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The Plot:  The original "Halo" is one of the more unique FPS games out there, as the relative quiet at times, the music, the beautiful environments and the involving story combined to form a game that was thrilling, yet there was a real solumn atmosphere and a feeling of melancholy that I enjoyed. In the first game, human super soldier Master Chief and a band of soldiers landed on a ring world in space after being chased by Covenant (a group of aliens looking to wipe out the human race) forces. The humans find out that the Covenant want to use the ring world as a weapon, so it became a race to the finale. However, the two battling parties found out that they were not alone on the ringworld known as "Halo". The second game opens pretty much where the first one ended. The Covenant are pissed that their holy ring world as destroyed, largely due to Master Chief. Meanwhile, Master Chief has returned to a space station overlooking Earth, participating in a ceremony honoring Captain Keyes, from the first game. His daughter also attends the ceremony. However, it's not long before the humans are facing some party crashers - a Covenant fleet, whose sights are set on breaking through the human's defenses and heading towards Earth. Once the Chief arrives on Earth (after a marvelous, wickedly entertaining cut scene), it's up to him to chase the Covenant out of the city they've chosen to land in - New Mombasa, Africa. These sequences are marvelously entertaining and done on a grand scale, especially one sequence where the Chief and fellow soldiers must climb aboard a tank and cross a massive bridge where the Covenant attack with ghosts, banshees and wraith tanks. Once the Chief has pushed the forces back, he hitches a ride - somewhere. It would be wrong to give away the rest of the story, but there are definitely some twists, different locations, a big gameplay surprise and some large and small elements from the first game that return here. The game itself has not changed in terms of the core gameplay, but the tone and pace of the game has changed quite a lot from the first game. The first game had breathing room between the battles and mild-sized packs of enemies. "Halo 2" throws the entire kitchen sink at you a lot of times, as the Chief often encounters both large packs of enemies and enemy vehicles. Where the Chief would often encounter one or two enemy vehicles at a time in the first game, the second game often has enemy vehicles coming in packs. The enormity of the second game results in a few things, both positives and negatives. The almost exhausting intensity that the second game throws at the player at times makes some of the longer levels somewhat repetitive (feels a tad like work) at times, as I got a tad tired of wave-after-wave of enemies at certain spots. The quiet and underlying feeling of sorrow that punctuated the first game and the atmosphere/feel is also considerably lessened with the chaotic feel, a somewhat different musical score (still good, just different, with guitar work by Steve Vai blended in) and the way the storytelling is presented. Speaking of the storytelling, while the game does get more and more compelling as it goes on and we learn more about the conflicts within, there is the matter of the ending. Unfortunately, after an epic (although rather short at around 10 hours, more or less) journey, the player is confronted with a cutscene that abruptly ends the game, leaving pretty much everything up in the air. There's really not much of a payoff near the end, either. With three years since the original game, it's more than a bit disappointing to have the game end like this, as there clearly could have been a payoff that was followed by the confirmation that there's more to come. The second game does have some noticable improvements over the first game. First off, Master Chief can now dual-wield some smaller weapons (no, he can not pick up two sniper rifles or rocket launchers). However, this comes at the cost of being able to throw grenades. One of the weapons also needs to be dropped to melee attack. The weapons from the original return (the assault rifle has not returned, replaced by both the new battle rifle (with a scope) and the submachine gun), although the needler is a bit better this time (and two needlers provide a devastating attack), and the pistol less powerful (and w/o a scope). The rocket launcher also is somewhat less powerful, although now it can target vehicles and lock on. The sniper rifle and shotgun also return, and there are some fun new Covenant weapons. The most fun weapon of the new weapons is the Covenant Energy Sword, which allows players to go midevil on their opponents. Also new this time around is the ability to jump into passing enemy vehicles. If an enemy gets too close, you can press the X button and kick 'em off or stuff a grenade in to get control of the vehicle. It's not entirely easy, so it's rewarding to do. The animations involved in hijacking vehicles are also amusing, so it's worthwhile to do. Vehicles can take on visible damage now, and be completely destroyed. There's also a lot more vehicular combat this time around, and the player can jump into the gun turret while AI players drive (although they aren't exactly skilled drivers - I had a couple of moments where a fellow marine accidentally drove me off a cliff.) The enemy AI has improved this time around, as they do move out of the way of incoming grenades a bit more smartly and do try harder to find cover. They are also moderately more aggressive, especially some enemies that arrive later in the game. Thankfully, the AI of human soldiers also has improved over the original game. Both sides have much more dialogue this time around. In terms of the enemies, the grunts, jackals, elites and hunters from the original game do return, along with some new villians, such as the Brutes. There are are also some surprise bad guys who make an appearance (I won't ruin it, like I see some places have.) When first combating the Covenant, players will notice that the health bar is no longer an issue this time around, so neither are health packs. Instead, players rely solely on the shield. When it's depleted, they're in trouble and need to find cover immediately. The shields do recharge faster. The look of the game has changed, with a greater scope and larger vistas. The worlds that developer Bungie has created span far and wide, and the more tight interiors often open up into huge rooms. While some of the interiors were a little repetitive looking once or twice, there are outdoor sequences that are visually jaw-dropping, both in terms of imagination and sheer beauty. A couple of moments reminded me of Japanese animation. The Earth sequences early on were my favorite, but there are moments of incredible action and visuals later in the game, as well. The only issue that I had was frustration in some large areas where it was not clear where to go (the arrows present in the original game are gone, and while A.I. sidekick Cortana does help, she's not always around to guide the player.) Sometimes, the "look" of the areas also lead me to believe I was going backwards. I finally just kept going around until "Checkpoint" text appeared in the upper corner, or until I walked back into the pile of Covenant I'd just battled through. Overall, "Halo 2" functions as a remarkably intense, full-throttle actioner. The pacing of the game does make for draining fun, but the subtle moments of the original allowed for a more defined tone that seemed unique and caught my imagination. The second game rachets up everything and provides the excitement and twists, but again, it's dissapointing that the story starts to build up in the second half only to reach a wall at the cliffhanger ending (although, to the credit of the ending, the game doesn't end up where I guessed it would early on.) In the end, both "Halo" and "Halo 2" are quite similar in ways (there's several callbacks to the original in various ways) and quite different in others, both with their own positives and negatives. "Halo 2" does disappoint in some regards and, given the wait, the single-player experience could have been developed a tad better. However, the game does provide some very welcome new developments, stunning visuals, surprises and variety. Not quite up to the hype, but the fact that it got close to the level of hype and expections for me, is saying a lot. Note: players can also play co-op through the campaign. There is also a "limited edition" version, with a "making of" DVD. Rating: 9/10 "Halo 2" is XBox Live Enabled, allowing for multiplayer battles on different maps, including Oddball, Race, Slayer and Capture the Flag. Players can also join clans. Up to 16 players are supported. The DVD Graphics: "Halo 2" is certainly a few steps forward over the prior game, mostly just in terms of sheer scope. The worlds presented to the player are massive, and often extend far out into the horizon. The interior levels do, as noted before, sometimes suffer from repetitive architecture, but are often beautiful and exceptionally well-rendered. Settings are detailed and lighting has been improved. Character models are superb, and both Chief and his opponents have gotten an overhaul this time around. Some brief moments here-and-there are rather uneventful, but the majority of the game is stunning and some moments throughout are downright breathtaking. The game throws a ton of action into the field of play and really never slows down. Rating: 9.5/10 Sound: "Halo 2" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. As with the first game, the developers have used surround sound to the fullest extent. The sequel pushes the envelope even more, with the sounds of battle fully engulfing the viewer. Surrounds kick in for directional audio effects often, with sound effects coming from the rear speakers (including the back surround, for those who can enable a back rear surround.) Composer Marty O'Donnell's work here (along with some other artists) is once again brilliant, as we even here some new versions of old themes. Sound effects seem punchier and more dynamic this time around, and it's nice that the game is a mixture of new sounds and a lot of familiar ones from the first game. Rating: 10/10 Rating Issues: "Halo 2" is rated M (Mature) for violence/gore (although certainly not as much as some games.) Final Thoughts: "Halo" is a game that grabs your imagination and leads you through a sci-fi masterpiece of thrilling adventure and fascinating plot developments. "Halo 2" is "Halo" exploded - an epic in every sense of the word, with massive environments, huge battles and some big surprises. The ending is going to piss people off and I felt the "blockbuster" feel of the second game overshaowed some of the personality aspects the first game had, but the sequel is a step up in a lot of regards and succeeds often in dazzling the senses. Recommended. |