IN-DEPTH REVIEW: a handful of great features prevent Halo 2 from being just another dull FPS.
Although the single-player game is short, it has pretty decent replay value thanks to the AI used. There are several different ways both allies and foes react when in battle which means there are several permutations available between every checkpoint. This is just as well as the maps are very, very generic. If it wasn't for the action the maps would seriously hinder the playability.
The story is dire. If it were better scripted and acted there might be less of a problem, but I have real issues empathising with a species whom you spend a greater part of the game blowing away. Did we really need sections where you play exclusively as a Covenant character? Again the story is something that is detrimental to the action.
Having limits on what you can carry and how much damage you can take works well though. It's good to be able to choose how you want to approach your enemy - you can choose to defeat them long-distance with rockets, grenades and sniper rifles, or you can plunge in and pick everyone off at close range. Both methods were used when I played the campaign, and although the maps aren't great there was plenty of cover available for either type of play. Bravo.
Although I bemoan the lack of health packs as it distracts from the strategy, only having to duck out of the way of enemy fire to get back to full shield strength means the action isn't broken up too much. This is especially true in the outstanding multiplayer modes. I've never been a big believer in online play as you tend to have a bad mix of clueless n00bs and obsessive veterans, but here the balance is pretty decent.
The control method is one of the best of any game, let alone the notoriously hard to master console FPS genre. The layout is so good I barely miss having a mouse and keyboard. It isn't too hard to get headshots in even without an auto-target system, which is important in the campaign and online. My only complaint is that you have to hold the left analog stick down to stay crouched. I'd rather click it in to crouch, aim and fire, click out then start running again. I found aiming crouched was harder than it should have been which is a shame as the accuracy of shots and recoil were decreased.
Load times are excellent. I think they're using some form of pre-buffering here as there are so few load times. It reminds me of God of War, in that it is so seamless and never detracts from the gameplay.
Graphics: 7
I rate the graphics as compared to other games of the same time period and console generation.
The frame rate is stable for the most part. The textures and bump-mapping work reasonably well, although there are times when you run into areas and the transition between low and high resolution texture is obvious enough to distract you from the action.
I've always enjoyed the fact that Master Chief is a clear foot taller than anyone else. This makes aiming and firing a more enjoyable proposition as you only have to shoot downwards unless you're attacking a huge target such as a Scarab. And it allows you plenty of scope to observe enemy re-enforcements coming in. I feel this was done from a graphical standpoint hence the mention here, not in the Gameplay section.
I think Deus Ex: Invisible War (an FPS released the year before) had better graphics than this. Although there were some framerate drops the textures and feel of the worlds were more immersive. It does look better in HD resolutions but some of the same problems persist, most of all the low-to-high resolution morphs.
Sound: 8
Without a doubt, the finest pieces of score for Halo 2 are to be found on the menu/title screens and cutscenes. They are uniformly excellent and match the script and feel to perfection, without being too obtrusive.
The music in the campaign doesn't fare so well. Occasionally it is possible for a game to move between musical genres without making things jarring, and while it isn't terribly jarring here the changes are certainly noticeable. When the rock tracks kick in, I think 'oh, they want me to connect my anger with the enemy here' and when the string score kicks in I think 'ah, it's supposed to make me think it's EPIC now.' None of the music is bad, it's just not put together as well as I'd like.
The sounds of violence fare better, though. Most of the weapons are satisfying to use thanks to the excellent sound. Play Halo 2 on a standard TV set and it'll sound great. Play it through a half-decent Dolby 5.1 system though, and it really kicks ass. The guns have a satisfying bass thump, the vehicles rumble more than the controller and the panning allows you to tell from which angle you're being outflanked from in a split-second.
Combined with the excellent control system mentioned earlier there are times you really are in the heat of battle. The alien voices are a little too gimmicky (especially the smaller, easier to dispatch ones) but I can overlook that because the weapons and atmospheric sounds are so good.
Value: 7
As mentioned before, I don't tend to play online too much as the disparity between players is so obvious most times you're better off sticking with the AI. But this is where the value is because the single player campaign is over in a flash. It still feels short even on the Legendary setting.
To take the sour taste out of your mouth, the mutliplayer setting is really strong. The modes integrate more seamlessly than the original Halo and as a result they're incredibly satisfying to use. They're so notable that I'd score the game more highly here, but I can't as it's clear a lot of the original Halo content has been recycled in all features of the game.
Tilt: 6
Recycled content, obvious graphical/audio shortcomings and a laughable campaign plot make the originality of Halo 2 endlessly debatable. Yes, even to this day there are features that haven't been stolen by every other FPS on the market, but some of them are few and far between. I for one feel the game could have had a few more scripted set-pieces to break up the monotony of the maps.
I don't tend to have issues with Gamespot reviews, but the one here feels as fixed as the Fox vs. La Motta fight of 1947. Despite the fact that 40% of the review criticises Halo 2 for many of the things I take issue with, the overall score is disproportionally high. I can't see how a game with clearly obvious technical flaws that distract you so often can get 9.4. To me, that means these kinds of flaws affect you only 6% of the time, when I personally feel myself distracted by the shortcomings around 30-40% of the time.
To break that down, for every hour of play I find myself griping over things for around 20 minutes. For a 'blockbuster' game for Microsoft's former 'flagship' system, this is unacceptably high, especially when other games on the XBOX with a smaller budget fare better.
Overall: 7
There are two main camps for this game. Those who have played the game to death and all but forgotten the shortcomings who score this 9 or 10. And there are those of us that feel, now that the hype has passed, this game isn't the classic it might have appeared to be at launch time. There is a reason why this review is nearly four years late, you know.
Halo 2 is by no means a terrible game. There are moments of true greatness - as immersive, addictive and well-executed as any other game I've played in the last 15 years. There are scenes that send the adrenaline flowing as if you were actually Master Chief himself. But there are some moments so appalling you might find yourself hurling the controller out of reach due to frustration.
So close, so far, overall no cigar. Halo 3 fares a little better.