Who would have though that the original Halo: Combat Evolved being re-released would have Kinect capabilities, with it being one of the first games (not to mention the first Halo game) to start the first-person shooter mega craze.  Phil Spencer, the Microsoft Game Studios head honcho has said that the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition will have some sort of Kinect support. This has been confirmed in a GameSpot interview with Phil Spencer.  I don’t think it is a bad idea at all to have some sort of Kinect support for all Xbox 360 titles, just not full control with the Kinect Sensor as I am sure the Halo redux will show us. The  Halo Combat: Evolved Anniversary Edition releases on November 15th for the Xbox 360.

Microsoft have confimed that the Halo Anniversary HD remake will cost £34.99 in the UK.

It’s slightly cheaper than the standard £40-45 RRP of most games, but significantly more than other re-releases in the Classics range. Let’s just hope there is enough content to justify the price zone of a full retail game.

The remake is set to release on November 15th.

Thanks to MCV for the info.

343 Industries head, Frankie O’Connor, has said that main Halo “experiences” will be kept internal, putting a damper on the rumours that Saber Interactive were developing Combat Evolved HD.

“343 as a publishing entity and Bungie before it is always open to collaboration. We’ve done weird things in the past like we put a Spartan in Dead or Alive 3… We met with Itagaki and his team to make sure the Spartan was fighting correctly, using a style that was appropriate, was the right height and moving like a Spartan,” O’ Connor said.

“We’ve always been open to those sort of mini-collaborations, but as far as the core game experiences are concerned we have to keep that close to home.”

It is uncertain yet if 343 will be able to make a Halo game as good as the Bungie originals, but they are developing the upcoming defiant map pack for Reach which will release on March 15th.

Thanks to CVG for the info.

Why it could be awesome

Halo:CE was good

It seems like a fairly obvious point, but it needs to be said. The original Halo was a great game. The multiplayer was a breath of fresh air and the campaign mode (a few repetitive levels aside) had a great atmosphere and pace to it. If they’re remaking the game with enough respect to the source material, it will be hard for them to stray too far from the beaten and enjoyable path of the original Halo.

Halo Reach was also good

In the clear attempt to play safe, 343 industries are supposedly building the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved using the engine from last year’s fantastic Halo:Reach. Reach was an incredible title that we enjoyed enough to award a perfect score last September, and this excellence was achieved largely due to the game’s brilliantly crafted engine. With an already well refined engine to look forward to, we can say for sure that the action in the Halo remake will be as sharp as ever

With the Halo: Reach engine in tow, what could possibly go wrong?

Bringing online multiplayer to the masses

Though it began its life as an Xbox exclusive, Halo soon found its way to the PC. Among the new features included in the port the BIG addition was the inclusion of online multiplayer that the console counterparts of the series would not see until the release of Halo 2. Though console playing Halo fans now have their multiplayer fix from the extensive online modes in the subsequent Halo games, a remake of CE will be able to bring the great maps and online experience of the original Halo to an entirely new online audience.

A fresh set of eyes

We all trust Bungie when it comes to the Halo series. They spent many a year crafting the Halo universe and its subsequent labyrinth of folklore, and have an undeniable understanding of what the franchise is about. That said, a little bit of change can go a long way. Though 343 might not have the same in depth knowledge and investment in the worlds of Halo, a fresh set of eyes upon the established conventions of the series could potentially bring something new and interesting to the table.

Atoning for past mistakes

The original Halo was a genre defining title that has shaped the FPS as we know it in countless ways. Despite its undeniable legacy though, it was not perfect. Repetitive level layouts and textures, along with one of the worst levels in shooter history in the form of “The Library” really kick start a potential list of problems with the game. Though some may consider it blasphemy for the remake to deviate from the original in any way, tuning up and improving some of these problematic areas of the original could really push a Halo remake up to the next level.

If sources close to Joystiq are to be believed, a Halo HD remake is indeed in the making, being developed by Saber.

The source told the website, that the original Halo, which released on Xbox has been given a visual overhaul and will be released during the holiday season for Xbox 360.

The audio will remain the same and the engine which is being used is infact, one older than that used in Reach. The control will be similar to what we’ve seen in recent Halo configurations.” The game is supposed to support 1080p and 3D Tvs. The online modes will are to remain intact, it appears and co-op is along being “planned” right now.

Halo: Combat Evolved HD is rumoured to be releasing on November 15, the date which is the anniversary of the original game released on the Xbox.

We’ll let you know if this holds any truth soon.