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The best action shooter ever (so far)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Halo 2 extends the storry of Halo, and adds many new exciting new story elements. The multiplayer is very good indeed, and I never tire of laying some hurt on my closest friends and strangers. Plays very well on Vista.

64 bit Vista woes

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Chances are you've heard that Vista comes in two flavors, 32 bit and 64 bit. The vast majority of consumers use 32 bit Vista, while early adopters like to run 64 bit because it has a few advantages over 32 bit. If you are like most consumers, you have the 32 bit version of Vista, so this review does not apply.

I installed this game on my new Vista x64 rig and was looking forward to some great Halo 2 online multiplayer, just like when I used to play four-way split screen on Xbox with friends. You can't play split screen on this, but I presumed the advantage of aiming with keyboard and mouse would make up for it. When I started to play the game (after the long installation/update process), I noticed the game was not rendering correctly. Despite a solid frame rate of 75, the entire Halo world was not rendering smooth enough to enjoy playing in it. On some maps the walls look like they're popping out of place. On every single map you have problems looking around and getting your crosshairs to move where you want them. I have adjusted numerous mouse settings but nothing works.

If you have 32 bit Vista go ahead and buy this, the graphics look better than Xbox from what I can see on this setup. But, if you have 64 bit Vista expect poor performance overall as Microsoft was probably too busy to bother writing decent 64 bit code for this game. To be fair, there are lots of games advertised for Vista that don't run quite right on 64 bit. Still, this is the only one I've played that is advertised solely for Vista that has a severe problem.

Never Again

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought Halo 2 for the PC excited about trying it on my brand-new Vista machine. I have had it for over a year now and have yet to be able to actually play the game all the way through.
I went through the agony of having to create a Live account, and then having the game not "see" the account (but not let me log in because I'm "already logged in"). I experienced the unfun joys of having Halo 2 randomly tell me my savegame file is corrupted and I have to start again. I had updates crash the game, my license key invalidate itself, and after unanswered support e-mails, it took me multiple calls and over 3 hours on the phone to get someone to fix the problem. They had to do this by removing my license key, issuing me a new one, and telling me I'd lose all my "achievements" and account info. That wasn't a great loss, since the program would regularly log me into Live, then say, "You are not logged into Live. You will not be able to have any Achievements. Sorry about that." A lot of the messages I get in Halo 2 say, "Sorry about that." Sorry, indeed.

By the time I actually got the game to work (with shuddering framerate and random dropouts in sound), I was just angry. Angry at all the "Sorry" messages, angry at the hassle I have to click through just to load a saved game, and angry at the constant savegame level resets. I see new Microsoft Games for Windows titles, and I feel I'd be stupid to put risk putting myself through that again.

Unusually High Requirements

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: January 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The PC adaptation of 2004's phenomenally successful Xbox game, "Halo 2 for Windows Vista" comes 3 years later, right before the release of Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Despite this gap and apparent poor planning on the part of Microsoft's release department, does Halo 2 for Vista stand up even with the test of time?

The first difference comes with the transition from the uniform, high-end console to the more variable PC, with regards to graphics and computing power. While even at "high" settings I did not notice a marked improvement from the Xbox's graphics (though opinions tend to differ on this point), Halo 2 still commands a hefty "5.0 Recommended" rating on Vista's new gaming rating system. To put that in perspective, my current system is a "5.3", and newer games like Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, and Command and Conquer 3 top off at "4.1 Recommended". Apart from its variability with regards to graphic quality, Halo 2's only other new technical feature is the option for a widescreen Heads Up Display (instead of the stretched-out one used in the Xbox version).

Halo 2's connectivity to Xbox Live is the other major new system added in the PC transition, and this is simultaneously well-done and irritating. It is well-done because, like a console, the live system integrates itself almost seamlessly into the game and adds features such as online play, unlockable achievements (the first "Games for Windows" title to feature them), and friend lists. However, there is also a step back from Halo 1 for the PC; while Halo 1 had free, no-strings-attached online multiplayer, Halo 2 requires at least a silver account to play even the single player game. Thus, as with Valve's "Steam" software for Half Life 2, one must be online in order to play the game. However, unlike Steam, one need only log on to make an account and then transfer the account to one's computer; after the first time, there is no requirement for online connectivity for single player. The free account also allows access to Halo 2's online play, though many of the features (including matchmaking services and private rooms) are reserved for people with paid "Gold Accounts". Finally, Halo 2 for Vista features 2 new official maps for multiplayer, as well as a map editor. However, said editor is mostly intended for hardcore designers, not casual fans. Despite this, it is a fairly welcome addition and allows for a community effort in creating new and exciting arenas.

Overall, this game is done reasonably well by itself. However, when counting in its status as a ported version of a 3-year-old game, and adding the further frustrations of "Live" play and its unusually high requirements, I would not recommend this game to anyone who has already played it. This game is a last resort, meant exclusively for people who only have a PC, and who have not played Halo 2 prior. I rate it a 3/5.

Halo 2!!!! Finaly on the PC!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: May 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have never played the Xbox versoin of the game but I love the PC version. I've heard alot of complants about the story, campain and Graphics for Halo 2. Well first of sure the graphics aren't that great (i'd give it about 7/10) but who cares? sure i love it when a game has great graphics but the gamesplay is what really matters. The story is even better then the first one. I love the Arbiter addtion - it gave the story more dept. It was sometimes confusing but at the end I got it, and What and END!!!! a total clifhagner! cant wait for halo 3. as for how long the campain is, well I think it is fairly long probley a little bit shorter then the first but still pretty long. the sound is amazing! Great weapon sound effects, fantastic music - both during gameplay and the movies. and the flood effects...well it makes you kinda creeped out..very well done. the gameplay is great!! four more differn types of covernate to fight, more vhecles, alot more weapons (mabey double) dual weilding is totaly awsome and I love high-jacking vehicles. I toataly reccomend this game! one down side is that it requires vista...but oh well..play it on Xbox or just wait...Again, Halo 2 PC is a very good games!!

Blah 50 bucks?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 18
Date: June 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Errr. Seriously this game should've came free with a purchase of Vista.

Halo 2

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: May 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For me it is just the same old halo 2 only graphics slightly improved not worth the price.

Great overall game for PC

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Same exact game as for Xbox. Using the Xbox 360 wireless controller and receiver for my computer. Controls and graphics are the same. No Complaints. Arrived swiftly and promptly.

Halo2 for Vista has BIG flaws

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: September 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Well to start I am a huge Halo universe fan and love Halo combat Evolved for PC. I waited the extremley long and unecessery time for Halo2 to be finally released for PC the game platform this game is really meant for.
Well first off the dropping of Gamespot was real bad on microsoft games/Bungies part it was easy to find a match and play. Now we have Live I signed up and well when I did the name I picked was free so cool I figured thats it away we go...WRONG everytime I try and log on to live to play Halo2 online it tells me the name that I picked and it approved during the enrollment is taken...Yeah by me but it will not let me use it! WTF??? comeon Microsoft fix this with a patch.
Now on to the game Gameplay in several areas is ridculosly hard even on the easy setting. When I get a game I play through on easy to get the story then go back on the normal setting. A prime example is the levela "Let the buyer beware" Very very trickey to progress through the area to the next chapter. Even worse is Tatarus at the end Give me a break any heavy weapon you have won't otuch this guy but a NPC's weak assualt rifle drops the shield???? and while your weapons are useless until about 60 seconds into the level his hammer yes a hammer for godsake is a kill hit even if it misses and slams the deck next to you.
The end of the game is totally lame very very weak and disapointing.
Another flaw you have no way of commanding NPC's in vital situations and they will get you killed by drivng right up to enemy tanks instead of staying out of it's range and letting you pick them off with the Warthogs cannons.
I can only hope Halo3 addresses these flaws and that Microsoft doesn't wait two years before releasing it to PC. There should have been a simultanious release for both Xbox and Pc for all of the Halo games. I mean the kids with consoules have what two years to hack and cheat the game by the time a PC gamer gets it and we get sniped because of this. Come on Level the field and release for both at the same time! I guarntee your slaes would nearly double!
Finally a noter about Vista I have a brand new machine to run Halo2 while it has everything Microsoft says it should have Halo2 says I don't the big thing being I run a Athlon64X2 4 GHz processor and Halo2 misreads it typical Intel bias. AMD has had dual core processors for nearly a decade now and Intel just came out with them last year.

Vista gamers get what's coming to them

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 16
Date: August 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Complain all you want, XP users, but the wheels are rolling, and at some point, you're gonna have to get with the program, so to speak.

Halo 2 works spectacularly, right out of the box. Literally. You can start playing as soon as you pop the disc into the tray, which is quite awesome and I hope all games start following suit in the future. The graphic tweaking allows you to get a sharper and more impressive visual treat than you could ever get on the Xbox... just be prepared to have the CPU and Memory to back it up. Getting the full graphical treatment takes a beast of a computer, but the benefits are worth it. PC gamers finally get to taste what Xbox gamers have been playing the past two years, and if you've got the computer specs to flesh it out, it's more than worth it.

For the record, to adress two issues brought up in previous reviews: My PC's rating is 2.5, due to my Gaming Graphics being a bit outdated, but since the CPU's rating was 4.7, the hard disk being 5.7 and the RAM scoring 4.5, apparently the computer's satisfactory enough. I get 30FPS+ at all times running in 1024x768 with a few of the details dumbed down, and it's quite enjoyable.

For those unable to log into Live after creating an account, try creating another account after it "downloads your profile" and restarts the game, but INSTEAD of creating another account, just go back into the game and input your information from the existing account. It will properly attatch your LIVE account into your local profile and you can start playing online and earning achievements.

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