Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary lands on PC

[HEXUS]

Grab this remaster via the Xbox Game Pass for PC, Microsoft Store, or Steam.

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[Ttaskmaster]

I already have the Collection bundle, so should get this appearing on my Steam account.
Haven't yet managed to play the first one, though. Nasty Epic keep giving me free games to play...!

[KultiVator]

Careful Ttaskmaster, you'll rile up all the "Epic-are-evil" haters out there.

Didn't notice anyone crying about ASUS having timed exclusivity on the new Ryzen 4800HS CPU, despite the striking parallels.

[KultiVator]

Played through the first few chapters of the Halo C.E. campaign... feels quite nostalgic, but does look dated even with all the 'Remastered' elements in place.

Didn't recall just how repetitive some of the early levels really are... about 200 corridors that all look identical when you first board the covenant capital ship to rescue the imprisoned captain.

It definitely illustrates how far gaming standards have moved on over the past decade and a half.

[blokeinkent]

It definitely illustrates how far gaming standards have moved on over the past decade and a half.

Yes it certainly does. You can press the Tab key during gameplay to switch between the original and enhanced render and my god I forgot how rough the original looked.

[Zhaoman]

The original looks rough now but this isn't helped by the 2003 PC port by Gearbox which all subsequent versions are based on. A lot of important effects like bump mapping, fog and lighting effects were not retained and they have not put these back even for the MCC edition. So what you are seeing is hobbled graphically compared to the original Xbox version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6nZPrMSu0w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVAHfjIfj38

I remember thinking Halo CE looks rough when playing on MCC but actually the original Xbox version looked much better which is now lost which is a shame.

[KultiVator]

A lot of important effects like bump mapping, fog and lighting effects were not retained and they have not put these back even for the MCC edition. So what you are seeing is hobbled graphically compared to the original Xbox version.

Aha... that makes perfect sense... was beginning to think my memories of playing it years ago had been rose-tinted ;-)

[dannyboy75]

Didn't recall just how repetitive some of the early levels really are... about 200 corridors that all look identical when you first board the covenant capital ship to rescue the imprisoned captain.

Agreed. I bought the original for PC when it first came out, but was underwhelmed and felt it was somewhat overrated. During that repetitive 'corridor' section I honestly believed I kept taking a wrong turn and was going round in circles. Not the best bit of level design, IMO.