This article does not have enough inline citations/proper citation format. You can help Halo Nation by adding citations.

This page is about the 2011 remake. For the original game, see Halo: Combat Evolved.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (also referred to as Halo: Anniversary, or Halo: CEA) is a first-person shooter video game set in the Halo Universe and is a graphical enhancement of 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved featuring extra content. Halo: CEA was announced at Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, along with Halo 4. It received its "gold status" ^{[Notes 2]} on 10/19/11.^[2]

343 Industries , in collaboration with Saber Interactive , released Halo: CEA on November 15, 2011 - on the 10th anniversary of the original title's launch. The game features 7^{[Notes 3][Notes 4]} of the greatest classic multiplayer maps, remade from previous Halo games. Support for Xbox Live multiplayer matchmaking, a complete visual overhaul, achievements, terminals, other hidden easter egg goodies, and the ability to play Co-op campaign over Xbox Live.^[3] The game utilizes 3D technology and Kinect Sensor^[4] The campaign runs on the Saber3d engine, whereas multiplayer is powered by a slightly modified Reach engine.^[5]

Contents 1 Campaign 2 Kinect Support 3 Multiplayer 3.1 Multiplayer Maps 3.2 Firefight 3.3 Multiplayer playlists 4 Terminals 5 Development 5.1 Engine 5.2 Audio 5.3 Soundtrack 6 Achievements 7 Marketing promotions 7.1 Trailers 7.1.1 Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary E3 2011 Tribute trailer 7.2 Halo Anniversary Exclusive 7.2.1 Halo: Anniversary Exclusive Pre-Order Grunt Funeral Skull 7.2.2 Halo: Anniversary Exclusive Pre-Order Master Chief Avatar Armor 7.2.3 Halo: Anniversary Exclusive Pre-Order Concept Art Booklet 8 Trivia 9 Gallery 10 Notes 11 Sources

CampaignEdit

Main article: Battle of Installation 04

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's campaign is the same story as Halo: Combat Evolved, with the addition of achievements, terminals, and online Co-op. It also has a new 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. For the story, see Halo: Combat Evolved. Anniversary also have subtitles available for in-game and combat dialogue.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's levels consist of all Halo: Combat Evolved levels.

10 levels in total:

1. The Pillar of Autumn - "Escape intact as Covenant forces board your ship."
2. Halo - "Seek out surviving Marines and help them fight the Covenant."
3. The Truth and Reconciliation - "Board a Covenant ship in an attempt to rescue Captain Keyes."
4. The Silent Cartographer - "Search for the map room that will lead you to the secrets of Halo."
5. Assault on the Control Room - "Defend the Control Room against wave after wave of Covenant troops."
6. 343 Guilty Spark - "Creep through a swamp to meet the only enemy the Covenant fear."
7. The Library - "Fight your way through an ancient security facility in search of the Index."
8. Two Betrayals - "Re-activate the weapon at the heart of Halo... and learn the truth."
9. Keyes - "Stage a one-cyborg assault on a Covenant ship and bring back the Captain."
10. The Maw - "Destroy Halo before Halo destroys all life in the galaxy."

Accompanying each level is a Terminal video, narrated by 343 Guilty Spark, depicting events that have, or are occurring on Halo. Some details in the terminal videos are said to be clues for Halo 4.

Kinect SupportEdit

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is the first Halo game to feature Kinect integration. With Kinect, players can use voice commands to throw grenades, reload, and analyze both animate and inanimate objects, then store the info on a database, called the Library. Kinect is not included on the disc, it is an automatic update on November 15. Additional features like the Library and Analyze Mode are inaccessible without Kinect.

MultiplayerEdit

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary supports cooperative campaign and competitive multiplayer modes. The campaign mode uses a remastered version of the original Halo: Combat Evolved-engine. The multiplayer mode uses the Halo: Reach engine. The multiplayer beta was released on October 4, 2011.^[6]

BTS Halo CEA Multiplayer(05:55)
1,577 views

Multiplayer MapsEdit

Seven maps are updated and re-released utilizing the Reach engine. Six of these maps are competitive multiplayer maps that are remakes of maps from Halo: CE and Halo 2. The maps include 2 variants, one classic variant (which take the name of the map of which it was based on), and a second variant which is enhanced to utilize Reach's new sandbox and features. For example, Battle Canyon (the second variant of Beaver Creek) includes additional indoor sections behind the bases, while Beaver Creek has these sections blocked to retain the classic layout. In Damnation, the gaps between the bridge down by the waterfall is lacking, but in Penance, they are connected. These gaps are also forge-able.

Multiplayer maps in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary include:

• Beaver Creek / Battle Canyon
• Hang 'Em High / High Noon
• Damnation / Penance
• Timberland / Ridgeline^[7]
• Prisoner / Solitary^[8]
• Headlong / Breakneck

The new maps don't just utilize the Reach engine, but were actually merged with the Halo: Reach server (similar to ODST and Halo 3). A version of the new maps were released on Xbox Live Marketplace as DLC to download on to Halo: Reach for people who do not own Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

FirefightEdit

Main article: Installation 04

This map is set at the cliff-side beam emitter encounter in one of the last three encounters of Halo: CE's second level 'Halo'. The map is vehicle-based, and unlike previous Firefight maps it contains friendly ODST's and Marines that help out the players in their fight against the Covenant. The Flood does not make their appearance in Firefight.

Multiplayer playlistsEdit

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary matchmaking contains 4 different playlists; each has their own purpose. However, in August 2012, All of the anniversary playlists except Anniversary Classic were discontinued.

• Anniversary BTB
• Anniversary FFA
• Anniversary Firefight
• Anniversary Classic
• Anniversary Squad

TerminalsEdit

Terminals are a new feature added to game by 343 Industries. There are 10 terminals scattered across all the missions of the game, in which one terminal is present per level.

These terminals reveal to the player more details regarding Installation 04, certain individuals, and Halo 4.

DevelopmentEdit

343 Industries was utilizing the original Halo: Combat Evolved engine and Saber3d engine in campaign and the Halo: Reach engine in multiplayer to make the original Halo: Combat Evolved look and feel like a game created in 2011. They kept some of the audio and replaced other parts entirely with faithful "re-orchestrations" of the original recordings.

EngineEdit

The campaign runs on the original engine, whereas multiplayer is powered by the Reach engine which was worked on by Certain Affinity.^[5] 343 Industires graphically revamped the entire game and the level design in the campaign is more enhanced. This means that everything is more detailed and includes more assets to fill in the blank space that Halo: CE left behind. In addition, in 343's ViDoc on Halo: Anniversary, they stated that the player has the option to switch between old graphics and revamped graphics with the push of a button.That mode is called Classic Mode. However, the developers are not sacrificing the original feel of the gameplay. Halo: Anniversary is simply adding an additional layer of graphics on top of the original game ones, hence being able to switch between the old and revamped graphics, and thus keeping the original gameplay and physics of the game intact.

AudioEdit

Halo: CE Anniversary retains some of the original audio from Halo: Combat Evolved, though it was remastered to sound clearer, allowing it to work seamlessly in 5.1 surround sound. Pyramind Studios were in charge of remastering, re-orchestrating and re-recording Martin O'Donnell's soundtrack, and Skywalker Orchestra recorded the orchestral pieces from the soundtrack at Skywalker Ranch. Halo Anniversary features both the original and remastered soundtracks, giving players the choice of which soundtracks they wish to hear during the campaign. This will have to be selected from the main menu and cannot be changed during gameplay in the same way as classic graphics mode can. Click here to hear a shortened version of the Halo Theme from the Halo: Anniversary Trailer.

SoundtrackEdit

Main article: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Original Soundtrack

The Anniversary soundtrack includes 39 tracks on 2 discs. Many of the song titles are derived from the song titles of the Combat Evolved soundtrack.

AchievementsEdit

Main article: List of Achievements for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

	Achievements in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Source
Campaign Completion	Pillar of Autumn • Halo • Truth and Reconciliation • The Silent Cartographer • Assault on the Control Room • 343 Guilty Spark • The Library • Two Betrayals • Keyes • The Maw • Birth of a Spartan • Believe in a Hero • Living Legend • Standard Operating Brocedure • Brovershield • Bro Hammer • He’s Unstoppable!
Level-Specific	Overshields are for Sissies • Walk it Off • No-Fly Zone • How Pedestrian • All According to Plan… • Close Quarters Combat • Beachhead • Grenadier • Wraith Hunter • I’ll Be Taking That! • This One’s for Jenkins! • Breaking Quarantine • That Just Happened • Speed Reader • Look Out for the Little Guys • Leave It Where It Lay • Tying Up Loose Ends • Popcorn.gif • This Side Up • ‎Never Tell Me the Odds
New Feature Completion	What Have We Here? • Heavy Reading • Dear Diary… • Looks like the Oddball • Skulls Taken! • Headhunter • Tsantsa

Marketing promotionsEdit

TrailersEdit

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary E3 2011 Tribute trailerEdit

The Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary trailer was announced at the E3, allowing the audience stare in awe. Later, it was followed up with the teaser trailer for Halo 4.

Halo Anniversary ExclusiveEdit

A 343 Industries Video Documentary was released shortly after the unveiling of the Halo 4 Teaser, which contained some extra footage and additional information on Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

Halo: Anniversary Exclusive Pre-Order Grunt Funeral SkullEdit

This video showed it's viewers new footage of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and a new skull called the Grunt Funeral Skull, which makes Unggoy explode like a plasma grenade three seconds after death. This skull is available when the game is pre-ordered.^{[citation needed]}

Halo: Anniversary Exclusive Pre-Order Master Chief Avatar ArmorEdit

If pre-ordered, you will receive a redeemable code to get the exclusive Master Chief avatar armor. The style of the armor is his original Mark V MJOLNIR armor as opposed to his current Mark VI MJOLNIR armor, there are two codes, one for a female avatar and one for a male avatar. They are both included on the code card.

Halo: Anniversary Exclusive Pre-Order Concept Art BookletEdit

In the United Kingdom when pre-ordered from GAME or Gamestation, you will receive a booklet called "Halo: The Art Of Building Worlds" that contains 'ground breaking' concept art 'sweeping landscapes from the "Halo" universe' and shows 'evolution of the Master Chief'.

TriviaEdit

• It was speculated by the the Halo Community that the lone Firefight map would feature the Flood as an enemy, though it was confirmed at Halo Fest that the map was Installation 04, and the map would not feature the Flood.
• 343i originally attempted to re-use Halo Reach's Mark V(B)'s Mark V configuration model to depict Master Chief, minus the combat knife, rather than create a new model of the original Mark V MJOLNIR armor. This plan was eventually dropped, as it was unanimously decided that the model "just didn't look like Master Chief", and a new model of the Mark V armor was created. The model is considerably more rigid than the curved rendering of the model found in the original game.
• In the settings the player has the option of using either the classic music, or the re-mastered music. The game's redone sound effects however cannot be replaced by the original game's sound effects.
• Halo: Anniversary ships with Kinect support.^[9] Its Kinect functionality allows actions to be done by voice command. It is the first and so far only Halo title to feature Kinect support.
• Despite the fact that the Pillar of Autumn's crew are Marines, they wear UNSC Army Battle Dress Uniforms. However, this may just be for artistic purposes only.
• If you look closely, the Lieutenant for the Lifeboat in which John escapes in is wearing Marine BDU. This can be seen again if one looks into the cockpit of Carol Rawley's (aka Foehammer) Pelican - she too is wearing Marine BDU.
• The Campaign features both the original graphics and a remastered graphics layered over the original, and the player has the option to transition between both graphical layers by pressing the Back button.^[10] The change between graphics engines is not instantanious, and requires at least a second to transition between the two, during which gameplay does not pause.
• The Multiplayer portion of the game has Forge mode.
• This game is also supported in 3D.
• In older CEA videos, you see the MA37 Assault Rifle model from Halo: Reach being used. This was used as a placeholder until a proper model could be made. The Assault Rifle in Halo: Combat Evolved is the MA5B, so it would not be canonically correct to have the MA37 model.
• The shotgun in CEA resembles the shotgun from the Halo: Reach beta, in which it has blue sights.
• The "classic mode" graphical change is also available in the main menu, and is the only way to start the campaign in classic graphics, as you cannot change graphic modes during cutscenes, but the graphics mode you're using in the main menu will carry over into the campaign once you start it up. This also applies to the credits.
• 343 Industries “revisited” the game’s cut scenes to improve the animation of characters and camera angles. Unfortunately, the transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are broken up by a noticeable loading stutter, unlike the smooth transitions of the original game.
• Almost all of the skulls in Halo: Anniversary are different from traditional Halo skulls.
• During the last Legendary cutscene, If you look closely enough you can notice that the Remastered version features a Sangheili Zealot instead of the Stealth Sangheili in Halo: CE.
• When selecting the level, The Silent Cartographer, the menu picture shows Marines charging up the beach, and striding towards them one can see an image of Thel 'Vadam from Halo 3. It is unknown why this is, since Thel was not introduced until Halo 2.
• The Sangheili Minors in this game somewhat resemble the Sangheili from Halo Wars.
• The new graphics were simply relayered over the originals, and the hitboxes did not change. The new graphics do not match the original graphical layouts 100%, which means that it is possible to shoot and throw grenades through the expanded corners in the walls of the Truth and Reconciliation, but enemies will be able to see you before you see them. Conversely, the rock corner before the first pair of hunters in The Silent Cartographer shrinks and you can spy on the hunters before they see you.
• If you look closely at the Marines in full body armor, they all have Sergeant's chevrons on their chest, regardless of in-game rank.

GalleryEdit

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Title Art[11] The box art. Microsoft's Home Page hours before the E3 announcement, accidentally revealing Halo 4 and Halo: CE Anniversary. Original Silent Cartographer. Silent Cartographer with greatly enhanced visuals. Comparison between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Comparing Halo CE with CEA. Comparing Halo CE with CEA. Comparing Halo CE with CEA. Comparing Halo CE with CEA. The Kig-Yar as it appears in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary's Current development stage. The Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary titlescreen, as it appears as of now. A screenshot of the level "The Pillar of Autumn" with the updated graphics. A screenshot of the remastered level 343 Gulity Spark. Master Chief's updated armor. A handshake between the Chief and Captain. SPARTAN-117 emerging from cryo. Hunter being analyzed for storage in the Library. A screenshot of the level 343 Guilty Spark Another veiw of the Chief's armor. Add a photo to this galleryAdd a photo to this gallery

NotesEdit

1. ↑ Some of the original audio by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori will be retained, though.
2. ↑ Gold status is the last phase of game development in which the game is "finished". For more information, see here
3. ↑ Bungie favors the number 7. 343 Industries is not known to favor it as much, yet, but many of its core employees are former-employees of Bungie.
4. ↑ There are only 3 known employees of Bungie now working for 343.

SourcesEdit

	Halo Games
Halo trilogy	Halo: Combat Evolved • Halo 2 • Halo 3
Reclaimer trilogy	Halo 4 • Halo 5 • Halo 6
Other Halo Games	Halo Wars • Halo 3: ODST • Halo: Reach Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
PC/Mac	Halo PC • Halo 2 Vista
Cancelled Titles	Halo: Chronicles • Halo MMO • Halo DS

Start a Discussion Discussions about Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

• 

  halo 2 should be given anniversary's treatment

  8 messages
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    Halo CEA(10th anniversary), Halo 2A(20th anniversary) Halo 3A(30th anniversary) Halo 4A(40th anniversary) Remaking ODST  in the future will... 2013-03-20T15:57:48Z
  • 
    A Wikia contributor
    108.206.142.90 wrote:Halo CEA(10th anniversary), Halo 2A(20th anniversary) Halo 3A(30th anniversary) Halo 4A(40th anniversary) Remaking ODST ... 2013-03-30T13:10:19Z

See more discussions >