Before I started playing Halo 2, I decided to look up its development history, and I found out some pretty interesting stuff.
The folks over at Bungie wanted to not just improve on what had been established with the 1st game, but also to bring in a lot of new ideas and concepts to the table. To triple everything!
But the devs bit off more than they could chew, and the game went through a bunch of changes during its dev time, with a lack of focus during most of it. The game suffered many delays as a result.
With all of that being said, it's a fucking miracle Halo 2 turned out as great as it did!
Now, it's not free from issues, but I had a lot of fun with this title, and it improves on everything that Halo 1 offered!
The plot tackles many more themes than last time, ranging from politics to religion. We see more of the Covenant alien species this time around, and hear them interact with each other.
And this also adds to the fact that there's a 2nd playable character who's from the Covenant, the Arbiter!
And that leads me into the gameplay. You'll alternate between Master Chief and the Arbiter throughout the game, especially when you pass the first third of the game. They don't play much differently from each other, except Master Chieft has a flashlight, and the Arbiter has a temporary camoflauge system.
The biggest new addition to the game, however, is that you can now dual-wield weapons! Of course, if you wanna use a grenade, you will have to put down your left weapon to throw it, but you can easily pick it back up afterwards. Not all weapons can be dual-wield, but many of them do.
It's crazy how such a simple addition can make a game more fun!
There are also some new weapons like the Spartan Sword, which are really fun to use! And the vehicles are also back, and they control better too! The Warthog didn't feel as slippery as before, and the new vehicles are just fun to use... except the tank, that one was a bit too slow for my liking.
At least you only use it in one level.
The overall level design has also seen a significant boost! I criticized Halo 1 for having a lot of empty space, and Halo 2 fixes that by being very no non-sense.
Sometimes you do have to stop for some enemies to appear, and at the beginning of the game, it was a bit annoying. But as you go through the game, you find less and less of those situations, which I appreciate.
The variety of environments, too, is also a big step up from last time! There's a lot to see and to explore, and there were some part where I found the game to be gorgeous!
And this is from 2004!
On the topic of presentation, this game also very much improves on that. Human character models are way more detailed and expressive, and don't feel as dated as last time. I will say that the Alien character models weren't super great, but I do appreciate some of the detail on their models.
The voice acting is also stellar, with the Arbiter being voiced by Keith David, who does an excellent job!
I do think that the game's lighting system is not the best. Like, most places that have light in them are just fine, but when it's dark, it's really dark. The few times that I did get lost, it was because I couldn't see shit. The Arbiter not having a flashlight made it worse.
Although since I was playing Halo 2: Anniversary, I could temporarily go to the modern graphics, and see that the lighting was better. Then I would switch back to the old graphics, once I found my way, so that the game would run smoother on my PC.
All in all, while Halo 2 is not perfect, it was a really fun first-person shooter, that I'm glad I got to play!
Not sure if I'll be able to play Halo 3, but I want to, one day, finish the fight!
The folks over at Bungie wanted to not just improve on what had been established with the 1st game, but also to bring in a lot of new ideas and concepts to the table. To triple everything!
But the devs bit off more than they could chew, and the game went through a bunch of changes during its dev time, with a lack of focus during most of it. The game suffered many delays as a result.
With all of that being said, it's a fucking miracle Halo 2 turned out as great as it did!
Now, it's not free from issues, but I had a lot of fun with this title, and it improves on everything that Halo 1 offered!
The plot tackles many more themes than last time, ranging from politics to religion. We see more of the Covenant alien species this time around, and hear them interact with each other.
And this also adds to the fact that there's a 2nd playable character who's from the Covenant, the Arbiter!
And that leads me into the gameplay. You'll alternate between Master Chief and the Arbiter throughout the game, especially when you pass the first third of the game. They don't play much differently from each other, except Master Chieft has a flashlight, and the Arbiter has a temporary camoflauge system.
The biggest new addition to the game, however, is that you can now dual-wield weapons! Of course, if you wanna use a grenade, you will have to put down your left weapon to throw it, but you can easily pick it back up afterwards. Not all weapons can be dual-wield, but many of them do.
It's crazy how such a simple addition can make a game more fun!
There are also some new weapons like the Spartan Sword, which are really fun to use! And the vehicles are also back, and they control better too! The Warthog didn't feel as slippery as before, and the new vehicles are just fun to use... except the tank, that one was a bit too slow for my liking.
At least you only use it in one level.
The overall level design has also seen a significant boost! I criticized Halo 1 for having a lot of empty space, and Halo 2 fixes that by being very no non-sense.
Sometimes you do have to stop for some enemies to appear, and at the beginning of the game, it was a bit annoying. But as you go through the game, you find less and less of those situations, which I appreciate.
The variety of environments, too, is also a big step up from last time! There's a lot to see and to explore, and there were some part where I found the game to be gorgeous!
And this is from 2004!
On the topic of presentation, this game also very much improves on that. Human character models are way more detailed and expressive, and don't feel as dated as last time. I will say that the Alien character models weren't super great, but I do appreciate some of the detail on their models.
The voice acting is also stellar, with the Arbiter being voiced by Keith David, who does an excellent job!
I do think that the game's lighting system is not the best. Like, most places that have light in them are just fine, but when it's dark, it's really dark. The few times that I did get lost, it was because I couldn't see shit. The Arbiter not having a flashlight made it worse.
Although since I was playing Halo 2: Anniversary, I could temporarily go to the modern graphics, and see that the lighting was better. Then I would switch back to the old graphics, once I found my way, so that the game would run smoother on my PC.
All in all, while Halo 2 is not perfect, it was a really fun first-person shooter, that I'm glad I got to play!
Not sure if I'll be able to play Halo 3, but I want to, one day, finish the fight!
I'll keep this one short and sweet: Halo 2, for the most part, was a great improvement upon the already pretty fun model from CE and touched up many of the more sketchy aspects of the original. The alien weapons for some reason felt a lot more fun to abuse this time around; the Beam Rifle, the carbine, and the fuel rod guns are just satsfying to use to pick off and blast away at hordes of enemies. Halo 2 also has the clear advantage over the original in that I can actually drive vehicles this time around with the far improved controls! And of course, it's a lot of fun playing as the Arbiter and turning invisible to sneak up on enemies before hacking them to shreds with the energy sword.
That said, it's still Halo 2, so I ran into tons of jank from strange vehicle physics (particularly from the Ghost), some select sections of scourges of Beam Rifle aliens tearing me down before I had a chance to react, and some general frustration fighting up front brutes that just didn't seem to be downed while in rampage mode no matter how many shots they took, just to name a few. Oh, and there was this one part in the final mission where we were trying to free our comrades but one of our AI buddies kicked a piece of scenery directly in front of the jail cell so it took over a minute to free the other AI, that was pretty funny. The major complaint here perhaps, is that many of the missions start you off with the subpar plasma rifle and the extremely nerfed and generally terrible plasma pistol, so it can be a bit of an uphill battle for the first half of the mission or so getting past enemies until you manage to scrounge some better weapons from weapon caches or corpses.
All in all, this was a pretty fun time on Heroic with a friend online, and the improvements to the graphics over the original Halo (they don't look like polygonal models from Half Life with mouths pasted on anymore. Huzzah!) + the fantastic soundtrack are always a plus. Just be warned that co-op can feel a bit scuffed at times, and we had to almost exclusively avoid using the tank because it kept crashing the co-op session every time the tanks would interact with the Ghosts.
That said, it's still Halo 2, so I ran into tons of jank from strange vehicle physics (particularly from the Ghost), some select sections of scourges of Beam Rifle aliens tearing me down before I had a chance to react, and some general frustration fighting up front brutes that just didn't seem to be downed while in rampage mode no matter how many shots they took, just to name a few. Oh, and there was this one part in the final mission where we were trying to free our comrades but one of our AI buddies kicked a piece of scenery directly in front of the jail cell so it took over a minute to free the other AI, that was pretty funny. The major complaint here perhaps, is that many of the missions start you off with the subpar plasma rifle and the extremely nerfed and generally terrible plasma pistol, so it can be a bit of an uphill battle for the first half of the mission or so getting past enemies until you manage to scrounge some better weapons from weapon caches or corpses.
All in all, this was a pretty fun time on Heroic with a friend online, and the improvements to the graphics over the original Halo (they don't look like polygonal models from Half Life with mouths pasted on anymore. Huzzah!) + the fantastic soundtrack are always a plus. Just be warned that co-op can feel a bit scuffed at times, and we had to almost exclusively avoid using the tank because it kept crashing the co-op session every time the tanks would interact with the Ghosts.
outside of the ABHORRENT legendary difficulty balancing and dumb and unfun boss fights (and that FUCKING elevator sequence in one of the flood missions holy fuck why is it so LONG), this game is a true sequel to halo ce and expands upon everything in such a beautiful way that it makes a grown ass man want to cry.
i guess the ending kinda sucked lol but it's not an actual issue in 2020 since it only sucked due to it being a cliffhanger and halo 3 is right there available on multiple platforms now
i guess the ending kinda sucked lol but it's not an actual issue in 2020 since it only sucked due to it being a cliffhanger and halo 3 is right there available on multiple platforms now
Master Chief is back.... with TWO High Definition guns
fares better than Combat Evolved as a game itself and as a remaster in an assortment of ways. still, both games were clearly rushed in the end and this one doesn't have anything that reaches the heights of The Silent Cartographer in its mission list.
i really enjoyed the Arbiter portions of the story in terms of overall lore expansions and wuch with it being the first time i felt interested on a serious level. unfortunately, those levels were among my least favorite in the game. they frequently reminded me of the worst of CE's late portion.
still enjoying my time with these and looking forward to hopping onwards to 3.
i really enjoyed the Arbiter portions of the story in terms of overall lore expansions and wuch with it being the first time i felt interested on a serious level. unfortunately, those levels were among my least favorite in the game. they frequently reminded me of the worst of CE's late portion.
still enjoying my time with these and looking forward to hopping onwards to 3.
Games a bit stuttery on Xbox Series S for some reason, and has the longest load times I've seen on the platform yet
Still owns
Still owns
sometimes a really hype song is playing and then I switch to old graphics and its just
silence
you should try it sometime, if you ever want to make an Epic Mood become a Funny One
silence
you should try it sometime, if you ever want to make an Epic Mood become a Funny One
Worth playing for the updated cutscenes alone.
It was good to see them not following the trend set by Combat Evolved of backtracking the same area multiple times. Also they really cooked with the cutscenes, the CGI/animation of the cutscenes definitely felt movie calibre. They could've actually made an animated series/movie out of those cutscenes instead of the live action Halo.The actual game looks good too but then doesn't really match the visual tone/quality set by the cutscenes, so it felt like watching 2 different things. The gameplay was really fun, had a lot of diverse setpieces/encounters but it did feel hard to navigate stuff on heroic difficulty, also frustrating at times with the poor checkpoint system and bullet sponginess. I can't really vouch for this being the best among the series, so far Reach and 3 are tied at that for me.
Halo 2: Anniversary is a stunning experience that felt like Combat Evolved plus. The dual narratives and lore elements rocked. The level design felt more inspired and varied. And, of course, the gunplay is as good as one would expect from Halo. A terrific first-person shooter that could've benefited from less spongy enemies and a more sensible checkpoint system. In the grand scale of things though, Halo 2's issues don't even come close to affecting the game's overall quality.
Sentimentos mistos. Superficialmente, é mais polido, variado e com melhor ritmo que o primeiro Halo, mantendo e melhorando seus pontos fortes — personagens carismáticos, direção de arte deslumbrante, gunplay fenomenal, etc. O único "regresso" fica por conta do world design. Combat Evolved dava ao jogador pelo menos um módico de tiquinho de liberdade, com mapas relativamente abertos ligando suas missões. Halo 2 é bem mais linear nesse quesito.
Só um detalhe assim pequeno não faz tanta diferença, certo? Exceto que a fórmula de Halo era coesa e amarradinha o suficiente para que a remoção de qualquer um de seus elementos afeta vários outros. Sem essa módica liberdade de movimentação, o papel e o impacto dos veículos fica completamente reduzido. Eles deixam de ser ferramentas úteis para travessia do terreno e exploração e viram simples armas grandes que você usa em determinados momentos para explodir inimigos. O level design também é afetado um pouco. Eu senti que os níveis estavam um tanto desconectados do mundo, e a arquitetura dos lugares nem sempre faz muito sentido.
Em compensação, Halo 2 é mais "cinemático". Tanto sua estrutura narrativa quanto os setpieces em que você joga evocam e fazem uso explícito de vários tropos de ficção científica e militar, de uma forma bem mais contundente que seu antecessor. Tudo parece mais "épico", digamos assim, o que cria uma campanha singleplayer bem divertida do início ao fim.
No geral é uma experiência melhor que o primeiro Halo, com qualidade consistente do início ao fim, mas ainda acho a primeira metade de Combat Evolved a melhor performance da série. Vejamos o que o resto da franquia me reserva.
Só um detalhe assim pequeno não faz tanta diferença, certo? Exceto que a fórmula de Halo era coesa e amarradinha o suficiente para que a remoção de qualquer um de seus elementos afeta vários outros. Sem essa módica liberdade de movimentação, o papel e o impacto dos veículos fica completamente reduzido. Eles deixam de ser ferramentas úteis para travessia do terreno e exploração e viram simples armas grandes que você usa em determinados momentos para explodir inimigos. O level design também é afetado um pouco. Eu senti que os níveis estavam um tanto desconectados do mundo, e a arquitetura dos lugares nem sempre faz muito sentido.
Em compensação, Halo 2 é mais "cinemático". Tanto sua estrutura narrativa quanto os setpieces em que você joga evocam e fazem uso explícito de vários tropos de ficção científica e militar, de uma forma bem mais contundente que seu antecessor. Tudo parece mais "épico", digamos assim, o que cria uma campanha singleplayer bem divertida do início ao fim.
No geral é uma experiência melhor que o primeiro Halo, com qualidade consistente do início ao fim, mas ainda acho a primeira metade de Combat Evolved a melhor performance da série. Vejamos o que o resto da franquia me reserva.
I do feel the need to bring this up before I actually talk about the gameplay itself, but Halo 2 anniversary is horribly unoptimized. I played it on Series X via the Master Chief Collection and it was a decently pleasant time but the game has some really noticeable camera stuttering. I thought it was framerate issues at first but the more I looked into it, the more it didn't seem to be the case, and it was pretty distracting. Lighting issues are also present. It seems like these are both problems on 343’s end that we’re just gonna have to wait for them to fix (if they’re ever gonna do it lol).
Halo 2 is a relatively decent time I find. Definitely a step up from Halo 1 in many regards. For one, the level design is nowhere NEAR as repetitive. You never do the same thing or see the same location for too long, things keep moving and the locations level design and environments are varied. Combat is also much snappier, everything feels faster from the shooting to the melee attack. The dual wielding mechanic is pretty unique and offers some fun interesting combinations in specific situations. The new weapons are also a ton of fun, the energy sword obviously getting the spotlight but I also really loved the beam rifle, covenant carbine and the sentinel beam. Vehicles also were improved, much faster and the ability to hijack another vehicle and use it for yourself is a great addition. The covenant Arbiter missions are kinda eh in my opinion but towards the end I found using the camouflage ability to be quite exhilarating and began to use it in more strategic tactical ways.
Unfortunately while there are many improvements made, it seems it still shares Halo 1’s issues of levels not knowing when to actually end. The Arbiter missions get the worst of this, the levels are more varied than before which is great but they still tend to drag on and on. The beginning missions get the worst of it but it tends to get a bit better the further you go in. I’m also on and off about the idea of making the Chief the equivalent of a glass pigeon, basically only having your shield and nothing else. It can add a layer of excitement at times as you go in and get as many picks as you can before it breaks but that also means chances are you’ll be hiding behind cover a lot more often with how fast it goes down
Still a decent game overall, just nothing amazing. Super looking forward to Halo 3 and my replay of Halo Reach
Halo 2 is a relatively decent time I find. Definitely a step up from Halo 1 in many regards. For one, the level design is nowhere NEAR as repetitive. You never do the same thing or see the same location for too long, things keep moving and the locations level design and environments are varied. Combat is also much snappier, everything feels faster from the shooting to the melee attack. The dual wielding mechanic is pretty unique and offers some fun interesting combinations in specific situations. The new weapons are also a ton of fun, the energy sword obviously getting the spotlight but I also really loved the beam rifle, covenant carbine and the sentinel beam. Vehicles also were improved, much faster and the ability to hijack another vehicle and use it for yourself is a great addition. The covenant Arbiter missions are kinda eh in my opinion but towards the end I found using the camouflage ability to be quite exhilarating and began to use it in more strategic tactical ways.
Unfortunately while there are many improvements made, it seems it still shares Halo 1’s issues of levels not knowing when to actually end. The Arbiter missions get the worst of this, the levels are more varied than before which is great but they still tend to drag on and on. The beginning missions get the worst of it but it tends to get a bit better the further you go in. I’m also on and off about the idea of making the Chief the equivalent of a glass pigeon, basically only having your shield and nothing else. It can add a layer of excitement at times as you go in and get as many picks as you can before it breaks but that also means chances are you’ll be hiding behind cover a lot more often with how fast it goes down
Still a decent game overall, just nothing amazing. Super looking forward to Halo 3 and my replay of Halo Reach
- O -
Que cosa tan buena es este juego, tiene todo lo del halo 2 original y una version mejorada graficamente.
No hay mucho que decir, solo que es uno de esos juegos 10/10 por la historía, musica gameplay.
Como me gusta el poder controlar a ambos protas y mirar las cosas desde otro punto de vista, aparte de que tiene muy buen nivel de difficultad
Que cosa tan buena es este juego, tiene todo lo del halo 2 original y una version mejorada graficamente.
No hay mucho que decir, solo que es uno de esos juegos 10/10 por la historía, musica gameplay.
Como me gusta el poder controlar a ambos protas y mirar las cosas desde otro punto de vista, aparte de que tiene muy buen nivel de difficultad
halo 2 arbiter
Peak halo only rivaled by Reach and ODST. Now remastered immaculately.
cortana could say some marvel quip shit like "uh oh... he's right behind me isn't he" and i would eat it up like chicken dinner yes queen you're so funny
Melhor que Combat Evolved em cada linha de aspecto, tendo um ritmo sensacional. Apesar de ter mais missões que o primeiro, Halo 2 é bem mais curto, sem se arrastar desnecessáriamente com trechos inúteis e backtracking pra alongar o tempo de jogo, tendo missões mais curtas e dinâmicas.
O gunplay refinado com quase o triplo do arsenal do primeiro dão ao jogo uma variedade absurda, com o dual wield sendo a cereja do bolo, é super divertido experimentar as diversas combinações. Nada a reclamar quanto ao gameplay, apenas os trechos em veicúlos que continuo achando bem chato.
A história dessa vez é muito boa, logo de cara a introdução a novos personagens é algo extremamente positivo. No primeiro jogo era apenas Chief e Deus, entendo que por um lado construiu sua mística de soldado lendário, ou melhor ''dêmonio'', mas era uma narrativa bem básica que apesar do bom world building, não tinha grandes momentos. Aqui não, a história realmente passa a sensação de ''high stakes'' sendo bem bacana tendo até momentos cinematográficos. O foco maior nos Covenants foi bem legal e claro, a inclusão do Árbitro, que achei um personagem muito bom e ele sendo jogável intercalando com o Chief foi uma grata supresa.
Achei o primeiro jogo bacana, já Halo 2 achei um jogo genuinamente bom, sem nada muito agravante que tenha prejudicado a experiência. Eu sinceramente preferi sua abordagem mais linear, tendo me perdido muito menos em saber onde ir ou ficando entediado pelas longas duracões das missões. Espero que o Halo 3 siga essa mesma linha e graças a Deus não precisarei esperar anos pra jogar
ele depois de um cliffhanger daqueles jogado na minha cara.
O gunplay refinado com quase o triplo do arsenal do primeiro dão ao jogo uma variedade absurda, com o dual wield sendo a cereja do bolo, é super divertido experimentar as diversas combinações. Nada a reclamar quanto ao gameplay, apenas os trechos em veicúlos que continuo achando bem chato.
A história dessa vez é muito boa, logo de cara a introdução a novos personagens é algo extremamente positivo. No primeiro jogo era apenas Chief e Deus, entendo que por um lado construiu sua mística de soldado lendário, ou melhor ''dêmonio'', mas era uma narrativa bem básica que apesar do bom world building, não tinha grandes momentos. Aqui não, a história realmente passa a sensação de ''high stakes'' sendo bem bacana tendo até momentos cinematográficos. O foco maior nos Covenants foi bem legal e claro, a inclusão do Árbitro, que achei um personagem muito bom e ele sendo jogável intercalando com o Chief foi uma grata supresa.
Achei o primeiro jogo bacana, já Halo 2 achei um jogo genuinamente bom, sem nada muito agravante que tenha prejudicado a experiência. Eu sinceramente preferi sua abordagem mais linear, tendo me perdido muito menos em saber onde ir ou ficando entediado pelas longas duracões das missões. Espero que o Halo 3 siga essa mesma linha e graças a Deus não precisarei esperar anos pra jogar
ele depois de um cliffhanger daqueles jogado na minha cara.
A massive improvement over CE, this game is a fantastic experience up until the last few missions for me, where I feel the game falls off a bit. Dual wielding adds a lot to the combat, and the new gun variety is great. The final boss (well all the bosses) is shit, and the ending is pretty abrupt. I guess today you can jump straight into Halo 3, but the ending as a whole is a terrible cliffhanger.
Great game, but flawed.
Great game, but flawed.
If CE Anniversary was like Majora's Mask 3D, Halo 2A is more like Ocarina of Time 3D.
Instead of ruining the aesthetic and vibe like 343's previous remake, this does nothing but improve the Halo 2 campaign. The weapon balancing is still worse than CE and Halo 3, there are some multiplayer changes to the original that I could do without, and sniper Jackals are ruthless as ever, but I had a great time with a co-op playthrough on Heroic!
Instead of ruining the aesthetic and vibe like 343's previous remake, this does nothing but improve the Halo 2 campaign. The weapon balancing is still worse than CE and Halo 3, there are some multiplayer changes to the original that I could do without, and sniper Jackals are ruthless as ever, but I had a great time with a co-op playthrough on Heroic!
lindo, amor da minha vida, minha namorada virtual
Masterpiece
I have to assume all the glowing reviews are for the multiplayer because the campaign is just short of abysmal. Repetitive environments to the point where I once actually returned to the beginning of a level because I couldn't tell which way was forward,
both the Flood and Covenant get a new late-game enemy in the form of a hyper-agile bullet sponge which is just no fun to fight,
as a result of that grenades are no longer for clearing out infantry but instead for easily one-shotting heavy enemies,
and a final boss that I beat by complete accident. Still don't know how the fight was meant to go. The campaign has problems communicating with the player the whole way through. Like the time you enter a room where you have to kill all the enemies and Cortana says "let's sit this fight out."
Anyway, the story. I think there's a really interesting comparison to be made between Halo 2 (2004) and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). I mean that in both the positive and negative ways. They both go for a dual-protagonist structure juxtaposing two aspects of the story (interesting! good!), and they both get mired down in the politics of their factions (not inherently bad but poorly executed on both fronts!). I think I would rather take Lucas's hokey dialogue than the grandoise nothingness the Covenant leaders spout.
And speaking of the early 2000s, how about those marines? How about Johnson? I said "factions" in the plural earlier but the humans seem to be pretty unified on everything. How about the Aliens, waging a holy war with their... weapons of mass destruction? Is this a stretch? I don't think it's much of a stretch.
I want to keep going but honestly, the comparison to the Star Wars prequels says enough. About the game sure, but mostly about me.
both the Flood and Covenant get a new late-game enemy in the form of a hyper-agile bullet sponge which is just no fun to fight,
as a result of that grenades are no longer for clearing out infantry but instead for easily one-shotting heavy enemies,
and a final boss that I beat by complete accident. Still don't know how the fight was meant to go. The campaign has problems communicating with the player the whole way through. Like the time you enter a room where you have to kill all the enemies and Cortana says "let's sit this fight out."
Anyway, the story. I think there's a really interesting comparison to be made between Halo 2 (2004) and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). I mean that in both the positive and negative ways. They both go for a dual-protagonist structure juxtaposing two aspects of the story (interesting! good!), and they both get mired down in the politics of their factions (not inherently bad but poorly executed on both fronts!). I think I would rather take Lucas's hokey dialogue than the grandoise nothingness the Covenant leaders spout.
And speaking of the early 2000s, how about those marines? How about Johnson? I said "factions" in the plural earlier but the humans seem to be pretty unified on everything. How about the Aliens, waging a holy war with their... weapons of mass destruction? Is this a stretch? I don't think it's much of a stretch.
I want to keep going but honestly, the comparison to the Star Wars prequels says enough. About the game sure, but mostly about me.
A year off between playing the first third and finishing the rest didn't do this game any justice. Its weird mix of hoorah US military sensationalism and goofy sci-fi jibber jabber really confounds me. I kind of understood the appeal of the first one but this just feels like one of those movies they mock on Mystery Science Theatre. And the shooting and guns are all woeful. I don't know, man. It's just so bland and unappealing to me. Some of the art in the updated anniversary edition is neat, I guess. Kinda DMT-esque.
I'd like to add this next part for me, as it is a journal entry of sorts.
I started this in October 2021 with the intent to plough through the whole series. But I met someone online while playing it, and this new friend, she slowly helped to pull me out of my depression. Subsequently, however, this game and series got smeared with the unfortunate association of ... well, all my sadness and dark thoughts. I couldn't play it without thinking of my first time meeting her, and even though that should he a happy association, my mind would drift directly to the feelings I had leading up to that (all of which were deeply negative). It inevitably took over a year for me to come to terms with the fact that I'm better off now than I was back then, that I no longer have to let the loneliness I felt then dictate my life now (and especially as my friendship grew and evolved and remains one of the more stable things in my life, that there no longer remains any doubts of losing that is a huge boost to my self-esteem).
I didn't think this was a very good game but the act of returning to and finishing it is actually one of my proudest gaming moments of 2022, as it's a mental block I didn't think I'd get over (just three months ago I was staying with my friend and crying in their living room while they went out, as I thought back on how I got from playing Halo 2 to having the road trip of my lifetime; crying because at the time of starting Halo 2 I didn't really imagine myself being alive a year from then let alone enjoying myself so much).
This is a weirdly personal game for me. A lot of heavy, unrelated emotion tied to it. Shame it sucked.
I'd like to add this next part for me, as it is a journal entry of sorts.
I started this in October 2021 with the intent to plough through the whole series. But I met someone online while playing it, and this new friend, she slowly helped to pull me out of my depression. Subsequently, however, this game and series got smeared with the unfortunate association of ... well, all my sadness and dark thoughts. I couldn't play it without thinking of my first time meeting her, and even though that should he a happy association, my mind would drift directly to the feelings I had leading up to that (all of which were deeply negative). It inevitably took over a year for me to come to terms with the fact that I'm better off now than I was back then, that I no longer have to let the loneliness I felt then dictate my life now (and especially as my friendship grew and evolved and remains one of the more stable things in my life, that there no longer remains any doubts of losing that is a huge boost to my self-esteem).
I didn't think this was a very good game but the act of returning to and finishing it is actually one of my proudest gaming moments of 2022, as it's a mental block I didn't think I'd get over (just three months ago I was staying with my friend and crying in their living room while they went out, as I thought back on how I got from playing Halo 2 to having the road trip of my lifetime; crying because at the time of starting Halo 2 I didn't really imagine myself being alive a year from then let alone enjoying myself so much).
This is a weirdly personal game for me. A lot of heavy, unrelated emotion tied to it. Shame it sucked.
They should've left the soundtrack alone.
Os tirinhos são legais. A história é simples mas entretem. Vale a pena. Adoro ficar mudando os gráficos entre velho e novo especialmente na cg. E é muito bom o tanto de opção que tem pra deixar o jogo mais jogável, mudei os controles todos para que o jogo ficasse bem fps moderno. Enfim, legal.
BOO
Just completed my legendary playthrough of Halo 2 and it was absolute hell. It might have been the most difficult experience I've had playing a game and that's really saying a lot for me.
I already love Halo 2, but I think this game made me appreciate the lower difficulties. At least those are actually fun. Halo 2 on legendary is really bullshit all the time and never feels fair. Why did I do it? Bragging rights and achievements. Was it worth it? No.
In all seriousness though, Halo 2 is a great game. The original version of Halo 2 is great, but the anniversary version is even better. Not only does it have enhanced graphics with some fantastic cutscenes that are some of the best I've seen in a game, but they do a lot better of a job emphasizing the story and emotion. Because of this, I think Halo 2 has one of the best stories. Duel protagonists is one of the best parts and switching between playing as Chief and The Arbiter was a great idea and helps cement how likable the Elites are. Not to mention the writing and voice acting is also fantastic. Keith David as The Arbiter is absolutely is amazing and it also helps that about 80% of the lines in Halo 2 are extremely quotable.
The gameplay is as fun as always and the sandbox is even larger now. Thanks to Halo 2, it introduced the energy sword, sentinel beam, beam rifle, carbine, SMG, battle rifle, and more. It also introduced duel wielding which is awesome. It's a great sandbox for weapons and even more vehicles to use. It also introduced the mechanic to trade weapons with allies so you can gear up a squad with preferred weapons to hit as hard as possible.
Unfortunately one of the biggest faults of Halo 2 that's not its difficulty is its level design. Don't get me wrong, there are some great levels, but most of them are very linear and even pretty bad at times. It can still be fun with the great sandbox, but it can get pretty dull. There are still some great levels in this though. I can forgive some of the levels because of Halo 2's development hell, but this campaign is like 15 missions long and that's way too long for a Halo game if you ask me.
Even though Halo 2 is a bit lacking in level design, but it's great with its story, I have to mention the multiplayer. Well, it's amazing. The original Halo 2 multiplayer is already fantastic with great maps, weapons, game modes, custom games, etc. I still kind of suck at it since people are still using button combos like it's Smash Melee. The original multiplayer is great, though I slightly prefer the Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer which is based off Halo 4's engine but is made to be like Halo 2. I have a lot more fun with it and it's a more casual experience. Both multiplayers are fantastic in their own way and provide endless hours of fun.
All in all, Halo 2 is a great game. It does lack with its level design in the campaign in a lot of places, but it still manages to tell an engaging story and manage to be fun in a lot of places. The multiplayer also happens to be a fantastic experience whether you're playing with strangers or friends. Definitely check this one out.
9/10
I already love Halo 2, but I think this game made me appreciate the lower difficulties. At least those are actually fun. Halo 2 on legendary is really bullshit all the time and never feels fair. Why did I do it? Bragging rights and achievements. Was it worth it? No.
In all seriousness though, Halo 2 is a great game. The original version of Halo 2 is great, but the anniversary version is even better. Not only does it have enhanced graphics with some fantastic cutscenes that are some of the best I've seen in a game, but they do a lot better of a job emphasizing the story and emotion. Because of this, I think Halo 2 has one of the best stories. Duel protagonists is one of the best parts and switching between playing as Chief and The Arbiter was a great idea and helps cement how likable the Elites are. Not to mention the writing and voice acting is also fantastic. Keith David as The Arbiter is absolutely is amazing and it also helps that about 80% of the lines in Halo 2 are extremely quotable.
The gameplay is as fun as always and the sandbox is even larger now. Thanks to Halo 2, it introduced the energy sword, sentinel beam, beam rifle, carbine, SMG, battle rifle, and more. It also introduced duel wielding which is awesome. It's a great sandbox for weapons and even more vehicles to use. It also introduced the mechanic to trade weapons with allies so you can gear up a squad with preferred weapons to hit as hard as possible.
Unfortunately one of the biggest faults of Halo 2 that's not its difficulty is its level design. Don't get me wrong, there are some great levels, but most of them are very linear and even pretty bad at times. It can still be fun with the great sandbox, but it can get pretty dull. There are still some great levels in this though. I can forgive some of the levels because of Halo 2's development hell, but this campaign is like 15 missions long and that's way too long for a Halo game if you ask me.
Even though Halo 2 is a bit lacking in level design, but it's great with its story, I have to mention the multiplayer. Well, it's amazing. The original Halo 2 multiplayer is already fantastic with great maps, weapons, game modes, custom games, etc. I still kind of suck at it since people are still using button combos like it's Smash Melee. The original multiplayer is great, though I slightly prefer the Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer which is based off Halo 4's engine but is made to be like Halo 2. I have a lot more fun with it and it's a more casual experience. Both multiplayers are fantastic in their own way and provide endless hours of fun.
All in all, Halo 2 is a great game. It does lack with its level design in the campaign in a lot of places, but it still manages to tell an engaging story and manage to be fun in a lot of places. The multiplayer also happens to be a fantastic experience whether you're playing with strangers or friends. Definitely check this one out.
9/10
This review contains spoilers
Countless hours have been poured into this game throughout my lifetime. Whether that be completing the campaign, running around with friends in co-op, finding secrets and attempting silly glitches, challenging the higher difficulties, or having a blast in multiplayer, every minute in Halo 2 is a thrill-ride that never gets old.
The story is a major step-up from Halo: CE. The Covenant are given half of the game to be characterized, given depth, and a character to become attached to in the Arbiter. Meanwhile, Master Chief, Cortana, and Sarge are taken from vessels for the player to experience the story through and turned into real characters in this world.
Combat introduces some new tricks and generally improves upon the original while still maintaining a balance between arcade and military shooting. The levels are much easier to navigate then in CE but also share the problem of many zones being repeated as you make your way toward the next section of each level. What makes up for this admittedly mediocre level design are set pieces that, at the time and still today, leave me in awe. When revamped and restyled with the Anniversary Remaster, that awe becomes amplified. The production value on the cutscenes alone are excellent enough to be their own feature length film.
Halo 2 has so many moments that will forever remain among fondest gaming memories. Giving the Covenant back their bomb, the Scarab, Gravemind, and so many others. Halo 2 is one of the few games that I can return too, not matter how old I get, and still re-experience the exact same emotions that I did back when I first played as a kid.
The story is a major step-up from Halo: CE. The Covenant are given half of the game to be characterized, given depth, and a character to become attached to in the Arbiter. Meanwhile, Master Chief, Cortana, and Sarge are taken from vessels for the player to experience the story through and turned into real characters in this world.
Combat introduces some new tricks and generally improves upon the original while still maintaining a balance between arcade and military shooting. The levels are much easier to navigate then in CE but also share the problem of many zones being repeated as you make your way toward the next section of each level. What makes up for this admittedly mediocre level design are set pieces that, at the time and still today, leave me in awe. When revamped and restyled with the Anniversary Remaster, that awe becomes amplified. The production value on the cutscenes alone are excellent enough to be their own feature length film.
Halo 2 has so many moments that will forever remain among fondest gaming memories. Giving the Covenant back their bomb, the Scarab, Gravemind, and so many others. Halo 2 is one of the few games that I can return too, not matter how old I get, and still re-experience the exact same emotions that I did back when I first played as a kid.
Playing this with a friend thankfully makes the most insufferable parts of this game more tolerable. Brutes are still annoying to fight though and the weapon balancing is kind of bizarre at points.
É bem legal, me diverti bastante. Eu ainda tive alguns problemas com level design e dificuldade. Mesmo jogando numa dificuldade mais fácil, é um jogo que me deu certa dor de cabeça mesmo eu escolhendo uma opção que deveria evitar isso.
Mas a história é foda demais, o Árbitro foi uma boa surpresa e o Master Chief tá mais pika do que nunca. Eu achei MUITO mais divertido que o Combat Evolved.
Mas a história é foda demais, o Árbitro foi uma boa surpresa e o Master Chief tá mais pika do que nunca. Eu achei MUITO mais divertido que o Combat Evolved.