When it lands as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo 2: Anniversary will be true to the original in nearly all respects. There will, however, be a couple of new additions, including some cinematic cutscenes that will link the game to Halo 5: Guardians, and terminals that will explore the backstory of The Arbiter.
"If you remember the terminals from the first Halo: Anniversary where you could find and unlock motion comic-style pieces that filled in story for what was going to happen in Halo 4, we're doing a lot of the same in Halo 2 that are going to start to hint at some things that are coming down the line in Halo 5," executive producer Dan Ayoub told GameSpot. "Our terminals in Halo 2: Anniversary are going to focus on The Arbiter. You'll start to get an idea of his history and a little more about him."
On top of that 343 has added "bookend cinematics" that, according to Ayoub, "are going to also start to tie into some of the things that are coming down the line in Halo 5." Apparently these cinematics will also reference characters that are set to appear in upcoming live action series Halo: Nightfall.
"While we're going to stay very true to the main storyline to make sure it stays exactly the same, there are a number of opportunities on the fringe that allow us to start to hint at those larger stories that are coming," said Ayoub, summing up.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is heading to Xbox One on November 11. Halo 5: Guardians is a little further off, and won't be with us until 2015, although we will be able to sample the multiplayer beta for the game at the end of this year.