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