Key Takeaways
- Microsoft and Halo Studios are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Halo 2 in a massive way.
- For the first time ever, the iconic Halo 2 E3 demo will be made playable, thanks to a group of modders.
- Not only that, but several Halo 2 maps will be recreated in Halo Infinite, giving players a modern dose of nostalgia.
If you’re in need of yet another reason to feel old, then know this: On Sunday (Nov. 9), Halo 2 will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The iconic first-person shooter game by Bungie was a worthy sequel to the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and it deserves every bit of praise in the world.
Fortunately, we’re not the only ones feeling that way, as Xbox and Halo Studios, formerly known as 343, have announced a celebration to commemorate the game’s anniversary. Chief among those celebrations is the debut of the iconic E3 demo, finally made playable.
Party Like It’s 2003
In a post on Xbox Wire, the legendary Halo 2 E3 demo will be made playable beginning on November 9. Nostalgic gamers can access the demo via a free mod on the Steam workshop that is compatible with the Halo: The Master Chief Collection compilation.
Due to technical and technological limitations, the demo wasn’t an easy thing to port over. In fact, what will be made available to players is a remastered version of the demo, made possible by a group of passionate Halo modders, including General_101. Per the post, the original executable is difficult to work with, and the demo exists on a version of Halo’s engine that no longer exists and is not compatible with existing Halo 2 architecture.
However, thanks to the efforts of these modders, they were able to build a version of the demo for all to experience. “Without them, we would probably have only had a rather unceremonious drop of raw assets and that was it,” the post noted.
That’s Not All, Chief
The demo isn’t the only noteworthy thing from the celebration, as Halo Infinite will be receiving Delta Arena on November 5. That update will feature several recreations of Halo 2 maps via Forge creation.
Among the maps recreated are Beaver Creek (renamed from Beaver Canyon), Serenity (AKA Sanctuary) and Boulevard (AKA Turf). But the maps aren’t the only things getting updated, as the core gameplay will also be tweaked. Per the post, sprint and clamber will be disabled, along with a 120% jump height and friendly player collision enabled.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be a worthy celebration of one of gaming’s most memorable entries. Hopefully, there can be a fix to allow Xbox players to experience the Halo 2 demo recreation.
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