Intro:
Following where Halo left off, Halo 2 opens with the trial of Thel 'Vadam, a Covenant Elite commander aboard the Covenant's mobile capital city of High Charity. The Elite is stripped of his rank, branded a heretic for failing to stop the humans from destroying Halo, and is tortured by Tartarus, the Chieftain of the Covenant Brutes. On Earth, the Master Chief and Sergeant Avery Johnson are commended for their actions at Halo. Lord Terrence Hood awards the soldiers alongside Commander Miranda Keyes, who accepts a medal on behalf of her deceased father, Captain Jacob Keyes.
A Covenant fleet appears outside Earth's defensive perimeter and begins an invasion of the planet. While the UNSC repels most of the fleet, a single Covenant cruiser carrying an important member of the Covenant hierarchy, the High Prophet of Regret assaults the city of New Mombasa, Kenya. The Master Chief assists in clearing the city of Covenant; with his fleet destroyed, Regret makes a hasty slipspace jump, and Keyes, Johnson, Cortana and the Master Chief follow aboard the UNSC ship In Amber Clad. The crew discover another Halo installation; realizing the danger the ring presents, Keyes sends the Master Chief to kill Regret while she and Johnson find Halo's key to activation, the Index.
Meanwhile, the disgraced Covenant commander is presented before the Prophet Hierarchs, who acknowledge that though the destruction of Halo was his fault, he is no heretic. They offer him the honored position of Arbiter so that he can continue to fight for the Covenant.
So yet, we embark on another journey..
Game play:
Much like the first one, but implemented a bit . As you are playing back-to-back as Chief and Arbiter, you'll notice some new features like a higher jump and some new weapons. I do miss the assault rifle from the first installment, but at least I had fun playing around with weapons like: M7/Caseles SMG and the Plasma Sword.
Enemies are as smart as they were from the first time. You'll even run into newer enemies along the way.
Another improvement is the level design, it doesn't seem so repetitive at certain points, unlike the first game.
Be warned, the game ends on a cliffhanger..
Graphics:
Much more polished and smooth than the first installment. The developers worked really hard to make the visuals much more better looking and the characters models and levels much more detailed.
Controls:
If you've played the first one, you know the controls by this point.
Music and Sound:
Music score is as beautiful as the first game and sound effects are a plus too.
Lasting Appeal:
Halo 2 is a technical achievement in graphics and storytelling. 10 out of 10.