User Reviews (31 - 41 of 213)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Take it off easy and normal, whiners

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: November 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The most common thing I've seen whilst browsing the reviews so far is that all the reviews that give Halo 2 a bad rating say the game is too easy and too short. To be blunt, you are wrong.

Halo 2 contains some of the most extreme difficulty ever put into a video game. Period. Easy and normal are called easy and normal for a reason: they require low amounts of skills to beat. Once you decide to quit whining about the shortness of the game and select the heroic difficulty setting, you'll see what I mean. I played through the game on heroic first, because I'm a Halo fan boy and have beat the original Halo tons of times on legendary. Bungie suggested the heroic setting for veterans of the game. I'm glad they did. Heroic was tough, but not impossible. As compared to the first Halo, heroic in Halo 2 was slightly harder than it was in the last game. However, legendary is where the actuall game of Halo 2 is.

I spent five hours beating the first level of Halo 2 on legendary. Five. That's alot. I know there will be tons of anti reviews saying how bad I am, but let me say this: If you have not yet played the game on legendary, shut your mouth.

Your sheilds on legendary are more or less non-existent. You are allowed two or three hits before they fail and must be recharged. I know some of you are used to walking right up to an enemy who is shooting full auto at you (especially the reviewer who says he had to melee everyone to kill them) but this is different. If you attempt to engage a group of enemies without sufficient cover, you will die quicker than you can kill two grunts.

The enemies ability to track you on legendary is superior to most human's. An elite across a huge valley with a plasma rifle is a threat to you. If he knows your position, he will open fire, and he will not miss. It's similar to actuall military tactics. You can't dodge real gun fire. You MUST find cover. Cover is your saving grace in legendary.

The enemies are also instilled with the ability to create simple attack plans on the fly, completely unscripted. In the mission Delta Halo, you are attacked by several waves of drones. I took cover under an overhang with two openings. The drones attacked both viciously. When the attacks stopped, I assumed they were all defeated. I was wrong. There were a few still remaining, and, instead of choosing to attack me under my cover, hid and waited till I exposed myself. You don't survive on legendary when you walk into an ambush.

There are some people who will never be able to beat Halo 2 on legendary. Never. It's just that hard. But it's not hard because the enemies have an unfair advantage, but becasue every enemy presents a threat, which is realistic. And when these threats work together, they become the most intelligent fighting force I've ever seen in a game. I've seen ALOT of games. I have not yet completed half the game on legendary, even after 30 hours of gameplay. Halo 2 is not short. Halo 2 is not easy.

a masterpiece

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: November 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is truly an epic game regardless of what people say, if you go to any game site or watch any video game show you see that they all agree this game is simply remarkable.

From single player to an untouchable and unbeatable ,in my eyes multiplayer that will have you addicted like a crac addict with an 8ball. From the first five minuites your playing until the 3 days later you put the controler down you will be hooked.

The music score in this game has got to be in the runnings for game soundtrack of the year, absolutly stunning.And actualy the whole game feels more like your playing through a movie than a game.The cut scenes/movies are very good, though some are 5 mins +,thats not a bad thing, you dont want to skip through them because there such an important part to the story you'll want to hear every word.There that riviting.

Now I wasnt a die hard Halo 1 fan though it was and still is an excellent FPS that even till today id hard to beat on any home console and many PC shooters. But HALO 2 is definetly the best and most fun I've had with a video game this year.

Well , thats enough I guess so its back to woopin covenant but baby.Damn this game rocks

Now this is all my opinion and I'm sure many will feel different, but to bash people for there ideas and opinions is very childish.Everyone is intitled to there own opinions wether you agree or not but if you do disagree with what I write and want to make your own points, please have some actual reasons , facts and intelligence to back it up and dont just type what and unmentioned person wrote.

Man that was pretty weak mr.SIMON that you have to resort to name calling like a 5 year old ,your just mad because you know EVERY word I wrote in my previous review was 100% true,lol either that or he's played Halo 2 and he sucks a$$.HA HA.just jokin.Grow up man and next time have some actual facts or intelligence to back your statments up instead of just saying that 'I suck ' lol.

Amazing but a little dissapointing.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: November 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game overall is amazing. The few flaws I found are the textures popping in a second late for cutscenes and the length of the game. Someone's earlier review says the campaign will be good for 50+ hours and that's if you play through it once, that's a lie. Halo vets who have beaten legendary should have no prob on normal. I beat it in less than 10 hours. I have to say online has been amazing though. I have played about 15 hours of that and it's only Thursday, November 11th as I write this (technically 1:45 of the 12th but meh). I suggest that people buy this game and play on Xbox Live until Halo 3 comes out, cause I know they are working on it.

Will Love The Game.....If Amazon Ever Ships It!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: November 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well, as I read the other reviews, I see that I am not alone in the pre-order department. I pre-ordered the game in July, and just checked the status. Still has not shipped! I plan to do what the other users have posted, cancel then re-order. I agree, Amazon needs to get their act together. One thing to make a customer mad, that being a Halo fan!

From the reviews of the game and should Amazon ever ship me my game, I am sure it will be the title to own on the XBOX.

alot like last halo

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Halo 2. Best game of the year. Won more awards before it came out then when it did. Delayed for 8 months then still left alot of cool crap out. Halo 2 completly revamps the multiplayer franchise. Just like halo 1. Also just like halo 1 its single player got boring. Especially when you beat the game 2 times on legendary. Needs more single player. But nevertheless its multiplayer still kicked ass and has amazing graphics. If only it wasnt fo that damn single player!

Halo 2: On par with Halo? Or a waste of time and money?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When you bought Halo, it probably blew you away, right? You played as the Master Chief, trying to stop the Covenant from taking over Earth and wiping out the human race. The graphics stunned you, the gameplay left you breathless(which probably got you killed a couple of times). Well, no matter you thought of Halo, you probably didn't feel the same way of Halo 2. As I said before, Halo set the tone for Halo 2, and that is why it blew you away. Before Halo 2 was even released, you read and heard all kinds of stuff about it; it's amazing graphics, gameplay, the ability to dual-wield, the environments, and XBOX Live capability. It all prepared you for what was to come, thus, not surprising you with anything. That leads to why MOST people were not blown away by Halo 2 like they were with Halo. No, Halo 2 did not knock me out like Halo did, but I would still agree with EGM and other gaming magazines which gave it perfect 10's. Why? Well, here are some reasons...

First of all, the way Bungie delayed its release for almost a year(maybe even later, I'm not sure) really made me anxious to see how the game was really going to turn out. I anticipated that it would be just like all the gaming magazines and Bungie had described it x10. Although I did make jokes about how funny it would be to see this game completely bomb and watch Microsoft and Bungie go out of business, I definetely hoped that it would be worth picking up a (...) XBOX Platinum Bundle Pack, and Halo 2 as well. Was it worth it? In my case, yes, it was worth every penny.

Halo 2 is basically Halo beefed up. Sure, the game is short, on Easy and Normal it is. Anyone could probably speed through this game in an hour and 30 mintues on Normal, and an hour on Easy, maybe even shorter. On Heroic, Halo 2 is exactly what the difficutly description is. On Legendary, Halo 2 is WHOLE different game. And, just for the record, I have yet to beat it on Legendary(and Heroic for that matter). Why? Mainly because on Legendary, you are basically offering yourself as a sacrifice to the covenant. So before you post reviews saying the game is short, set the difficulty to Legendary and see the true side of Halo 2.

Another factor I found very appealing was that you could play as rebelling Covenant forces as well. This adds to the diversity in the gameplay, and the overall fun factor of playing from two different perspectives. This does not make the game 100% better, but it adds to some nice "Ooooh" and "Ahhhh" throughout the game.

The multiplayer is what really makes this game what it is. The XBOX Live capability is incredible, as well as using XBOX Connect/Link to play online. The infinite multiplayer is the main to reason to pick up this game. If you play on Legendary, and are just THAT good to beat it in an hour or two, than...well first, congradualtions and kudo's to whoever can do that, and second, the insane and never-ending fun of Halo 2's replay value is insane. You'll never want to put the game down once you have played with 3 of your friends on XBOX Link/Connect or 15 friends battling it out on a titanic System Link game.

Now my final ending comments about Halo 2. The new vehicles, weapons, weapon functions, AI of allies and enemies, more enemies, and more levels with MUCH bigger environment are all definite upgrades to Halo 2's already substantial gameplay. Also, to love Halo 2 as much as I and MANY others do, you have to have at least played Halo before. You really can't base a review on the sequal to a game you have never played before. If you want a very good FPS that will last a LONG time with its amazing multiplayer, go out and pick up a copy of Halo 2. Overall, I would say the game deserves a solid 10 and the recognition of Halo fans around the globe. Awesome job Bungie(and Microsoft), keep the games coming.

Now, going to back to the questions in the title. "Is Halo 2 on par with Halo?" When I first played Halo 2, no it wasn't. But after I experienced its incredible multiplayer and every other ground-shaking aspect of it, I thought that it was twice as good as Halo. "Is Halo 2 a waste of time and money?" No, not at all.

P.S. Halo 2 will kick Half-Life 2's (...) in the "Game of The Year" category, along with many other categories.

Halo 3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I beat the game within a two, long days, and all I can say is WOW!!! This is a must have for any XBOX owner; as a matter of fact, if you don't even have Halo for the XBOX, you shouldn't have the system in the first place. Regardless, the campaign was incredible, especially with the switch between the two characters. Although the ending did leave me hanging, it excites me more to know that there is going to be a Halo 3. Overall, I would just like to say that nothing, not even Half-Life 2, can compare to this game. It is simply unrivaled.

IF YOUR SAD ITS TOO SHORT,YOU PLAYED IT ON NORMAL SETTING.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well Halo is a great game.But It's too short not too short in a bad way only because I wanted more and YES I played it on HEROIC level. The graphics are pretty good.I like the distant look of the planets and the whole feel of the game. The movie cutscenes are a little on the choppy side but still look nice and the sound and voice acting are solid.Some of the levels are inside ,not like like the first halo where mostly your outside. I love the sniper level with the water falls,it's pretty hard sometimes you get killed with one shot. The only way to play this game is on the HEROIC ,or LEGENDARY level. That really helped it last longer. The first encounter with the FLOOD enemies was intense ,seriously 10 times harder than on normal setting.The enemies do seem to get smarter on the harder levels.They seemed to hide better behind boxes and walls etc. The graphics arent "splinter cell" quality,but still some good eye candy. I would like to see this game made into an epic movie.The sound is pretty good .If your not gonna go online or use the multiplayer from this game,you might wanna rent it,don't even buy it,unless your a collector or dont mind the price.Just rent it and beat it before your rental date is due ,believe me ,it's possible. I played it on Heroic level and it was a fun challenge very tough enemies sometimes I would lay like 300 SMG bullets and they were still standing there looking at me like what ? thats all you got? Then I'D empty all my doulbe fisted needler bullets into them ,that took care of em.I suggest you ONLY and I mean ONLY play this game on HEROIC or LEGENDARY if you think this game is easy and short.Try LEGENDARY mode ,then tell me its easy. Multiplayer levels,and online looks like what this game is a good buy for.But if your gonna just play single player campaign ,just rent it and beat it in a week,although Im still not done playing it on LEGENDARY mode and I got it the day it came out,it's now 11-20-04. All in all HALO2 is a great FPS game,that was just impossible to live up to all the hype.Much like FABLE was. But still a SOLID game ,but for the price of HALO2 why can't they make it last a little longer ? Like MORROWIND or KOTOR? For single player I'd rate it an 9 out of 10.Only because its nobody's perfect.And the special edition version THEY PUT BOTH DISKS ON TOP OF EACH OTHER? WHY? why couldn't they make an extra space like some dvd movies with two disks? You know one on the left ,one on the right? instead they stacked the bonus disk right underneath the game disk ,with no seperate holder.I had to be careful not to scratch my game disk. UGH...In conclusion HALO2 is a fun game. with nice graphics and very tough enemies,on the HEROIC and especially on the LEGENDARY setting.The enemies would actually change there strategies based on my actions on these difficulty settings.HALO2 IS THE BEST CONSOLE FPS AS OF NOV 20TH 2004. AT LEAST UNTIL DOOM3 COMES OUT.I totally agree with (A.SINGH) comments about this game. If you play it on NORMAL setting ,this game is easy and short. Try it on HEROIC or even harder LEGENDARY mode. This game lasts 10 times longer and you have more time to take in all the scenery .Not to mention tons and tons of more tough as nails enemies. I unloaded two complete SMG double fisted clips into this enemy and he was stilll standing. Can you handle it? This is a MATURE rated game for people over 17.EBAY ??why are kids rating this game? there saying its too short ,it's too easy,yeah if you play it on easy or normal setting.I think they shouldv'e made normal mode HEROIC mode and call it normal mode.Then there wouldnt be so many complants about it being too short.(NORMAL) setting and (HEROIC) setting are two different games PERIOD.aND LEGENDARY mode is frickin severly intense.I do agree the ending was a bit shabby,Where's the hero MASTER CHEIF?but you have too watch entire credits to see the little xtra ending. I wish also if you beat the game on HEROIC you get like bonus ammo or unlimited cammo,something man.Now Im on legendary mode and I'm constantly in need of ammo,in some areas.whereas the enemies have an unlimited supply. Im up agaist like 100 enemies at once.give me some more ammo.Also in the civil war type part of the game I felt more like a spectactor than the main character.If I wanted to watch a DVD I'd rent one.HALO2 STILL ROCKS WITH ALL IT'S very small flaws.

Video Game History (Whether we like it or not)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

To be rather honest, I was not one of the many people who hurried to their local Gamestop to reserve Halo 2. And I was not one of the loyal x-boxers standing in line on November 8, eagerly awaiting the first moments of the next day. In fact, before November 9, I didn't even own an X-box. But after all the talk, and with me being the first person shooter fan I am, I decided to take the plunge, and purchase an X-box, and the limited edition of Halo 2 on November 9. I must say, although at first stung with hints of buyers remorse, I have been extremely pleased with this purchase. Although the single player campaign did leave much to be desired, the multiplayer is the real reason this game is a must-have. You can host lanparties with up to 16 people by hooking up x-boxes, and x-box live allows you to connect with players from all over the globe for a little fragging fun.

Though, like I said before, there are some negative things to be said about the single player campaign. First, allow me to assure you, the story mode of this game is fun, engaging, and hard to put down. The problem is, longevity. I finally know what its like to be a woman whose husband can't pleasure her in bed because of his longevity problems, that is the feeling I had after Halo 2. The games story is just plain...good. But at the very end, you are waiting for another level to load, and credits start rolling over the screen. Now, I can understand the need for a company to keep people waiting for the next installment of a game, but this is ridiculous, I mean, Halo 3 isn't even on the slate.

The Multiplayer is a wonderfull thing, with enough modes, quick options, and maps to keep you and your friends busy for a while. There are several different variations of capture the flag, and Blood Gulch is back under a new name. Just a few gripes concerning multiplayer. Where are the bots? Games like Unreal, Perfect dark, and many others made bots a standard for multiplayer, but for some reason (X-Box live) bungie left bots out of the eqation in Halo 2. Could there be some kind of...message they are trying to send behind this? (X-box live) Is there something we are supposed to be doing if we can't play the multiplayer by ourselves when our friends arent around? (X-box live) wait...could they be trying to push X-box live on us?! Maybe, I don't want to be cynical or anything...(Believe me, that is DEFFINETLY it) But in all seriousness, Halo 2 is really, trully a solid game all around, maybe some of the hype was a bit much, but for the most part, the development team at the heart of this project deserve all of the attention. If you have an X-box, this is a great title to grab for the holiday season, but I wouldnt suggest buying one just for this game, unless you are a hard core first person shooter fan.

Pros:
Amazing Multiplayer
Good Story
Good graphics, and nice physics
Challenging difficullty modes
X-Box Live

Cons:
Abrupt ending
No bots in multiplayer mode!

The Best Of The Best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'll be reviewing this time only what's in the Special Edition. If you want to check my review of the game itself, do so in the standart Halo 2 game page.
Anyways, if you became a fan of the first game, I'm sure you bought this Special Edition. For extra five bucks, you could get a beautiful metal case and a Bonus DVD.
The metal case is indeed beautiful, I would say it's the most beautiful cover for any game in history. The logo in front and Master Chief in the back, couldn't be better. It's also better than usual DVD cases.
The bonus DVD will provide you atleast 2+ hours of fun. They say you shoulnd't watch the DVD before beating the game, but I disagree. The Halo 2 making-of makes the game look even greater. Watching these guys work in the game for years, nights without sleep, months without seeing the sunlight, it makes the game very special to think behind every single pixel in there, someone worked very hard to make it top notch. It's basically everything you wanted to know about the game. You can also check out a featurette about the multiplayer/Xbox Live experience, a very fun audio test and some other featurettes showing what they couldn't include in the game, what had to be cut out.
Overall, gamers, this is one of the best game I've played in years, undoubtedly the best of 2004. If you find this Special Edition, just buy it.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions