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The best game on Xbox Live? You better believe it!
I've been trying my very hardest to not let the hype overcome me before I wrote this review. I ignored the plethora of jaw dropping movies, screens, previews, and playtests so I could do my very best to write a level headed review. However, this proved to be impossible. No matter where I went, I always caught word of people talking of the new features, the double -wielding, vehicle stealing revolution that was Halo 2. Whenever I watched TV, I was inevitably confronted by the trailers, no matter how hard I tried to avoid them. The hype consumed me, and soon I found myself babbling to friends about the game that would probably wind up ruining my life. The time has come, and being lucky enough to play it before the public explosion, I can gladly say that no one out there will be disappointed. I would also like to note, that this review is 100% Halo 2 spoiler free.
Halo 2 resumes from the end of the original Halo, where the Master Chief found himself narrowly escaping his own demise after destroying a whole Covenant Armada single-handedly, and as a result, saving the Universe from a race of mutants and silencing the most powerful weapon ever created. In Halo 2, he begins his trip back to earth.
The Earth, as chief discovers is in a state of war against the Covenant, and it seems that hope is lost, even with his help. I would like to give you more information regarding the plot, but the details are so tightly woven that it would be nearly impossible to not spoil even the subtlest surprise. I will say, however, that the plot in Halo is so mind-numbingly immersive that you'll find yourself thinking about possible conclusions, even if you were miles away from your Xbox. No conclusions that you can possible think of can prepare you for the confusing, and unsettling end that draws over Halo 2. Whether you will appreciate it, or hate it, everyone will agree, its one hell of a ride.
Halo was the first FPS to fall onto the Xbox, and with it brought the most logical and smooth control scheme that you could possibly create on the Xbox. While the button layout is basically the same, the overall smoothness and responsiveness has been upped, and feels absolutely great. The new duel wielding is also done very well; it is as simple as walking up to a weapon, and picking it up with X, then coming across another weapon and picking it up with Y. I'll talk more about this feature later on, but it was truly seamlessly implemented. One problem with Halo was that when an ally had a weapon you wanted, there was no way you could get it from him other then pumping him full of plasma and taking it from his body. Now, you can exchange weapons with allies with the touch of a button. The simplicity of the new weapons, mainly the Plasma Sword, is also simplified to the touch of a button. Swing it around with X, or lock onto a target, and exterminate him with the right trigger. Also, one of the most tantalizing new features is the ability to hijack your enemies’ vehicles. With the push of a button, you can mount their craft, shove a grenade in their face, or kick them onto the dirt. I can't even explain the rush you get when you foil a whole wave of enemies by picking an Elite out of a ghost then running over each one of his dumbfounded grunts, and speeding into the horizon.
The combat system in Halo was wonderfully straight forward. Get a weapon, kill your enemies with it, grab one of 4 vehicles and wage war in that fashion. The simplicity was what made it enjoyable, and the freedom with vehicles made it incredible. The same joy and freedom is back in Halo 2, and of course, improved by leaps and bounds. As mentioned before you know have the option of dual-wielding your weapons. This allows you to carry two weapons to pummel your enemies with at once. Of course, there are pleasant new additions to weapons, a Covenant grenade launcher, the human Battle Rifle, and a sub-machine gun known as the M7, and there are of course changes to the old weapons, which include a weaker pistol and an improved Needler. The duel-wielding is based mostly on balance, you can carry two one handed weapons at a time, or one two handed weapon (Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, Covenant Grenade launcher). You can have an absurd number of weapon combinations when you mix them together. Finding the right combination for the job is very much up to you. If you want to barge in for close rang combat, grab yourself a shotgun and a Plasma Sword. If you want to keep your distance, get a Needler and a Battle Rifle, or how about TWO needlers! The possibilities are endless.
Halo 2 comes back with somewhat improved level variety. There are snow levels, forested levels, and even some very creepy darkness levels, which give you that hopeless enclosed feeling that is all too familiar in Doom 3. Your battles wage across many landscapes, some on earth, and some on other locations. Unlike Halo, there are no backwards levels, constantly repeating rooms, but like Halo, you do end up facing some of the same waves of enemies in similar situations over and over again. While it is fun, you start wanting a bit more variety. However, there are so many scripted events, that you're always on your toes, no matter how many battles you fight.
There are a few new vehicles that will bring many pleasant changes to game play and also offer some of the best and most adrenaline filled campaign sequences we've seen on a console yet. All vehicles now take and maintain damage, to the point where they can be completely ruined and destroyed.
In the end, the Solo Campaign is marvelous. The immersive plot and the depth of the character are all brilliantly laid out. It takes about 15 hours to complete, but that varies on the skill of the gamer.
The other half of Halo 2, the excellent Live-enabled multiplayer, separates it from the merely good games and launches it to outstanding status. Not only has Bungie created the most enjoyable multiplayer game, with an outrageous amount of options, but they have created an online community. Bungie has created the deepest and move innovative statistic keeping system ever to be created. Players now have the option to form Clans, and compete in ranked games for Halo 2 supremacy. If you're not into the serious aspect of Halo 2, you can take advantage of the new Virtual Couch feature. For me, this makes playing on Live much more enjoyable and easy. You get a group of friends, and you form a "couch", you can then find games against other groups, or "couches", while still staying with your same group of buddies through each game. And since people hate to lose, Bungie added the option for you to play ranked games, or a regular game to make sure they don’t quit on you.
Overall, the online gameplay has never been more enjoyable. With new maps, weapons and modes, there are literally thousands of hours of gaming just waiting to be played. With full support from Bungie, be ready for new map updates, and other interesting things that will keep the community interested for many years to come.
In terms of visuals, Halo 2 exemplifies the concept that console graphics have seemingly doubled in the last 4 or 5 months, with presentations that push various systems to the limit. The main graphical feature in Halo 2 is a technique called Normal Mapping. This is the one you've seen in the pictures that gives more depth to the game’s textures. While this technique looks great, it sometimes adds inequalities to some things, like certain marine models.
But easily, the most alluring part of Halo 2 is the overall size of the game. For the first time ever, I was actually dumbfounded when I found myself standing on a large wasteland area, surrounded by rocks and rolling hills. I was actually intimidated by the dusky skies over head, and the burning cityscapes in the background, and how miniscule you feel really makes you realize just how great of a world Bungie has created. Not only are the worlds insanely huge, they also possess the most precise details, and fine touches I have ever witnessed. Everything was thought out and executed. From the dents on Master Chief’s helmet to the floor textures where you can pick out singular grains of sand, everything is crisp and clean. Overall, everything including the Covenant, Marines, plasma effects, weapon models, character models, and every single texture has been upped. The game also boasts many gorgeous cut scenes, some of them are even incredible, but a few of them look sort of out of place.
One thing that set Halo apart from the most beautifully composed games was that the music appeared in real time. For example, the layers of the music would build with the context of the game, the musical intensity increased as the battles raged on, basically playing on your emotions and giving you the ultimate audio treat. The same effects, along with the eerie chanting monks, are back in Halo 2. Not only that, but we're treated with the ridiculous speed guitar talent of guitar Legend Steve Vai, who's magical guitar solos are perfectly mended in with the rest of the music. With Dolby 5.1, there is nothing better then the much more powerful sounding weapons whizzing past your ears, surrounded by massive explosions, and the occasional quips from your fellow marines. The voice-acting, as before, is very well done, with many returning characters. This all greatly helps you get immersed in the game play and feel more like you're dealing with real people, instead of polygons.
Halo 2 had an incredible amount of hype to live up to. Bungie has crafted a nearly perfect game with this one, however, and largely lived up to the hype. The focus of Halo 2 throughout its countless showings and press demos has largely been the multiplayer. In this area, the game doesn’t falter one bit and is an ideal experience. Easily, it is the best you can find on Xbox Live. However, the single player portion is a touch repetitive, with some cyclical battles and awkward cutscenes, but they are wrapped around an immersive story. Overall though, it isn’t a game that any decent gamer should be without. -- Kellen Person, PGNx Media
---- Nov 8, 2004
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