A truly great game and good story, though a few things were missing; the return of the Master Chief was excellent.
Sure, Halo 2 is still a great shooter in terms of AI, sound, and graphics, but it lacked the elements that made the original a classic. First of all, the absence of the assault rifle, one of the most favorite weapons of Halo, was inexcusable. The same carries for the original pistol.
Making the sequel with new weapons gave the story a boost, showing how technology had changed, but the wondeful fell of the aforementioned two weapons was missed.
Dont think that means the gameplay is terrible. Everything else you loved about Halo is back. The pesky health bars and health packs have been dropped and replaced with a rapid-charge shield. The controls are seamless again, but we all still miss the assault rifle and pistol.
The graphics, AI and sound blend well. The charring flak of a plasma grenade leaves walls scarred. The Elited scream as a plasma grenade latches onto him and he makes his final charge at you.
Everything is so real in those combat situations, though the environment isn't much to look at without guns charring it black.
Some complain that the story is disappointing. I disagree. The Halo 2 story is excellent, and sets up the series for the finale in Halo 3. The enemy Covenant splits into two factions by race, and occasionally you will play as a Covenant soldier, the Arbiter, to battle in this fight. Master Chief is on Earth, but is quickly whisked away to another Halo ring, where the Flood, the alien parasite, is loose once more.
As Chief battles to stop the Flood and Covenant, and the Arbiter battles to protect it, the truth will come to light, and the Covenan't deception will be revealed...