Halo 2

Now don't get me wrong I do like this game. It plays well but the problem is it plays exactly like the Xbox version. This is by far the better version of Halo 2. Custom maps, server browsing, and better graphics put it ahead of it's console twin.

First the graphics. On a basic machine running Vista you will not notice much difference from the Xbox version although they are passable but cannot compete with newer games like Half Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, or Crysis. The loading of enemies in the distance is delayed depending on what part of the game you're in but this never happens during the multiplayer.

The single player starts out promising enough. The story takes place right after Halo: Combat Evolved where Master Chief just blew up the Covenant (an alien cult of creatures) super weapon, the Halo, and he is greeted by his commanding officer on the Cairo space station. As the story continues you learn of the Covenant Elite (one of two Covenant factions the other being the Brutes) who is called upon by the hierarchs to become the Arbiter. This is basically a death sentence since Arbiters have extremely short lifespans. As you progress through the game as the Arbiter you encounter the Flood, another alien species who are clearly based off of the headcrabs and zombies from the Half Life series. The story ends on a cliff hanger with Master Chief about to crash back down to Earth on a Forerunner (an ancient race no longer in existence) Ship and proclaiming he's going to finish the fight. The ending will make you angry. This is absolute. YOU WILL BE MAD AT THE GAME. Just be glad you can see the ending right away and not have to wait three years for it like the poor fools on the Xbox.

The soundtrack is one of the most amazing things about this game. The sound effects are dead on save for when the cutscenes stagger and the dialog stacks on top of each other. But while the music is well composed it is sometimes poorly placed. High combat situations will find either a high beat song that matches the epic scale of the battle or it will be a relaxing song that will calm you down as hordes of Covenant massacre you.

The gameplay has always been the biggest problem for Halo. While it's far from broken, the sensitivity is made for the Xbox 360 controller which can be used easily since this is a Games for Windows title. Also this is one of the few GfW titles to give achievements which are considerably easy as compared to Gears of War. So if you turn up the sensitivity you should be fine.

The multiplayer is where this game shines. The unfortunate part is that not a lot of games play by regular rules. Most games are modded to use either only swords or only sniper rifles and beam rifles (the Covenant sniper rifle.) So if sniping is not your game you won't be playing this that much. But there are several other game modes that usually don't have modded rules such as Capture the Flag and Assault, in which you transport a bomb to the enemy base.

So basically it's a good multiplayer FPS with a nice if annoying story. This is still a three year old game. And it was designed for the console market so you know what you're getting in to. There is an included map editor if thats your type of thing but the 23 included maps should be enough to hold your interest during the 1 month LIVE Gold trial.