Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s eighth and final season just hit the game on Wednesday, adding maps and cosmetics for players ahead of Halo Infinite’s launch on Dec. 8. But the update also includes some big changes to Halo 2, offering graphical improvements to the 17-year-old video game.
Halo 2 had some issues in the The Master Chief Collection. Specifically, it took some of the major graphical flaws from the Windows Vista version of the game and ported them into 343 Industries’ historical Halo package. Generalkidd, a Halo YouTuber, broke down some of the biggest changes in a new video.
Generalkidd called out lighting fixes and crossfades, and general visual changes that bring it closer to the original Halo 2. There’s also footage of a major bug fix in the Halo 2 level “The Great Journey,” where a Brute would classically flip a Wraith, rendering it nonlethal to the player. With season 8, the Brute has learned to drive properly, and now poses a threat. Ghosts also self-destruct properly now, an issue that’s been present in the Master Chief Collection since its launch in 2014.
The video goes over a whole host of similar changes, and is definitely worth a watch for potential Halo historians. These changes may seem small to many players — and they are, for the most part. But with Halo: The Master Chief Collection acting as a history of one of the most influential and important video game franchises of all time, it’s nice that Halo 2 finally looks like Bungie intended back in 2004.