Halo 2

having never played h3 but more than a couple times, i believe this is the best game in the world.

and if it isn't, its only second 2 halo three!

Liked the game, however...had 2 return because of shadowy images in several areas which covered up part of the picture. Returned game & had replacement issued. Had same problem. Returned again & received refund.

Halo 2 is perhaps one of the best games in history! At first I played it at a friend's house & then I decided 2 buy it. The Graphics are very realistic & it feels very intense. Plus you can play as Arbiter, an Elite! Your enemies such as, Grunts, Elites, Jackles, & Hunters can also be your allies! Halo 2 is just really fun! I can't wait til' I get Halo 3!

Not since Quake 2 has a science fiction shooter sucked me in. Halo 2 is the best in the series.

I was one of the many that pre-ordered halo 2 because I enjoyed the first one so much. About me & seven of my friends bought it at the midnight release & went 2 my buddies house where we played it all night & my friend & I beat the co-op storyline around 8 or 9 the next morning. There were some things I liked & hated about the game.

Storyline: If you played the first one the storyline is lacking & really straightforward. You play the "hero", fight against aliens & save humanity/earth whatever. For the second one when they released video clips it made it sound as if the aliens found earth & are attacking it & you (master chief) were turning earth into a crazy urban war between humans & aliens. Its been a long time since I played the storyline, actually the night of its release was the last time, but you only end up fighting on earth 4 the first one or two levels (I use the term lightly as halo has no "real" levels). Then you end up going into one of the alien ships or something like that. You also get 2 play as one of the aliens, which I found 2 be rather fun but also a "played" story gimmick as this has happened in other games as well. The ending was very dissapointing as it just left you hanging & wanting more & hoping there was actually more 2 the story left. Bungie could have done a better job & made the story more developed & the game a bit longer.

Graphics: I've read a lot of reviews saying that the graphics are awesome but I didn't see a great deal of difference between halo & halo 2. However, I also didn't play either game with HD cables on an HDTV. They used the same engine & just added what seemed 2 me a polishing effect 2 the "levels" & characters.

Sound: I love the music 2 halo & I was happy 2 hear the music back in Halo 2. Also the human & alien voices are fun 2 hear. The multiplayer firefights & single player firefights are wonderfully done as it helps 2 make you feel like you're actually there in the game.

Weapons: I was dissapointed in the weapon selection as there seemed 2 be no imagination 2 what they did with them. Humans have a sniper rifle so lets give aliens a sniper rifle. Humans have rocket launchers (the rocket launcher now targets & follows enemy vehicles-nice!) so aliens need a rocket launcher. The plasma rifle was given an unneeded change as it no longer froze your enemies in place 2 circle around them & hit them in the back, which made the rifle now another useless weapon in your arsenal. I enjoyed the sword in single player but in multiplayer was a very frustrating weapon 2 fight against. In single player the sword ran out of charge after so many hits but in multiplayer it lasted the whole game which was a very annoying thing. If you've ever played halo 2 multiplayer you know what I'm talking about. The pistol was toned way down but with few updates they gave it some power back but was nowhere near the "horror" like the first. Grenades were the most & saddest thing they changed in the game. I loved grenades in the first one & ended up using them more than anything in the game. So when I played halo 2 the first time I couldn't wait 2 throw my first grenade & when I did I literally freaked out. Master Chief "dropped" the grenade right in front of me & when the explosion happened I was still alive??? They turned Master Chief's powerful throwing into a "toss" or "drop" & the explosion of the grenade......well lets just say I might as well have been throwing waterballoons at the aliens with the damage that one of those did. The last thing they did was duel-wield which was a nice feature but the balance of duel-wield & other weapons was crap. The duel thing could've been left out & was a much over-hyped feature.

Vehicles: Like I said with imagination- Bungie seemed 2 be lacking in that department. Humans have a tank & a warthog so lets give the covenant a tank & warthog. I know, I know the covenant tank was in the first one but could you drive it?? Nope. I liked the fact that vehicles now could be blown up & that you could kick people out of the vehicle & take it or if you were crazy like me you could jump in a warthog with an opposing team driving it, thats always fun. I do wish they would have given you the option 2 turn vehicle damage on or off. In multiplayer you would destroy the warthog & a few minutes later they would have a brand new one waiting 4 them, so that was annoying too. The last thing they changed that I didn't like was I couldn't run over people anymore, well you can but its a 1 in 6 shot that you'll actually do it.

Physics Engine: I hate the physics in halo 2, one thing that made the original halo so fun was playing "warthog basketball" in blood gulch or blowing up a ghost over the middle of sidewinder & watching it fly.

Multiplayer: Multiplayer is chaotic & can be fun but 70% of the time if you're not playing with a friend it is frustrating 2 hear people cussing you out, making really annoying background sounds etc. The addition of "team chat" only would've been really nice. Most of the upgrades they did 2 the multiplayer levels were nice & done really well, the name changes weren't really necessary though. I liked the setup 4 the xbl matching, I just wish that the players had more control over what levels, weapons, radar & such would go on during the game instead of the pre-made matches (that counted 2 your ranking) that you ended up playing over & over & over & over again. Also the hacking & modded xbox's that you would play sucked too, that was neither bungie's nor microsoft's fault, but did hinder the fun of the multiplayer experience.

Vision change: For the longes time I couldn't figure out why halo 2 seemed visually different than halo 1. One day, it hit me, I was playing multiplayer & was running around getting p'wned as I usually did in halo 2 & I realized the levels were closer 2 me than in the first one. I realized the developers went 4 a tunnel vision view instead of the periphial expanded look as in the previous one. In halo when I walked around, I had a periphial view & the levels looked so much larger & massive. In halo 2, however, they give you a more narrow view & make everything seem closer 4 a more "unreal" look, by unreal I mean like the unreal series.

Single player exploration: This is one of the things that made the original halo so awesome. My friends & I would spend countless hours in the single player mode going 2 areas we really weren't supposed 2 go & do things that were absolutely fun & crazy. You could actually get online & see things people would do & it made it all the more entertaining. In halo 2 they "controlled" the areas that you were not supposed 2 get 2 by putting skulls or I think in one level there was a huge ball or something. That made me lose the appeal 2 actually go & explore the level like I did in the first one. Now the developers want me 2 go find these "hidden" places that I wasn't supposed to......puh-lease!!

So 2 sum it all up, the cons seemed 2 outweigh the pros 4 me as an avid Halo 1 fan. The lack of vehicle & weapon imagination, physics engine change, tunnel vision with the short & dissapointing ending storyline made the rush of halo 2's release makes Halo 2 an average 2 below average first person shooter experience. Halo 2's multiplayer is fun with friends & the added detail in the levels makes it more tactical & visual treat. If you're looking 4 a game that has a good story & imagination this is NOT the game 4 you but if you just wanna play a fun shooter with some friends its not 2 bad of a game.

It only gets 2 stars from this dissapointed halo fan.....

Halo 2 continues the story of Master Chief, the heroic super-soldier who defied the invading alien Covenant & survived. The Covenant leaders within Halo are angry at this unheard of event. To save face, they launch an invasion of our planet. Earth's defenses are breached, & we're all in danger -- unless Master Chief can lead a small military squad 2 victory against Covenant forces, in all-out guerilla warfare!

Halo 2 is one of those rare video games that garnishes attention from regular folk who wouldn't know which direction 2 point a game controller. With more than 1.5 million pre-orders & a massive release party in Times Square, the game enjoys the sort of buzz, & sales, generally reserved 4 boy wizards. But does it merit the hype?

Opening Scene

Halo 2 opens with a cut scene in the Covenant Holy City of High Charity. Much has happened since Master Chief (that's you) created so much havoc 4 the Covenant in the first Halo, & the Arbiter has much atoning 2 do 4 his failures. This first cut scene is long, but the lush graphics, orchestral sound, & polished voice talent 4 both this & other cut scenes as well as the game itself put most animated television shows 2 shame.

Much has happened since Master Chief created so much havoc 4 the Covenant in the first Halo, & the Arbiter has much atoning 2 do.

In the end, though, Halo 2 is unabashedly a first-person shooter. It has a Mature rating & is not meant 4 kids. Gameplay is constant & intense. No sooner is one bunch of aliens taken care of than another descends. The controls are identical 2 the first game so those familiar with it will be up & blasting in no time. And the sound & graphics have been beefed up so that Halo 2 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful console games available.

Opening Fire

Most of the weapons from the first game return, although strangely the MA5B Assault Rifle (the default weapon in the first game) is not available. There is a single melee weapon known as the Covenant Sword, but the controls 4 it are the same as that 4 all the shooter weapons, making it difficult 2 direct. Also, 4 a new twist, you can hold two of the smaller guns at the same time & shoot double-fisted.

As 4 vehicles, the old favorites are back & joined by a few new, mostly Covenant wheeled monsters. Some improvements have been made 2 the AI so that the nonplayer characters can drive without running into too many obstacles while you man the turret. This improved AI also has enemies ducking 4 cover, & the banter from both the Marines & the bad guys has undergone massive improvements so that it no longer sounds quite so repetitive.

On Your Own

The most significant change in the single-player game is with Master Chief's much-touted defensive suit. At the beginning of the game, he is told that the suit has been upgraded, but it's really undergone a severe downgrade. In Halo 2, the player has only one lifeline. Unlike in the first game, there is basically no defensive shield on the suit, making gameplay tougher. It can often take multiple--sometimes a maddening number--attempts 2 make it through thorny parts of the game.

Or with a Friend

Finally, no review of a Halo game is complete without mentioning multiplayer. One of the main reasons 2 buy Halo 2 is the ability 2 play through Xbox Live, a feature not included in the first game, which was among the original releases 4 the Xbox. Multiplayer 4 Halo 2 uses all of the same weapons & vehicles as in the single-player game, & the types of games available in Halo (King of the Hill, Slayer, Capture the Flag) return with a host of new maps. Multiplayer Halo 2 offers customizable profiles, control layout, & screens as well as a voice proximity feature, where you can talk with other players via an Xbox Communicator so that those closer 2 you sound louder than those farther away. Players can also create both permanent clans & temporary parties in the Xbox Live world. Undoubtedly, this multiplayer feature alone ensures that Halo 2 will remain a top-selling game 4 years 2 come. --David Morel

Pros:

• Lush graphics & orchestral sound
• Constant, thumping shoot-'em-up action
• Multiplayer available through Xbox live

Cons:

• Suit downgrade makes single-player often overly difficult
• Get ready 4 some bleary-eyed mornings