Halo: Combat Evolved and its sequel, Halo 2, have achieved phenomenal success on the Xbox video game platform as gamers around the world follow the saga of Master Chief in his battle against the Covenant forces. In 2003, the original Halo roared onto Windows PCs. In Halo 2 for Windows Vista, the action picks up where the first game ended. Master Chief, with the help of a small group of marines, has destroyed the religious artifact and artificial world known as Halo, and is making his way back to Earth. There, he and the last surviving Earth forces will mount a titanic struggle against the marauding Covenant enemy. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 14.5 million games worldwide with over 600 million hours of multiplayer action logged across Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service.
More of the same x10.
If you've played the first Halo, prepare not to be amazed. At the time the only real redeeming feature of it was the new graphics, but now they have aged so its not as impressive.
The gameplay was slightly refined but they (I think) made the mistake of making your health regenerate as well which removes a layer of immersiveness for me and the gameplay easier even if your health can't take as many shots.
There where some points where the game gives you a nicer variety of environments unlike the first Halo, like a dusty city where people would live, and ancient ruins.
But it still goes through the same mindless, repetitive encounters after encounters, vague explanations, zero to nill character development and a Grunts that provide a out of place comic relief.
Would it kill them to give us a mission briefing in a cutscene or even overlay map and voice over?
Taking down a Scarab was something that broke up the monotony.. it felt more natural & less routine. There was also a part where you get to play as a Alien, which gave us a unique environment and some actual storyline. But it didn't last and when it brushed it off I felt cheated.
However the thing that was Halo 2's real redeeming factor is the multiplayer. And Wow was it incredible when the game first came out. It had so many features and customization, it blew every other game out of the water. To play with your friends, this was the game. Now its servers are shutdown replaced by Halo Reach which is even better.