The downside to this, however, comes with their expectations. In this particular case, the fact that Halo 2: Anniversary won’t be running at a full 1080p could very well be a major annoyance to some, especially when they hear the reason why. As of right now, the game runs at 60fps, but its resolution only comes in at 1328x1080, as opposed to 1920x1080.
Speaking to IGN about the upcoming release, 343 executive producer Dan Ayoub explained the reason for Halo 2: Anniversary’s lower resolution is due to its ability to switch between the classic and Anniversary engines instantly. Both engines operate simultaneously, so the resolution for the game was compromised. Ayoub reassured that it’s the only game like this, though, as the rest of the games in the collection will run at a native 1920x1080.
As was previously stated, the cause for Halo 2: Anniversary’s resolution may bother some. Sure, being able to jump between original Halo 2 and the Anniversary version is a neat feature, but when it begins to impact the game itself, perhaps compromises needed to be made. That said, 720p isn’t bad for Halo 2 – a game that came out for the first Xbox console back in 2004.
Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter criticized the game’s resolution, though, and offered up the idea that players should be allowed to turn off the instant-switching feature, thereby opening up the resources used to run Halo 2: Anniversary at 1920x1080.
On NeoGAF, where resolution discussions can often be found, Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor weighed in on all the resolution talk:
Halo 2: Anniversary isn’t the first game to offer a look back to its original version. Its predecessor, Halo: Anniversary, also implemented this feature, although the switch wasn’t as seamless. Either way, we doubt that the resolutions will keep the Halo collection from being a hit next month.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection releases on November 11, 2014 for the Xbox One.
Sources: IGN, NeoGAF, Eurogamer
