Pretty much the same feel from the first game, but with XBL.
So Master Cheif destroyed a Halo planet. However, there are some changes this time. There are multiple wars going on not only with humans and the Covenant, but also with a different alien speices named the Brutes and the return of the mutated werid creatures named the Flood. This is a thrilling storyline, but doesn't flow smoothly in the campaign.
*End spoilers*
Gameplay:
The FPS gameplay pretty much mirrors the Halo gameplay from the first game. There are a couple additions added though. There are more veheciles to drive, new weapons, and the ability to use 2 weapons at once. You can even play as an elite this time. This speacial elite is named the Arbiter, and does everything the 3 Prophets, including Truth, Regret and Mercy, say. You can do some useful stuff as an elite such as go into camaflouge and use very cool vehecles of theirs. Otherwise, you have your same huge levels that you explore to destroy whoever you're after like in the first game.
While the Single Player campaign is a little short and somewhat dissapointing (you'll find out why), the Multiplayer and XBL features make up for it. It's quite a thrill to play through these matches. Since there are multiple arenas, there's always bound to be something one can love. One can go hours and hours of playing these arenas and matching people on Live. However, there are a couple issues that are made in this game.
There is a bit of lagging on Live, and it can effect the gameplay. Also, the FPS in the single player campaign can get rather repetitive and long after a while. Nonetheless, everything in the gameplay, from the controls of your character to the layout of the envioronments, is top notch.
Graphics:
The visuals are nicely improved from the first game, which was already a good looking game. The character models look very real this time and the envioronments are spectacular. It's amazing that the Xbox is capable of all this at once. There are a few notable flaws though. The frame rate can slow down a bit if there's tons of action, and the cutscenes run on the game engine, and it's not very impressive. Still, you'll defenitly find some attractive details as you kill in thrill.
Sound:
Halo 2 sports awesome orchestred music that supports the action in the gameplay, and the mystery and suspense in the cutscenes. There are very few tunes in the game that don't fit into the atmosphere, which is a nice treat. The voice acting is top notch once again with the return of the voices from the first game as well as some semi-well known actors lending their voices in the game, including Keith David as the Arbiter and Michael Wincott as the Prophet of Truth. All the performences sound very professional. The sound effects also work out just fine. Just as the frist game, Halo 2 has superb audio.
Conclusion:
Halo 2 is praised, and a bit overrated, for its XBL mode. It's a fun game with some exciting momments and cool actions, but Halo 2 isn't quite the best FPS made. So FPS fans, as well as casual gamers, play this because of its mainstrem hype. If you don't have Live, your replay urges will be a little low, since the campaign is over quick and a bit dissapointing. Xbox owners, if they don't have this game already, might as well buys this if they like FPS and be with the mainstrem public. It's a bit of a shame that, Xbox Live aside, that Halo 2 doesn't quite improve dramatically over the first game. Hopefully Halo 3 will give us something revolutionary.
Pros:
-Deep storyline
-Great fun on Xbox Live and Multiplayer
-More weapons, veheciles, and playing as elites
-Great graphics and soundtrack
Cons:
-Single player campaign is a bit dissapointing
-A bit of lagging issues on Live
-Live aside, Halo 2 has pretty much the same feel from the previous game. (Long levels, checkpoints, ect.)