Halo 2 Anniversary Washed

As we approach the one year anniversary of the current-console generation, gamers have seen a fair share of remakes and ports. Although there might be some concern that consumers could soon reach 'Complete Edition' fatigue, the trend is still going strong. The Last of Us: Remastered put a gorgeous fresh paint of coat on the recent Game of the Year contender and it won't be long before gamers are revisiting Los Santos in a new-gen version of GTA 5. Although the majority of the current re-releases are for games that only missed the current console gen by a year or two, next month Halo fans will be revisiting a decade-old classic that, without some major upgrades, would stick out like a sore thumb on the Xbox One.

The bulk of the revamped content in next month's Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be in the Halo 2: Anniversary segment of the bundle. The classic Xbox first-person shooter blew audiences away in 2004 with both its cinematics and its gameplay, and although the competitive multiplayer maps have held up well over the years, the original cutscenes look more than a bit dated at this point.

Thanks to some major upgrades by Blur studios, like this awesome cinematic launch trailer, the Halo 2 story now looks appropriately current-gen. This side-by-side comparison created by Game Riot of the old and new scenes really helps emphasize how much progress has been made during the last ten years...

It should come as no surprise that the visual overhaul to Halo 2 is so impressive, seeing that it was in the hands of Blur Studios. Blur is responsible for some of the most impressice cinematics of the last few years including the Batman: Arkham series, Far Cry, and that insane Deadpool test footage.

Although it seems like most Halo fans will be primarily interested in revisiting the multiplayer maps and dual-wielding pistols like it's 2004, the remastered cutscenes make playing through the campaign mode pretty tempting. Not only do the cutscenes now look at home on the Xbox One, but there are also some extended scenes and new plot points that will help setup the upcoming events of Halo 5: Guardians.

Do you plan to dive straight into multiplayer when you pick up The Master Chief Collection next month or will you be replaying the campaign, as well? Let us know in the comments.

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes to Xbox One on November 11, 2014 in North America, with global releases following after.

Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.

Source: Game Riot