Halo 2
Xbox
Rating:
[5/5]
Developer: Bungie | Publisher: Microsoft | Release Date: November 9 |
Hail to the Chief. After showing an outbreak of out-of-this-world body snatchers who's boss, the space marine returns to terra firma to fend of the Covenant alien alliance. Except Earth is only a stopover. The real fighting unfolds on...hold that thought.
We figure you already have Halo 2, what with the army of clerks at specialty shops across the country who, like so many car salesman, insist that you plunk down for anything you show a passing interest in. Not Microsoft, who asked that we not mention, well, most anything about Master Chief's second duel with the Covenant even though over a million of you caved in to those wont-take-no-for-an-answer types at the counter. So while we won't talk about that one part with the thing and that other big thing, we can say the game is damn good.
Impeccable control, clever chit chat between characters, whip-smart foes who know
when to hide and when to seek -- all the bits that made the first Halo Xbox's hottest
number are back. Some features, such as levels that let you tackle situations from several
angles, are better than before. New optic camouflage -- no longer limited to multiplayer
matches and now rechargeable -- adds stealth to that list of options. Plus, the ballyhooed
ability to hold a weapon in each hand and swing an energy sword spice things up (try
unloading a pair of peacemakers in a charging enemy, and then gutting him for the coup
de grace). Only a few recycled settings and repeated structures foul the E.T.-fragging
experience: I frequently thought I was backtracking only to discover that I'd been blazing
a trail through look-alike levels. Otherwise, Halo 2 nails it like none other, and that's only
the half of it.
No more snaking a LAN line through the weeds and into your neighbor's window; no more sharing a couch with shysters who peek at your screen (unless you like it like that -- 2 to 16 player split screen and system link are still part of the package). With every match type and option imaginable, this here's the great big mother of all online multiplayer games.
Any one of its many, many modes merits installing a toilet in your sofa and letting the
hour hand slip. Battles waged with turrets, tanks, and airborne Banshees are not only big,
but more importantly, balanced. Nothing says "Step off" like leaping onto a massive war machine, gouging a hole in its armor, and tossing in a grenade to smoke the smug bastard at the helm.(OK, so snatching a flyboy out of his aircraft as he swoops in for another sortie sends the same message.) If you're more the intimate, whisper-in-their-ear-as-you-
slit-their-throat type you can stick to small maps, melee weapons, and invisible space
marines. And if you prefer perverse odds you can play Juggernaught, in which one guy
dons an overshield and deals heavy damage while challenging a coalition of every other
pantywaist in the game.
Every man for himself, two teams of eight, eight teams of two, territorial skirmishes, one-
way capture the flag, two-way capture the flag, base demolition, duke it out for the ball --
you want it, you got it, and it's all astonishingly good. Should the options seem
overwhelming, you can also indicate the sort of match you're interested in -- small, large,
and so on and so forth -- and let the computer plug you into the speediest applicable
server with competition at your skill level. The same hassle-free philosophy carries over
to the game's party system which binds you to your buddies so that you're never stuck 
scrolling through long friends lists when the posse decides to play elsewhere, while stat
tracking and feature-heavy clan support make even Halo 2's best online competition
seem half-assed by comparison. But why take my word for it? Like I said, if you're smart
you were prepared to pay for the best console shooter money can buy well before the
Covenant made it personal and set foot on the planet.
--Shawn Elliott
