The year is 2552, though the events of Halo 1 have impeded the Covenants progress and their society on the brink of Civil War, they have now gained a foothold on our most precious prize of all...Earth!
Okay, heres when things get complicated.
Halo 1 was a great game, but it had it's flaws, for instance the second half of the campaign got repetitive quickly, and the weapon balance was terrible at times in multiplayer (the pistol was a rifle in disquise), what Bungie hoped to accomplish in Halo 2 did not happen either.
The Controls in the game are pretty much the same but a bit diffirent due to the inclusion of Duel Weidling and vehicle boarding, of course, both have become Halo staples. Another edition was that all vehicles are now destructable, and the enviroments are more interactive this time, I wouldn't say destructable though.
The Campaign mode returns, but sadly it did not live up to all of it's hype, the environments are smaller and more cramped than Halo 1, the AI is very clumsy at times, good, but clumsy, and the ending was anti-climatic, but worst is that the environments get repitive in this game aswell and the graphics pop-ins and other notible bugs can take you out of the immersion.
Biggest problem with Halo 2's campaign mode though is that you do not spend much time on Earth at all!
The games Multiplayer though more than makes up for it, it supports 16 player fragfests over Xbox Live, a first for the Halo franchise, the games Matchmaking is not only revelutionary for console online games, the party system in Halo 2 just rules, allowing you to stick with your friends in custom games, and online ranked/unranked matches. Two player Co-op returns, but sadly no online co-op.
Sadly the weapons in Multiplayer are not that balanced, the SMG is not a very good starting weapon, it is weak and barely gives you a chance to fight back, and at times the Sniper Rifle and the Energy Sword are overpowered, rocket lock-on makes Warthogs obsolete and the Shotgun is crap off-host.
Final Thought:
All in all, while the Multiplayer lived up to all the hype, the game suffered because of poor management of their own employees and the game was rushed out the door. The storyline was great don't get me wrong, but the levels are just to cramped at times for my taste.
Halo 2 was a huge success, over 1 billion games played online and it broke sales records by generating $125 million in it's opening day. I do reccomend the game, but keep your expectations for the campaign mode low.
Eight seminal games were released on the gaming market between October 26 and November 23, 2004. Twenty years later, here's Wccftech's retrospective.
You're not gonna include Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal or Jak 3 on that list? Just change it to Fall 2004 Releases and include the masterpiece that is Sly 2.
Unexpected characters, infamous cliffhangers, and an E3 demo that time forgot.
My favourite of the series... I have only played 3 though
Never a big fan of the original but number two blew me away with it's scale, the bit at the beginning when you're driving a tank across this giant bridge whilst shooting down flying enemies lives in my head. Always rocked the double needler
as much as I liked it, it was one of the first game endings where I went "you gotta be f'ing kidding me!"
I still remember the gameplay reveal during E3 2003.. Man, the graphics was like a major upgrade from Halo 1 and it blew everybody's mind. It looked miles ahead of anything on PlayStation 2 and the score was epic! When it launched, Halo 2 was worthy of every bit of hype it generated.
This in my opinion is one of the best Halo games (Alongside 1 and Reach). It introduced the prophets, you could play an elite which was awesome, dual handling SMG, amazing graphics for its time on original Xbox and so many more.
The city levels had flat textures and streaming issues but the assault on the Temple with the ODST team was an unforgettable experience. I still remember how detailed the buildings covered with moss and grass were like and the water element in the temples was perfectly utilized.
Replayed this gem on MCC and had a blast.
Remember the days of four-player couch co-op? The Wealth of Geeks team certainly does. This list brings us back to the golden years of the original Xbox with the best four-player games that were available.
The online aspect, while the best part of the game, is basically just another FPS, nothing new really. The campaign is the most boring one I have ever played on any game, FPS or not. I simply finished this one just to see what the hell Xbox fanboys get orgasms about, but it seems that they were born yesterday.
The flood is not scary, it is just annoying. You can pretty much play the game killing just one or two foes at a time and then go hide till you recover from the damage, rinse and repeat. And come on, the Aliens talking, grunting and whining? In our language? For god's sake, these are the most ridiculously child-oriented enemies I've ever seen.
On the art style, this game has cartoony colors and there is no way it deserves an M-rating. A T-rating suits it better. And the guns? Meh, they all feel the same save the sniper, shotgun and blade. The game is too pink, and has very few explosions.
The storyline can't get any worse, as it is inconclusive, there are no impressive bosses or battles, it is too short, and it is way clichéd. This game should be called: "MAN SAVES ERTH FROM ALIENS WOW LOL". Master chief is the least emotion producing character I've ever played with on any game.