Bungie's efforts to deliver an amazing sequel were in vain.
When I first got my copy of the Halo 2 Collector's Edition I was so excited. I quickly ripped off and disposed of the plastic covering. I removed the plastic slipcover and marveled at the sleek, tin case. I opened up the case and took out the disc, noting the second DVD I had to watch after beating Halo 2. I put the CD into my Xbox's disc tray and almost exploded in anticipation for the sequel to my favorite Xbox game ever, and one of my favorite games of all time. Then...I played it...
The disappointment started from the very beginning, but wasn't a huge issue and only a minor, "back-of-my-mind" itch. The graphics weren't anything near what we saw at the previous E3s, and weren't the best to be seen on the Xbox (The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, which was released nearly half a year earlier suprasses most games with flying colors-not to mention the amazing PC shooter Half-Life 2), but they were definitely an impressive accomplishment and should be praised for the superb bump-mapped lighting (even if there is a lax on actual shadows), nice special effects, and great polygonal s. However, due to only one loading time the graphics tend to render in-game, going from polished to low-res textured to high-res textured to fully rendered, which can be very annoying, especially while you're playing the game. It's bad enough seeing only a hat floating in mid-air and then seeing Johnson's head and body pop in during a cut scene, but seeing enemies and level parts pop in during game play is simply unacceptable. However, the graphics get the nod because they are, overall, fantastic.
The audio is also very well done. Marty O'Donnell really outdid himself with this soundtrack. And while the music isn't as good as the original's, in my opinion, it still delivers a greatly cinematic experience and a soundtrack worth buying any day. The voice-overs are well-done, even if they're not amazing, and the sound effects fit nicely. Aethstetically, this game is top-notch.
One of the issues I had with the game was the gameplay. The first thing to note is the level design. The levels in Halo 2 are much more claustrophobic than in its predecessor, as most of them are in streets and buildings, and even when you get to be outside, the levels are much smaller in scope and scale than in the original Halo. Of course, this would have been fine...if it were set on Earth...like we were promised...time and time again... And it seems that the competent team of level-designers from the previous game were either taken out, or given Uranium everyday in their coffee. And it's not just the single player maps, oh no! The multiplayer maps in Halo 2 are also horrible mockeries of the maps in Halo: Combat Evolved. Most are very big (or horribly small) and have mentally-challenged weapon spawn points. The enemy (and ally) AI also seems very bad. In the E3 demos, we were told the marines could drive the warthogs with no rail, but they could drive with a basic path and have realistic driving methods. When you play the game, however, you find your marines doing donuts, circling around, and stopping (confused) at a corridor big enough to fit two warthogs through. The Covenant are also pretty stupid. They do take cover, which is a slight improvement over the original's, but they don't take any real tactical decisions or put the cover to good use.
Another gameplay issue I had with the gameplay was its weapons. While some weapons are very interesting and fun to use like the Battle Rifl3, the Energy Sword, and Covenant Carbine, others (or the lack there of) were very disappointing. Were's my god damned pist0l?! The pist0l in Halo 2 is a watered-down shell of its former self. People were too busy arguing that it wasn't fair in the first game rather than to just get good with it and kick butt. They also totally ripped the sniper rifl3 apart and reassembled it as a horrid weapon. I remember my pist0l-sniper combo to be my best friends! Now they're my worst enemies. The weapons seem very balanced, and a player of the original will find this as high treason. Some weapons are rediculously good (energy sword and lock-on rockets), while some are horrible and a -sentence if you have them (single SMGs, the pist0l, the sniper rifl3). The overdone autoaiming and targeting also makes the good multiplayer experience still dissapointing in almost every way. And while the destructable vehicles are both pretty and realistic, I wish there were an option to turn it off (as we can't do the fun stunts as in the first game, and the overall fun of the game is brought down by this feature in multiplayer).
The main gripe I have with the game is its single player campaign. Are you freaking kidding me? We waited 3 years and three novelizations to get this?! Not only is it rubbish playing as a Covenant Elite (which could have been a good thing if done correctly), but the story is so incoherent and disappointing compared to the original that it makes me rip my hair out in frustration! I don't want to play as the Covenant! Or at least, I don't want to play as a "good" Covenant! If I'm going to be a Covie, let me waste some Marines! The story doesn't seem to fit well at all, and the writers over at Bungie seemed to be trying to make their story too fantastic or have too many new things/plot twists that it became a steaming pile of garbage. Not to mention that the single player game can be beaten in one sitting.
The whole game seems very "sold-out," taking cliches from every other shooter out there. This game will be awesome if you didn't play Halo or weren't a huge fan, but if you were a big fan of the series you will feel betrayed and hurt by this game. I still try to figure out why it gets such high praise from nearly everybody I see writing reviews! 9's? 10's?! This is blasphemy! A remotely good multiplayer experience does not make up for the horribly executed single player game! I will quote Gamespot on this, "Despite a rather short campaign and a disappointing storyline, Halo 2 is an exceptional shooter..." What?! Last I checked, single player was half the game! So how does a game with a short and dissapointing single player campaign land a 9.4? Huh? Explain that to me, PLEASE! The sad thing is, this is planting seeds of confidence in Bungie and its new team members. This means that they'll continue making mediocre, subpar, and disappointing games! Rent it, unless you were a huge fan of the series and want to buy it soley for the purpose of owning the whole series. However, don't expect much from this game, that's the only way to enjoy it.