Halo 2 E3 2003 Demo vs Final Version Comparison

New version with added spliced in video!

Note: This video isn't a "I wish Halo 2 was still this" video. It's to show that Bungie did in fact use some ideas and concepts from this demo, in response to people thinking that they got nothing from it in the final game. I'm happy that we got what we got instead of a scripted rectangle indoor-lighted arena.

The two guys in the beginning almost even have the same exact animation as in the final game.

The most drastic change between this and the final game is the way Mombasa is constructed. I guess it wasn't a space elevator yet.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• halo2
• beta
• compare
• video
• mombasa
• concept

[brup123]

I just replayed the game on my Xbox 360 (does not improve the graphics at all compared to playing it on an original Xbox) in the last 2 days and it DEFINITELY looks better than the crap that you showed in the video....

Your computer clearly wasn't powerful enough to reach anywhere near the true max settings of the game on Xbox let alone on PC...

Yes the e3 demo was much better looking (due to it being run on a different graphics engine), but the difference isn't as great as you make out here.

[FyreWulff]

@brup123 Nope. This is Halo 2 running at full blast. The minimum required graphics card to view full graphics on Halo 2 Vista is a GeForce 6100. This video was captured on a 9900 GT. The minimum Windows Experience Index for this game is a 3.0, with a recommended 5.0, and my system is 6.0. My computer eats the graphics capability of an original Xbox for breakfast.

[FyreWulff]

@brup123 The issue here is that you're seeing the original stencil lighting Halo 2 2003 and the non-stencil lighting Halo 2 2004 right next to each other. In this case, the lack of stencil lighting in the final game becomes extremely apparent. Halo 2 Vista doesn't do anything more than the Xbox version did, except run at a higher native resolution.

[HAWXF22]

That's definitely not what it looks on console, also you can find videos of Vista that look far better than this. I think you have done something wrong.

[FyreWulff]

@HAWXF22 The only videos of Vista that "look better" are running in a higher hertz as per the settings you can change. The only difference is that Vista defaults to a higher gamma which may slightly wash out some of pre-baked lighting compared to the stencil-buffered H2 2003 demo.

[bigtnaples]

Yeah the graphics settings are good but the gamma is bad and gives the game a VERY washed out look. This makes the comparison a little iffy. Good job otherwise though. Would have loved to see a Halo 2 that looked as good as initial demos. Still for the time crunch, and chopping 1/3 of the game. Bungie did a stellar job.

[BigBrother1993]

In the first version it's scripted which means nobody is controlling it. This allows them to cheat and make the game look fancy.

[TheBoogge]

The reason why the final version look crappy because bungie didn't Finnish the game:( it want even close ...so they cut hecka levels out of the game ...

[CanadianMuffins]

For you people saying that he doesn't have it on the best settings he can, you're wrong. The only thing that seems "bad" about it, is the framerate (which would be due to recording lag) and the gamma being a little too high.

The game looked great in the demo, but honestly I think graphically it is better in the final version.

Good comparison video.

[Bananabob39]

2:57 lmao

[SNOWSKIJUNKY]

This game = still badass!

[M4A1Rampage]

@FyreWulff I run halo 2 at full settings it looks way better than this.

[obito94]

the final version is actually worse xDDDD....why did they get rid of the engine?

[MetsRule9999]

this is terrible!!! the regular xbox graphics dont look like anything like what they should, cause i replayed it and it looks nothing what u put up

[SvDKILLSWITCH]

@Kakkerot86 It was less fixing what wasn't broken but more the fact that Bungie got too ambitious with the game. With all due respect, it would have been an amazing game, but Bungie were WAY behind schedule and eventually they faced a dilemma that they wouldn't get the game out by the final deadline. So they began cutting content, much of the game as it was got removed and replaced with 'cheaper' content and was released that way. It was still a great game, but that shows what COULD have been.

[SpliNterCellFan697]

Guy, it's not the graphics. The graphics were qualified for the original Xbox. But, it's just that Bungie failed on the first part.