Halo 2: Anniversary

One of the best games of all time. Story, score, and gameplay are 20 years old and still play like new

Completed as of writing this review: Base Game (Heroic).

A better remaster, compared to the first one, but since Halo 2 originally had bleak worlds, this remaster didn't really have a lot to "fix". They definitely outdid themselves with the cutscenes though, as those are a really high quality CGI now. So yeah, you can play this instead of the original, like I did, but it's your choice anyway.

A small improvement on the first game. If you liked that one, you'll most likely like this one also. The updated graphics and audio help a lot.

While the level design is much better this time, there are some frustrations. Some levels are simply too long, which is emphasized in the higher difficulties as some enemies are now bullet sponges. Too often the best tactic is just to run through the encounter, which is not exactly why I play the Halo series. The ending is also very abrupt, but luckily the release schedule of the Master Chief Collection is faster than with the originals.

Despite the new coat of paint, this is still the highly flawed Halo 2 underneath. Encounter design is occasionally interesting, but generally relies on bizarre, retired tropes like enemies spawning behind you, or coming in wave after wave. Levels are still composed of nearly identical rooms, often placed right next to each other, which make it difficult to know if you're going in the right direction or backtracking. Most frustrating of all, levels are not designed with clear paths, so you'll often spend a few minutes looking around only to realize that you need to stand on some random purple circle in order to progress.

If you're playing just for the multiplayer, it might be kind of alright. If you're a newcomer the adjustment period is not pleasant, and you'll spend a lot of time getting absolutely annihilated by people who have been playing for over 10 years.