Sorry.  Clearly you're the ultimate arbiter of game quality, and I should have checked with you before playing the games and forming an opinion.  My bad.

Thank you, apology accepted. My dm's are open any time you need to check if an opinion is acceptable before posting.

You think I am saying Halo 1 and 2 are visually at par with modern big budget games? I'm actually saying Halo 1 and 2 are not the eyesore you're suggesting. These are games that remain active, people are playing the MP with classic graphics.

What's you point about MCC exactly? They took years to fix it and now people will continue to play it for years. Whether its on X1, Scarlett or PC.

I hear ya, but I still feel Gears 1 was had an interesting presentation. Gears 5 looks great but it kinda looks like many other AAA games. Gears 1 stylistically looked like a horror game.

Fable Anniversary's visuals lacked the stylized cartoonish charm of the original and still wasn't impressive for 360 hardware. They did a bad job, I would have been happier with a straight port with a higher resolution or 60 fps. Halo 1 Anniversary had a similar problem and I could nitpick, but they still did a better job.

Halo Wars sold well and people like it, but other games review better and it has a low population so its ultimately bad? Whatever. I think the original point is lost, its a game that aged fine.

I already said we should appreciate old games for moving the industry forward even if they are difficult to enjoy now.

Most 8 and 16 bit games are trash. Its a smaller list of iconic titles that inspire many games.

The 360 port Perfect Dark made what is essentially the same old game more enjoyable. Primarily with a few easy fixes like modern controls, resolution and performance. I'm not arguing it became a perfect experience, just saying the core gameplay actually aged fairly well. I argue Perfect Dark aged better than many games simply because the gameplay was always solid.

The online is pretty much dead because the servers have been shut down for almost a decade for Halo 1 and 2. Of course you have things like Xlink that allows you to play via other means, but the games are no more or less popular than other titles really.
https://www.teamxlink.co.uk/

Visually they look like a dogs breakfast. Blurry low-res textures, over-bright bloom effects, simplistic geometry, simple lighting, floaty controls... But back in the day the game was leading the pack in the visual department... But that came at the cost of sub 30fps on original xbox hardware.

The remakes overhauled the titles visually and brought the games forward in regards to multiplayer and the MCC throws them into a semi-decent package, but that wasn't how the games were for years after release, lets not fool ourselves here.

I don't doubt that people play MCC today and will continue to play the games going forward, never argued the contrary.
I am stating it's a far cry from the giant populations that older games had, the length of time to find a match is a testament to that... Doesn't help that Microsoft has hidden away the population counter.

Hoping for a Scarlett enhanced version. Ray Traced Halo 3? I could get behind that.

Gears of War 1 was a good game that laid the foundations of the franchise, that's the point I am trying to convey. - But when you look backwards at the game and compare it to modern titles like Gears of War 5, it's hard not to look at the game with Rose tinted glasses, Gears 5 is a significant improvement over Gears of War 1 in almost every single regard... And so it should be, that's how progression of a franchise should happen.
That doesn't mean Gears of War 1 is a bad game, it's just not an amazing game when compared to it's modern contemporaries.

The main improvement that Anniversary brought with it was improved lighting and shadowing thanks to their use of the Unreal Engine, which is an engine that is really well suited to the Xbox 360's hardware... Sadly the improved shadowing techniques was also more demanding on hardware so there was a hit to shadowing resolution.

On PC though many of Fables anniversary's visual shortcomings was resolved on the much more capable PC as it's able to drive up the visuals higher... But Fable 1 on the OG Xbox was a very pretty game, it used it's polygon budget extremely smartly that lent itself to the art style... And probably had one of the best lighting, particle and shadowing effects of that entire console generation... Arguably even better than Halo 1 on the OG Xbox in many aspects. (Although Halo 1 on the PC using Shader Model 2 shaders is a step up again IMHO.)

Halo Wars sold well. For an RTS. An RTS on a console.

I am not saying it's bad, it's just not a game that has lasted the test of time... And when compared against newer RTS titles, ultimately falls short as it should.
Remember, games are supposed to improve.

And as such should be judged within an appropriate context, hence my entire argument to start with.

I can name a really really long list of 8-bit and 16-bit games that are amazing even in 2019... From a gameplay perspective or an artistic perspective, but not from a technical perspective.

I disagree, I couldn't really get into the Xbox 360 or Xbox One ports of the game as the gameplay hadn't aged well. - The lack of jump for instance... Not exactly a modern feature, but a feature of the time the games released in.
And that is before I touch on the visual or audio representation of the titles... In saying that, they are good games when placed against games of the era they released in, not against games of 2019.

Again, I feel like the primary point is being missed. Halo 1 and 2 are still enjoyable and still not the eyesore you're suggesting. Its funny mentiom DF, because in the DF Retro video he says he prefers Halo's classic graphics.

Many games dont have population counts these days. There is also significantly more online game options these days, so its likely the audience is more divided than ever. For example, MCC is active and so are the original 360 releases.

Halo 3 and ODST remasters would be nice. Ray tracing is nice but not essential, its hugh blow to performance or resolution.

I'm saying Gears 1 has visual charm, like a horror theme. Instead of going for an improved version of that visual style, Gears 5 instead looks like other bright colorful games.

Fable Anniversary was a great looking OG Xbox game, but a poorly optimized, half baked remaster for 360. Although on a X1X it becomes a 4K game with improved performance and draw distances.

Halo Wars didn't fall short and it was never designed to compete with other RTS games. Part of the appeal is its actually a unique, easy to play Halo themed RTS. It has absolutely passed the test of time, people enjoy it. I don't agree a game needs a big online population to age well. For some reason you're comparing it with other more popular games, not relevant.

Perfect Dark aged well somply because its still an enjoyable game. I'm not arguing its as good as modern games. N64 Banjo gamds feel more clunky and tedious in comparison.

I bet your list would be a small fraction of the 8 and 16 bit era.

Exactly, Halo's success was largely dependent on the lack of competition. Once the likes of Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc. rose to the occasion Halo became just another one of the dozens out there.

Exactly, Halo's success was largely dependent on the lack of competition. Once the likes of Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc. rose to the occasion Halo became just another one of the dozens out there.