As originally printed in The Davis Enterprise (reprinted with permission)
Halo 2
(Xbox; MSRP $49.99, $54.99 limited edition; Rated M; halo2.com)
November 8th, 11:00p.m.: I stand, in the rain, outside of my local EB Games with another hundred or so people, waiting for the release of the most anticipated Xbox game of the year. Occasionally, being a game journalist makes me privy to the early release of a game before the general public. This was not the case with Microsoft’s most prized possession.
I, like every other fan, have to wait until the stroke of midnight, November 9th to experience “Halo 2.”
11:25p.m.: My best friend in Atlanta calls. He’s already been playing for almost two and a half hours, and so calls to rub that fact in my face. Damn you Pacific Standard Time!
12:00a.m.: The doors open, I’m 30th in line. I wait patiently, grab my copy of the “limited edition” version and race home.
12:40a.m.: Already have torn through the commemorative tin snap-case in the car, I drop the disc in my Xbox and there it is, “Halo 2” on my TV. Can this game possibly live up to all of the hype it has been getting since first announced almost two and a half years ago?
Uh, can I get a “hell ya?”
What drew most fans to the first installment was a solid sci-fi story, fantastic visuals, intuitive controls, and addictive multiplayer. Arguably, “Halo” is alone responsible for securing the Xbox as a solid contender in the console war. The sequel builds on all of the things that made the first so great, and the fans have responded. “Halo 2” reportedly grossed $125 million in its first 24 hours- shattering previous game and Hollywood box office sales alike ( “Spider-Man 2,” the largest opener ever, raked in an amazing $40.2 million at the box office its first day and swung to $180 million after its first six days).
“Halo 2’s” story picks up shortly after the conclusion of the first game. With the destruction of the first Halo weapon successful and the universe saved from decimation, our protagonist Master Chief returns to a Confederate starship to find that the Covenant, a unified alien coalition united by religion, has grown more aggressive in its jihad war against the humans. The Covenant has pushed its offensive to Earth while simultaneously pursuing another weapon of destruction to wipe out the human race.
So much for the welcome home parade, Chief.
Our emerald armored hero charges back into the thick of it for more plot twists and turns than in the original storyline. While not spoiling any of the story, I can say that the story twists come frequently throughout the fifteen level game, and intrigue increases with each cutscene between battles.
Not that you’ll need to find a reason to continually play, its putting the controller down that’s the hard part.
This time through, the Chief makes better use of vehicles and weapons, many re-tooled for better balance (the Needler gun) while others are brand spankin’ new (the SMG). Two of the newest additions to gameplay come in the form of being able to duel-wield weapons for some double-fisted firepower, and the ability to carjack or “board” enemy-piloted vehicles. Try not to smile too wide the first time you kick an Elite soldier off of his Ghost hoverbike and run him over with his own vehicle. Go ahead, try.
Clearly the most enjoyable new weapon in the game is the Covenant Energy Sword. This blade has the ability to lock onto enemies, resulting in an up close and personal one-hit kill. Even if you managed to remain stone-faced while boarding, no person with an ounce of self-satisfaction could remain stoic after standing amongst a pile of alien carcasses due to his own sword mastery.
Phenomenal graphical upgrades, full 5.1 surround sound, cooperative play with a buddy, increased AI, and a Hollywood worthy story is literally only half the game. We’re just getting to multiplayer, the crown jewel of “Halo 2.”
Forget everything you know about playing online multiplayer Xbox Live. The common system for setting up, finding, and competing online is antiquated compared to the advancements made by Bungie and Microsoft for “Halo 2.”
No longer are ranked games controlled by an individual player where cheating and artificial statistic increasing can take place. Bungie has developed a system where competing in a ranked game (a game that contributes to world-standings of Halo players) means the game automatically finds players similarly ranked in skills and abilities and loads everyone together in a match under randomized playing conditions. Gone are the days of deathmatches controlled by the host player who knows the map like the back of his hand and can be assured a win. Here, everyone is on equal footing, all competing to level up their bragging rights and the opportunity to compete against better players. Team games require strangers to communicate with each other and act as a unit in order to assure victory. The benefit of playing against similarly skilled players, as opposed to being slaughtered by crack-shot fourteen year olds every time you log on makes the Optimatch version far more enjoyable, even if it does feel awkward at first.
Adding to the depths of detail, players can log onto Bungie’s website to find their statistics and compare them to friends and other players. Players can also pull up the maps of the matches they played in order to find out where they got fragged, by whom, and with what weapon.
I know, crazy.
But lets be honest, smack talking friends is always more preferable than to strangers, so what about getting a gang together for hours of slaughter? This is where the new online “party” comes into play.
A party is a group of friends on your buddy list who can join you in non-ranked games. Those friends “attach” onto you as the party leader. Whenever starting a new game, they’re playing with you- without a worry of being dropped from the game. If you decide to join a larger party lead by someone else, they follow, if they want. If the party leader has to bug out or, say, has to have dinner with his wife, he can transfer his leader status to another player- eliminating the old problem of an absenting host that kicked all players out of a group game. It also means that after leaving a game, a player can return fairly easily to the party and jump back in for more action.
For those “Type-A” personalities out there, “Halo 2” takes full use of clan support. Whereas a “party” is a group of friends that game for a single session, a “clan” is a group of friends that form a long-standing team. Designated by a clan name, clans compete against other clans for the same bragging rights solo-players compete for. Organized clans will have practices within their team before challenging another clan to battle because no self-respecting clan member wants to be humiliated or let their team down for a ranked game. Being a part of a clan becomes somewhat of a nerdy status symbol. In “Halo 2,” a player can only be part of one clan at a time, which means that skilled players can shop out recruitment offers they get from clans while successful clans can persuade players of an opposing clan to defect.
Getting a group of sixteen buds online for countless hours of game playing, of countless game modes, makes for some fantastic gaming. The ability to easily find, join, and frag your friends means this is one Xbox Live game with legs that won’t be getting old anytime soon; and with the promise of downloadable content that could take the form of new weapons, vehicles, and maps- it may never get old.
I must confess, if not for my slave-driver of an editor who makes me review new games every month, I would be perfectly content to keep this disc warm, and let everything else in my collection gather dust. At this point, all other games are part of my job- “Halo 2” is my post-work recreation.
This is, by far, everything we had hoped for and the greatest game released this year. “Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow?” “GTA: San Andreas?” “Burnout 3?” Sorry guys, hail to the Chief.
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