So, in the last journal I offered to review one of either of the "recently" published games, Modern Warfare 3 or HALO:Anniversary - and as per popular demand, the latter won as a contestant, so here's my personal opinion on the re-issue of the XboX's most successful and longest running titular franchise.

HALO: Anniversary

A lot of people claim that, back in the day, HALO:CE revolutionized the way shooters were played and I can't seem to disagree when I think about it. Yahtzee is right in saying that many, many games developers march in step behind the HALO franchise, but when you get really technical, most of them probably copy H2s gameplay. Regardless though, this isn't necessarily what I want to talk about here, although I do agree that the adherence to certain gameplay traits has lessened variety in the video game world.

The one thing I do feel needs to be said about the franchise is, and this might just be me having grown up with it, that it's the first and so far only pure shooter series of games that has a consistent sci-fi theme that's believable, fun and deep. While I wont deny that it has its flaws, a lot of people calling it out on cliché issues, which I don't really feel are waranted, the entire series is still enjoyable to play. Actually my opinion on REACH has improved over time, much like that of ODST.

But now lets get to the review and start with the positive stuff.

Well, I guess the most obvious part that is to be said is that it's just awesome that a company would go to this much trouble just to re-release a previous game for what is essentially fan service. I've heard of this happening before every once in a while, even for really popular games, but usually they're just a retooling to modern code of everything that was in the old game, including the eye-strain graphics - then again, I will admit to myself that I enjoy playing games that have been far outclassed in terms of graphics achievements for gameplays sake, so wtf am I complaining about 9.9 I was really happy when I found out it was being done to the original Perfect Dark and I'm still a proud owner of that re-release, but that's a whole different story. A fun note here, during the campaign you can actually switch between the old H:CE graphic and the new and improved version of Anniversary.

Another thing that's commendable is the environments. I remember first playing H:CE at my cousins place in finland when it was published. The alien environments of the ancient ring world were fascinating for me, with long and sprawling levels full of enemies to kill and new adventures and perils waiting around the corner. H:Ann takes the original environments to the level of the REACH engine and really fleshes out the looks for me, which isn't really surprising when you think back to what REACH showed us in terms of environmental effects. In fact, the retooled environments are probably what sells me on the single player campaign, because as much as I have to bitch and nag about it in a bit, I can't help but feel a certain amount of familiar comfort and yet still be excited over its new looks.

The last thing to mention here in the positive section are the multiplayer maps. I haven't played all of them yet, but the one map, the one BIG map that absolutely sells me for Anniversary, if for no other reason than to play that map again, is Headlong/Breakneck. We played that map almost exclusively back in the days of Halo2 and now it's back in all its damn glory, wohooo, what a damn crazy, awesome time that is... but okay, enough of being nice to Anniversary, I know it's always more fun to listen to someone rant than gush.

I know someone's gonna call me out for what I'm gonna say next (fluff, I'm looking at you here), but HALO:Anniversary has several fatal flaws for me that do sort of lessen its impact, the most glaring being that it's literally an overlay onto H:CE. For a reference as to why fluff will take issue with this comment, see my Battlefield 3 review ;3 - HOWEVER, let me make my point in a short summary.
What I complained about with Battlefield 3 was that they essentially went from BF2s more realistic, squad and hierarchy based gameplay to BF:BCs one man army, nobody gives a shit about teamwork gameplay, plus they removed map bot gameplay entirely, which was probably my major issue.
HALO:Anniversary has the reverse issue of leaving out every single last advancement that the following HALO games had made, both gameplay and bot AI wise.
Why do I complain about this, when I had the opposite opnion with BF3? Well, the HALO series never really entirely changed its gameplay. Only with H3 were slight perks included for multiplayer and even then they were additions, not regime changes. Same goes for REACH, even if you can now select perks for you to carry into battle right from the get go, of which sprinting is still the most useful of all.

In H:Ann the movement is reset back to its original H:CE state, which is more of a downgrade than anythng else. While the loss of the dual wield function does not pain me, because that is actually reasonably explained back in H2, the exclusion of all weapons from H:REACH, H2 and H3 does annoy me quite a bit, especially because it creates continuity issues, at least in my personal little brain... I dunno, maybe I'm just retarded 9.9

Something else that pisses me off - you can't play Campaign in Co-Op. Oh sure, you can play Co-Op with one partner, but you can't play with 4 and while I realize that this would also create continuity issues, that seem to be no problem in H3 or REACH, where you can throw 4 Spartans in the spot of one >.O

The other thing I hinted at before is the exclusion of more sophisticated AI. The AI and enemies in REACH are seriously intimidating, especially when you start putting in skulls. When I was playing H:Ann I realized you can literally use ALL the old tricks on them, including firing missiles and shots at pre-scripted enemies that appear in ALL the same spots. Even the weapons and corpses are in the same spots. I'm aware I paid for a remake here and a lot, if not all of this, is done so you can switch back to the old H:CE graphics, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't think they'd be this literal about just upping the graphics, which brings me about to my last big point of critique, the graphics upgrade.

Now, I know what you're thinking - wasn't this guy praising the graphics upgrade just before? - now here's the thing. First thing, I praised the environmental graphics upgrade and second, they included the worst choices of redesign and left out the good ones.
The new actually titular HALO looks absolutely desecrating - not alike to anything that looks remotely like forerunner technology. You're welcome to think of my opinion what you will, but the new Elites (from REACH) look shit compared to the bas-asses from the original HALO series. Not only that, but the Master Chiefs Mk V armor looks like crap compared to the versions you can earn in H3 and REACH multiplayer. I'm serious, both of them look more like Action Man figurines made by fisher price than anything that came out of a good concept artists hands, but I digress, maybe I'm just kicking pebles here.

I guess what I'm really asking is, why couldn't they just have taken what they had in REACH and built the new H:Ann on that. The only thing I remember them bringing over from REACH besides the multiplayer is those horrible, HORRIBLE abominations of Keyes and Johnson, who look nothing like their H:CE counterpart. Admitedly, a lot of things are not the way they were, duh, but Keyes and Johnson were the only key character next to Cortana to have a face, so wtf business do they have changing it up? >.O

*sigh* alright, stepping down from the complaint/soap box, H:Ann is in all technicality exactly what was advertised, at least during the marketing. Don't believe them when the box says they've improved the campaign in any way, the only thing that's changed is the addition of terminals to find, like in H3.
The multiplayer DOES hold up with all that was promissed and if for nothing else, Headlong/Breakneck was absolutely worth it, even if 35€ for one map is a little bit much, but for what little there is to have otherwise it's enjoyable and if you don't know what the HALO mythos is about, but don't want to step back down to 2001 graphics, Anniversary will deffinitely introduce you well, even if you'll find it a little retreading old paths a bit... now reconsider where those paths come from ;3

To summarize; The graphics being up to date is awesome, but the design choices are poor. Gameplay hasn't changed from the original H:CE at all, right down to every cut scene and scripted event, but this goes with the feature of being able to switch between visual modes. The multiplayer maps hold up to what they were and are now, so those are no disappointment and since it's not full priced you'll feel less guilty about re-buying it for your collection, should you have one.

Now all that remains to be hoped for si that they don't fuck up H4LO, or else I might really start getting political about this >.O