Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Preview

This Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition preview gives a quick look at what can be expected from 343 Industries’ remake of the 2001 first person shooter game Halo: Combat Evolved!

CEA was announced at Microsoft’s E3 2011 press conference, along with Halo 4 and 343 Industries, in collaboration with Saber Interactive, plan on releasing Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on November 15th 2011 (US) – the 10th anniversary of the original title’s launch.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary’s campaign will be the same story as Halo: Combat Evolved, with the addition of achievements, terminals, and online Co-op. Bent on humankind’s extermination, a powerful fellowship of alien races known as the Covenant is wiping out Earth’s fledgling interstellar empire. You and the other surviving defenders of a devastated colony make a desperate attempt to lure the alien fleet away from Earth.

Shot down and marooned on the ancient ring-world Halo, you begin a guerilla-war against the Covenant. Fight for humanity against an alien onslaught as you race to uncover the mysteries of Halo.

Take a look behind the scenes of Combat Evolved Anniversary!

In this interview, Executive Producer Dan Ayoub talks about CEA at Gamescom 2011.

Frank O-Connor talks us through the campaign demo of Combat Evolved Anniversary at E3 2011.

And take a look-see at the remastered “Beaver Creek” level.

Key Features of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Here is a list of key elements that will be available in 343 Industries’ Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition, based on news and announcements made so far.

Bundled with seven of the most popular multiplayer maps in Halo history ready for Xbox LIVE, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will include a bounty of new features including cooperative play over Xbox LIVE, achievements, new challenges, and new fiction to uncover.

Multiplayer
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will support cooperative campaign and competitive multiplayer modes. The campaign mode will use a remastered version of the original Halo: Combat Evolved-engine. The multiplayer mode will use the Halo: Reach engine.

New “Back Button” Feature
When the player presses the back button on the Xbox 360 controller, the game will switch from the updated graphics engine to the original, and vice-versa.

Multiplayer Maps
Seven maps will be updated and re-released utilizing the Reach engine. 6 of these maps are competitive multiplayer maps that are remakes of the originals seen in Halo: CE. These maps will include 2 variants, one “classic”, (which will take the name of the map on which it was based), and a second variant that has been enhanced to utilise Reach’s new sandbox feel and features.
Announced multiplayer maps in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary include:

  • Beaver Creek / Battle Canyon
  • Hang ‘Em High
  • Damnation / Pennace
  • Timberland

Story and Subtitles
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary’s campaign will follow the same story as Halo: Combat Evolved. Anniversary will also have subtitles available for in-game and combat dialogue.

Known Levels
Combat Evolved Anniversary’s currently known levels consist of all the original Halo: Combat Evolved levels (excluding a mystery campaign level). Announced levels in Halo: CEA include:

  • The Pillar of Autumn – “Escape intact as Covenant forces board your ship.”
  • Halo – “Seek out surviving Marines and help them fight the Covenant.”
  • The Truth and Reconciliation – “Board a Covenant ship in an attempt to rescue Captain Keyes.”
  • The Silent Cartographer – “Search for the map room that will lead you to the secrets of Halo.”
  • Assault on the Control Room – “Defend the Control Room against wave after wave of Covenant troops.”
  • 343 Guilty Spark – “Creep through a swamp to meet the only enemy the Covenant fear.”
  • The Library – “Fight your way through an ancient security facility in search of the Index.”
  • Two Betrayals – “Re-activate the weapon at the heart of Halo… and learn the truth.”
  • Keyes – “Stage a one-cyborg assault on a Covenant ship and bring back the Captain.”
  • The Maw – “Destroy Halo before Halo destroys all life in the galaxy.”
  • And “a not-yet-decided-upon” Campaign level.

Firefight Map
An unknown Firefight map has been announced too! This map may feature the Flood, the infectious species that made its debut in the original Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, and has never been seen in any Firefight map.

Check out the trailer!

Eagerly anticipating this remaster/remake? Don’t forget to leave a comment and share your opinion.

Be sure to check out our Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Screenshots!

Information via Wikia