'Halo 2' lives up to expectations
By Julius Pecson
Special to The Advertiser
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| The Verdict: Five (outstanding) |
Video games are different. Madden Football, for example, steps it up each year by adding new twists without getting away from the original concept.
Gamers look forward to sequels, and if you're looking for a sure-fire hit this holiday season, look no further than "Halo 2." For many gamers, this is the most anticipated game of 2004.
It doesn't disappoint.
Developed by Bungie and Microsoft, the first-person action-shooter was released last week, topping $125 million in sales.
The game's biggest addition is the ability to play online with Xbox Live. One to four can play through the console, while two to 16 can link online.
Through Live, the game will support up to 16 players on teams in death-matches, capture-the-flag, and more, utilizing a revolutionary online setup. It's rated "mature," for blood and violence.
Here's an outline, to let you know what you're getting into:
The premise: With the annihilation of the alien ring-world Halo at the hands of super soldier Master Chief, "Halo 2" picks up more or less where the original game left off.
As Master Chief heads back to earth, the Covenant commander held directly responsible for Halo's destruction is spared a torturous death in favor of a religious journey of martyrdom. What follows is an epic narrative, full of twists and surprises, as a fight for the galaxy ensues.
Game play: While the engaging story seems to be the focus of attention, "Halo 2" is still all about sensory-overload action. Building on the strengths of the first game, one of the welcomed features includes a host of new weapons, ranging from sub-machine guns to the coveted Covenant energy sword. The ability to dual-wield certain weapons at once kicks both the intensity and strategy up a notch, as does the addition of vehicle-jacking. If an enemy vehicle gets too close you can rip, punch, or straight up drop-kick them out of the cockpit and take over. All vehicles can now be utilized, and considering how powerful the vehicles can be, hijacking can completely turn the tide of a battle.
As compelling as the campaign is, the key factor with "Halo" has always been the multiplayer game. In addition to new maps and a few revised old ones, there are several new modes available. Some of the types returning are "Slayer," "Capture the Flag," "King of the Hill" and "Oddball."
New variants include "Territories," in which you must control a number of different areas on a map to gain time to win, while the "Assault" mode has you taking a bomb to the opposing team's base to plant and arm it, much like Counter Strike.
The good/bad: The core experience is left intact, but everything is bigger and better than before. With the controls still tight, and the AI still extraordinary, the developers focused on providing a much more cinematic experience while maintaining attention to detail.
The generous use of extended cinema sequences punctuates its gorgeous graphics and glorious sounds. The environments look particularly lush and otherworldly, although the repetitive interior level design that plagued the original repeats in the sequel.
Some parts can lead to situations where you're left wondering where you need to proceed next. At times — particularly indoors — everything in front of you looks identical to what's directly behind you, making it easy to become mixed up. It's ultimately a negligible fault, but one still worth mentioning.
A positive aspect carried over is the amazing musical score. Every piece of music in the game fits perfectly, from the quiet strings during the slow moments to the rocking guitar that kicks in the midst of combat.
The voice acting, in particular, is top notch, and the audio effects drop you right in the thick of battle.
Many times you'll stumble upon full-scale throw-downs between the brutes and the elites. You can choose to sit back and watch the spectacle of the two factions wiping each other out or join the fray.
What's more, battles never replay the same way, especially in the more challenging levels. With intelligent foes and allies in the field, choosing the best weapons to wield adds yet another bit of strategy.
Any bumps in the road in the single-player adventure melt within the multiplayer experience. Up to 16 players can hammer on each other via splitscreen, system link, or Xbox Live, and the experience is unrivaled on any console.
Kicking people and stealing vehicles never gets old, and fighting over the sought-after energy sword is always intense. With custom options galore, a robust online community, and news of downloadable maps in the future, the multiplayer will keep this in your Xbox for quite a while.
Tips: A bonus multiplayer map, "Foundation," can be unlocked by beating the single-player campaign on any difficulty level. However, a glitch (and major flaw!) has prevented some people from unlocking the map as it was originally intended. An easy way to do this, assuming you've already beaten the campaign, is to create a new profile and begin a co-op game on the last level with the newly-created profile as the second player.
When you reach a section where you fly a Banshee, the new profile must perform a barrel roll from both sides (left+A and right+A) and a loop-the-loop (down+A). Finish the campaign and the new profile can access the Foundation map.
My take: Having an Xbox without "Halo 2" is like living in Hawai'i without a pair of rubbah slippahs. Doesn't make sense. This game, surprisingly lives up to its lofty expectations. It is a classic and a definite "must buy" for any gamer, period.
The verdict: 5 out of 5
Julius Pecson, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime gamer, reviews games on various consoles for The Honolulu Advertiser. His reviews usually appear in the TGIF section every other week. Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.
