Halo 2 Archives

AppWizard

February 16, 2025

Saber Interactive’s head honcho pulled a wild stunt to nab the Halo: Combat Evolved remaster, telling Microsoft he’d do the job for free before ultimately squeezing the publisher for millions

Saber Interactive, led by CEO Matthew Karch, was invited to pitch for the remaster of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary while developing titles like Will Rock and Timeshift. Karch proposed to Microsoft that Saber would remaster the game at no cost, with the understanding of earning royalties post-launch in 2011. However, Microsoft included clauses in the contract that stripped Saber of these rights. Despite this, Saber went on to remaster Halo 2 and port Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to Xbox One. Before the release of The Master Chief Collection, Karch refused to sign the contract for the port work unless Microsoft reconsidered the royalty situation, which they ultimately did, leading to Saber receiving royalties estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. Saber was acquired by Embracer Group in 2020 and sold again in 2024 after layoffs and canceled projects, but has since launched Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, achieving acclaim.

AppWizard

December 5, 2024

Steam’s background recording feature is the new gold standard of game clipping

Steam's Game Recording feature allows players to capture high-quality video of the last few minutes of gameplay in the background. Since its beta launch, it has been used frequently due to its efficient file sizes, which are significantly smaller compared to recordings made with Nvidia Shadowplay. For example, a five-minute clip recorded with Shadowplay is 1.78GB, while Steam's equivalent maintains impressive visual fidelity with reduced storage needs. Steam's audio recording captures only the game's audio by default, avoiding background noise from other sources, which simplifies the sharing process. However, the exported clips may not match the quality of Shadowplay or OBS, and turning off background recording requires multiple clicks. The tool is limited to games launched through Steam, and some bugs persist despite updates. In comparison, Medal, another DVR app, offers similar features but has a less user-friendly interface and requires bulk deletions for space management. Steam's Game Recording provides quick MP4 generation and easy sharing on platforms like Discord, making it a preferred choice for quick clips. Users must enable the feature through Steam settings to use it.

AppWizard

November 12, 2024

Halo 2’s playable E3 2003 demo is an astounding feat of preservation, and everything great about PC gaming

The Digsite team, a group of Halo modders, released a playable version of the Halo 2 "Earth City" demo, originally shown at E3 2003. The demo, lasting just under nine minutes, showcases the Covenant's invasion of Earth and highlights features that would define Halo 2. Reconstructing the demo involved overcoming challenges with an obsolete Halo 2 engine, requiring adjustments to prevent disruptions. Players can now navigate the mission with navigation markers. The demo features a three-hit melee combo and a single-shot battle rifle variant. The Earth City demo is a significant achievement in gaming preservation and is available for free on the MCC Steam workshop, requiring ownership of Halo 2: Anniversary for access.

AppWizard

November 10, 2024

Halo 2 E3 2003 Demo Available for Download on PC

343 Industries has released the E3 2003 demo of Halo 2 on PC through Steam, available to owners of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The demo features co-op gameplay, navigation points, and a 'Playground' mode for exploration. Players need Halo 2 Anniversary to access the demo. Additional unreleased Halo demos and levels, including Alpha Moon, are planned for future release.