VGRC

If you're trying to impress me... you're doing a damn fine job!

Halo 2. Looking back on it nearly 3 years after its release, I can say one thing: I'm still impressed by it. It is the reason every Xbox owner, well, owns an Xbox.

The story picks up not long after the first Halo: Master Chief has made it back to Earth, and just in time, because now he has to defend it against a massive Covenant assault. However, things soon escalate, and the Chief, along with his trusted AI sidekick Cortana, will find themselves wrapped back in the middle of a Forerunner mystery that they thought they had finished in Halo: Combat Evolved. This time around, you will also see things from the Covenant perspective thanks to the Arbiter; a disgraced Elite commander who has to learn for himself the secrets of the Halo rings his leaders want to fire off in what they believe is the final step in a spiritual journey to become gods, which as we all know from Halo 1 is not what those rings do. And as the Chief fights to protect the lives of all his friends, the Arbiter will find harsh reality shattering the world he thought he knew. It's nothing but an epic thrill ride the whole way through.

Of course, the plot is greatly enhanced by Halo 2's stunning production values. While it's no secret that Halo 1 didn't really showcase the true power of the Xbox, Halo 2 pushes the system to its absolute limits. Technology-wise, it's a huge achievement: Detailed environments, tons of bump-mapping and lovely light effects. There's a few hiccups here and there, but nothing that comes close to hampering the experience. Even in the face of what's on the 360 and PS3, Halo 2 is beautiful. It's not all in the technology, though; the game's distinctive art style is what really pulls it all together, from massive human cities to the ancient Forerunner-built structures and landscapes to the interiors of Covenant spacecraft.

Of course, great presentation is nothing without great sound, and Halo 2 has that in spades. The voice acting is once again top-notch, which is nothing but a good thing as there is a lot of dialogue, both in the game's memorable cutscenes and during gameplay. It brings the game to life even more so than it did in the first Halo, with various one-liners by your Marine comrades (especially the one Marine voiced by David Cross) that bring a smile to your face as you shoot it out with your enemies. Such as wasting a pack of Jackal snipers and Drones and hearing right afterwards "Okay guys, back to my place for pie!" Or gems like "And we've got a lovely parting gift for the losers. It's death!" And while the Marines have their own joking style, they typically act defensively. It gets even better when you play as the Arbiter, with your Elite AI comrades that rush victoriously into battle for glory. It's a different display of personalities on both sides, and it most certainly adds to the depth.

It would also be a crime to not mention the epic soundtrack. Marty O'Donnell and Co. return to compose a new original soundtrack that is even stronger than the one in Halo: CE. Each and every track (aside from a guest piece done by Breaking Benjamin that shouldn't have even been in the game) fits perfectly into wherever it is played in the game. From the ambient tracks played in space and the almost magical Covenant space-traveling city-ship, to the bombastic tracks in intense combat situations, to the dark and almost foreboding music leading up to Flood encounters... Halo 2's soundtrack is what ties this space opera together into one cohesive package. If there was ever a candidate for "games as art," Halo 2's campaign is it, in my eyes.

Of course, what is presentation without great gameplay to back it up? Not to worry, because it's definitely there from the start. After learning from their mistakes with level design in the first Halo (need I mention "The Library?") Bungie put a ton of effort into making more unique levels: It's not one cookie-cutter room after another, but new areas with fresh encounters and thrilling battles. And in the moments that you aren't pumped with adrenaline fighting the Covenant forces and Flood parasite, you'll find yourself staring in awe at the alien landscapes around you. Not a single moment in the game will you find yourself "putting up with" part of a level; it will actually make you want to play it, and then replay it over and over again.

As for new gameplay features, Halo 2 throws enough into the mix to make things feel fresh, without disturbing the gameplay style Bungie explored in the first game. Every weapon still serves its own unique purpose, as does each vehicle. You've got a handful of new weapons available to you, from the Brute Shot (a grenade launcher with a giant blade on it for devastating melee attacks) to the restyled (now scope-less) pistol, the midrange battle rifle, and a bunch more that really stir things up... especially in campaign mode. You can also now dual-wield certain smaller guns, at the expense of being able to throw grenades while dual-wielding. A couple new vehicles are there for you to drive, including the Wraith, which was previously unusable in Halo 1. Vehicles can also be destroyed this time around, and parts of them will become bent, scraped and even fall off as they take damage. On top of that, you can hijack vehicles your opponents are driving, in some cases being allowed to plant grenades inside to kill them before they can escape in time. It's fun in campaign, but it shines in multiplayer.

Ah yes, multiplayer; the other shining jewel of the Halo series. The big thing with Halo 2 is that it boasts online play over Xbox Live, something the first game couldn't do. However, to those of us who had been (and still are) playing Halo PC online, it wasn't really a big shock. In fact, it felt like a bit of a letdown.

Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but initially I was disappointed at the lack of large spacious maps geared towards classic 2-flag capture the flag. There's a Blood Gulch remake that doesn't really satisfy, and the somewhat empty Waterworks, and that's really about it. It's a shame, because I had been looking forward to large-yet-intricate maps like Danger Canyon, Ice Fields, Infinity, Gephyrophobia and Death Island... just to name my favorite maps from Halo PC that I played CTF online on all the time. Not to mention the setup had me dazed for awhile too: No dedicated servers, no browseable games list... just this new "Matchmaking" feature that put you in random games online depending on the game "playlist" you select. There's a handful of playlists, ranging from free-for-all to various team-based playlists that house different gametypes and numbers of players. With time, however, I developed an appreciation for multiplayer: While it didn't compare to Halo PC in terms of epic capture the flag battles, it had plenty to offer in terms of smaller and more frantic battles. Slayer and Team Slayer were suddenly far more intense than they were in Halo 1, especially thanks to the upgraded weapon set and gameplay changes. There's some balancing issues here and there, but for the most part it's a new type of Halo that it took me awhile to get used to. One of the things that really had me was the ability to have more than 2 teams, with varying amounts of players per team. This was really fun on the custom games front, and even though there isn't a browseable games list, if you have enough people on your friends list, or feel like setting up tunneling software like XBConnect, you can find yourself having more fun online without the strict boundaries of Matchmaking. Furthermore, any game you play over Live gets recorded on Bungie's web site, so you can check stats online at any time and show proof your mad skills to your friends. Just a cool touch that I thought was fun.

Co-op is back, too! Nothing beats having a friend over and playing through campaign mode together. 4 difficulty levels, just like before. Normal is fun if you want to enjoy the story and cinematics, but if you want a truly grueling experience, Legendary difficulty is one of the most challenging yet satisfying modes in gaming period. Good luck trying to beat it, though!

Aside from a few weak spots in multiplayer, Halo 2 is everything you could want it to be: An engrossing story, amazing visuals, great music and dialogue and fun gameplay all converge in Halo 2's campaign mode to create one massive cinematic experience that you simply have to play. Multiplayer is fun too; battles are not as tactical and the maps aren't to the scale that they were in Halo PC, but if you're looking for quick fun you'll definitely find it here.

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