critics and gaming community. It currently holds a rating of 83 out of 100 on Metacritic, a game reviewing website.[28]

The Guardian gave the positive comment by saying, "It's a mighty fine game – for my money, the best in the Halo franchise – that deserves to accumulate a cult following. Microsoft should be applauded for having the balls (and the money) to exhume it in such a magnificent manner."[36]

Steven Hopper of IGN gave a slightly mixed review although giving a good score overall and praising the game for its graphics, saying "If you can approach the experience with an open mind and are willing to take a few frustrating old-school design choices, and you're fine with a "best of" map pack versus a full redo, then this is a great way to bide the time before Halo 4."[29]

References

  1. ^ a b "Halo: Anniversary Exclusive". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  2. ^ Hillard, Kyle (October 15, 2011). "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Has Gone Gold". Game Informer. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  3. ^ Shea, Jessica (October 19, 2011). "The Halo Bulletin: 10/19/11". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  4. ^ Davison, Pete (June 6, 2011). "E3: Halo Anniversary Coming November 15". GamePro. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  5. ^ "Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary E3 2011 Debut Trailer". GameTrailers. June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  6. ^ Pakinkis, Tom (June 20, 2011). "Halo: CE Anniversary has Kinect support". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (June 20, 2011). "Halo Anniversary Kinect support confirmed". Official Xbox Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  8. ^ Hillier, Brenna (June 10, 2011). "Halo Anniversary to run two engines side by side". VG247. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  9. ^ Lynch, Casey (October 16, 2011). "First Halo Kinect Details Revealed". IGN UK. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  10. ^ ""343 Guilty Spark" Level Demo". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. August 27, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  11. ^ Shea, Jessica (September 22, 2011). "The Halo Bulletin: 9/21/11". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Lynch, Casey (August 26, 2011). "Halo Fest: Halo Anniversary Exclusive Multiplayer Blowout". IGN. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Noble, McKinley (October 25, 2011). "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Hands-On Preview". GamePro. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  14. ^ "343 Sparkast 004" (MP3). Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. June 8, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  15. ^ "The man who's rebuilding Halo: Combat Evolved". Computer and Video Games. October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  16. ^ "E3 2011: Halo Returns Interview". GameTrailers. June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  17. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 25, 2011). "Halo 4 in development for two years". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  18. ^ Helgeson, Matt (July 6, 2011). "343 And Pyramind Studios Remaking Halo Soundtrack For Anniversary Edition". Game Informer. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  19. ^ "Halo Fest: Halo Anniversary Campaign Discussion". IGN. August 27, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  20. ^ Webb, Dan (October 5, 2011). "343 Industries' Frank O'Connor: "3D Will Always Be Like 5.1"". Xbox360Achievements. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  21. ^ "Sumthing Else Music Works Announces Halo®: Combat Evolved Anniversary Soundtrack Double CD Album". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  22. ^ "Special Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Pre-Order Bonuses". Halo Waypoint. Microsoft Game Studios. July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  23. ^ "Halo Waypoint: Anniversary Terminals Teaser". xbox. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  24. ^ Hinkle, David (November 2, 2011). "Rumor: Microsoft launching 'Halo Living Monument' for Combat Evolved Anniversary". Joystiq. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  25. ^ Dutton, Fred (November 14, 2011). "Live action clip announces Halo Living Monument". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  26. ^ Shaw, Patrick (November 1, 2011). "Pizza Hut's Halo Pizza is a Real Thing". GamePro. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  27. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary". GameRankings. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  28. ^ a b "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary". Metacritic. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  29. ^ a b Hopper, Steven (November 14, 2011). "Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Review". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  30. ^ Noble, McKinley (November 14, 2011). "Review: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (360)". GamePro. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  31. ^ Gapper, Michael (November 14, 2011). "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  32. ^ Otero, Jose (November 14, 2011). "Review: Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Revisits the Early Days of a Classic". 1UP.com. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  33. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review". Official Xbox Magazine UK. November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  34. ^ Robinson, Martin (November 14, 2011). "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  35. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary review". Edge. November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  36. ^ a b Boxer, Steve (November 14, 2011). "Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary – review". The Guardian. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  37. ^ "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary hands-on review". The Inquirer. October 24, 2011. Retrieved November 08, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links

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