Halo even better on 360?

By Ellie Gibson Published 25 October, 2005

Bungie hints at enhancements.

Halo developer Bungie has hinted that the hit shooter and its sequel are going to look even better on the Xbox 360.

The author of Bungie's latest weekly update writes that he is "Counting the days" until Microsoft's next-gen console is released, adding: "First thing I am going to do is play Halo one on my HDTV... There is a very slight possibility I might play PGR3 or Perfect Dark Zero first. But then, straight onto Halo one."

And here comes the kicker: "We're going to have more to tell you about how Halo one and two look on 360 - and it's all good news."

Hmm. So that would certainly suggest that we can expect some kind of enhancements - but what form might these take? 720p support, perhaps, or something even more advanced?

Neither Bungie nor Microsoft is saying any more at this stage, so who knows... But any kind of enhanced Halo sounds good to us.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (49) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 6 years ago

    I will believe it when I see it.

  • afray #2 6 years ago

    With all the power of the 360 at their disposal, they're doing an ascii-graphics renderer.



    That is all.

  • Furbs #3 6 years ago

    9 out of 10? :)

  • jiveguy #4 6 years ago

    Better than Ha...er...I won't.

  • gizmo #5 6 years ago

    hmm, I'm only buying a 360 to try it out on my 50" HD Plasma. I'm vaguely interested in PD0, but I just want to tat. This sounds ideal.

  • octo #6 6 years ago

    multiplayer Live support for the original title please bungie. I can't think of anything else that would possibly be in any way exciting.

  • tiddles #7 6 years ago

    Maybe they'll fix the horrendous texture popping in Halo 2's cutscenes?

  • Ecanem #8 6 years ago

    "Halo developer Bungie has hinted that the hit shooter and its sequel are going to look even better on the Xbox 360."

    Erhm.. it should look better.. shouldn't it?

  • PES_Fanboy #9 6 years ago

    Okay, starting to get a little bit worried about this, I just want them to do straight ports in the emulation - not add any bits that'll clutter up my HDD.

    Although hi-res PES would of course kick arse.

  • Macross #10 6 years ago

    What a bunch of bitter comments, I take it everyone is having a wonderful day then? :)

  • space_ace #11 6 years ago

    doesn't it have to be good in the first place, in order to get better?

  • peterfll #12 6 years ago

    I would vote for fixing the graphical glitches in H2, upping the frame rate and providing true widescreen support for H1....... progressive scan support would be nice for us inferior Europeans too, especially given our US cousins already enjoy this.....

    I have assumed that XBox 1 games would look the same on the 360, so any improvements are welcome.

  • king_skins #13 6 years ago

    @space ace: duh, bad things can get better to silly

  • Dizzy #14 6 years ago

    > doesn't it have to be good in the first place, in order to get better?

    I could redirect you to sites with stats about reviews of certain games... but I won't since we had this discussion many times before.

    I know some of you feel a bit jealous about Halo 1/2.... it is nice that you bother writing about it.

    Anyway... like I said... I will believe it when I see it but it would be a very smart move from Bungie. I just wonder what they can improve with a "patch" (unless the do a recompile/port of the whole game engine on 360). I doubt they will be improving the textures. Maybe some AA and higher res?

  • TurdBreaker #15 6 years ago

    Oooo I can't wait -- another linear storyline..

    /sigh

  • TripSkyway #16 6 years ago

    Didn't even cross my mind they'd do any improvements. Be interested to see what turns up.

  • Mirkan #17 6 years ago

    I think them fixing Halo 2's normal map issues and pop in is pretty likely, and that gets a big "yay!" from me. That's really the only thing that makes that game look less than stunning.

  • Cloudane #18 6 years ago

    Halo. Co-Op. 720p.

    Best game ever.

  • Darren #19 6 years ago

    Hopefully it is 720p support for ALL games and 4X anti-aliasing too. That would be just lovely.

    Mind you, I hope that Sony follow Microsoft's example too with the PS3 as most PS2 games desperately need anti-aliasing...
    Edited by 1 at 25/10/05 @ 13:01

  • prettyboytim #20 6 years ago

    My guess:

    720p + antialiasing. Hopefully new (high resolution) HUD graphics to go along with it.

    For Halo 2, I'd guess that all the texture pop-up problems will be fixed.

    What would be really cool though is if they could add fourplayer co-op to either of the games.

  • cyacomini #21 6 years ago

    Who really gives a f@&k about 720p Halo ? seriously... there are far more interesting things to worry about - are they forgetting most EU residents dont have HDTV right now ? I'm just hoping my 360 will look decent on a standard widescreen tele...I dont plan on buying HDTV until the prices are reasonable, and i dont really see a hint of that until maybe early 2007 in the UK.

  • Dizzy #22 6 years ago

    > Who really gives a f@&k about 720p Halo ?

    I just got a HD-TV ;)

    Well AA would do some good on a normal TV and the faster DVD might eliminate the pop-in. Of course they *might* have changed some other things...

  • HarryB #23 6 years ago

    christ, they are using halo 1 as a reason to buy an xbox 360... give it up :(

  • Salvia #24 6 years ago

    "They aren't using this as a main selling point for christs sake"

    In lieu of a new Halo I think they are

  • Dizzy #25 6 years ago

    Yeah Salvia and HarryB are going to cancel their preorders now!

    Damn MS!

  • Fatfish #26 6 years ago

    Well, I think they are...........and my gran does too.......so there.

    Must admit, there are some older games out there that I would have loved to play in 720p. It's one thing about console gaming that's always pissed me off - flat, lifeless and fuzzy standard def graphics (especially through bog standard TV's). Definately think it's time we caught up with the rest of the world on HD - I for one am glad to see it's taking off. Just wish the prices would come down a bit quicker.

    @ Salvia - And as for Halo as a selling point in the absence of Halo 3? So what if they are? It has a huge exisiting fan base (not me personally though) and they have been very open in announcing that Halo 3 is still some time away. So why not capitalise and try to 're-recruit' this fan base to the new (shinier and more polished) 360 version? It actually strikes me as quite a clever marketing ploy, and from a business point of view, worth it's weight in gold. Not to mention, that one of the most asked questions since the 360 launch was revealed was 'will Halo be backwardly compatible?'. In answer, yes, with bells, whistles..........and plasma grenades....... :)

  • Mashum #27 6 years ago

    An ending would be nice.

    >"I know some of you feel a bit jealous about Halo 1/2"
    >What's to be jealous of exactly?

    The gameplay. Best.. FPS.. ever..

    There's still no other game on PC or console that comes close to the fluid and characterful gun battles with enemy NPCs. I would be a happier man if there were.

  • Furbs #28 6 years ago

    Have you played any other PC shooters since Wolfenstein? :p
    Halo is a great console FPS, but pales into average/good when compared to a PC FPS.
    Before anyone moans, the same can be said the other way when it comes to other genres better suited to consoles.

  • Fatfish #29 6 years ago

    Fluffy - sounds like the old 'nam nightmares are back again.

    ....got caught in crossfire back in the Mekong Delta, '78. Took a lump of shrapnel in the left temple from a VC mortar.....ever since I've been able to pick up Radio 2 in my sleep.......

  • Mashum #30 6 years ago

    > Have you played any other PC shooters since Wolfenstein? :p

    Yeah, loads, I love me FPS's :) I just haven't found one that has action with the same level of fun.

    FEAR is a case in point, it's nice to look at, the weapons are OK, the AI is certainly quite complex, but the battles are just about shooting them before the shoot you - there's little in the way of sneaking up and outwitting the AI and little of them outwitting you. There's no give and take in terms of tactical advantage and It's just not so much fun. Even the aging Halo 1 on PC plays better.

    Just my view of course and I guess a matter of taste in the end.

  • Mashum #31 6 years ago

    I /heart/ CS:Source, now if only I didn't suck at Battlefield 2, half an hour on that and I'm stomping around like a teenager whose lost his gluebag.

  • peterfll #32 6 years ago

    I must be the minority, but I prefer console controls and delivery for your FPS games than a PC... the larger display, the comfortable controller. I. KNOW. ITS. A. MINORITY. OPINION.

    Anyhow, once you've tried Prog Scan for games you'd want everything in Prog Scan - trust me. I have a US Gamecube and the games thay support Prog Scan look incredible. I'm just gutted I bought a UK Xbox not realising that the US Xbox supports Prog Scan whilst the UK model does not. And do I think its a good idea that all these regional issues will (hopefully) be done away with by the new HD standards? Absolutely.

    If you're still playing on an old 14" CRT you're still be catered for so why anyone is threatened by HD support is beyond me......

    "It won't make me upgrade!"

  • Teeth #33 6 years ago

    I think this is great news, Halo coop 720p with graphical improvements would indeed be really great fun!

  • Moonprince #34 6 years ago

    There's still no other game on PC or console that comes close to the fluid and characterful gun battles with enemy NPCs. I would be a happier man if there were.

    That be lies.

  • peterfll #35 6 years ago

    "It's pretty easy to mod a UK xbox to output prog scan you know."

    No........ really?!

    I can only comment on the quality of images non-PS and PS running on my 42" plasma. The difference in clairty, stability.. the image is so much more virbant. Using a PS signal with games seems to provide a significant superior picture than compared to other PS sources, such as those produced by a PS DVD player. At least in my experience....

    Anyhow - Google Search "convert UK Xbox to Prog Scan" currently running......

  • krudster #36 6 years ago

    Halo will look....a bit like the PC version running on an HDTV. Oh.

  • The-Bodybuilder #37 6 years ago

    >"doesn't it have to be good in the first place, in order to get better?"

    I suggest you review that satement again and ask yourself, "does this make sense?" ;-)

  • The-Bodybuilder #38 6 years ago

    >"doesn't it have to be good in the first place, in order to get better?"

    I suggest you review that statement again and ask yourself, "does this make sense?" ;-)

  • king_skins #39 6 years ago

    @ peterfll:

    You might want to search for something like "Soft-modding UK Xbox" (without the quotes) and go pick yourself up a copy of the original splinter cell second hand ;)

  • Furbs #40 6 years ago

    I wish they had called this news item:
    "Halo running on Xbox 360: Better than Halo?"

    Would have been very post modern.

  • peterfll #41 6 years ago

    Arrr... you guyz are so good to me.

    Will do :-)

  • Xerx3s #42 6 years ago

    An ending perhaps? JK :)

    XBL support without them yanks! w00t! ^_^

    Most likely it will add enhanced graphics of some kind or bonus MP maps from the updated execute file....

    "Maybe they'll fix the horrendous texture popping in Halo 2's cutscenes? " Thats because of the very small memory bank from the xbx, it shouldnt happen with the xb2. In theory. Kinda. More or less. I think. :)

    "Oooo I can't wait -- another linear storyline.. "

    Ow bugger, another dull linear post.

    "What's to be jealous of exactly?"

    The fact the the xbx is the only current gen console with fps games actually worth playing (or games for that matter).

    "Have you played any other PC shooters since Wolfenstein? :p
    Halo is a great console FPS, but pales into average/good when compared to a PC FPS. "

    True, but you cant compare console games to pc games. Any good pc game that gets a port sells good, a very good console game on the pc is usually the crap somewhere at the back of the shelf because its an insult to the rest of the games on that shelf. They are two diffrent markets imo.

  • Yossarian #43 6 years ago

    my dad bought a 26" HDTV the other day. unexpected yet pleasant surprise.

  • Jmog #44 6 years ago

    progressive scan support would be nice for us inferior Europeans too, especially given our US cousins already enjoy this.....

    But the game (along with 90% of all PAL Xbox games) already has progressive scan support. Bungie don't really need to do anything to make Halo 1 PAL run in 480p on an Xbox 360.

    I highly doubt that Bungie can magically make the game run in true 720p. What is more likely is that the Xbox 360's scaler will allow old Xbox titles to be upscaled to 720p.

  • Bumbuliuz #45 6 years ago

    Im getting my 42" plasma HDTV after the weekend. I must admist one of the big factors for buying that Tv is the xbox360 and some HDTV loving ;)

  • Talha #46 6 years ago

    Great! The most exciting games on 360 launch will be Halo 1 & 2! Bravo!

  • kangarootoo #47 6 years ago

    @Bates

    Good points, well made.

    Oh hang on, I've confused a childish rant with a logical presentation of facts again. I'm always doing that. I'll get my coat.

  • nyaede #48 6 years ago

    I for one do not believe that don't have a working 360 with them right now to tell for sure. It would be weird for that to be true.

  • Sony_Blair #49 6 years ago

    Are they SERIOUSLY using Xbox games as selling points for the Xbox three shitsy? If that isn't desperation, I don't know what is!

    So little confidence do even M$ have in the launch games of their half assed, half hearted new crapnological blunder that they have to use past 'glories' to see them through the rest of their miserable days.

    And you know what living off the past makes them? U2! They used to be good, but their new songs suck fucking ass.

    So go to hell M$ AND Bono!
    Edited by 1 at 26/10/05 @ 19:14