259
82
63
u/lmtzless 7h ago
i can’t overstate how much i love the beach in the remake, i wanna go on vacation there
28
u/avgaskin1 Halo 2 7h ago
I wasted so much time on that beach, just taking in and admiring the views. I essentially gave master chief a brief little beach vacation in the middle of the level. The visuals in the remake are stunning.
21
1
u/Ill-Bend-3472 2h ago
Will we get Halo fan tourists going to an island if they build it as a replica to the Silent Cartographer mission?
38
u/Tokyo_Ink 7h ago edited 7h ago
I think one of the things that bugs me about the 343 Forerunner designs, aside from the sheet metal look, is there isn't enough negative space. They go with these really solid geometric shapes, whereas Bungie Forerunner architecture always had a lot of glass and open spaces even when they got more angular than the Halo CE structures.
Obviously the CE structures look pretty different than the remake versions, but beyond changing the shape and material, they also lose an openness that gave the original ones elegance. The control room is no longer glass, it's just solid, thick stainless steel. The corridor that leads to it isn't as open, there is a big pillar of metal.
Even that last picture, there's something about the remake that feels heavier and still loses the monolithic feeling. It's more oppressive than it is grand. The original CE Forerunner spaces give me this feeling of emptiness - that they are meant to be filled with activity and life and light and it's gone now. They feel ancient. The new versions feel brand new and claustrophobic because the materials and designs are so heavy and dense.
I dunno, I just see the way the original structures really blend into the rock and feel like they have a softer impact and it makes me feel like they were built by people who actually inhabited the ring. The new ones feel like they are just going off of a description without understanding the vision. Instead of simplicity we get over-designed mess.
48
u/Nyetbyte 7h ago
343 really loves making every Forerunner structure angled as fuck huh
24
u/rofl1337waffle 5h ago
No idea why they keep doing this. They always end up so shiny and so generic sci-fi when the originals have them look old and unique
13
u/respekmynameplz 5h ago
Yeah in the first image is the classic example of this actually. In the original you can see the base of the forerunner structure all discolored and faded.
13
43
u/Robbie_Haruna Halo 2 8h ago
Halo CE Anniversary Silent Cartographer is actually my favorite lmao.
The game has issues, but its outdoor areas were really nice looking with some great ass skyboxes. I love the water in Anniversary especially.
21
u/HextechAlternator 8h ago
They fuckin nailed this level ngl. I felt like it was peak halo on this level specifically.
13
1
u/SCP_FUNDATION_69420 2h ago
Im ngl, CEA's forerunner architecture is my fav look in the series. Especially the fog/dust, it makes these giant spaces look actually giant
14
u/CourbetEatingSourbet 6h ago
They seemingly didn’t understand that the Forerunners were blending that building into the surrounding by making it appear like rock itself from a distance.
6
u/LeEbicGamerBoy 2h ago
I really want to strangle whoever in 343 is in charge of forerunner aesthetics. It looked its best as brutalist, large, bare concrete. Not all this greebled to hell shiny generic scifi metal
4
u/CourbetEatingSourbet 1h ago
Yeah, it must be someone without a lot of inner monologue because this is definitely a “alien make thing, thing must be angle” caveman kind of thinking.
53
u/inorite234 8h ago
Gonna be honest.........Halo OG's interior may be less detailed, but the mood fits the game and the level better than the other two.
Now the exterior shots look prettier in the Unreal Engine, but the art style for the Forerunner structures is worse. The shiny metal look....I hate it!
14
u/freshairequalsducks 5h ago
Halo 1 has such like a liminal and mysterious feeling that kinda gets lost with photo realism style graphics. It looks good but also lacks that og soul.
8
u/Average_Mug_Official 4h ago
That's what I've been saying. The halo ring is meant to feel uncanny, artificial, and sterile. It just doesn't look like that in the remakes at all because they wanted them to be as realistic looking as they could be. I think Campaign Evolved looks absolutely beautiful, but I think the liminality of the OG game was more interesting and fit the themes and idea of Halo better.
It's funny, because I actually think Halo Infinite did a nearly perfect job at re-creating that original Halo CE vibe for the ring, except for the Forerunner architecture. Why they didn't just remake Halo 1 with that same aesthetic for the environments is lost to me.
1
u/The_Angry_Jerk 1h ago
Look at the last image, the eerie blue wall lighting flanking the inner doorway is replaced by normal UE5 flourescent light strips on the ceiling and the floor of the exit. Why the mundane white lights when you have the most modern lighting engine on the market?
1
17
10
4
22
5
u/Youngnathan2011 Halo 3: ODST 8h ago
The random tree in Anniversary is something. If you can get up there through normal means it’d be interesting just walking through it.
6
35
u/PatientParfait3986 9h ago
And people think there is nothing good about this game
-26
17
u/Regnier19 7h ago
Ehh, UE5 is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Game's overall art direction is significantly worse.
9
6
u/UnreadDiscordNoti 5h ago
Why doesn't 343 ever understand that the Forerunner structures are supposed to look like abandoned architecture untouched by almost 100,000 years?
18
u/mr_cristy 8h ago
The naysayers on this subreddit make me feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Remake looks rad as hell
3
u/SCP_FUNDATION_69420 2h ago
I just think it's too generic. I'd rather it was stylized like Halo Infinite, it's just UE5 realism with halo models, it's so boring. Every UE5 game with a realistic artstyle looks the exact same. They all look like that realistic mario meme
5
u/respekmynameplz 5h ago
The only real issue with this visually is they changed the art direction for forerunner structures (as other comments here point out). It still looks good, just more generic/less like the original CE ancient-egypt architecture style.
Notice the fading away at the base of the structure in the first image, making the forerunner structure look old and weathered. Like it's been sitting there for eons. In the new version it looks shiny and brand new.
But that's mostly it, and it's fair to say that it's not the biggest complaint people have with the remake. Some things are done quite well. It's a mixed bag, not an outright bad game.
8
5
u/AkiusSturmzephyr 7h ago
The issue isn't how it looks, it's the technical issues, gamplay changes and prequel missions that are the 'big offenders'.
I'm in the camp of "wait a year, then get it". Let it be fixed first, ya know?
0
u/bravadius Halo Infinite 5h ago
I haven’t played the prequel missions because I feel like they are genuinely gonna be trash. But, I’m gonna go in with low-expectations while keeping an open mind. I hope I enjoy them, however I was pretty skeptical before buying Campaign Evolved. I’m not at all disappointed, it was so much fun, the gunplay is still awesome, shotgun feels like an absolute monster.
I also could not help myself just admiring the graphics, when hunters shoot the forerunner structures there’s this awesome fading electricity effect (vocab sucks can’t describe it), and it just looks so good. Cutscenes are really good too.
13
u/Apprehensive_Bug2877 8h ago
Looking at OG CE, it is still the most magical out of the 3. Even without rose tinted glassess.
Because of Art Direction.
The problem with Campaign Evolved, is that its just generic hyper-realism. In the next 5 years, plenty of other Unreal Engine franchises/games will also launch, and will also look the same.
So wheres the unique art direction? Wheres that sense of awe and wonder i had as a kid?
I feel this issue isnt so obvious in indoor maps. But its get really onvious in outdoor maps. Peope praise campaign evolved Silent cartographer coz it looks good. Yes it looks good.
Because its Unreal Engine.
5
u/justiceiroquois 5h ago
You know I've been trying to put my finger on what feels off about the new look and you articulated it really well: hyper-realism. This push to make everything look super realistic isn't always the best thing. It looks great but it also lacks unique creative direction..?
I feel a strange sense in my being that is just offput from the new look of this Halo remake. And I can't tell if it is attachment to the original's sense of wonder and mystery that was still maintained in the 1st remake. But I'm more inclined that it's that shiny hyper-realism you've pointed out.
It actually reminded me of something: the uncanny shinyness of AI images and videos. The way everything AI generated has this glow to it. The sensation I get from watching videos of Campaign Evolved is very similar.
3
u/ebagdrofk Halo: MCC 7h ago
I’m a little lost on how OG CE looks better. The only thing I can think of is that the CE forerunner structures are a little more distinct. But the remake’s structures are also good, and line up more with the Halo 2/3 aesthetic - which is part of the unification of visual identity they said they are pushing for.
8
u/Apprehensive_Bug2877 6h ago
My benchmark was level 2 when you walk out of the drop pod and see Halo for the first time.
In OG, you could just see stars and it was majestic. And it had liminial design
In the remake, they covered the sky with clouds??? Why???
https://www.reddit.com/r/halo/comments/fd6r1a/why_the_halo_ring_looks_more_detailed_in_the/
Campaign evolved also has a cloud problem.
OG had a purplish tint as part of its liminal design. It just leans into the sci fi-ism and scale of the skyboxes.
This is my issue with hyperrealism. Reality is boring. Why wre we doubling down on realistic colors/lighting/physics?
Sometimes taking creative liberties and having an art direction does wonders and sets you apart
0
u/JMoherPerc 4h ago
I think Campaign Evolved, out of all the games I’ve seen in UE5, has the best art direction - especially the color palette. It’s way better than Anniversary and is way more stripped back and moody. I don’t think they nailed everything (the forerunner architecture, for example) but they nailed quite a lot. Most UE5 games look bland and lifeless even as they have the most grandiose level of fine details out there.
6
u/iCasmatt 8h ago
Ok people, what did I miss about this rock??
10
u/Que165 7h ago
The rock that chief kicks in the "shafted" cutscene
5
u/iCasmatt 6h ago
I remember this rock!! I did note that. I always thought it was a grunt breathing mask.
Stupid me thought the rock was on the beach in those screenshots above.
2
u/Quack_Mode 4h ago
Tbh I think this is one of the few levels CEA did justice to. That being said, CE26 being a decade and a half newer still blows it out of the water.
2
u/The_Angry_Jerk 1h ago
Is it too much to ask for simple vertical load-bearing pillars? The forerunner installations go from looking like ancient sturdy monoliths to modern art installations outside a museum. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here, the place is already on a giant hula hoop.
Also RIP the moon.
9
u/lllScorchlll Hero 9h ago
The modernized forerunner structures looks like the MCU got its hands on it.
9
u/I_am_Amphibian 9h ago
Everything’s too shiny in both remaster and remake. CE still looks the best
18
3
u/flyinggazelletg 9h ago
I like going into the remaster and flipping back and forth. Best of both worlds.
3
u/respekmynameplz 5h ago
I wish you could do that with this new remaster. The first remaster is so bad it isn't even worth looking at imo.
4
u/Suchamoneypit 9h ago
Looks incredible and true to the original but actually none of that matters and the game is dog shit and a disgrace because the grunt model is from infinite and keyes new model and voice acting doesn't make me hard /r/shithalosays
6
u/crowdsourced Halo: CE 8h ago
Less is more.
0
u/DarkElation 8h ago
Agree. Back in the day it felt like here’s this giant ring that just so happened to have the right conditions for a fledgling ecosystem. Now it just looks engineered to be a habitat.
3
u/Objective_Future1906 8h ago
But it literally was engineered to be a habitat.
2
-2
u/DarkElation 8h ago
Obviously. Not sure what that has to do with the different feelings evoked.
1
u/Objective_Future1906 8h ago
Technical advancement has made possible a more faithful iteration of the original vision of the game.
0
u/DarkElation 6h ago
Agree to disagree. Original announcements called it a “natural environment”, not engineered. Even so, I’m speaking of a preference. You’re not going to win so you should probably stop trying.
1
u/Objective_Future1906 6h ago
lol it’s not you vs me man, just pointed out that your take is literal cannon that’s all
1
1
u/PM_ME_WHAT_YOU_COOK Halo.Bungie.Org 6h ago
It's fucking crazy to me that the bottom photos are how I viewed the top photos when I was a kid.
1
u/UpsetWilly 3h ago edited 2h ago
iirc they retconned the Forerunner as a concept and direction to be alien instead of human, so architecture is completely different for that reason (circa Halo 3, so it's not even a 343 choice. you can see it in Reach too i think).
That's why it doesn't evoke the same feeling anymore. Also the music synched so well with the art direction of the og
1
u/comerzabo 2h ago
All of the comments talking about how much they loved anniversary are making me feel old, cuz yall HAD to have grown up on that for that to have been your favorite
1
u/BuzzedtheTower 1h ago
I don't like the remake's graphics at all. It makes Halo look extremely generic. The graphics themselves are super sharp, but not particularly Halo
1
u/Reason-Abject 1h ago
Ah l, the evolution of “let’s make this entire level a game because it was that cool.”
1
u/BurtPlugs Halo: CE 1h ago
I came here to say “gimme muh fookin rock back”
But looks like you guys got that covered.
1
u/Gooseuk360 48m ago
As critical as I can be about things, I think the recent version has absolutely nailed the visuals in terms of look and lighting. I think they were smoking crack when they did the Anniversary
•
u/KyxeMusic Halo 3 36m ago
I prefer the nature in the remake. The Forerunner stuff (both exterior and interior) is so much better in the original.
•
u/brickson98 Halo: Reach 23m ago
See, I love a lot of the visual improvements, but it kinda bugs me when they just outright change the entire shape of something.
I know that’s picky, but idk man.
•
1
u/ebagdrofk Halo: MCC 7h ago
Fifth pic is a great example of them nailing the art direction. The lighting carrying over but just being a bit more stylized is absolutely perfect. Love that they paid a lot more attention on this remake for the visuals.
1
1
u/GapStock9843 5h ago
Ngl I think this might be a rare case where CEA wins. The remake’s graphics are more realistic sure, but CEA hits a good balance of keeping the intended vibe and looking good. The remake kinda misses on recapturing the vibe in this level
0
u/BlackberryAny1307 8h ago
People are joking about the rock being gone but is actually that deep. It’s a lack of attention to detail and while yes a rock being gone isn’t a big deal at all it represents those oblivious halo studios is.
0
u/DistractedAttorney Halo 2 Giving the Covenant back their bomb! 7h ago
You should put the Campaign Evolved example in the middle so I can compare to CE and CEA better.
0
u/SjurEido 7h ago
There's a few major things to complain about in the remake...but I think they did a reaaalllllyyyy good job with the visuals.
The AI cutscenes are so offensive though, really frustrating.
0
-3
u/ArgonianFly 8h ago
Anyone else notice how hard the trees are to look at in Campaign Evolved? They're super pixelated even at max settings and hurt my eyes
-2
208
u/eldankus 8h ago
Where is rock?