Halo2

[revisedgenocide]

Ive got up to the halo so far but that was a quick run through i had on normal in a few hours last night. I plan to go back and start it on heroic when i get home. Online is quite superb, especially the integration with Bungie.net. I wasnt entirely sure whether i liked seeing things from the other side and im still not sure. Good fun though and as good as the first. I suppose you can read many things into that comment

[NeilMcRae]

Interestingly I think that 2 is better than Halo. The game seems more polished, less rushed. If you think of the last few levels of the original where you are trailing through the same corridor one after another and then you end up back tracking through alot it smacked of quick we've got a launch date.

[Plow King]

So bitterly disappointed in this 'sequel'. ****, disjointed multiple viewpoint storyline (why couldn't they have concentrated on the MC and binned the arbiter levels entirely I'll never know), cheating PC like AI on legendary difficulty (lame jackal sniper AI etc) and this adds up to a huge failure on Bungie's part.

Halo1 is my all time favourite game so I don't say the above lightly. Wasted oppurtunity, so wasted.

[Tom Salter]

Here's what a mate said about Halo 2:

"Remember Serious Sam? Where they put you in a massive arena, and filled it with enemies. You killed them all, and then they filled it up again. Repeat ad infinitum. Well, Halo 2 uses this trick too. A bit too often."

[Kotatsu Neko]

Interestingly I think that 2 is better than Halo. The game seems more polished, less rushed. If you think of the last few levels of the original where you are trailing through the same corridor one after another and then you end up back tracking through alot it smacked of quick we've got a launch date.

Oh I think Halo 2 is every bit as rushed. The pop up is pretty shocking and should have been fixed. Their bug database must have been packed, but they just had to say 'right, time's up. We ship the best version we have'.

Watch the making of doc on the second disc and you will see just how close to the wire they were on time.

But I still think it's a brilliant game, certainly one of the best FPS I've ever played. Half Life 2 will have to be off the scale to beat this.

[NeilMcRae]

I have to say that I'm not seeing this pop up - I will try to look for it tonight.

[Tom Salter]

Perhaps it's an issue with the PAL copy. Still weak either way.

[markgreyam]

Remember that it's "cool" to hate Halo.

hahaha awesome. yeah, of course its totally 'cool' to hate Halo, all us people that don't like it actually secretly love it. meh weapons, total lack of variety in enemies and easily the worst level design i can ever remember in a FPS have nothing to do with it at all. we just want to be cool. there is only so long that a game with such obvious flaws (and you might like the gutless weapons, but the level design and the fact that there is about 5 unique enemies for the entire game is hard to deny) can be touted as OMG BESTEST GAME EVER before you've simply had enough. and the constant fanboy bull**** that you have to put up with every time anyone ever says a single thing bad about the game is just too much.

[anephric]

I don't know how you can miss the "pop-in" in the cut scenes - it's staggeringly apparent. It doesn't affect the game, but it smacks of a lack of class, like a chavette sitting outside Argooos stinking of Charlie and Lambrini...

[Yoshimax]

[QUOTE=markgreyam]total lack of variety in enemies and easily the worst level design i can ever remember in a FPS have nothing to do with it at all. QUOTE]


Eh?

Did you expect them to massively increase the number of covenant "types" over the first one ? How would they do that ? What would be unique about each "type" ?

As for the levels I'm only on campaign lev3 but the MP maps are some of the best I've played in a long time.

[mezzanine]

The level design is a bit of a mess, I don't remember getting so confused about where to go next in the original. Also despite the game throwing lots of enemies at you somehow the firefights seems to lack the intensity of the ones in Halo.

I also really don't like how the flood get their hands on the exotic weapons like swords and the vehicles. I've bought the game for the multi player really (never signed up for xbox live before).

[recipher]

Here's a thought.

What if the game was multiplayer only? It has to be said (repeated) that the online mp is fantastic. I'm absolutely loving it. I'd have paid my money for the mp alone*. There's a lot of game in there.

I shouldn't read these threads, some people analyse way too much.

* I know most xbox owners don't have xbl (perhaps not on here), so you don't need to point out the obvious.

[Lactose Intollerant]

It's okay I suppose. The only thing special about the game is the bizarre way some people cannot accept criticism of it.

[Yoshimax]

Given a choice between them fixing any actual gameplay issues and leaving the pop-in evident in cut-scenes I for one am glad of the decision made. It's annoyingly apparent but it takes nothing away from the game.

Most people will probably skip the cut-scenes anyhoo.

[Tom Salter]

The LOD changing on the models is horrific in game. The big purple "things" in level 2 look awful as you move closer, as if they go from 2000 triangles to 500 in one step :S