The original halo was about a superhuman known as Masterchief, mankinds last hope for survival. The entire game was based around him fighting off the covenant and stopping them from activating a ring world called halo. In halo 2, story continues where it left off, but there is also the covenant side of the story that is told. Around 1/3 off the way through the game, u take control of a elite called the "Arbiter." I hated this choice by the developers, as i simply wanted to continue defending earth with Masterchief. GAMEPLAY The pace of the game has been slightly increased since the original Halo. This is further increased with the addition of dual weld weapons. Two smaller weapons, such as pistols or the new SMG can be dual weld, and are great at close range. This does cause a problem in multiplayer, as a dual wielding foe is much stronger than one with one weapon and it has caused spawn camping to become quite easy. A team that gains an upperhand can eliminate all of their enemies from coming into playing, which is very frustrating. You can now carjack an opponent vehicle with the press of a button, and the rocket launcher has been given a heat-seaking ability. The one change i hated, while it was for the best in balancing issues, was the elimination of the original Halo's pistol. I loved this gun, and it was one of the reasons I loved the original game so much. GRAPHICS With the addition of normal mapping, the game is much better looking than the original. It also has a smoother framerate that never slows down. However, since the release of Farcry, Doom 3, and Half-Life 2, these graphics arent as impressive as they used to be. A problem that constantly occurs during cutscenes, and even sometimes when entering new areas, is the normal mapping is late in applying the layers of detail. This is very distracting while watching cut-scenes, but is a lesser problem in-game. SOUND A good soundtrack and solid gunshots are here, as is great voice acting. Although none of these stand out to be exceptional. VALUE Even with all of the gripes i have with the game, it is still easily worth a purchase. The single player is very lackluster, and it ends on a cliffhanger. The multiplayer is excellent, however, and can add countless hours of fun. While the multiplayer is good, i would still personally play Call of Duty, UT2k4, or Counterstrike over it any day. While I am giving the game a 9, I was disappointed with the game. I expected it to be a masterpiece but was let down. Hopefully Halo 3 on Xbox Next will be the great game i was hoping for
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
