Halo 2 Anniversary

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"Because the seeds of our future are sown in his past."

— Arbiter Thel 'Vadam^[1]

Halo 2 Anniversary is an upcoming remastered edition of Halo 2. It will be released on November 11, 2014 as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection for the Xbox One.^[2]^[3]

Features

Campaign

Like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the game will allow users to switch between the remastered version and a "Classic Mode"; both visuals and audio will be remastered in the Anniversary mode but will remain original in the Classic Mode. The switch between the two modes is more seamless than in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, being instantaneous as opposed to the screen fading to black in the interim,^[4] and will function in both gameplay and cutscenes.^[5] The remastered cutscenes are pre-rendered by Blur Studios as opposed to being in-engine like those in most of the Halo games.^[3] Similar to its predecessor, Halo 2 Anniversary will use a combination of 3D models from several of the prior games (such as Halo: Reach's Grunts) as well as modified and all-new assets.^[6] Music and sound effects will likewise be redone, with the soundtrack rerecorded by Skywalker Sound.^[7]

Like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 4, Halo 2 Anniversary will contain hidden terminal videos; these terminals have been stated to be easier to find than before.^[8] As in Halo 4 the videos are hosted on Halo Waypoint, not on the disc, and as such require an Internet connection to access. The game will also feature new skulls.^[3]

Multiplayer

The Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer has been stated to be based on a post-patch version of Halo 2 as rather than the shipping version.^[9] The game will also have an online co-op mode.^[6] Split-screen multiplayer will be laid out in horizontal view instead of the original vertical orientation.^[9]

All original multiplayer maps (including the extra ones in the DLC map packs and Halo 2 Vista)^[10] are featured in the classic multiplayer mode, while six of the maps have been completely re-imagined^[3] in a separate multiplayer engine described as a combination of the multiplayer of the classic Halo 2 and that of the more recent Halo titles.^[6] A Forge mode will be featured, albeit only in the six re-imagined maps.^[8]

Remastered multiplayer

In the remastered multiplayer component, the name of the segment of the map that the player is currently in is displayed near the motion sensor similar to Halo: Reach. Gametypes, such as Infection, Race, Ricochet and SWAT, were added to the remastered multiplayer. The assault rifle and silenced SMG were added to the remastered multiplayer along with the M274-M Gungoose.^[11] Ascension Anniversary will feature a large energy shield in the centre of the map, triggered by any of three switches around the map's outskirts - an example of the "new features" being added to the six remastered maps being developed specially for the game.^[12]