| Halo 2 | 
 enlarge | From: Microsoft
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $6.75
You Save: $13.24 (66%)
Buy New/Used from $6.75
Avg. Customer Rating:   (777 reviews)
Sales Rank: 247
Language: English (Original Language)
Platform: Xbox
ESRB: Mature
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 0.8 x 7.5
MPN: m41028
Model: XBMSFT 805529792234
UPC: 805529792234
EAN: 0805529792234
ASIN: B00008J7NZ
Release Date: November 9, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Master Chief can now wield two weapons at once, board Covenant vehicles and steal Covenant weapons like the incredible double energy sword | | • | Lead an all-new unit of super-soldiers, the ODST -- tougher, badder and deadlier versions of your old comrades | | • | New enemies, allies and surprises around every corner - intense combat action with enhanced AI and real-time lighting | | • | Immense single-player action with maassive landscapes and huge cities to explore and defend - destructible and interactive environments | | • | Take the action online with your Xbox Live and switch sides, to become a Covenant Elite! |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Halo 2 continues the story of Master Chief, the heroic super-soldier who defied the invading alien Covenant and survived. The Covenant leaders within Halo are angry at this unheard of event. To save face, they launch an invasion of our planet. Earth's defenses are breached, and we're all in danger -- unless Master Chief can lead a small military squad to victory against Covenant forces, in all-out guerilla warfare!
Amazon.com
Halo 2 is one of those rare video games that garnishes attention from regular folk who wouldn't know which direction to point a game controller. With more than 1.5 million pre-orders and a massive release party in Times Square, the game enjoys the sort of buzz, and sales, generally reserved for boy wizards. But does it merit the hype? Opening Scene
Halo 2 opens with a cut scene in the Covenant Holy City of High Charity. Much has happened since Master Chief (that's you) created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do for his failures. This first cut scene is long, but the lush graphics, orchestral sound, and polished voice talent for both this and other cut scenes as well as the game itself put most animated television shows to shame.
Much has happened since Master Chief created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do.
| In the end, though, Halo 2 is unabashedly a first-person shooter. It has a Mature rating and is not meant for kids. Gameplay is constant and intense. No sooner is one bunch of aliens taken care of than another descends. The controls are identical to the first game so those familiar with it will be up and blasting in no time. And the sound and graphics have been beefed up so that Halo 2 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful console games available. Opening Fire
Most of the weapons from the first game return, although strangely the MA5B Assault Rifle (the default weapon in the first game) is not available. There is a single melee weapon known as the Covenant Sword, but the controls for it are the same as that for all the shooter weapons, making it difficult to direct. Also, for a new twist, you can hold two of the smaller guns at the same time and shoot double-fisted. As for vehicles, the old favorites are back and joined by a few new, mostly Covenant wheeled monsters. Some improvements have been made to the AI so that the nonplayer characters can drive without running into too many obstacles while you man the turret. This improved AI also has enemies ducking for cover, and the banter from both the Marines and the bad guys has undergone massive improvements so that it no longer sounds quite so repetitive. On Your Own
The most significant change in the single-player game is with Master Chief's much-touted defensive suit. At the beginning of the game, he is told that the suit has been upgraded, but it's really undergone a severe downgrade. In Halo 2, the player has only one lifeline. Unlike in the first game, there is basically no defensive shield on the suit, making gameplay tougher. It can often take multiple--sometimes a maddening number--attempts to make it through thorny parts of the game.
Or with a Friend
Finally, no review of a Halo game is complete without mentioning multiplayer. One of the main reasons to buy Halo 2 is the ability to play through Xbox Live, a feature not included in the first game, which was among the original releases for the Xbox. Multiplayer for Halo 2 uses all of the same weapons and vehicles as in the single-player game, and the types of games available in Halo (King of the Hill, Slayer, Capture the Flag) return with a host of new maps. Multiplayer Halo 2 offers customizable profiles, control layout, and screens as well as a voice proximity feature, where you can talk with other players via an Xbox Communicator so that those closer to you sound louder than those farther away. Players can also create both permanent clans and temporary parties in the Xbox Live world. Undoubtedly, this multiplayer feature alone ensures that Halo 2 will remain a top-selling game for years to come. --David Morel Pros: - Lush graphics and orchestral sound
- Constant, thumping shoot-'em-up action
- Multiplayer available through Xbox live
Cons: - Suit downgrade makes single-player often overly difficult
- Get ready for some bleary-eyed mornings
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| Customer Reviews: Read 772 more reviews...
 Halo 2 Seduced Me October 6, 2008
I'm not a gamer. The most game I'll dabble in are games based off of movies or shows that I loved. So I really don't know much about what makes a great game a great game. I've enjoyed Crash Bandicoot and Resident Evil 4 when I played, but only moderately. The story of how I got interested in HALO is very different than those. See, my friends love playing games, and when we'd chill and drink, the nights that we didn't go out would end in them playing against each other in HALO 3. Eventually, tired of being the odd man out, I picked up a controller and started playing... and naturally, got killed in each round. So I went home to practice, and since my dad loves games, all I had to do was ask him to borrow HALO 2. I started playing with the intention of ignoring the story and game play and just logging in some basic practice.
Well, turns out, the game rocks. The graphic were great, the story was enthralling and lacked the cheesy dialogue that even games hailed as the best of the best (the aforementioned Resident Evil 4) were rife with, and the gameplay was simply great. Each board is so interesting and throws you into such different, complex worlds that you sort of feel a mixture of triumph and regret every time you beat one level and move onto the next.
I had every intention of using HALO 2 to practice so I could whoop my buddies when we play HALO 3 together, but the game is just so good that I couldn't help but stick it out to the end and beat it. It's challenging but not overly hard and--most importantly--a very fun game.
9/10
Good Game, But Could Be Better September 28, 2008
Halo 2 is a good game, but not perfect. The campaign is fun, a little short, but fun. The levels are great on any difficulty, and I love the Elite missions. They are fun and challenging, a great twist to the game. The only two things I wished that did not happen in the game was the short storyline, and the ending. They leave you hanging, waiting for the third Halo. Campaign is fun, but it is not a fun game unless it has a good multiplayer. The multiplayer maps are great, but there are not enough of them. Bungie could have waited a while to bring out the game to make more multiplayer maps. Overall a good game.
Campaign- 4 stars
Multiplayer- 4 stars
Fun- 5 stars
Also here are some cheats:
To get the blind skull start the map Outskirts. Walk through the first door and crouch jump onto one of the lights. Then look to the leftand you will see a wall. Run at the wall and crouch jump onto that wall. Walk foward about 10 steps and look left. You should see a hallway. Go to the end of that hallway and press x to pick up the skull.
Not as good as the first, but still an excellent follow-up September 22, 2008
After the incredible installment of Halo it seemed like every gamer around simply couldn't wait to play the follow up! Well here it is, finally in my hands! I'm happy to report that overall this is a very solid follow-up to the first installment. There are a couple minor things that I didn't like, but there are a lot of things they added into the game that are just awesome.
After the first game I was kind of wondering how they would follow it up since the Halo facility blew up and the Master Chief with Cortana were the only two sentient beings left alive. Well Halo 2 brings us deeper into the lore of the rings and their Forerunner builders. Apparently there is definitely more than one ring, or else this game wouldn't have made as much sense without a Halo facility. I really don't want to give away any of the story line because it's a really intriguing story so far. To be honest the story is really what held this game together for me, but let's just say that they end up coming upon another Halo ring and there is already a major Covenant armada on site. The best chance for survival is to get onto Halo and fight from there because we all know the Covenant will not destroy the ring. The best part of the story is that the covenant between the species that make up the Covenant doesn't seem to be nearly as strong as we all assumed. In order to take us down that path we get to play as a Covenant elite named the Arbiter. This is one of the better changes they made to this game! It was a lot of fun to play on this side of war and see things from their perspective.
That's all I'll get into for the story. Honestly the game play and mission details are fairly rehashed from the first Halo. This is sort of unfortunate, but somewhat expected because what's Halo without Halo? But running missions through the Library to find the Index again seemed tedious and uncreative, although they managed to spice them up a little by throwing in the new Brute character named Tartarus (and the brutes in general). The thing that really saved these repetitive elements was the backdrop story of the Covenant. Also they threw in new lush atmospheres found on Halo. Halo is a big place and it stands to reason that not every place is going to look the same, so it was nice to see them try and capitalize on newer elements. This gives us some familiar maps and ground as well as giving us whole new terrains to explore. One of my favorite is that at one point we end up on Earth and go through a whole urban warfare sequence. That was probably one of my favorite parts of the game.
Aside from the repeated levels the only other major problem I had with this game was the HUD. If you read my review for the first game you would remember that I mentioned that the view was great because it gave you sort of a mock peripheral vision. In this game it feels like you're looking through a very confined screen, which makes it a little more difficult to play in co-op mode. This is unfortunate because it feels like they removed something that I thought was an improvement to a First Person Shooter game, maybe they felt it was an error? Of course I think this was more than made up for by being able to dual wield weapons and being able to use the Covenant energy swords. Though they got rid of the MA5B standard issue assault rifle from the original game and that made me sort of sad. Oh well, I can now wield two Needlers!
Overall I thought this was a very fun game. I even enjoyed going through the Library again, so while some may find that "uncreative", which it is, I still enjoyed it. The Flood takes a bit of a back seat in this game and show up more as an annoyance until a big revelation at the end. Story wise this game is much bigger and more ambitious. I think if you were into Halo for the unique world and story you will also like Halo 2 just as much. So be prepared for a wild ride to save the universe and see how precarious the Covenant's species allegiance just might be.
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
 good purchase September 22, 2008
This one of the best deals i have found on a game by far. Halo 2 is a game where the multiplayer is not that interesting but the in depth story line is all there this game should be played for the story line if nothing else.
Grandson loves Halo 2 September 6, 2008
I have no idea how to play this game, but my grandson does and he loves it.
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