One Word Review - Evolved
When Combat Evolved came to the Xbox people saw it as a new beginning for console FPS games. No longer would Goldeneye 007 be the end all be all of console FPS games. The first Halo game showed us what a good FPS game could handle like. It also gave us an Orson Scott Card-like story that many people still hold in very high regard. It was the one game that moved us more towards console dominance. The second game, unlike most game sequels, kept everything that was good and added other things to make this game better.
Halo 2's story moved from the primordial ooze to land in one quick leap. When I first started up Halo 2 and saw the Arbitor and the rest of the Covenant council speaking, it was an eye opening experience. I played Halo:CE two times. I couldn't remember the story if you held a gun to my face. Master Chief comes, he conquers, and the halo blows up. I think these are the main points, but the rest of the story was pretty forgettable. But, a look into the clan structure of the Covanent and the power struggle between the Brutes and the Elites advanced the story in unimaginable terms. In comparison to the second game, the first game's story seems like a made-for-TV sci-fi movie.
The combat in Halo 2 also progressed in many ways. Dual weilding weapons was a great addition, and the decision to limit those weapons which could be used to dual wield was a good decision. The use of the energy sword was a very empowering move for the franchise, as well. The pistol was one of the few digressions that this game made in comparison to its prequel.
Halo 2 moved the francise forward by leaps and bounds with concern to the story, which I believe is the most important element. The combat was so tight and well planned that the second game needed only to gradually ripen it's mechanics to make progress in the genre. It made two steps forward and one step back in that area. Halo 2 truely blossomed these great games into a great franchise.
