David Wolinsky, Contributing Editor: So, Halo is getting a remake to mark its 10th anniversary, and now we all officially feel a bit older in the process. Do you feel that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is just a token tribute, or something more ambitious?
Will Tuttle, Editor in Chief: I'd say it's a little bit of both. I have no doubt that this game is a reaction to the fact that hardcore Halo fans have been asking for it outright for a number of years now -- and if the former Bungie folks at 343 Industries know one thing, it's that the fans are (almost) always right. With that said, however, this isn't just a half-assed remake that's being pushed out the door to make a quick buck. The developers knew that they had to ensure the game plays exactly like the original, and that it wasn't just Halo: Combat Evolved running in the Halo: Reach engine with the latter game's weapons and all of that. It needed to be the same game that a generation of console gamers fell in love with.
David Wolinsky: So how did they pump the brakes to assure this will do proud by Halo's legacy? And obviously, it's still early, but do you think they've been successful in their efforts thus far?
Will Tuttle: From a technical standpoint, I think they were very successful. Rather than attempt to rebuild the entire game in an updated engine, the developers instead layered two separate games engines on top of one another. Under the hood, the original Halo: Combat Evolved engine is running the actual first-person shooter gameplay, so the game feels and plays identically to the Halo we all remember. On top of that is a new and improved graphical engine by Saber Interactive, creators of TimeShift. Now, I have no idea why 343 chose that engine over other ones, but it seems to work well. One of the game's coolest features is the ability to switch between the HD version of the game and the original low-res version with the press of a button. Frankly, the difference between the two is pretty astounding. Video game graphics have come a long, long way in the last decade!
David Wolinsky: If it's running the old engine simultaneously with a newer one, is the overlaying game the same? Have they made any additions, tweaks, or changes? Or have they shrunk away from that, fearing the wrath of hordes of Halo fans?
Will Tuttle: For the most part, the game is the same, for better and worse. Yes, that means you still need to play through confusing, annoying level "The Library," one of the worst in the entire series. But that's not to say that no changes are present. In fact, one fairly major change is sure to delight hardcore Halo fans: the addition of terminals. Most people who played Halo 3 remember the terminals hidden throughout the levels, and activating them opened some text-only screens that provided a bit of background on the Halo universe. They were cool Easter eggs for hardcore fans, but not nearly as cool as the goodies in store for fans in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Finding terminals in the new-and-improved Halo unlocks full videos (complete with some neat animations of what appears to hand-drawn artwork) that seems to tell the tale of the floating 343 Guilty Spark, one of the most memorable "characters" in the series. I love additions like this, especially since it really won't affect the game itself in any negative way.
David Wolinsky: You marveled at how far game graphics have come along in the last decade, but I wonder if most people realize that Halo predates Xbox Live. What's being done to correct this historical oversight? I assume they're not leaving out multiplayer (in order to stay 100% faithful to the original game), right?
Will Tuttle: Oh, they're definitely embracing the technological advances that Xbox Live has brought to the proverbial table. Not only will the game feature two-player co-op play over Xbox Live, it will also ship with seven maps from the original game that have been Reach-ified (that is, they've been tweaked to support Halo: Reach's gear and gadgets), including Beaver Creek and Damnation. The maps were overhauled by the folks from Austin-based developer Certain Affinity, best known as the company launched by former Bungie multiplayer lead designer Max Hoberman and the developers of the recent Defiant map pack. Best of all, the maps will be available as downloadable content for players that own Halo: Reach but don't want to purchase Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, ensuring that everyone will be able to play with everyone. Screw diamonds, this is what a 10th anniversary gift should be!
