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HALO 2 - Paul's Spoiler Heavy Thoughts (you have been warned) I love Halo 2. I know that's a bit of a strong statement to start out a review with, but I can't withhold the truth. The amount of depth that has been added in terms of plot is a startling contrast to the original Halo, which used its plot more as a tool for the action. Halo 2 is indeed the Empire Strikes Back to Halo's A New Hope simpler approach to plot. There's plenty of new stuff to like about Halo 2. I was a little worried that the duel-wielding guns option would be a gimmick, but I was pleasantly surprised that it's not only fun, but it adds an extra bit of strategy to the game. There are plenty of times were I find myself debating whether to use two guns or the gun/grenade combination. There are plenty of other big changes to the game such as the ability to now use the sword, but there's one small change that I absolutely love. This time around you can move boxes! Yeah, it’s kind of lame to get excited about something like that I know, but it was so unrealistic in the first Halo when you would slam a Warthog into a big blue box and it wouldn't budge an inch. Instead, the big armored Hunters can knock crates around and it adds just a little touch of needed realism to the series. Little improvements like this have made me fall in love with Halo 2, like the tons and tons of voice acting and taunts. There's nothing better than hearing a lone Grunt saying “Loser!” while hiding to recharge my shields. Speaking of voices, Halo 2 gives the Covenant a point of view. You can finally understand what the Covenant are saying. When I first read the novels I worried that I wouldn't like it, but I got used to it in the books and now I'm fine with it in the game. It adds a ton of depth to the story and the Arbiter levels are some of the best in the game. In fact, when I play the Master Chief I sort of wish he could cloak for short periods of time as well. Now, with that out of the way I can't say that I'm not a little conflicted by some levels by Halo 2. My major problems with the game are in the areas of plot and location. All of the pre-release hype seemed to indicate that the game was going to take place on Earth, which it does, but the problem is that there is only one Earth level and then it’s off to another Halo again. It wouldn't have bothered me that much, except the Earth level was my favorite in the whole game. It is so well done that I felt cheated when I had to leave. The plot also left a lot to be desired. The way the game ended was too abrupt and left me with too many unanswered questions. I like cliff hangers, but the problem was that there was no resolution to the plot at all. For a cliffhanger to work there has to be some small sense of accomplishment to go along with the suspense, but Halo 2 only leaves you with a lot of build up with no pay off. I honestly was surprised when the credits started to roll, since I had expected to end with one small victory of my own aside from beating a boss character. I was also surprised to find out that you don't even get to end the game playing as the Master Chief. Another thing I think was missed was the lack of other Spartans. I know that they are only in the books, but it would have been awesome to at least have a cameo to acknowledge their existence. I'll hold out hope that they'll turn up in the eventual Halo 3. The game's campaign seems too short and it is, but if you take in consideration that most of Halo was spent going over the same territory a million times, then at least they spared us that hell. I found that playing the game on normal is almost too easy and shortens the length of the game a heck of a lot. Heroic should be the standard difficulty for anyone who has played Halo inside and out like I have. The Mombassa level is a street by street struggle on Heroic that was almost a cake walk on Normal. I'd also like to be honest and say I really don't care that much for the Flood and I'm a bit sorry they returned. Apparently they now have become entrenched in the Halo mythos so much so that I'm afraid we are stuck with them. I really can't find the Flood forms all that scary or interesting anymore after fighting wave after wave of them in the first game. Bungie didn't help matters in Halo 2 either, since there wasn't anything done to make the Flood any different from the first game except that they can drive vehicles now (big deal). Like its been said before, all the things that made the first Halo great are back, but some of the things that held it back are here as well. Most noticeably the only things you do are shooting stuff and pushing a button here or there. I think an opportunity was missed by not making the levels so linear like they are now. I felt like Halo 2 was more on rails than the first game. I don't want anyone to get me wrong; I think Halo 2 is a great game. I loved playing it, but there has been so much hype that I think it’s swayed a lot of people to overlook the flaws. Still, I find myself going through the game with my roommate in co-op, playing the campaign over by myself in heroic, and constantly playing it online… there's something to a game that makes me want to play it even after beating it a day or so ago. Halo 2 Multiplayer: First and foremost, I'm glad to see that co-op is back. I LOVED Halo for its co-op mode. It’s more than pleasing to see its return in Halo 2. The only drawback with the co-op in Halo 2 is that it's only with your friends at home; you can't play it online with others. One of the first things I did when I was ready for multiplayer action was personalize my Master Chief for multiplayer use. In the original Halo you could choose your Master Chief's color and that's where the personalization ended. Halo 2 allows you to not only choose your color, but the color of your accessories. On top of that you can create a symbol that other players are able to see in multi-player bouts. The symbols give a great sense that you're not just a random blue or red Spartan and are actually quite helpful for finding your teammates in the midst of battle. Another option this time around is that you can pick the avatar of an Elite soldier, mixing it up just a bit. The multiplayer menus are different from the first Halo and it might take a little while to get used to. Fans of the first Halo might be a little disappointed with the small number of maps initially available. I also miss the fact that recommended player sizes listed for each map anymore. Some maps are too big and some are too small, but it's pretty much up to you to find out which is which. The maps themselves are okay and there are a couple of very similar repeats from Halo like Blood Gulch, which is the map to end all Halo maps. Overall, I found most of the maps engaging, if a bit repetitive. While its fun to play against friends on your own X-Box, X-Box Live affords some of the greatest gameplay experience for Halo 2. There are two main ways to play on Live. The first is by joining random matches of varying game types and the second is to get in on a “party” where you can set the game types yourself. Each has its advantages and I like playing in the multiple game types. Many players tend to stick to just one type of game and play it for infinity. Halo 2 offers the best mix of game types so it doesn't grow stale. The game is infinitely more fun when you play with either clan mates or friends as opposed to random players. Playing with a bunch of random people constantly is rather annoying, but it's a must before you get invited to a clan or “make friends” on X-Box Live. The only drawback to playing on Live with your friends on a split-screen X-Box is that you can't play any of the ranked games (discussed below), but only a practice mode. This isn't a complete hindrance, but it is slightly annoying. As far as options go, multiplayer on X-Box Live is loaded with them. What I liked in particular is that you can have up to four friends on one X-Box connected to live and duke it out. The clan options are pretty great and allow you to keep track of your clan-mates very easily and conduct multiple battles against random clans if you're into that sort of thing. At the end of each match there are plenty of stats to go over, and there are “medals” that are rewarded for doing various things like sniping ala GoldenEye. The game also ranks players on how well they do over time. When you start the game you begin at level 1. The more you playtime and skill you have, the higher you can level. This allows the optimatch system to pair players of similar skill levels together and gives players a fair amount of bragging rights. This adds yet another dimension to the already great multiplayer sweetness. It seems like all of the bad and good X-Box Live elements of older titles like Unreal Tournament and Mech Assault were taken into consideration and worked out to create the best X-Box Live experience to date. If there was ever a reason to get X-Box Live now this would have to be it. God, I gotta go play it right now. Score: 9.5 -Paul
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