Decent article, I strongly agree with that last line.
The thing that really rubbed me the wrong way with the first HALO Anniversary was how they changed the outdoor atmosphere. The original HALO had these really alien purple tinted skies and the skybox in general gave the ring this epic sense of proportion.
When they did the graphical overhaul they changed the sky to this overpowering teal hue and robbed it of that same sense of proportion. It was a change for the sake of change.
I'm always rankled when I see HD remasters that change random little details for no reason and it happens in virtually all of them.
The changes for HALO 2 Anniversary seem pretty tasteful for the most part. Probably helps that they're not just recycling art assets from Reach this time.