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Not as good as the first! a bit dissapoited

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was a huge Halo fan Im sure just as much as you are,me and my friends spent literly countless hours on Halo 1 between myself playing single campaign and coopertive mode with a friend,must have beaten the game 20 times over.So lets talk about Halo 2,first I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY ITS NOT THAT GREAT,"the game is good"the graphics are better,the multiplayer is better, but not as grand as the first Halo nearly all battles except early on take place in corridor sitiations,to me this is the biggest downfall in the game(besides the whole play as the covnent elite idea thats is just stupid) in the first Halo we had stages like Silent cartographor(thats probbaly misspeled)and Assult on the control room,Guilty spark etc..Where there was massive battlefields that you would have the enjoyment of battling,searching for items(weapons,health,ammo),or just looking around at the great visual achivements,the latter usally happend after you nailed all your enemy covnent.This also allowed for more tactical gameplan if you were playing co-op or multiplayer this is what made Halo so great its what gave it that spark if it would have been a corridor shooter we may not even have had a halo 2 well we probaly would to but it sure would not have been half as good,this is where Halo 2 go's wrong it basiclly all in corridors,dont get me wrong I love fighting in corridors cant wait for Doom 3 but thats not Halo, we want large battlefields some outside please.Some argue there are a few outside areas,yeh sure there are but you have to you use a vehicle to get through it,or atleast thats the games intention,otherwise you'll die or use all your ammo up.I kept waiting for a large maped out battlefield didnt happen..You get to play as an Honor Elite,sounds cool huh not really as short as this game is there are 4 entire levels devoted to playing as an elite ya have no choice,o.k. I have to comment on this first I spent hours and hours desposing covnent and now I,m suppose to be one,second when playing Halo just give me the Master Chief and some ammo and let me rip stuff up,and thirdly the Elite stages really are worthless,no fun at all there usally so dark you cant see anything(my tv is set perfectly) and it usally involves the Flood and ya either dont no were to go or you cant see where to go.At some points you just have to run around till you find the next checkpoint.Its not very fun during these stages.All in all Halo 2 is still a good shooter graphicly better than halo 1 but the gameplay and tactical aspects arnt near as good as the first.I'm really sorry Halo fans i never thought I'd be writing this kind of review two days after the game release it didnt seem possible with all the hype not to mention standing in line that midnight for 2 hours.I just completed a game on my xbox called Men Of Valor, the vietnam game you may have heard of it.Its a shooter also but I had more fun playing through its massive battlefields....thats on my review page to if ya want go read it I'll just say I enjoyed it more than Halo 2 surprise!

It really does seem to meet the hype!

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

I loved the first Halo. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Halo 2 but I have kind of felt in the back of my head that there is no way that Halo 2 can meet the hype. Well I got the game yesterday and I have been very happy with it.

Pros:
1. I love that you can hop on an enemy vehicle when the they go by, punch them and throw them off. On the covenant "Wraith" you even have to punch through the top to pull them out, or throw a grenade in. I found that to be excellent attention to detail. You can operate more vehicles and there are more options when you do.

2. The Plot is very good, and you really want to watch the video in between levels.

3. The graphics are surprisingly much better than the first Halo. The videos are amazing and the actual game graphics have great detail. (In the Multiplayer mode there is a new "Blood Gulch" level. If you compare the graphics there is no comparison.)

4. The plot runs side by side, with an enemy covenant who is punished for loosing the battle (in Halo), and Halo blowing up. On some levels you play as the enemy covenant. (You can even be him in multiplayer mode.

Cons:
1. The game is a little too easy. I would recommend not doing it on "easy" or "normal" if you want a real challenge. You have a new shield that seems a little stronger and recharges a little faster. It is cool, but having previous skill from the original Halo, it seems easier than the first one.

2. You can't be black in the multiplayer mode. Not a big deal, but I always liked have my profiled character be very dark.

That is it. The game is a lot of fun! And it has renewed my excitement level for Halo. I think it is important to understand that the game is Halo, with new levels and a few new details. If you loved Halo you will love Halo 2.

P.S. There are a lot of reviews on Halo 2 from before the game was even released, so I realize nobody is going to read this, but the game was so exciting I felt a need to give it 5 stars.

The final nail in the coffin for my xbox.....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: April 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When I first saw this game I had the impression that I might actually like it considering first person shooters are some of my favorite games. I had bought Halo originally and was unimpressed by it's clumsy controls, uninspiring architecture and repetitive gameplay. The aliens themselves looked like something out of a computer animated saturday morning cartoon. Ok... so after I finish the game, I think wtf was this?I thought maybe people liked it because of it's multiplayer as I did when I played Quake2... (How that is even imaginable without a mouse and keyboard is beyond me. Once you get used to it it's very, very, hard to go back.)

Although I didn't get a chance to really play Halo multiplayer I figured I'd give it a try on Halo2. So I got this game and realized, that this was pretty much a recycled version of the first game I bought. I had registered an account with Xbox Live since i had a few months free to try it out, met some of the fanboys who swear by fact that they think xbox live is a superior gaming experience to that of a PC... ok... I'm thinking hell, this better be good. I played for a while, it was interesting to say the least for a few hours, until you realize that the balance of the whole online gameplay is out of whack. Some weapons are absurdly overpowered and others underpowered leaving mostly those with the baddest weapons to dominate most of the game. Why is the rocket launcher's blast radius so high? Why even bother moving out of the way if you see it coming straight at you. Pretty much your dead, period. There is no dodge button, or a sprint button, why is there even a jump button? You jump like you're on the (...) moon and you walk like you are in quicksand. The gameplay is pretty much mostly the same online everytime: shoot, kill, die, repeat. If you fall off the side of a building you do not die. This is like FPS for babies. Even worse The analog sticks are very limited to just the auto aim so it makes trying to shoot multiple targets trivial, especially if there is someone directly behind you. There is very little tactics here since there is no --->HEALTH<--- in the maps. This has to be the most unbalanced online game I have ever played, yet this is a console game so I'm not really that surprised.

The presentation of this game is fantastic however which got me interested in the first place, mind the hype, However when that dies off after the first day or 2 I realized I have bought a hollow poorly designed game packaged in a intriguing looking package, like an animal right into a trap. $50+ down the drain.

I thought well.. maybe the game will get better and there will be new stuff but the WORST part of all of this is that what I first thought was going to be FREE updates to the game, bungie plans to sell thier new multiplayer maps just to play them online. W-T-F? Two words... RIP OFF.

Why would I pay extra money to play online multiplayer maps when I can download as many as I want on other online games for free or design my own stuff? That is the final nail in the coffin for me on my xbox, this game is already sold, so are all my xbox games all that is left is the xbox itself which I only keep because of GGXX and Shenmue 2. I'm not wasting any more money on an outdated piece of crap like an xbox.

Major disappointment

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: November 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Side by side screen co-op, stupid
Indoor setting stupid
Story stupid
Not including Bots, ????? Live????
I am a 36 year old gamer and I bought 3 x-box systems just because of Halo. I dont know what bungie was thinking but this game is nothing compared to the original. I do not see the need to change a perfect recipe for for a watered down soup version of the original. Bungie must have have either replaced the original team or hired too many cooks. All the hype was for nothing, the bad thing about it is that I bought 2 for system link.

24 Hours of playing since it came out.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is amazing, visually, sonically, and gameplayally. :) I can't stop playing it. I held off on buying a ps2 or xbox until now, but after seeing some screen shots, and after how fun Halo was on PC, I had to splurge. Halo on XBOX compared to PC was slightly lacking, but I have to say the speed of Halo 2 and the graphics out do any other game I have seen on XBOX. Buy it. Now.

Amazing Game, Unbelievable, a MUST HAVE!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Now, as most of you know 'Halo 2' is A first Person Shooter game, that has had the worlds attention ever since the Original 'Halo' came out more then 2 years ago. It's about a Genetically, and Physically Engineered soldier known as a 'Spartan'. he's the only one left and was the one known for destroying the 'Halo' a Ring-like Planet that was created by the 'Covenant' a evil race that wants to destroy the Earth. in the sequel, we find out that the covenant is now after him, and the earth once again. now with a few improvments, a new Duel Wield Ability, To hold two weapons at the same time, and a new 'Boarding' ability which lets you steal a viechle from someone as they are using it, by killing them with a grenade or kicking them out of the viechle. also, new settings, for instance, customizing your Character as either a 'Spartan' or 'Covenant elite'. although this is only for Multiplayer and the new Online Mode, it's still fun to experiment. the only thing i really dislike about the game, is the Radar horrible, it doesn't work sometimes, and leaves you dead, also the weapons system is a little difficult to switch weapons properly without picking up something you don't want, or to get more ammo without losing your weapon. another final thing, the soundtrack is amazing, but for those who were looking for a really really good score, then sorry, they used "Hoobastank" "breaking Benjamin" and "Maroon 5" as inspiration, so it's more rock, and less truly good music.
other then those kinks, it's a perfect game, but i'd rush, because there may not be many left soon, believe it or not.

This is one of those "Experiences," not a game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I wasn't a fan of the first Halo. I thought it was an "all right" game, but I'd played better, and I thought the story could have been better, too.

Then, I stood by the sea of upcoming games, waiting for the next Halo title to lap at my ankles. And so I was completely unprepared - utterly and completely ripped away - by the title wave that called itself Halo 2.

The game is just amazing. The single-player campaign? "Well-done" is putting it midly. This baby was was cooked in an oven that makes volancoes feel like ice freezers. The gameplay is just incredible - of course it's mostly just "shooting" - it is a FPS, after all. But the graphics, the music, the atmosphere - everywhere you look, they put some beautiful detail in the game, something that makes you honestly feel like you're THERE, you're fighting against this Covenant army. You never feel like you're just "shooting aliens" to clear a room and get to the next level. It feels wrong just to TYPE that sentence in a review of Halo 2.

From being able to dual-wield weapons, to sneaking up behind an alien Grunt, and having it turn around and JUMP in surprise when it sees you, to listening to your fellow soldiers bicker and tease each other about the situation at hand - it's just one incredible exprience.

My ONLY complaint about the game is that, sometimes, it gets hard to know where you should go for your next objective. There's no map/compass in the game, and you don't always have Cortana with you to mark where your next objective is (Yes...the game is THAT beautiful, where even showing objectives is treated so it makes sense in-game). There is a "Misson Objectives" list that can be accessed by hitting Pause, but it's still hard to discover where, exactly, you have to go to accomplish them.

The game flows in a pretty linear matter, however - there's not a whole lot of places to get lost in the levels. That's not to say that they're small, just that they're so well-made that you always know exactly where to go next. And sometimes, you do need to do a little exploring to get to the next objective...and, once in a while, that "little exploring" turns into a rather frustrating experience.

And, yes, the ending was rather abrupt. I was literally holding the controller in my hands, all pumped up to have the final, epic battle - when the credits popped up. And if you stay for AFTER the credits, you'll see a movie that really, REALLY makes you want to get up and shake your Xbox, or open the Halo 2 box and look for the second disc that surely must be inside.

But - hey. It's a series. And you should always leave the audience wanting more. Just the fact that you DO want more is a sign of how truly unique and compelling this wonderful FPS is.

My ONLY other complaint about the game is its length - I never bought this game. I rented it for five nights. I beat it in two. But, I did not buy it for its multiplayer - only the single-player. And Halo 2's single player is such an awesome experience...buy it, by all means - especially if you plan on playing multiplayer at all, which will add weeks (if not months) to the game's "life."

But an experience like this doesn't really need to have a "life." It was short, yes - but it gave me everything I could ever ask for out of a $50. I plan on buying it in the near future, just to own this incredible masterpeice.

Hard to add much more

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Halo 2 is a great game. It just did not wuite reach what everyone expected. That does not mean that what is there is bad. The Live portion of the game is genius, this is what propels this game to 5 stars. The graphics, improved. The Sound and music, amazing. The story, well, lets not go there. No game is perfect but by pure fun and addictiveness Halo 2 is the drug of choice.

the best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I just played an awsome game of halo and i thought i should write a review.

First off, this is obviously the sequel to the hugely popular initial Halo game. You are Master Chief, a space marine who is sent out to battle the enemies. You are fighting the Covenant, who are your main foes, but you also run into the Flood, who are a space parasite that wants to eat all life. In addition, there are mechanical creatures on Halo who want to kill pretty much anything including the Flood. So each location and creature type has its own look, feel, attitudes and reactions.

The graphics are simply gorgeous, from the rippling water to the clouds in the sky and reflections off of surfaces. I love taking screenshots of this game. The music is also extremely well done, in that the quality is always very high. But it's a little bizarre to be going from new age lilting softness in one heated battle to high intensity rock music in another and so on. It doesn't necessary track to the location you're in, either. It's just whatever the designers felt like putting in.

The gameplay and plot is where this game really shines. Your characters that interact with you are simply BRILLIANT in how they each do what a real live creature would do. Grunts are my favorite - these little Covenant front-liners are brave and talkative when they're in groups, but when you whittle them down they suddenly turn and flee, shrieking at the top of their lungs. Your teammates leap into vehicles with you, either driving or shooting depending on your preference. They'll come alongside you to give you support, and duck for cover when appropriate.

The quips the characters come out with mid-battle still make me laugh out loud. In one sequence you are the covenant Arbitor and are working your way through a room. You come across a pair of grunts and a jackal under attack, and take out the enemies. The grunt comes running to you in glee, shouting, "Arbitor! My savior!" Then he pauses and adds, "Jackal, say thank you to the Arbitor!" :)

The cut scenes are equally as brilliant and are truly movie quality in the interactions. The timing, dialogue, everything is great. The little touches are everywhere. In one sequence, the Sergeant is preparing his troops to get ejected in pods down to the surface of Halo. He walks past the Master Chief's pod and thumps twice on it, as if to say "All OK in there, ready to go?" Right on beat, you see Master Chief inside his pod, thumping once back in response. You really forget that these are just computer generated characters.

Multiplayer is the stellar addition to this release and there are reasons to be thrilled. You can play on a large variety of maps, in a number of styles, and there is even going to be downloadable content in the future.

That all being said, there are of course a few non-stellar aspects to this release. First, the ending SUCKS. The first one was bad enough with its "Oh I bet there is another Halo out there" so you don't even feel like you really saved the world. In this one, not only is it not a "you're done but it's not over" ending - it's pretty much cut off mid-battle! That is INCREDIBLY frustrating for a gameplayer. Obviously they want you to buy Halo 3, but that's going to be a year or two away. Can't we have some satisfaction in the meantime?

Next, the game is really short, even on normal mode. We had a friend start the game up Sunday morning at about 12:30 and he was done with the entire game by around 8. You can have fun replaying it on the harder levels, but that's a rather quick game.

Finally, the multiplayer, while brilliant in concept, is lacking in implementation right now. There are two general ways to play - either you set up a game yourself for friends ONLY, or you launch into the ether to play a quick match. If you get up your own game you can control all the settings, but you can only invites people on your friends list. That limits the chances of having a full game unless you are VERY proactive in seeking friends. The quick match game only lets you make a few choices, and then in essence you are auto-connected with other people who are also actively seeking those game types. You can't browse or look. You just say "I want to play X type of game" and then you wait - literally for 5 minutes or more sometimes - as the servers gather together other people who are also actively seeking that game type. Then the game auto launches without you even knowing who is on your team or if you want to play with them. It's very frustrating to people who are used to the more customizeable lobby situations.

Still, the online experience can always be tweaked going forward, and the base gameplay is amazingly good. I highly recommend the game to anyone who enjoys shooting / strategy games - but you might want to rent it for a week first, to see if what it offers to you after that point is going to keep you playing.

The game everyone has been waiting for!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Okay,I got this game the day it came out by preordering it.Let me tell you something,It is THE BEST GAME ON XBOX!It has so many new improvements since the first game.It has 6 new vehicles and new upgrades to the original ones.And the graphics are just so great.The game takes full advantage of Xbox's powerful hard drive.It also has online play on Xbox Live.Online play people!It has new downloadable content if you have Xbox Live like 11 new maps.I've played Halo 2 for the whole time I got it.It just never gets boring.You know what?Just go to the gamestore or whatever,and buy this great game!Forget about what the other reviews say.I read them and they are a bunch of lies.Get the game now!

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