Gameplay: Halo 2's gameplay is fun and addictive. The single-player campaign is very fun and entertaining and does feature turns and surprises. The overall campaign will take about 7-10 hours to complete for an average player. It is longer than the first Halo, but will not seem like it since you want to beat it so fast anyways. Speaking of fast did I mention that there are no loading times? Yep. NONE!! The only one is at the beginning of the game, and that is it!! Easy and Normal modes of the game are just like the first one. It is easy and some parts are challenging. But Heroic is a different story. Heroic to me, is like Legendary in the first Halo. Yeah, it is hard! Enough with single-player, lets now get to multiplayer. First, this is the best XBOX Live experience EVER!!! My other favorites would be: Ghost Recon 2, Splinter Cell: PT and Rainbow Six 3: BA, but Halo 2 stomps on them big time!!! You have about 12 maps, many different weapons, dual-wielding, destructable enviornment and vehicles. Basically, an all out WAR!!! I really never used to play XBOX Live that much, but since Halo 2 is out, that is about to change!!! Overall, gameplay is fun, addictive and will leave you wanting more!!!! Graphics: The BEST LOOKING XBOX GAME TO DATE!!!! But there are some things I should tell you first. First of all, the cinematic graphics have loads of texture pop-in, but that is where we are to blame. People wanted no loading times, so that's what we got, but sure enough there was a consequnce! Secondly, the marines don't look as detailed as I wanted them to, but do look better than the first Halo. Those are my only complaints. But other than that, the game looks stunning! From the incredable use of lighting and shadowing, to the normal-mapping technology, in some cases, this game looks better than "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Buthcher's Bay" This game also features a great physics system as seen in Psi-Ops called Havoks. The game runs at a smooth 30 FPS even on two-player co-op which is amazing considering on how much action is going on at once. Overall, if the texture glitches were taken care of, the graphics would have been perfect!! Well, there's always Halo 3! ;) Sound: Best music I have ever heard in a videogame OR a motion-picture!! Lord Of The RIngs was my favorite, but now Halo 2 has taken that spot with its incredable soundtrack that is even nominated for a Grammy Award. Or at least I think so. Anyways, the soundtrack is so good, that for whatever is you are doing on the screen, the appropriate music kicks in at the exact moment!! The voice-acting is also great! Michelle Rodriguz and Orlando Jones are just a few people that do a great job with voice-overs!! The marines have now 14,000 lines of dialogue compared to 6,000 as in the first Halo. That is A LOT of dialogue! Also, this game features Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound for you big boys out there!!! Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Overall, if you expected Fable having the best soundtrack in a game, think again!!! Value: I think you can make a decision on what you just read and by other reviews! To me, this is a must have for any gamer out there!! Overall: Overall, Halo 2 is THE GAME we need as gamers to survive!!! Along with contenders such as: GTA: SA, Half-Life 2 and many others, it will be no surprise that this will be best XBOX game of the year and could even be Game of the Year period! With the BEST XBOX Live experience, the BEST graphics seen on the XBOX, and the BEST soundtrack EVER in a videogame, Halo 2 could be the winner!! Overall Score: 9.9/10
By Madskillz999 | Review Date: Dec 23, 2005 | XBOX
I'm finally ready with the review of this awesome game! First off, this is obviously the sequel to the hugely popular initial Halo game. You are Master Chief, a space marine who is sent out to battle the enemies. You... Read Full Review
Halo 2 is a worthy sequel to Halo. While the story does lack in some parts, overall, the game is still excellent, one of the best games ever. To get the bad points out of the way, i didn't like the single player campaig... Read Full Review
