Video Games : Halo 2

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: Halo 2

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Amazon Maximum Age: 20 years
Amazon Minimum Age: 204 months
Binding: Video Game
Brand: Microsoft
EAN: 0805529792234
ESRB Age Rating: Mature
Label: Microsoft
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Model: XBMSFT 805529792234
Platform: Xbox
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: November 09, 2004
Sales Rank: 320
Studio: Microsoft

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Halo 2 continues the story of Master Chief, the heroic super-soldier who defied the invading alien Covenant and survived. The Covenant leaders within Halo are angry at this unheard of event. To save face, they launch an invasion of our planet. Earth's defenses are breached, and we're all in danger -- unless Master Chief can lead a small military squad to victory against Covenant forces, in all-out guerilla warfare!

Amazon.com:
Halo 2 is one of those rare video games that garnishes attention from regular folk who wouldn't know which direction to point a game controller. With more than 1.5 million pre-orders and a massive release party in Times Square, the game enjoys the sort of buzz, and sales, generally reserved for boy wizards. But does it merit the hype?

Opening Scene


Halo 2 opens with a cut scene in the Covenant Holy City of High Charity. Much has happened since Master Chief (that's you) created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do for his failures. This first cut scene is long, but the lush graphics, orchestral sound, and polished voice talent for both this and other cut scenes as well as the game itself put most animated television shows to shame.

Much has happened since Master Chief created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do.


In the end, though, Halo 2 is unabashedly a first-person shooter. It has a Mature rating and is not meant for kids. Gameplay is constant and intense. No sooner is one bunch of aliens taken care of than another descends. The controls are identical to the first game so those familiar with it will be up and blasting in no time. And the sound and graphics have been beefed up so that Halo 2 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful console games available.

Opening Fire


Most of the weapons from the first game return, although strangely the MA5B Assault Rifle (the default weapon in the first game) is not available. There is a single melee weapon known as the Covenant Sword, but the controls for it are the same as that for all the shooter weapons, making it difficult to direct. Also, for a new twist, you can hold two of the smaller guns at the same time and shoot double-fisted.



As for vehicles, the old favorites are back and joined by a few new, mostly Covenant wheeled monsters. Some improvements have been made to the AI so that the nonplayer characters can drive without running into too many obstacles while you man the turret. This improved AI also has enemies ducking for cover, and the banter from both the Marines and the bad guys has undergone massive improvements so that it no longer sounds quite so repetitive.



On Your Own


The most significant change in the single-player game is with Master Chief's much-touted defensive suit. At the beginning of the game, he is told that the suit has been upgraded, but it's really undergone a severe downgrade. In Halo 2, the player has only one lifeline. Unlike in the first game, there is basically no defensive shield on the suit, making gameplay tougher. It can often take multiple--sometimes a maddening number--attempts to make it through thorny parts of the game.


Or with a Friend


Finally, no review of a Halo game is complete without mentioning multiplayer. One of the main reasons to buy Halo 2 is the ability to play through Xbox Live, a feature not included in the first game, which was among the original releases for the Xbox. Multiplayer for Halo 2 uses all of the same weapons and vehicles as in the single-player game, and the types of games available in Halo (King of the Hill, Slayer, Capture the Flag) return with a host of new maps. Multiplayer Halo 2 offers customizable profiles, control layout, and screens as well as a voice proximity feature, where you can talk with other players via an Xbox Communicator so that those closer to you sound louder than those farther away. Players can also create both permanent clans and temporary parties in the Xbox Live world. Undoubtedly, this multiplayer feature alone ensures that Halo 2 will remain a top-selling game for years to come. --David Morel

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Grandson loves Halo 2
I have no idea how to play this game, but my grandson does and he loves it.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - just average
played the first halo. it had some great moments. mind you, it wasn't perfect. game was too dark, some maps were reused, & too much backtracking. i dont understand why bungie couldn't have included a map so i'd know where i was going. also, the library chapter was plain repetitive tedium. halo 2 was basically the same, probably even worse. i mean, playing as the arbiter sucked. basically too much hype. but the multiplayer is where halo shines. solo campaigns are just ok.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Deep Single Player, Awesome Multi-Player, Near Perfect Game
Halo 2
One of the greatest selling games of all time and the best selling X-Box game is Halo 2. If you have not heard of this game yet, you need to come out from under that rock. Almost everyone loved the original game. The sequel had a huge name to live up to, and I feel they did an amazing job on Halo 2. The Multi-Player gameplay will have you playing for an extremely long time. Single player features a unique, deep story to play through. Halo 2 takes everything that was good in the original Halo and improved on it.

Graphics- 9/10
The graphics are probably the best that the X-Box could handle. Reflections, lighting, and glare all have been extremely improved upon in this game. Master Chief has breath-taking reflections on his armor and visor. The guns all also have a nice shine to them.

All animations and characters are well done. A new race, named the Brutes, has been created, and brings a nice sense of freshness to battles. The Brutes can battle with guns like everything else, but can also charge at you. Nice animation is done on their part. Elite, Humans, and Flood characters are equally well designed.

Level design is a little bit of a let down. The previous Halo had a problem with having repetitive levels. Halo 2 continues this trend to a lesser degree. While some levels are constantly unique, some still have repeating areas. This can cause you to be turned around and lost easy. Luckily, this is not as much of a problem as in the first game.

I only have two other problems. The Energy Sword you can wield should have made areas like up more. The glows a bright blue, but never illuminates the ground or surroundings. My second problem is the way the graphics work. As you get closer to something, details you see will increase. This sounds nice, but you will notice many weird graphical sequences where the graphics shift from ugly to beautiful to ugly again. Sometimes the graphics will not change at all and you will be left with a very ugly view.

Story- 9/10
The story for the original Halo was amazing. This game is much deeper, and has a more intricate storyline. Some people will enjoy this; others will shun the complicated ideas in this game. I loved the storyline and its ideals based on Natural Selection, Racial Wars, and Mankind as a whole.

This game is broken into two parts. In one, you play as Master Chief. Chief has just learned that Earth is being attacked the Covenant, the same alien scum you took on in the first game. Your mission is to stop the covenant. Soon you learn of another Halo that could potentially be used by the Covenant, based on some outrageous religious-like claims. I like how Covenant follows whatever their prophets tell them without question. It really should let people look at themselves and maybe make decisions on their own and not just based on what a "higher knowledge" tells them.

In the second portion of the game, you play as The Arbiter. He is of the Elite race of the Covenant. He is being held responsible for the destruction of the original Halo and has been sentenced to death. The Prophets have a better idea for him though. He will work for them in tracking down heretics and stopping "the demon," who happens to be Master Chief. I actually enjoyed this side of the story better. The Arbiter works off his debt, but slowly learns the truth about Halo. There is also a ton of tension between the Elite and Brute races, which both work under the Covenant. This leads to the Elite's being undermined and often pushed to the side for the superior Brute Class. This reveals a lot about our own society in how we push away those who we feel are weaker.

Master Chief and Arbiter will meet eventually in the story. To me, not many people will understand the depth of the story. If you can though, there is a lot to get. I hope reading this review will help you understand it a bit better. People may also have a problem with the ending, or lack thereof.

Sound- 10/10
Halo has always been known for its phenomenal sound production. The music, or absence of music, has been a strong point in the series. Whenever you are traveling a large area with not much going on, music will usually not exist. Traveling a small area with an enormous conflict will feature a thunderous musical score that you will love. No matter what though, the score will not distract you from the gameplay.

Voice Over is also great. Every main character in the game has a unique voice. Chief and Arbiter bring depth to the story with their voices. Grunts and Human Soldiers often bring a humor in their voice.

Weapon and Vehicle sounds are all perfect. Usually the addition of weapons will lead to some having similar sounds; this game does not though. Each vehicle also sounds exceptionally well.

Gameplay- 10/10
Many people say that the Halo series never really brought anything new to the table. I completely agree with them. This series did take everything that was good in other games and placed it in this one, thus creating one of the best first person shooters on the market today. Halo 2 expands on the idea of the first Halo with more weapons, better levels, more vehicles, and more customization.

In single player, you will play as both Master Chief and the Arbiter. You usually play a chapter of the game then switch to the other. Master Chief plays like a normal character. You usually find yourself shooting through walls of smart enemies. Arbiter is different though. You usually begin with an Energy Sword, and you can turn invisible for a certain amount of time. This allows you to become a stealth-like character at times. If you do not like being stealthy though, you can always pick up a gun and begin killing everything. If you find yourself in trouble, you can quickly turn invisible and escape the battle.

Enemies range from Elites, Brutes, Flood, Human Characters, and more. It just depends on how far along you are and whom you are playing as at the moment. The Flood will run at you like maniacs and try to overwhelm you. Elite and Humans characters hide behind objects and try to stay smart. Brutes are very hard to kill and can go bezerk, charging at you to hurt you. There are other ranks of enemies such as Flood mixtures and a giant Covenant monster, whose name eludes me right now. They all have their weaknesses and strengths. Therefore, the game stays fresh the entire play.

Halo 2 also features some new vehicles. Favorites like the Scorpion Tank, Warthog, and Ghost all return. New vehicles include the Wrath, Spectre, and a new version of the Warthog. The Wrath is a Covenant Tank that you saw a lot in the original game but never could ride in. This time you can. They sport an angled weapon that shoots blue plasma. The Spectre is the Covenant version Warthog. It shoots plasma from its turret. The new version of the Warthog shoots mortars instead of machine gun ammo. Did I mention that you could jack all of these vehicles?

Multi-Player has always been this games biggest aspect. If you have three or more friends available to you, this game will last you a long time. You can connect X-Boxes and have some epic battles. Levels like Beaver Creek and Coagulation are remakes of some of the first game's best levels. Lockout and Zanzibar are just two of the awesome new levels to play on in the game. I suggest buying the Multiplayer Map Pack for even more great levels.

This game allows you to edit your Multi-Player characters in detail. You choose between Master Chief and the Arbiter. You can apply multiple different colors to your characters. You can change your looking speed and controls. You can even create your own unique logo.

Difficulty- 10/10 (Note- This is how much I like the difficulty)
There are four different difficulty levels to choose from. Easy allows you to plow through enemy after enemy with little difficulty. Normal is good for those on their first try. Hard will have you dying a lot and feeling satisfied with yourself. Legendary mode will have you slamming your television into the wall out of anger. Maybe you are good enough for that to be necessary though. If that is not enough then you can Log onto Xbox Live and be killed by the masters of this game.

Overall- 10/10
This is one of my favorite games. I personally prefer the Single Payer in the first Halo, but I enjoy the Multi-player in this game far more. Still, this game has a very solid Single player experience. The graphics are nice, despite having some repetitive levels here and there. If you own an X-Box, you need to own this game. This game also is compatible with Xbox 360 Console.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - A continuing classic
Halo 2 is probably the best in the series. Many may argue that Halo 3's many new maps, high definition graphics, and new vehicles weapons and modes make it the best, I rest with Halo 2.
First of all, the campaign is much better than Halo and slightly better than that of Halo 3. The game also is at a perfect sci-fi state without being too ridiculous. Halo 3 gets a little out of hand and ends up being just too ambiguous.
Once past the Halo 2 ending (which leaves you really curious and a great hook for Halo 3) you would naturally move on to Multiplayer.
The multiplayer of Halo 2 is, to say the least, fantastic. There are always people online looking for games to play and you can customize the games in so many different ways to your liking.
It gets a little hectic at times but is built so that skill is really all that matters, perfect for a great FPS


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - trash
This game is absolute trash. In fact the whole Halo series is trash. The whole idea of an inter-galactic warrior batteling space creatures is a dumb idea. I played all of the games in the series and after 10 minutes with each of them I wanted to gauge my eyes out. Wht don't you go out and buy a real game like Saints Row, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, or any other game that isn't this.If you even think about buying this you might as well throw your money into a fire and watch it as it slowly burns.

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