Halo 2 (Xbox)

I have been playing video games since the days of Atari 2600. In fact, I played that console when it was referred to only as "Atari". I have been through hundreds, if not thousands of games in my life. To me, Halo 2 is one of the best, if not the best, games ever made. I have owned my XBOX and Halo 2 for almost a year and still play it just about every night.

If you were a fan of the original Halo, this one is a must have. The single player campaign is very similar to the original with a few additional weapons to play with. In particular, the sword is awesome! Also like the first Halo campaign, the story that is woven throughout the battle scenarios makes you feel like you're playing in an interactive movie as much as a video game.

I do think that the campaign (after 50 or so hours of gameplay) begins to get a little repetitive. That said, I still occasionally will go back and play it for a bit.

Probably the best feature of Halo 2 is Microsoft's Xbox Live! This allows you to connect, via a standard USB broadband connection, to the internet and game against others. This is where the fun really begins. With the headset (purchased separately), you can communicate verbally with other players on your team, as well as enemies if they are close to your position on the map.

Originally, Microsoft only released around 6-8 maps to play these games on, but they have since released another 2 batches. At this point, I think there are around 20-25 maps to play against other players. There are several different types of games ranging from 1v1 to 8v8, as well as team slayer (deathmatch) to capture the flag and zones.

A few notes about Xbox Live!

Fees - There is a monthly fee for the service (around $10/mth). I think I got 2 mths free with the purchase of the headset.

Parental Guidance - Halo 2 is probably rated M (mature) because of the violence, but I think the more important consideration for parents is some of the language and behavior from other players coming through the Xbox Live headset. It is actually a little disturbing to here some of these kids.

Wireless - I was able to purchase a wireless game modem on eBay for around $20. I don't have the make/model, but it should be pretty easy to find one if you are interested.

First off, this is obviously the sequel to the hugely popular initial Halo game. You are Master Chief, a space marine who is sent out to battle the enemies. You are fighting the Covenant, who are your main foes, but you also run into the Flood, who are a space parasite that wants to eat all life. In addition, there are mechanical creatures on Halo who want to kill pretty much anything including the Flood. So each location and creature type has its own look, feel, attitudes and reactions.

The graphics are simply gorgeous, from the rippling water to the clouds in the sky and reflections off of surfaces. I love taking screenshots of this game. The music is also extremely well done, in that the quality is always very high. But it's a little bizarre to be going from new age lilting softness in one heated battle to high intensity rock music in another and so on. It doesn't necessary track to the location you're in, either. It's just whatever the designers felt like putting in.

The gameplay and plot is where this game really shines. Your characters that interact with you are simply BRILLIANT in how they each do what a real live creature would do. Grunts are my favorite - these little Covenant front-liners are brave and talkative when they're in groups, but when you whittle them down they suddenly turn and flee, shrieking at the top of their lungs. Your teammates leap into vehicles with you, either driving or shooting depending on your preference. They'll come alongside you to give you support, and duck for cover when appropriate.

The quips the characters come out with mid-battle still make me laugh out loud. In one sequence you are the covenant Arbitor and are working your way through a room. You come across a pair of grunts and a jackal under attack, and take out the enemies. The grunt comes running to you in glee, shouting, "Arbitor! My savior!" Then he pauses and adds, "Jackal, say thank you to the Arbitor!" :)

The cut scenes are equally as brilliant and are truly movie quality in the interactions. The timing, dialogue, everything is great. The little touches are everywhere. In one sequence, the Sergeant is preparing his troops to get ejected in pods down to the surface of Halo. He walks past the Master Chief's pod and thumps twice on it, as if to say "All OK in there, ready to go?" Right on beat, you see Master Chief inside his pod, thumping once back in response. You really forget that these are just computer generated characters.

HALO IS ONE OF THE BEST VIDEO GAMES EVER. IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED IT THEN IT'S A MUST. LUCKY FOR YOU THERE IS EVEN A HALO 2 THAT IS A SGOOD AS THE FIRST. SEPTEMBER 2007 IS THE NEW RELEASE DATE FOR HALO 3. I CAN'T WAIT!

The first one was great, but this one was that much better. The graphics and online play were out of this world. Great game.....