The Return of a Spartan
Introduction
Halo is a series that needs no introduction. Perhaps best known for reinvigorating the modern day first-person shooter for consoles, Halo is one of Microsoft's most successful franchises for the Xbox console line.
Because the original Halo: Combat Evolved was a critical and commercial success, it was inevitable that it would get a sequel. By 2004, after years of rampant speculation and hype, Halo 2 released for the original Xbox to glowing praise and high sales which cemented its place as the number 1 top-selling game for the system. It was also the most played online game for the Xbox Live service for 2 years after release.
Halo 2 was my first experience with the impressive world of Halo way back when. Because I recently got Halo: The Master Chief Collection, I decided to go back to this game and see what holds up and what doesn't. Here is my retrospective take on the classic Halo 2 on the original Xbox.
Positives
At its core, Halo has always been about shooting, bashing & throwing grenades at hordes of hostile alien creatures. There has since been a major improvement over several game mechanics between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2: One of the most prominent features is the ability to dual wield several one-handed weapons, which is gallantly displayed on the game's box art. Another prominent inclusion is the ability to play as an Elite commander referred to as The Arbiter, who appears in several of Halo 2's campaign levels.
Throughout the game's campaign, there's a good selection of memorable levels which take you from the war-torn city streets of Earth, to a large ancient ringworld and then a huge alien capital which serves as the headquarters of the Covenant. Some of my personal favourite levels in Halo 2 are Metropolis, Regret and Quarantine Zone just to name a few. There's a number of standout moments and amazing set-pieces that can be found in the campaign, as well as a few quotes popular within gaming subcultures.
Every game in the Halo series has amazing AI and this one is no exception. Allied troopers are quite beneficial and provide good cover for you when they can provide it - they will also attempt to keep away from friendly fire and communicate well with other teammates. The opposing AI you will face is also quite intelligent during combat, significantly the Covenant's main enemy types.
I can't really speak on the Xbox Live service for Halo 2 because the online servers for the original Xbox have been shut down for quite some time now. I will say that the influence Halo 2 had on online multiplayer first-person shooters had influenced other titles like Battlefield and Call of Duty. The social aspect of playing with other people from across the world is a great charm, and we have to thank Halo 2 for bringing that into the mainstream for console users.
Graphically, Halo 2 is a major improvement over the previous game and is quite possibly the best-looking game on original Xbox hardware. The visuals on display reminded me of Doom 3 but brighter and with far more appeal. There is little to no difference between in-engine cutscenes and gameplay, and everything looks consistent for the most part.
The soundtrack of Halo 2 is nothing short of iconic, there's plenty of tracks synonymous with the Halo series that came directly from this game. Some of the best songs include Ghosts of Reach, The Last Spartan, Mombasa Suite, Unyielding, and of course Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin.
Negatives
Simply put, Halo 2 is a refined experience that came out technically unfinished. A lot of planned ideas and concepts never made it into the final game, and it shows to a certain degree. I don't want to spoil anything incremental, but the story sort of just ends just when things were about to get interesting. This meant that the sequel had a tall order to fill, which it was able to successfully pull off. It seems to me that Bungie was forced to rush Halo 2 out by Microsoft to meet a deadline in order to be sold for the holidays, but this does not mean that Halo 2 is unplayable.
Admittedly, I wasn't particularly keen on Halo 2's plot. Don't worry, I will not get into major spoilers. The main vocal point of the story which was advertised extensively is that Earth is under attack; the tagline "Earth Will Never Be The Same" was displayed on the game's box and in trailers. Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of Earth or the streets of New Mombasa in this game aside from within two campaign missions. We did eventually get to see more of the battle on Earth with sequels Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.
Conclusion
Halo 2 is quint-essential blockbuster entertainment. A drastic improvement over the original in many ways, Halo 2 is wondrous and invigorating in almost every department. That's why I give Halo 2 an 8/10.
Recommended for:
I would recommend this game for people who enjoy first-person shooter games, are fans of either the Halo series or Xbox in general. If you own an original Xbox, then it's advisable that you get this game and try it out.
My recommended pricing for this game would have to be somewhere around £5. Since Halo 2 is one of the best-selling games for the original Xbox, I can't advise a price higher than the average.