Halo2

[Concept]

I hope i'm proved wrong and i do indeed get it, but i just got bored playing it in single player. Tried MP for a while but got sick of being killed after 30 seconds. O.k. the ablilty to control enemy craft is something i haven't seen before. But that was it.

I'm not trying to suggest anyone isn't here on an individual level. I apologise if it came across like that.

What I'm more or less referring to is the overall sentiment towards the game. If you disregard the overwhelmingly high scoring reviews on the net, general feeling at the moment tends to be of disappointment with regards to the single-player portion. I feel this has the chance to change over time when perspectives don't have the hindrance of expectation in the way.

[chosen_one666]

Apparently Ilovebees.com's countdown timer's started again...

Yes, it has. I was actually sad enough to check. Need a bigger Halo fix dammit!!!

/starts shaking in a corner.

[anephric]

I started replaying Chronicles of Riddick today and shockingly I'm enjoying replaying that more than playing through the (as yet uncompleted) Halo 2 1P...

Perhaps it's all the badwords in CoR... I have a puerile mind.

Sorry. I'm just that underwhelmed. I only have myself to blame, I guess...

[chosen_one666]

If you disregard the overwhelmingly high scoring reviews on the net, general feeling at the moment tends to be of disappointment with regards to the single-player portion.

That's because everyone hyped it up though. No matter what any one who loved the original might have said to the contrary, they still though Halo 2 would be the best thing ever, and of course it wasn't.

Remember the hype about The Matrix Reloaded and MGS2? Everyone thought that they'd be great, and while they certainly weren't bad, they never managed to match everyone's expectations.

Halo 2, it appears, is a victim of Halo's own greatness.

[Alf-Life]

I can't see how you can still be unwhelmed, get back there and play We were all entitled to the official kneejerk reaction after expecting things to be tied up and then getting that ending, but still... it's a decent game. If seeming more of an amazing expansion pack rather than a full-on sequel in some places.

[Ginger Tosser]

I apologise if it came across like that.

No need too, your comments are spot on. I brought the game based on hype and what i've heard about Halo 1. Sometimes as in life things aren't suitable for each other. For me i guess me and some FPS just dont mix.

Alf-Life: I'm underwhelmed, i tried to get into it and it just didn't do it.

[chosen_one666]

I've just went and preordered the soundtrack from Amazon.co.uk. The music is awesome. Without it, the game just wouldnt feel the same.

[Alf-Life]

Alf-Life: I'm underwhelmed, i tried to get into it and it just didn't do it.

Let me be the first to say it for Halo 2, then... have you tried it on Legendary? :P

[yashiro]

Has anyone looked over on Bungie's forums? Seems the QA on this game was well below par. Bugs ahoy. :/

[The Guppy]

I keep getting "You failed to load the map" errors. Apparently it's something to do with the DVD drive on early models wearing out. I don't mind too much though, I was looking for an excuse to buy a crystal Xbox...

[Kotatsu Neko]

I hope i'm proved wrong and i do indeed get it, but i just got bored playing it in single player. Tried MP for a while but got sick of being killed after 30 seconds. O.k. the ablilty to control enemy craft is something i haven't seen before. But that was it.

As for the February 9th thing, are we happy to pay for half a game now and get the rest in 4 months time? Seem very wrong.

Oh come off it, Halo 2 is a very well formed game. One of, if not the biggest FPS I've played.

The only reason I and others have finished it so quickly is simply that we have been playing it non stop! Plus on top of campaign mode there is the in depth Live stuff.

I'm really amazed that some people don't like it. I would rate it up there with the top gaming experiences ever. Lights out, sound right up, widescreen TV - it was gaming heaven.

It hooked me and captivated me in way that hasn't happened since Ikaruga and Panzer Dragoon Orta. But even more so than both of those games.

[nonny]

Yeh I dont see what everyone is moaning about either but then I guess with the hype surrounding the game it was easy to get over excited.

Since finishing it I have actually gone back to the original halo and replayed what I would rank as the best levels in the game, those being "The Silent Cartographer", "Assault on the Control Room" and a few others. Just wanted to see if the sequel was lacking something and to compare and equate just how far the game has come.

Aside from a few graphical issues (cutscenes, normal mapping popping in within 5m) the sequel not only looks better all round but just has more diversity of choice whilst keeping the same structure. All the best parts I love about the first game are still there in the second but enhanced and tweaked... if there was any one criticism about the game it would be that while a few levels stand out we are talking only a handful and the rest are fairly generic (Metropolis and the Ancient Runes level being the best ones).

Fact is though I think everyone has ripped through this sequel so quickly simply because we all know how to play it so efficiently now. Aside from learning a few new tricks the old tactics still hold firm and the difficulty level is close to the original.

I dont care though. While the story was a surprise it was interesting and immersive enough to develop the plot and make me want to play, plus this is a game of two halves. Im talking singleplayer campaign and multiplayer XBL.

The online play in Halo2 is worth the admission price alone. They have done an outstanidng job in keeping the game playable even with the full quota of players, something alot of other XBL FPS games have failed to do... the matchmaking isnt perfect mind but I am sure we will see some revisions in the implementation.

Add in download content to come and I dont feel remotely cheated or letdown at all. Thumbs up all round from me.

[PeteJ]

Our review is now online on the front page.

Enjoy!

*runs*

[hankwangford]

Chosen_one: re: cortana - Keyes said that because it her information could leave the location of Earth in the hands of the Covenant. But now they already know, of course.

Dammit, what colour for the spoiler tag?

[Zed]

O.k. the ablilty to control enemy craft is something i haven't seen before. But that was it.

Surely people think Unreal Tournament 2004 does the multiplayer better?!

More and better vehicles, bigger and better designed maps, (potentially) more graphic-whoreness, (arguably) better control, and generally "tighter".

... but looking at Halo 2's singleplayer, surely they didn't put 3 years into that? Boarding, dual-wielding, enhancements here and there and well, flying enemies.

Its always hard to improve on a sequel, especially when fans have so much hope invested. But it hasnt really revolutionised things has it. One hopes Half Life 2 will see better standard-raising improvements to gameplay and design, as they should really want to maintain that franchise's reputation.

My big hope is Bungie go back to their roots and do a Marathon rehash, surely their best game(s) to date, and actual landmarks in the FPS genre. All IMO obviously.