Multiplayer
Oh yeah, there is one other little mode in Halo 2: Multiplayer. Either offline in splitscreen or system link play or online via Xbox Live, Halo 2 features the best multiplayer deathmatch you will find in a console game. There aren’t any AI bots, which is a letdown, but if you can put together a good group of people to play with Halo 2 is amazing. You can customize literally every aspect of the game from player color and symbols to starting weapons and much more. There are also a lot more vehicles available on each map now. The level designs are also really well done for the multiplayer mode. There are a lot of different game variations you can play as well, which include capture the flag, standard deathmatch, and many others that have become popular in other recent FPS. The game plays very smoothly online and Bungie has added new features to make it the best online FPS on a console so far. The new party system allows you to join up with a group of people and then move from game to game as a group. Another new feature is proximity chat. When a player is within a certain distance of you, teammate or not, you can talk to them. Very cool. Halo 2 is a great multiplayer experience that is addictive and wonderful and perfect.Graphics
Graphically, Halo 2 doesn’t look all that different. Upon closer inspection, though, it is pretty obvious that everything is sharper and more detailed and better looking. The enemies look really good this time around and aren’t bland like in the original. They are also animated really well. The environments also look better. You see a lot of different terrain than just the cold metal hallways that dominated the first Halo, and it makes a big difference. As before, the lighting and explosions and other special effects are absolutely great looking. Also, the game runs at a very fast, very solid framerate and doesn’t ever drop. You can have a ton of enemies onscreen with a bunch of explosions, Banshees flying over head, AI soldiers fighting alongside you, and the game never stutters. One issue with the graphics pops up, literally, in the cutscenes. The cinematics are all done with the in-game graphics engine, and it looks pretty good, but characters have a bad habit of not appearing until a couple of seconds after the scene has started. You are looking at a background and then, “poof”, the characters appear. This isn’t all that bad, but it is a blemish on an otherwise great looking game.
Sound
The sound in Halo 2 is also really well put together. A large voice cast which includes a surprising list of Hollywood talent brings the story and characters to life. All of the voice actors did a really great job and it is hard to identify any characters that don’t sound just right. The sound effects for explosions, gunfire, and vehicles also sound really good. Definitely play this game with a good surround sound system because it is simply wonderful to have your house rumbling around you as you play. The music is another area where Halo 2 really shines. Some memorable themes return, but there is also a lot of new music and it all sounds great and fits perfectly. I particularly like the electric guitar versions of some of the classic themes. Halo 2 sounds, looks, and plays great. What more could you want?Bottom Line
Your enjoyment of Halo 2 depends largely on how much you bought into the hype. If you expect this to be the end-all, be-all game of all time, you are going to be disappointed. If you are expecting more of the same great gameplay you found in the original Halo and no more, then you’ll be able to enjoy Halo 2. Even though it isn’t the huge step forward some people had hoped, Halo 2 is still a great game. No other console FPS plays as well as Halo 2, and that is the most important thing. Not the story. Not the graphics. The gameplay is most important, and that is why both Halo and now Halo 2 are considered among the best FPS games ever. Couple that great gameplay with a very robust online multiplayer game and you have all of the ingredients for a great game. The bottom line is that Halo 2 is one of the best Xbox games of the year, and stands among the best Xbox games so far. It is absolutely worth a purchase, especially if you have Xbox Live.
