I'd imagine it's pretty hard to make a great sequal to an already great game. Halo2 is one of the few.
Anyways here's my take on Halo 2
Gameplay:
10
Few games have been this fun for me. To tell you the truth I really didn't want much to do with FPS's before Halo. I was an RTS guy(ROCK ON C&C) but something about the game just cries out "@%#$ING AWSOME!!!" I love the concept of a ring world and Bungie did an outstanding job at making it come to life. Hate me or love me but I actually enjoyed the Arbiter levels. The first time around I'll have to admitt, I went through a bit of a "not the flood again" seizure but just like fine wine(and the Halo 1 flood missions) they bettered with age. Especially while on cooperative. I like the weapon set for the most part. There are a few things about it that could have improved, but nothing major. Stuff like the way weapons respawns. On default, heavy weapons(rocket launcher and sniper rifles) won't respawn untill they've been dropped. I love the battle rifle. I know. By now you really must hate me. But I find it to be more accurate when you fire in short bursts anyway. It's also better for mid-ranged sniping. Get the head. 1...2....3. Dead. And for close up in your face fights, I just use the SMG. The shotgun is more realistic because of it's shorter range which is kind of nice but can be a pain at sometimes. Tis also nice that they replaced the hand cannon with a pistol. And the only quarrel I have with the grenades is that you can't carry infinite on split screen.
Graphics:
9
Graphics is the only reason this game didn't make a perfect. Personally, I think graphics isn't all that important as long as they aren't completely below standard. Sure it's nice to have great graphics but I think it's the weakest scoring method of the five. For the most part, Halo 2 is beutiful. It's a vast improvement over the first one but isn't without it's own rough edges. The gameplay time pretty much runs flawlessly but there are parts in the cutscenes that can be a bit of an eye sore. However, like I said, graphics(in my opinion) don't count for a whole lot in a games quality as long as it's not truely below standard.
Sound
10
No one and I repeat, NO ONE has the right to give this anything less than a 9 for Halo. Simply put, I love it's music. This may seem like a dumb category, but good music can turn a good game into a superb game. The right tunes can really get you in the mood to play and can make a good moment a memorable one. In a sense the games music can be just about as important as the gameplay itself. I really think this is where Halo rises above the rest. Never in my life have I played a game with such outstanding music. Hell I even hum the chants from it! I especially enjoy the rock music from second to last Master Chief level you do. Honestly if it's music were to be taken away i'd probably rate it a full pint lower.
Value:
10
Aren't gameplay and tilt pretty much the same thing? Anyways, to put it simple, if you have an Xbox and enjoy FPS's, GET THIS GAME. Some say this game is worth springing for the 150 bucks to get a box alone. If you really value your leasure time, maybe so. Personaly I've never found a game to be worth 200 dollars. However I have it now, and I'm glad. If you have the money and you're willing to spend it, then yes Halo and Halo2 are definitely worth it.
Tilt:
10
Oh how shall I put it...
Halo games = 50,000 orgasms
Nuff said.
But seriously, I don't see how any FPS person could not enjoy playing this game.
To put it short, Halo 2 is a great game. If you have an Xbox, get it.