P.C. Shannon

Three words: so much awesomeness. Seriously. It’s hard to beat dual-wielding plasma rifles for sheer ass-kicking power, although sneaking up behind a chump in multiplayer and nailing him with the power-sword is arguably cooler. The really amazing thing about this game is that exceeds expectations, and that’s no small order. Halo 2 is perhaps the most eagerly awaited sequel since Star Wars: Episode I, except this time we’ve got something great instead of a turd.

The plot is still outstanding. Twists and turns abound, but I won’t spoil it here. The events are a little difficult to follow, but I think it will make more sense the second time around. The action maintains a pretty furious pace, but it can be somewhat repetitive at times. It’s always frustrating when getting through an area is just a matter of trial-and-error development of a tactical approach to the situation, but thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often. At times, the game gets downright creepy, like you’ve suddenly jumped into a horror game. For example, you have to move through a hotel in an early stage, but the power is out. You know the Covenant are coming, but you don’t know when or where.

This edge-of-your-seat excitement is enhanced by the gorgeous graphics. I really considered just replaying the first couple of levels over and over because they’re so enjoyable. I did notice a slight delay in loading some textures in early cutscenes, but it was just a mild annoyance. The rest of the game runs hiccup-free, except for a slight bump when loading each stage. Gone are the long loading times between levels.

I haven’t played multiplayer on Xbox Live yet, so I can’t comment on that. But I did get a chance to check out multiplayer on System Link with some buddies. The pistol was the most powerful weapon, in mutliplayer at least, from the first Halo, but it has been substantially reduced in power for the current game. The maps are all fun and run about like before, but with better balance between weapons that helps keep one player from dominating. The vehicles are fun, too, since now you can drive the Wraith tank, Warthog variants, and a few other new additions. The missile launcher will lock onto vehicles, or you can always hijack one from your opponent. With the tanks, first you bash open the hatch, then toss a grenade inside. Like I said, so much awesomeness!