Halo 2 (Limited Collector's Edition) (Xbox, 2004)

The Good

* Some of the best first-person shooter gameplay in the business
* Outstanding multiplayer features--tons of fun modes and customization options
* Incredible audio--music and sound effects both major highlights
* Impressive artificial intelligence
* Co-op mode tons of fun.

The Bad

* Disappointing story
* Short campaign
* Some unsightly graphical issues
* No co-op online.

Halo 2, the long-awaited sequel to one of the most widely praised, most influential first-person shooters ever created, has a very tough act to follow. Fortunately, it's built on a foundation that's as strong as they come. The game's success was preordained--publisher Microsoft tallied more than 1.5 million Halo 2 preorders in the weeks leading up to the game's release, which demonstrates just how confident Halo's fans are in the sequel's quality. But how is it, really? The good news is, the sequel to the Xbox's defining action game is an absolutely superb, fully featured game, boasting an excellent presentation, a highly replayable campaign, and the greatest, most complete online multiplayer component in a console shooter yet. A surprisingly disappointing story and a fairly short single-player portion are noticeable shortcomings, but there's just so much breadth of content in Halo 2, and the action itself is so outstanding, that there can be no denying its quality. Overall, it's one of the very best action games available.


It's good to see you, Master Chief.

There are several reasons why the original Halo ranks up there with a very small number of other first-person shooters as one of the definitive games in the genre. For one thing, Halo succeeded at establishing a cohesive, memorable, and original science-fiction universe. For another, the Master Chief, Halo's cybernetic protagonist, made a great hero. A fearless, enigmatic man, the Chief could succeed where pure flesh-and-blood humans could not, and guiding him to victory against the alien menace known as the Covenant, as well as the parasitic creatures called the Flood, made for a gripping story and an intense and satisfying gameplay experience.

Halo's gameplay was amazing in that it seamlessly integrated top-notch first-person shooting with incredibly fun third-person vehicular sequences and outstanding friendly and enemy artificial intelligence. The game's subtle innovations--the tactical consequences of such things as having recharging energy shields, being able to carry only a couple of weapons at a time, the ability to throw powerful grenades in between shots, and the option of dishing out fierce melee attacks--also did a lot to differentiate Halo from other shooters, and proceeded to influence subsequent games. Halo's multiple, well-balanced difficulty settings, two-player cooperative campaign option, and assorted multiplayer modes also ensured that the game had tons of lasting appeal. All these factors contributed to the game's well-deserved success, and they're all back in Halo 2. For the most part, the sequel takes an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to its gameplay--everything that you loved about Halo's action is back in full effect here. At the same time, the handful of new additions in Halo 2 are well thought out and well implemented, enriching the gameplay and making it seem fresh but still familiar.

Everything that you maybe didn't love about Halo is pretty much back, too.
Overall Rating: 10 out of 10

Halo 2 is one of the greatest FPS games to date. The legendary campaign is probably my favorite one out of all the series. Halo has been the superior multi-player title since Halo first came out. With XBL, Halo 2 took the crown of Multi-player king and set a bar that would be damn near impossible to surpass. With the coming titles, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, Bungie would continue to do the impossible and make something perfect, even better. With amazing cinematics, a great story, and having been produced by the greatest game developers in the world, it's really no surprise that Halo is in a league of its own.

This game rocks, It is one of the best Multiplayer games out there, with an easy to operate system link, and a 4 player split screen.
it also offers a Co-op to the Single player mission...
This game also has a very addictive Single player game (for those who have no friends)lol
There are a few frame rate issues to the game, slight lags, and sometimes the grahics and twig out, also the Multiplayer modes (besides Co-op) don't offer Bots, but this is not a big problem because of X-box live, 4 player split screen and the system link.
The metal case to the Collector's edition is also pretty handy, its now a bit harder to hurt the case :) it also comes with a "the making of Halo 2" DVD.
I don't like the fact that the DVD sits under the game CD and not in its own little plastic case,this might risk scrathing the DVD or game CD.

at any rate This is a MUST OWN for the X-Box game systems!

Excellent sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved. The storyline picksup where the original Halo leaves off. A entirely new combat system is introduced with Halo 2 but the basic controls remain the same. Players now have the ability the play as either a Spartan or a Convenant and Bungi added in more usable vehicles, destructable objects, and dual-wielding weapons. Fast-paced gameplay with plenty of twists & turns.

The original graphics were to intense for the original XBox, so things were scaled down a bit for playability--leaving an excellent visual experience for any player. Voice overs for non-player characters (such as UNSC Marines) were performed by various Hollywood actors and actresses, adding a deeper level of enjoyment and fun. The soundtrack includes original orchestrated pieces and new music from popular alternative and rock bands of the day. This is a must-have item in the Halo collection.

Halo 2 had one of the best online multiplayer platforms to date. It transformed the way most fps games are played today and paved the way for the following Halo games. The campaign was a nice continuation of Halo CE offering exotic worlds new weapons and enemies as well as a compelling story line to maintain interest for hours upon end.
The graphics although were a bit ambitious for the time and the cut scenes are sluggish and often slower than the speech that accompanies them.
The overall interactivity of the game keeps you constantly involved and stimulated. The player can pick up without having played Halo CE and be thrust strait into the story line and be able to understand the dialogue and the details of the story around them.
4 stars overall