"Halo 2" had me rather excited at first glance: while I had felt that the original game, "Halo: Combat Evolved," had shown a little bit of its age, I still enjoyed it quite a bit, and a lot of people had been telling me that "Halo 2" was easily the best one in the franchise. And, well, it's a bit too early to answer that here because I still have a whole three games left to discuss, but nonetheless, "Halo 2" definitely improves on the first one.
"Halo 2" retains the fun gameplay and fluid controls of the first game. It still feels as smooth as ever, and though some of the changes are minuscule, getting to finally use the Energy Sword was neat. Let's also not forget how game-changing "Halo 2" was for online multiplayer. If nothing else, it definitely revolutionized in that regard. Also, the game's story even has a cool dynamic by allowing you to switch between controlling Master Chief and the Covenant. Having that ability to switch between the two sides definitely made the story more interesting to me, and while some were frustrated by the cliffhanger ending, I think it was rather satisfying. Beyond that, the presentation has been made so much better: the audio is once again wonderful, but the visual design has been improved immensely, and having played the "Halo 2: Anniversary" edition on the Xbox One, the facelift definitely makes the game look better. What's more impressive, though, is that the old visuals look like they haven't aged a day, and they still look rather good. The cutscenes are also extremely cinematic and wonderful to look at, and all in all, the game packs quite a punch.
Unfortunately, I'm still not finding "Halo" to be a 10 out of 10 experience with this game, and it's not because the campaign is too short (I thought it was satisfying enough with its length). I think my big issue that's holding the game back is that, while it was revolutionary for its multiplayer and was still fun to play, I have some qualms with the campaign. These range from the somewhat repetitive level design (it was sometimes hard to tell that I was playing a different mission or in a different level because some of the maps looked so similar) to the fact that, while it's still a joy to play, "Halo 2" doesn't do a whole lot different from the first game. Where the first game revolutionized in its general gameplay, "Halo 2" merely sticks within the formula and makes only minuscule changes, resulting in a game that is still a blast, but not quite boundary-pushing for a sequel.
Still, though, "Halo 2" is a pretty amazing adventure, and it's certainly a sequel that improves on the previous title nicely. Sure, it's not an entirely new experience like the first one was, but the extra polish ultimately leads to a very well-made FPS title that has certainly earned its distinction as one of the Xbox's best.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"