Halo 2

(I'm focusing on the entire Limited Edition package in this review so if you're curious, read on.)

Halo 2 is a hit or miss game depending how much of a fan you are. I've been a huge fan of Halo ever since the original came out and it was the first game I got for the Xbox and the only reason I got the Xbox in the first place. So after three long years waiting for the inevitable sequel, did the game satisfy me? Yes and no.

Let's get down to the gameplay, Halo 2 is still a lot of fun. The core gameplay mechanics are still there. If you played the original Halo, then you won't be disappointed with the controls. In fact, the most obvious enhancements include the ability to dual wield any small weapons in the game. It's insanely fun using two guns instead of one (like the original) and once you get into it, you won't wanna go back. They balanced the dual wielding elements by forcing you to drop your second gun when you do a melee attack or if you switch weapons. This prevents you from being too powerful which is a nice touch. Another nice feature is the ability to zoom in at any time. You can now scout locations and see enemies in the distance. It may seem like a frivilous upgrade but I can remember being frustrated not being able to see if an enemy was in the distance in the original. Now you can and you don't need the sniper rifle any more for it. You can also highjack all the vehicles in the game now which is great. The ability to drive all the vehicles was fun.

The graphics are excellent but they come with a few problems. I know Bungie did all they could to push the Xbox to its limit but it comes at a cost. The game runs smoothly at 60 fps but it does have slowdown from time to time. Even during the cutscenes, it'll occassionly slowdown which was quite distracting. But the major problem comes from the weird transition from low to high resolution textures. It's not seamless at all. You can see it clearly in the cutscenes and in parts of the game. It was very painful seeing the transitions cuz it took me out of the game as soon as it happens (and it happens a lot). I'm sure fans out there who liked the original will be disappointed by this. I think Bungie could've fixed this by simply doing prerendered cutscenes or by preloading all the major cutscenes in the hard drive. But the rest of the actual game looks great most of the time. Cortana looks a whole lot sexier than before and the human character faces look amazingly good. But considering other developers like Team Ninja who did such a superb job with games like Ninja Gaiden and the DOA series on the Xbox, Bungie should've been able to fix all those little problems. Still, it's a pretty game.

The sound is even better than the graphics. The game runs entirely in surround sound and sounds awesome. The explosions and gunfire are great. I was totally blown away by the voice acting. All the actors are good and they fit their roles very well. If you watch the DVD included with the Limited Edition version then you'll see that a lot of celebrities who were involved with the cast. And the music? Simply incredible. The score for Halo 2 is every bit as great as from any big budget Hollywood movie. I loved the soundtrack and it plays a lot more than it did in the original Halo. I can't wait to get the soundtrack!

Now, the single player mode was what let me down. I won't spoil it for you but the story wasn't as satisfying as the first game. There are a lot more characters involved this time and the focus seems to branch off too much. Master Chief is no longer the main character. There are a few twists but they don't mesh well. Also, the ending sucked. Period. It's a cliffhanger and that's not what I wanted after waiting for the game this long. As for the gameplay, some of the levels were repetitive (just like the first game) and you can get lost easily in several levels. I found myself backtracking a few times to areas where I wasn't supposed to be cuz the right path was easily hidden from view. I don't think the levels were designed to be that confusing but they were. Oh well. I played the multiplayer and it's extremely fun and addicting. It's even more fun when you have friends to play with since teamwork is crucial. I'll let the other reviews let you know the details of the multiplayer feature. All I can say is get Live so you can enjoy it too.

Now, let's see what's included with the Limited Edition version of Halo 2. For a measly extra five bucks, you get a gorgeous collector's tin box and a "Making of" DVD. The box is just superb and ranks right up there with one of best package designs in my DVD collection. But there is one snag. The placement of the DVD was just bad. The game disc was actually stored right OVER the DVD. I don't understand why they didn't store the DVD on the inside cover or provide an extra flap to hold the DVD. This caused a problem with the game disc. My game disc was scraped cuz the DVD was under it. Thankfully, my game didn't have any problems so I didn't need to return it. I'm sure a lot of gamers will be storing the DVD elsewhere. It was a bad idea to store the discs like that.

As for the DVD itself, it's pretty cool. We get a great one hour long documentary on the game and Bungie. It has plenty of interviews but I was disappointed they didn't interview a lot of the actors who did the voices. I would've wanted to hear them talk about their experiences and how Halo affected them (especially the voice actors for Master Chief and Cortana). The rest of the extras are quite nice with commentaries and an art gallery. I'll let you guys check them out yourselves. It's all pretty cool and only slightly better than the Halo/Brute Force Companion DVD that was released earlier. But I will let you know that the documentary contained one very lame segment on Bungie's annual pentathon which was a waste of time.

Overall, the game was good with several noticeable problems. I guess I was so hyped for the game that I came away with it slightly disappointed. I'm sure Bungie wanted more out of Halo 2 but I guess we'll have to settle for Halo 3 to see it finally conclude. Maybe. This is a definite must-have game for anyone who played the original.