Halo Co-Creator Shares Lost Halo 2 Cinematic
The Halo franchise is so massively successful and omnipresent in the hearts of gamers that it hardly warrants an introduction. One of the most beloved entries in the series is Halo 2, so it's always interesting to get a peek behind the curtain at such a monumental title.
That's exactly what happened when Marcus Lehto, President of V1 Interactive and co-creator of the Halo series, shared the pre-rendered version of a cutscene from Halo 2 on his Twitter account. According to Lehto, he found these old clips on a hard drive in his attic, where they've presumably been since the game was completed.
I found all the old previs cinematics for Halo 2 on an old hard drive in my attic. Fun to see these in a rough state. pic.twitter.com/1o4CyId98U
— Marcus Lehto (@game_fabricator) January 5, 2020
"Fun to see these in a rough state," stated Lehto, and he's not wrong. While it's always a trip to see the unfinished version of something so familiar, it does lead to a few humorous moments. For instance, a foreboding shot of the game's titular Halo is represented in this pre-vis version by what looks almost like clip art of a giant ring. It's definitely a fun look at the animation process, particularly for fans who hold these characters near and dear.
Though it's been nearly sixteen years since the initial release of Halo 2 in 2004, the sci-fi shooter franchise is still going strong, even making the jump from the screen to the page in a series of novels and comic books. The sixth main game in the series, Halo Infinite, is expected to release sometime this year. Not only that, but a television series based on the games is currently in development for Showtime and is set to premiere sometime in 2021. The television series will star Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief and Natasha McElhone as Cortana. Presumably, the effects on that show will look much more impressive than this early draft cutscene.