Halo2

[weightgain]

Playing the single player mode again on heroic and its much better than normal. I like how you can go through the levels differently each time you play using ghosts or warthogs or being the gunner instead of driving it make the games replayability much better. Wish I played on heroic from the begining. Also enjoyed multi-player last night with some of you.

I started on Heroic.....always was gonna. Struggle at points but just.....meh. SO enjoying this. I think the 2nd level is one of my favs of ALL time......

[Prine]

im now loving the new jump, just finished a session of multiplayer. Helps loads

[Adam Stone]

My excited paws have been happily wrapped around this little treat since 12pm and I?m overly chuffed. I think it is an excellently created game, beautiful to look and beautiful to play. I think those with perfectionist expectations (or... erm, just generally like to whine....) fail to see Halo 2?s overall splendor and are merely focusing on the trivial insignificant things. Well? its not my loss, meh

I?m enjoying this far more then the original Halo, which is still highly commendable (I was never a huge fan, but appreciated its quality) There aren?t really any hugely dramatic changes or additions to the formula, but rather a few things which iron-out some rough edges, adds an extra layer of depth and strategy and ultimately makes for a funnier experience.

The dual-wielding for example? Do I take on those buggers with all my power ? two weapons clutched in each hand, or do I allow one hand free so I can throw a grenade? Do I make sure there is a secondary weapon ready to pick up after the grenade is thrown then unleash hell? or do I step back and take them out one, by one with perfectly precise head shots? I know holding two guns isn?t anything new? or in itself particularly special, but it adds an extra layer of choice. Choice is always good imo? In GoldenEye (N64) for example having two guns looked and felt great. Here though... it may look great, but you need to consider the pros and cons of that situation.

I?m really enjoying the level design so far ? they seem to be more compact then the original, which is good.

Graphically? I don?t think it breaks any grounds anywhere (and after screen shot after screen shot of incredibly high rez shots, I can appreciate why so many people feel disappointed in this area?) but I still think its does it's job perfectly and looks beautiful. The odd glitch there and the occasional pop-up here are rendered insignificant when placed against the sheer solidness of the environments, the artistry, and generally the overall atmosphere and feel. Fable had severe problems concerning characters, items even entire environments popping into view, but never once did it ruin the experience. Indeed, there may be a brief moment when I pulled back into reality, but it didn?t take long for this reality to ebb away and for me to be pulled back into the game-world. The same goes for Halo 2. The cut scenes are fantastic imo? well directed and interesting. Indeed the odd jitter doesn?t go unnoticed, but? meh.Compared to everything else it only is noticed for a fraction of a second. A sacrifice I?m willing to make?

The music in wonderful imo. Changing to suit the situation? its nice to hear the familiar tunes from Halo and yet its also great to hear new pieces too. I look forward to hearing how things change during the later course of the game. Is there an Official Album for Halo to purchase? Will there be one for Halo 2? May have to hunt that out?.

I haven?t and probably wont be able to enjoy Live. But? that doesn?t matter. I?m enjoying the single player more then enough, and hopefully will get some Co-op action in soon too

[weightgain]

Yeah, album is out now....although not sure if it's official music or just "rock" alternative stuff

[Adam Stone]

Ah, great stuff, thank you Mr.

i've downloaded a couple re-mixes which are quite special. I'll keep my eyes open for the album. thanks again ^_^

[weightgain]

Nah prob man . question is why the hell are you here and not playing lol.......forgot to add. Anyone else avoided spoiler-ige ?? I know so little I'm gonna now bow out of this thread. I finish 5 nights in a row on Sunday (!!) and will finally have a few days to give this game a good hammering offline. Hoping to get some way through (Currently level 4 heroic) and it all be a lovely surprise.....

Irony is I won't see the answers till after I finish the game. Heh. Enjoy.........

[Peet]

About the ending...
Bungie explain on the making of DVD (which btw is excellent, especially by videogame standards) that they were forced to cut a fair bit of stuff out in order to meet the deadline. Not sure if they simply cut from the end (lord knows there were other places they could've trimmed) but it does seem like that

[nips]

OH MY ****ING GOD. How **** do they want to make the ending of this game. I heard it was bad so I was letting myself get ready for a let down, but damn:

I just set off the damn Halo thingies and Master Chief turns up at Earth and I'm sitting there: "You know damn ****ing well I'm going to kick some major ass now, you ****ers." And then the admiral asks what he's actually doing to which MC replies "To finish the job!" And now I'm totally pumped. I'm blowing my load becuase I've got a whole **** load of flood and covenant to kill and my shotgun is aching with excess ammo... and then the Credits roll.

WTF!?!?!?!? WTF!?!?!?! Where's the end of the game. I was playing and then all of a sudden it stopped. I'm finally getting into it and then it's all snatched away.

****ing hell. I can't believe this. I'm so dissapointed.

This game had better blow me away when I get on live! or else I may have to kill somebody... or maybe even play Campaign again.

I can't believe that.

I am in shock. I am dying here. Has there been a Halo 3 leak yet?

****!

[Adam Stone]

question is why the hell are you here and not playing lol.......forgot to add. Anyone else avoided spoiler-ige ??

Amen buddy. I've tried to stay as spoiler free as possible too. I like how the opening seems to suggest a greater emphasis towards the enemy. I?m intrigued to see how this turns out?

*Loads up game*

This weekend, when im not at the gym, i shall be with Halo 2 (well, and picking weeds and checking on my villagers in Animal Crossing, of course) heh, i cant wait.

Right, time to get back to it.

[nips]

I suppose it's time to watch the DVD then!

How long is it?

[Concept]

Long enough. Lot's of stuff on there you'd hope to see. The only bone I have with it is the exclusion of the E3 and cinema trailers, which I thought were no-brainers to put on there. I agree about the ending. Spoiler: It doesn't feel like a cliffhanger at all, and finishes about as abruptly as it could possibly ever have. When Master Chief revisited Earth, I was honestly expecting another level to take place, so to have it all cut dead proved to be disappointing. As Peet points out too, during the 'making of' section on the limited collector's edition DVD, Bungie clearly state in the things they had to cut to ship the game on time, Master Chief was eventually supposed to revisit Earth for one last stand.

That's why it leaves a sour taste, because the ending doesn't smack of a carefully planned cliffhanger, but the fact they had to trim the game to make sure it shipped this year. And I think it shows.

A very weak ending for a very good game.

[Ginger Tosser]

Gave it another halfhour and my eyes dont like the dark, does it get lighter?

[demon9k]

Ending Spoiler:

I totally agree nips. I was having a great time on the last 4-5 levels, they were just the best of the game for me on my first time through and I was really looking forward to the next level. Then....credits.. I was like You can't be serious.

I really think there has to be a extra level to download or something.

OH MY ****ING GOD. How **** do they want to make the ending of this game. I heard it was bad so I was letting myself get ready for a let down, but damn:
****!

[Concept]

I agree with Adam that the music in the game is stunning. There's a powerful meloncholy to the covenant scenes and I think the variation of styles does wonders throughout the title.

From an audio point of view, I think Halo 2 is probably one of the greatest titles this year - Nothing sounds off-key. The music really helps encapuslate and put forward the changes in the mood between the various shifts in viewpoint. It's exceptionally strong in tone and timbre.

[Prof Frink]

For anyone interested IGN have done an article about the how the AI changes depending on what difficulty you play.

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/565/565726p1.html

I don't agree with what they say about heroic but legendary sounds great.