I'm going to skip all of the normal hoopla about this game. Everyone already knows that Halo 2 has fantastic graphics, sound, and gameplay. What you don't know is how disappointingly short this game is. When I read the Gamespot review, I knew the game was short; but I didn't expect it to be this short. In calculating my score, the place the game took a hit was value. Mind you, this review is for the single-player campaign only. Like many of you out there, I waited in line to buy Halo 2 (Limited Edition). I couldn't have been more excited to play it. I had just gotten a widescreen monitor and was thrilled to hear that it would play perfectly on it. The moments passed as people entered and exited the local Gamestop. Finally, it was my turn. I got home and popped it in. I must have played for around 2 hours. What can I say? I had class the next day in Chicago at 8 am. As it turned out, I played a little more than I should have. So, Starbucks helped wake me up. I took the next day off from school (by accident, of course). And much to my dismay, I finished Halo 2 in just 2 short days. The story was executed in a manner that probably wouldn't have been my first choice, unless there was a well-written script to complement the idea. This didn't happen. The script was at best, only ok. The jumping back and forth between the Master Chief and the Elite was annoying. It seemed like it came in at awkward moments, leaving this empty feeling inside along with a sense of confusion. There just seemed to be lack of continuity until the last couple of levels. The feeling from the demo at E3 2003 was lost. There was a sense of urgency on Earth. In Halo 2, however, you leave Earth within only a few hours of playing, maybe less. This was one of the more disappointing features (or perhaps, the lack thereof). I had thought there would be a massive amount of fighting on Earth, or even the space around Earth in some zero-gravity environments would have been nice. Instead, we found ourselves fighting on another Halo ring. Don't get me wrong, the introduction of another ring was done quite well. It's just that there was so much other mundane storytelling going on, that one could almost forget the good parts. And last but cerntainly not least, we can't go without mentioning the "cliffhanger" ending. Let's just say, that came way too quick. I saw the chief in the Forerunner's ship and thought it was time to dance on Earth again. Boy was I in for a rude awakening. A few seconds passed, and I waited for the next level to begin. Low and behold, the credits start rolling. I couldn't believe it. It was over, just that quick.
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
