I'm confused, Halo 2 is awful....(enlighten me, I beg you)

Before I start let me say that I loved the first Halo, and enjoyed it's single player and playing split screen with friends thouroughly. I've had Halo 2 practically since it's release, but I have never touched the campaign mode...until today.

I thought hey, Halo 3 is coming out soon, and according to everyone on here, It's single-player mode is going to be one of the best gaming experiences in the history of FPS. So I thought hey, why not brush up on the story? I pop in Halo 2.

I set the difficulty on normal, learning from past experiences that higher difficulties just meant; they have more hit points, you have less = game longer.

Keep in mind that I am approaching this game with an open mind, and expecting a fun gaming experience, like we all do when we buy that new game.

I start the game, the openeing cutscenes intrigue me, and I am psyched up to play. The game literally starts out in the same manner as the first Halo. I go through shield recharging stuff, and then the covenant raid my ship. Not only is the situation the same, the covenant that break into my ship are the exact same kind that did so in the original Halo. I start blasting away at the first wave with the first gun I am given - the SMG. Arguably the worst invention ever conceived into an FPS game. It makes this sound that reminds me of my cat when she purrs, and it's even less effictive in battle. Of course, this is because in Halo 2, you can hold two weapons. So I pick up my second BB gun, and blast away. As I did this, something became very apparent to me -- I couldn't see a damn thing I was shooting at. Between all the lasers being blasted, the shields of the elites I was shooting, the muzzle flash of my SMGs, and my crosshairs - I could not tell when I had killed something.

I quickly dropped the whole dual-wielding idea, stuck to my battle rifle, and proceeded to use the the covenant grunts as punching bags. At this point in the game I am still thinking, "alright, not so bad."

Uh oh, the covenant have landed on Earth. Let's fly down there after them.

What almost seems like a complete and unending joke, my drop ship crashes on to the planet. However, unlike last time, all my squad mates survive this crash, and we roll out. Which leads to the next joke -- all my teamates were identical to my old ones in the first Halo. Some mexican dude, some guy that sounds kinda australian, and your stereotypical black drill seargent guy that doesn't shut the hell up. Although there was a new female squadmate! Welcome to the team!

The covenant are invading Earth! You really wouldn't be able to realize this, as Earth seems to be an abandoned ghost town with randomly placed semi-trucks.

Battle! More elites, more grunts, and oh! oh! Jackals......how...unexpected. Also there were some flying bugs, which went down after 1-2 shots from my BB gun (impressive I know).

So I fought the same battle again. Grunts would run around and not fight, and whenever I shot an elite, he would jump behind a truck and stay there...forever, so I would have to run my ass over there to find him crouched down, unaware of my presence. I beat the crap out of him with the B button.

Side note - is it just me or were the grenade effects downgraded?

More identical firefights (i really liked the covenant sniper rifle though) with identical enemies. I get a tank to drive (it goes much slower than it did in the original Halo). Infact, the tank moves so slow that the creators must try to keep me entertained by sending endless waves of ghost vehicles at me. After what seemed to be a straight 10 minutes of ghost killing, I go into a tunnel sequence which I fly past all the enimies on my ghost because I was honestly becoming sick of killing the same things over and over again.

I'll stop describing that part of the game now, because it literally was just the same firefights over and over and over.

So I watch another cutscene, and now I get to play as the covenant. At first I though this was really cool.

I get to face new enimies, and I get an energy sword. It was actually fun...for 5 minutes. I spent alot of time looking for the next checkpoint, as no one ever gives you directions in Halo 2. They just kind of let you roam around until you find that door or that button. So after some more battling I came to a part where I literally almost fell asleep.

The Flood make their appearance in the game in the dullest way they possible could - there isn't even any dramatic music to help the event out, they just kinda...appear...and we kill them. I feel no fear or anything like I did in the first Halo. So we get on this huge eleveator thing, and this part drove me nuts. I think this elevator ride was 15 minutes in length (it felt longer). Enimies would appear maybe every 3 minutes, so during those 180 seconds, I would entertain myself by meleeing the floor, and later my teammates. The elevator would stop, pause for 2 mintues, and then start up again. And it doesn't let you know when it's finished, you just kinda have to look for a way out.

After that event I became a zombie Halo player. I would just walk around in a trance and kill everything with my eyes half closed. It was one of the most boring gaming experiences I have ever had and I mean that.

I'll fastforward a bit as to not waste your time. I am back as master chief and we discover another Halo ring, we land on it. This is a sick sick joke Bungie. I am greeted by - you guessed it! - MORE GRUNTS AND ELITES. I am moaning out loud when the identical voice actor behind my fellow marine says - "Chief, we need to take out those turrets!" My brother hears me and asks me why I even keep playing. I really didn't know, I was just waiting for something to happen that hasn't happened before -- it never did. After more identical skirmishes, waiting for pelican drop ships, waiting for my warthog to arrive....waiting....shooting....waiting.....

After 10 more minutes I save and shut the game off. I have played nearly 3 hours straight and so far, and I mean this in complete unbiased honesty, Halo 2 is one of the most boring games I have ever played. I will gladly stick to the multiplayer - but I probably will quit that too, because after those 6 or so missions, I am sick of everything Halo related.

Is it worth continuing? Someone enlighten me...

it was alright.....not too bad...bnot too good....just meh...

Horrible ending but great fun throughout 99.9999999999% of the single player game

Halo's main appeal IMO is its multiplayer, single player is more like a big tutorial on how to play

The thing I hated most about Halo2 campaign was finding myself wandering around the levels trying to figure out where I hadn't been yet. I would run out of ammo and backtrack trying to find some more and I'd end up going in circles over and over.

Wait until you get to the last battle in the game. That should really make you happy. Lol.

heres a break down

Halo 2's sp against other AAA FPS' other than unreal and BF = meh

Halo 2's sp against any basic FPS = GODLY

Halo 2's Mp against any FPS = GODLY

heres a break down

Halo 2's sp against other AAA FPS' other than unreal and BF = meh

Halo 2's sp against any basic FPS = GODLY

Halo 2's Mp against any FPS = GODLY

Sonic_on_crack

I would love to know what you consider a "basic" FPS, because playing Halo 2 was more like a chore.

[QUOTE="Sonic_on_crack"]

heres a break down

Halo 2's sp against other AAA FPS' other than unreal and BF = meh

Halo 2's sp against any basic FPS = GODLY

Halo 2's Mp against any FPS = GODLY

Koalakommander

I would love to know what you consider a "basic" FPS, because playing Halo 2 was more like a chore.

Any non AAA FPS, kilzone, black, timesplitters , Geist, whatever. Halo 2's Single player is better than those easily. it just looks bad when you compare to stuff like FEAR, Farcry, Half life 2, etc

[QUOTE="Koalakommander"][QUOTE="Sonic_on_crack"]

heres a break down

Halo 2's sp against other AAA FPS' other than unreal and BF = meh

Halo 2's sp against any basic FPS = GODLY

Halo 2's Mp against any FPS = GODLY

Sonic_on_crack

I would love to know what you consider a "basic" FPS, because playing Halo 2 was more like a chore.

Any non AAA FPS, kilzone, black, timesplitters , Geist, whatever. Halo 2's Single player is better than those easily. it just looks bad when you compare to stuff like FEAR, Farcry, Half life 2, etc

Man I really don't know about that. Halo 2's singleplayer for me, hasn't been much better than Killzone's....

And I could honestly make an argument on how Black is more entertaining

Yeah Halo2's campaign blew chunks. I played some of the Halo:CE levels probably over 100 times..... twice through for Halo2. And compared to the first so did the multiplayer. I played Halo:CE LAN with friends and even a couple local tourneys (which we won) regularly for about 3 years. It is so much deeper and so much better than Halo2. Halo2 lost all the unique subtleties to the gameplay and ruined the story. It's just horrible imo and I hold out little hope for 3.

Really I believe the only reason anyone could like Halo2 is that they never experienced the first to the fullest. I did any let me tell you Halo2 is just trash in comparison.

pretty harsh, but Ur right halo 1 was so damn awsome, the single player has so much potiential leading into halo 2, But they really screwed up the single player in halo 2, it was so damn bad, im sure they wont make the same mistake with halo 3bigLLL

are you insane halo 1 was the game that had bad level design

all they did was copy and paste the same corridors around LOL

and the library level dont even get me started

halo 2 >>> halo 1

in every possible way

But what I don't get is the intention of this thread. Halo 2 is last gen. Are you trying to make GS flop Halo 3 by making up for the over-rating they gave for Halo 2? Seems like dumb psychology to me. This isn't the NHL.Gigas_Yuu

You can spin the subject of this thread any way you want to. If you read my post I am really just asking if I should continue the game or not. By all means, talk about why we should hype Halo 3's campaign after something like this...

[QUOTE="Gigas_Yuu"]But what I don't get is the intention of this thread. Halo 2 is last gen. Are you trying to make GS flop Halo 3 by making up for the over-rating they gave for Halo 2? Seems like dumb psychology to me. This isn't the NHL.Koalakommander

You can spin the subject of this thread any way you want to. If you read my post I am really just asking if I should continue the game or not. By all means, talk about why we should hype Halo 3's campaign after something like this...

Before I start let me say that I loved the first Halo, and enjoyed it's single player and playing split screen with friends thouroughly. I've had Halo 2 practically since it's release, but I have never touched the campaign mode...until today.

I thought hey, Halo 3 is coming out soon, and according to everyone on here, It's single-player mode is going to be one of the best gaming experiences in the history of FPS. So I thought hey, why not brush up on the story? I pop in Halo 2.

I set the difficulty on normal, learning from past experiences that higher difficulties just meant; they have more hit points, you have less = game longer.

Keep in mind that I am approaching this game with an open mind, and expecting a fun gaming experience, like we all do when we buy that new game.

I start the game, the openeing cutscenes intrigue me, and I am psyched up to play. The game literally starts out in the same manner as the first Halo. I go through shield recharging stuff, and then the covenant raid my ship. Not only is the situation the same, the covenant that break into my ship are the exact same kind that did so in the original Halo. I start blasting away at the first wave with the first gun I am given - the SMG. Arguably the worst invention ever conceived into an FPS game. It makes this sound that reminds me of my cat when she purrs, and it's even less effictive in battle. Of course, this is because in Halo 2, you can hold two weapons. So I pick up my second BB gun, and blast away. As I did this, something became very apparent to me -- I couldn't see a damn thing I was shooting at. Between all the lasers being blasted, the shields of the elites I was shooting, the muzzle flash of my SMGs, and my crosshairs - I could not tell when I had killed something.

I quickly dropped the whole dual-wielding idea, stuck to my battle rifle, and proceeded to use the the covenant grunts as punching bags. At this point in the game I am still thinking, "alright, not so bad."

Uh oh, the covenant have landed on Earth. Let's fly down there after them.

What almost seems like a complete and unending joke, my drop ship crashes on to the planet. However, unlike last time, all my squad mates survive this crash, and we roll out. Which leads to the next joke -- all my teamates were identical to my old ones in the first Halo. Some mexican dude, some guy that sounds kinda australian, and your stereotypical black drill seargent guy that doesn't shut the hell up. Although there was a new female squadmate! Welcome to the team!

The covenant are invading Earth! You really wouldn't be able to realize this, as Earth seems to be an abandoned ghost town with randomly placed semi-trucks.

Battle! More elites, more grunts, and oh! oh! Jackals......how...unexpected. Also there were some flying bugs, which went down after 1-2 shots from my BB gun (impressive I know).

So I fought the same battle again. Grunts would run around and not fight, and whenever I shot an elite, he would jump behind a truck and stay there...forever, so I would have to run my ass over there to find him crouched down, unaware of my presence. I beat the crap out of him with the B button.

Side note - is it just me or were the grenade effects downgraded?

More identical firefights (i really liked the covenant sniper rifle though) with identical enemies. I get a tank to drive (it goes much slower than it did in the original Halo). Infact, the tank moves so slow that the creators must try to keep me entertained by sending endless waves of ghost vehicles at me. After what seemed to be a straight 10 minutes of ghost killing, I go into a tunnel sequence which I fly past all the enimies on my ghost because I was honestly becoming sick of killing the same things over and over again.

I'll stop describing that part of the game now, because it literally was just the same firefights over and over and over.

So I watch another cutscene, and now I get to play as the covenant. At first I though this was really cool.

I get to face new enimies, and I get an energy sword. It was actually fun...for 5 minutes. I spent alot of time looking for the next checkpoint, as no one ever gives you directions in Halo 2. They just kind of let you roam around until you find that door or that button. So after some more battling I came to a part where I literally almost fell asleep.

The Flood make their appearance in the game in the dullest way they possible could - there isn't even any dramatic music to help the event out, they just kinda...appear...and we kill them. I feel no fear or anything like I did in the first Halo. So we get on this huge eleveator thing, and this part drove me nuts. I think this elevator ride was 15 minutes in length (it felt longer). Enimies would appear maybe every 3 minutes, so during those 180 seconds, I would entertain myself by meleeing the floor, and later my teammates. The elevator would stop, pause for 2 mintues, and then start up again. And it doesn't let you know when it's finished, you just kinda have to look for a way out.

After that event I became a zombie Halo player. I would just walk around in a trance and kill everything with my eyes half closed. It was one of the most boring gaming experiences I have ever had and I mean that.

I'll fastforward a bit as to not waste your time. I am back as master chief and we discover another Halo ring, we land on it. This is a sick sick joke Bungie. I am greeted by - you guessed it! - MORE GRUNTS AND ELITES. I am moaning out loud when the identical voice actor behind my fellow marine says - "Chief, we need to take out those turrets!" My brother hears me and asks me why I even keep playing. I really didn't know, I was just waiting for something to happen that hasn't happened before -- it never did. After more identical skirmishes, waiting for pelican drop ships, waiting for my warthog to arrive....waiting....shooting....waiting.....

After 10 more minutes I save and shut the game off. I have played nearly 3 hours straight and so far, and I mean this in complete unbiased honesty, Halo 2 is one of the most boring games I have ever played. I will gladly stick to the multiplayer - but I probably will quit that too, because after those 6 or so missions, I am sick of everything Halo related.

Is it worth continuing? Someone enlighten me...

Koalakommander

No enlightenment needed. Halo 2 is a bad, unbalanced game. Simple as that.

The first suffered similar flaws, repetitive level and enemy design, but it was atleast balanced enough to have an enjoyable multiplayer.

I think you have it backwards, I agree that Halo 1 is a MUCH better game than Halo 2, but it needs to be reversed. The single player campaign is the very best part of Halo 2, especially co-op. The Multiplayer is what's lacking. It's so full of lag problems, chesters and really really annoying clan kids that I can't play it anymore at all. SauceCaptain

You can't call the multiplayer crap because of "lag, cheaters, and annoying players". Thats not the developers fault. If you want to discuss problems with multiplayer then address how the pistol sucks or the inclusion of that garbage sword.

a) The game came out three years ago

b) open-mind my *** - you're whining about absolutely everything there possibly is to whine about

c) The first level is a tutorial; hence why it's similar to the first :roll:

d) The survival of the two sergeant's is a running joke. Johnson actually has a story to how he can survive flood infection, but the other guy doesn't. They're sort of like Kenny. Both can die in battle and frequently did in Halo 1 but they'd simple crop up again later on.

e) You'd know that if you were indeed such an open-minded gamer not looking to complain :roll:

I think you have it backwards, I agree that Halo 1 is a MUCH better game than Halo 2, but it needs to be reversed. The single player campaign is the very best part of Halo 2, especially co-op. The Multiplayer is what's lacking. It's so full of lag problems, chesters and really really annoying clan kids that I can't play it anymore at all. SauceCaptain

a) The game came out three years ago

b) open-mind my *** - you're whining about absolutely everything there possibly is to whine about

c) The first level is a tutorial; hence why it's similar to the first :roll:

d) The survival of the two sergeant's is a running joke. Johnson actually has a story to how he can survive flood infection, but the other guy doesn't. They're sort of like Kenny. Both can die in battle and frequently did in Halo 1 but they'd simple crop up again later on.

e) You'd know that if you were indeed such an open-minded gamer not looking to complain :roll:

Ninja-Vox

Multiplayer was awesome though. I wouldn't cry if Halo3 was a multiplayer only game.

I've had more fun with generic James Bond shooters...
Koalakommander

Were you kill like... people?

"Wow man stop making me kill the same bad guys over and over! :cry:"

I highly disliked the game. Its incredibly poor level design makes me question how people find it fun.foxhound_fox

I don't understand why anybody would judge the game on its campaign mode, which obviously wasn't the reason for its high scores and popularity.

Halo2 on XBL is in a league of its own. I'm not saying it's way "better" than anything else, but nothing else it like it. If you are playing for fun, you don't whine about the absence of the pistol from Halo:CE. You have freaken fun with the game's extremely smooth online functionality. It's not always about winning and pure skill. So many people had so much fun playing Halo2 online.

PotatoSan, i completey agree. Halo 2 single player campaign was a huge letdown. His post was just rabid whining however. There's proving a point, and expressing an opinion, then there's going completely over the top and coming across as someone wanting attention.Ninja-Vox

PotatoSan, i completey agree. Halo 2 single player campaign was a huge letdown. His post was just rabid whining however. There's proving a point, and expressing an opinion, then there's going completely over the top and coming across as someone wanting attention.Ninja-Vox

Going completely over the top and wanting attention? So basically every post in system wars? His post was well written and stayed on topic, something 99% of posters here fail to do. He wrote his opinion, because it differs from yours doesn't mean he wants attention."

[QUOTE="Ninja-Vox"]PotatoSan, i completey agree. Halo 2 single player campaign was a huge letdown. His post was just rabid whining however. There's proving a point, and expressing an opinion, then there's going completely over the top and coming across as someone wanting attention.GODFLESH_basic

Going completely over the top and wanting attention? So basically every post in system wars? His post was well written and stayed on topic, something 99% of posters here fail to do. He wrote his opinion, because it differs from yours doesn't mean he wants attention."

Reasonable opinion:

"Halo 2 campaign is poor for the following reasons..."

Over-the-top-borderline-flame-bait opinion:

"Halo 2 is awful, now observe as i completely exaggerate and blow out of proportion everything which is humanly possible to whine about..."

a) The game came out three years ago

b) open-mind my *** - you're whining about absolutely everything there possibly is to whine about

c) The first level is a tutorial; hence why it's similar to the first :roll:

d) The survival of the two sergeant's is a running joke. Johnson actually has a story to how he can survive flood infection, but the other guy doesn't. They're sort of like Kenny. Both can die in battle and frequently did in Halo 1 but they'd simple crop up again later on.

e) You'd know that if you were indeed such an open-minded gamer not looking to complain :roll:

Ninja-Vox

a) 3 years is nothing, and why cant old games be good? =/

b) If I didn't play with an open mind, I would have played the game for 10 minutes and called it terrible. Instead, I sat down with it and I believe I'm half way through the game. I pointed out examples from the game that represent bigger issues. I wrote about the weapons, the repeated use of old enemies, how the game constantly makes you wait, and plenty of examples of the overall boring nature of the game. If you honestly think I'm a narrow minded fanboy looking to nitpick apart a masterpiece, than go for it -- it is a much easier way to finish an argument I'll admit. But as for me, I know that I speaking from the heart about a game that should of been a lot better.

c) You can't teach a player the controls without reusing the entire introduction sequence of the original game? I know you're wise and all (I could tell because you organized your argument with letter points), but I like my sequels...to be sequels.

d) My bad, sorry I didn't notice this running inside joke across a...2 part franchise?

e) Yes, I must be a narrow-minded gamer because I wasn't aware of an inside joke that the developers had.

Halo CE was monumentally better in the SP department but saying Halo 2's SP sucked isn't doing it any justice at all.

It was still good, but just not as good and everyone was hoping for. I loved the first few levels on earth, I just thought it was a bit dissapointing on how the SP branched off from it.

Was it great? No.

Was it bad? NO.

[QUOTE="Ninja-Vox"]

a) The game came out three years ago

b) open-mind my *** - you're whining about absolutely everything there possibly is to whine about

c) The first level is a tutorial; hence why it's similar to the first :roll:

d) The survival of the two sergeant's is a running joke. Johnson actually has a story to how he can survive flood infection, but the other guy doesn't. They're sort of like Kenny. Both can die in battle and frequently did in Halo 1 but they'd simple crop up again later on.

e) You'd know that if you were indeed such an open-minded gamer not looking to complain :roll:

Koalakommander

a) 3 years is nothing, and why cant old games be good? =/

b) If I didn't play with an open mind, I would have played the game for 10 minutes and called it terrible. Instead, I sat down with it and I believe I'm half way through the game. I pointed out examples from the game that represent bigger issues. I wrote about the weapons, the repeated use of old enemies, how the game constantly makes you wait, and plenty of examples of the overall boring nature of the game. If you honestly think I'm a narrow minded fanboy looking to nitpick apart a masterpiece, than go for it -- it is a much easier way to finish an argument I'll admit. But as for me, I know that I speaking from the heart about a game that should of been a lot better.

c) You can't teach a player the controls without reusing the entire introduction sequence of the original game? I know you're wise and all (I could tell because you organized your argument with letter points), but I like my sequels...to be sequels.

d) My bad, sorry I didn't notice this running inside joke across a...2 part franchise?

e) Yes, I must be a narrow-minded gamer because I wasn't aware of an inside joke that the developers had.

It's not an inside joke that the developers had. And this is where you fall down. Like so many other posters here who use your same tired strategy.

"Oh but i'm just posting my opinion! I'm not a hater or a fanboy. Please, by all means tell where i'm wrong."

"Oh ok then y'see..."

"NO! Well, here's another bunch of complaints..."

You're taking it to extremes, simple as that. Halo 2's campaign wasn't as good as the original and should have been a lot better. I said it myself earlier. Making a massive deal of it and exaggerating every little flaw doesn't help your arguement though. Especially when you're trying to appear "open minded".

Indeed - if you're so open minded, i just explained WHY johnson and the other sergeant also survive. Yet your wonderful open mind simply reverted to whatever excuse you could possibly use to whine some more, rather than "Oh ok that explains it..."

It isn't a clever secret gag you have to pick up on. It has nothing to do with "a joke the developers had". If you play Halo 1, you'll notice that johnson and the other sergeant may be fighting along side you at some point. You'll see a mortar land right on top of them and kill them. Then a few levels later... they're back. What the heck?

Then the first guy you see in Halo 2 is johnson. Only he was in the middle of the desert at the end of halo 1 right when it exploded. How the hell did he survive?

"Sorry son, that's ****fied...."

Your complaint is a joke which they throw right in your face in the first level.

So are you open-minded? Or are you just going to keep complaining 'til your thread dies no matter what the responses?

And as for your "oh the same enemies..." complaint again your point is moot as Halo has way more bad guys than 90% of other shooters as the vast majority have you simply shooting goons. Brutes and grunts and elites and jackals and snipers and drones and prophets in their many combinations and armour ranks are better than the generic monsters and bad-guys with guns you get in other games.

Again; Halo 2 wasn't as good as it should have been. Whining about everything and exaggerating every issue to make it AWFUL doesn't help your arguement though.

I don't understand why anybody would judge the game on its campaign mode, which obviously wasn't the reason for its high scores and popularity.PotatoSan

a) 3 years is nothing, and why cant old games be good? =/

Ninja-Vox

[QUOTE="PotatoSan"]I don't understand why anybody would judge the game on its campaign mode, which obviously wasn't the reason for its high scores and popularity.foxhound_fox

Maybe you did play the multiplayer and thought it was also bad... but if Halo2 only consisted of its campaign mode, I think you'd have a hell of a lot more people agreeing with you.

Not gonna read all that.

Halo 2 is a great game...but it didn't live up to the hype....that's the whole thing.

Halo 2 is one of the best Xbox games, but didn't meet the unreasonable expectations some lemmings had and thus in their eyes was aweful

I've had more fun with generic James Bond shooters...
Koalakommander

[QUOTE="Koalakommander"][QUOTE="Ninja-Vox"]

a) The game came out three years ago

b) open-mind my *** - you're whining about absolutely everything there possibly is to whine about

c) The first level is a tutorial; hence why it's similar to the first :roll:

d) The survival of the two sergeant's is a running joke. Johnson actually has a story to how he can survive flood infection, but the other guy doesn't. They're sort of like Kenny. Both can die in battle and frequently did in Halo 1 but they'd simple crop up again later on.

e) You'd know that if you were indeed such an open-minded gamer not looking to complain :roll:

Ninja-Vox

a) 3 years is nothing, and why cant old games be good? =/

b) If I didn't play with an open mind, I would have played the game for 10 minutes and called it terrible. Instead, I sat down with it and I believe I'm half way through the game. I pointed out examples from the game that represent bigger issues. I wrote about the weapons, the repeated use of old enemies, how the game constantly makes you wait, and plenty of examples of the overall boring nature of the game. If you honestly think I'm a narrow minded fanboy looking to nitpick apart a masterpiece, than go for it -- it is a much easier way to finish an argument I'll admit. But as for me, I know that I speaking from the heart about a game that should of been a lot better.

c) You can't teach a player the controls without reusing the entire introduction sequence of the original game? I know you're wise and all (I could tell because you organized your argument with letter points), but I like my sequels...to be sequels.

d) My bad, sorry I didn't notice this running inside joke across a...2 part franchise?

e) Yes, I must be a narrow-minded gamer because I wasn't aware of an inside joke that the developers had.

It's not an inside joke that the developers had. And this is where you fall down. Like so many other posters here who use your same tired strategy.

"Oh but i'm just posting my opinion! I'm not a hater or a fanboy. Please, by all means tell where i'm wrong."

"Oh ok then y'see..."

"NO! Well, here's another bunch of complaints..."

You're taking it to extremes, simple as that. Halo 2's campaign wasn't as good as the original and should have been a lot better. I said it myself earlier. Making a massive deal of it and exaggerating every little flaw doesn't help your arguement though. Especially when you're trying to appear "open minded".

Indeed - if you're so open minded, i just explained WHY johnson and the other sergeant also survive. Yet your wonderful open mind simply reverted to whatever excuse you could possibly use to whine some more, rather than "Oh ok that explains it..."

It isn't a clever secret gag you have to pick up on. It has nothing to do with "a joke the developers had". If you play Halo 1, you'll notice that johnson and the other sergeant may be fighting along side you at some point. You'll see a mortar land right on top of them and kill them. Then a few levels later... they're back. What the heck?

Then the first guy you see in Halo 2 is johnson. Only he was in the middle of the desert at the end of halo 1 right when it exploded. How the hell did he survive?

"Sorry son, that's ****fied...."

Your complaint is a joke which they throw right in your face in the first level.

So are you open-minded? Or are you just going to keep complaining 'til your thread dies no matter what the responses?

And as for your "oh the same enemies..." complaint again your point is moot as Halo has way more bad guys than 90% of other shooters as the vast majority have you simply shooting goons. Brutes and grunts and elites and jackals and snipers and drones and prophets in their many combinations and armour ranks are better than the generic monsters and bad-guys with guns you get in other games.

Again; Halo 2 wasn't as good as it should have been. Whining about everything and exaggerating every issue to make it AWFUL doesn't help your arguement though.

Am I supposed to stop posting because of you then?

You made your point about the squad members quite clear now. You find their repeated use humorous, I find it annoying. You enjoy Halo 2's repeated and identical battles, I find them boring. You may think I'm whining, but being detailed in writing is an important way to entertain the people reading my post, and I think someone already complimented me.

It's just a conflict in taste and opinion, something you are not used to. Just because you didn't find Halo 2 as awful as I made it sound, doesn't mean you have to go and insult me as a "narrow-minded" person. You are turning a simple difference in opinion to a personal battle, which doesn't make sharing opinions on forums very fun at all. You will learn with experience though -- oh wait, over 13k posts? Damn son...