Still the best there is, even after it's first birthday.

User Rating: 9.8 | Halo 2 XBOX
Halo 2 still remains at the top of multiplayer perfection helping to shape the way xbox live works not only on the xbox, but into the next generation with the xbox 360. The success of this game is evident through the abundance of players continuing to play Halo 2 even 1 year after its release and with the release of a next generation console. The fact that many owners of the Xbox 360 continue to play halo 2 even with their new "next generation" games proves the high quality at which halo 2 was produced. The single player was excellent and ornamented with fantastic cut scenes (minues the graphical glitches) and a beautifully composed score which easily surpasses many film scores, kudos to Marty O'Donnell. The only downfall to the single player experience was the abrupt ending, obviously setting up another sequel, and a lack of fighting taking place on Earth which seemed to be a false promise made by Bungie's pre-release advertising. Another regretful omission from the game was the E3 demo level which seemed very promising and would have been a welcome addition, even for download. Though there are numerous players who continue to search for new ways of cheating and a large assortment of foul mouthed 5 year olds, the multiplayer is my opinion is still the best in the industry and worthy of your time.