One if not da sickest game eva.

[*** SPOILER***] Good action, great story, cool weapons, great characters... but... TOO D*MN SHORT !!! When MC says he's here to "finish the fight" but then the credits roll, I was INSULTED.

It lived up to expectations with a more frentic and less repetitive single player. LIVE plays as good as it gets and the MP maps are a must!

Good Game. Didn't live up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't go as far as some people to say that I'm trading my X-box for a PS2, but it's not as good as I hoped. A few things that come to mind that were disappointing to me were: 1.) I was hoping there would be more battling on earth. I thougth the main plot of the game was going to be the Covenant invading earth. So I figured there would be more action on the city streets and buildings of earth cities. Instead we are back on alien planets and mother ships like the original Halo. 2.) When I play Halo, whether it's the first Halo or Halo 2, I am playing to kick ass with Master Chief, not to spend half the game playing as a character that is an enemy of the humans. This was a major disappointment for me. Some people I know weren't bothered by that, but it rubbed me wrong. The game is still a good entertaining game and worth the money to me, but I was definitely expecting a little more.… Expand

So far, reading all the reviews, I've seen three things. The first, is that it is a perfect game, the second it is a terrible game, and the third that it doesn't matter how good it is, the developers tried. I'd like to inform you that they are all wrong. To walk down memory lane, the original Halo was a great game, even the non-FPS lover would probably eventually have to admit its brilliance. I had high expectations for Halo 2...along with the dread of a long time gaming tradition...the bad sequel. The fact that it is a sequel, and most people know the original, I shall point out what has changed. Halo 2 has some pretty intresting new features, the most novel of which is playing as an elite, with cloaking. I quite enjoyed dual weilding, especially needlers, and brought a good deal of variation to the game, even though one could not melee while not dual weilding. Also, I quite liked the intoduction of of the plasma sword, and the brute shot, which made melee combat somthing that was a possibility. The vehicles now start taking visual physical damage when shot. The sound and graphics are pretty nice, and the companion marines you take with you can be funny, although I have to admit one of the voices really ended up getting to me. Where this game really comes through, is in the multiplayer, and although I think perfer the levels in the original halo, the fact that Halo 2 is live enabled makes it great. No more having to call everyone I know to see if they could drop by to play multiplayer. The only downside is that Halo multiplay is definately not geared twoard a small group, and some levels are just too rediculously big and unweildy for two, three, or even four. Apart from these small innvations I can't really say there is too much going for this game. I really don't like how the weapons were redone, maybe it is just personal taste, but my whole style of gameplay from the original Halo was really messed up with my favorite weapons becoming quite useless. The story line, while starting off pretty intrestingly, end up bieng a bit stale, and it is the typical lrun and gun style game. The highest incentive for replay is the differant difficulty modes, which unlike in most games, make quite a big deal of differance. Go from easy to legendary....and you'll probably throw your controller down cursing when you try to melee that elite to death. The removal of any proof that one beat the game on legendary removes any bragging rights, which, is somwhat of a loss. The game shines through, but it isn't a revultion in the FPS , it isn't a classic like the orginal halo, and maybe it is a bit worse , but this is by all means not a bad game. Definately worth a rental, this is one of those games everyone else has, and probably would serve somone much better to go to play a friends copy. This deserves to be recognized as one of the better consol FPSs of the year, but does it deserve a us to serenade it with praises night and day? I think not. Dbl90… Expand

Halo 2 is a great game. yes you should buy it for your self, a friend or for your kid/kids.

I am sure most of the people who have rated this game are PS2 people, this game is amazing and definitely worth buying if you like FPS.

Halo 2 is an awesome game. While it is a bit too short, and not as good as Halo: Combat Evolved, it still delivers as a game.

This is one of the best games ever. there are somethings that i did not like about it which is why i didnt give it a 10 but if some minor changes were made to this game it would be the greatest game ever.

This game is extremely fun in split screen, system link or online...but the story campaign wasn't that excitting. I got soo fustrated that grunts seem to have fully-automatic plasma pistols....they shoot at u like crazy in every lvl..the storyline wasn't that good either..but it was a great experience...

One of the best game eva. cant be one of the classic though like the original halo. And it doesnt have that halo feeling anymore. It has the I want to kik alien ass all the way to their galaxy feeling. Still good though.The reason I gave it a 10 becuz it has new weapons, and some of the old ones got upgraded like rocketluancher and other stuff other then the pistol a.k.a magumn, new veichles like the new warthog and FINALLY u could use the wraith. I could go on for days of how this game rox but i leave it short. masterchief would need a weapon for halo3 i dont disappoint me BUNGIE!!!… Expand

Omfg...this game is not all dat good.the ending was horrific,and the multiplayer is so noobish!the only thing that is ok on here is mayb xboxlive.and another thing.WTF WHERE THE ATV'S?!

it is the best graphic i have seen since halo 1 and i know what i am saying when i say Halo 2 is the best game off the year and just might be for many more.

I love this game. The story could've been better, and the pistol has been dumbed down. Other than that great game. And this is coming from a guy who doesn't have X-Box Live. I highly recomend this game.

Halo 2 is a more versatile journey than the first game, and it comes with brand new characters, gameplay elements and weapons that improve upon the original. I encountered some bugs with a frozen image over the display when emulating the Original Xbox version on Xbox 360, but other than that the game performed very well. Although not up to par with the likes of Half-Life 2 technically, it is still quite an impressive game in regards to the art design, pacing and music. The story has some interesting elements here and there as well, and the characters are more relatable than ever before. However, the narrative felt a bit stretched out, and went back and forth a lot. The gameplay also lacked something to look forward to after a while, and became very repetitive. And it didn't help that the developers, similarly to the first, rehashed a lot of the level design, in addition to tossing the same enemies at you over and over again. And although I didn't need a walkthrough, I wouldn't mind being given better directions, especially in areas where you are supposed to pass by enemy fire and trying to figure out where to go. Similarly to Halo: Combat Evolved, I didn't appreciate the flying and driving as much either, since the controls are quite clunky and getting through enemy fire alive in this particular type of combat can often be more of a coincidence than determined by skill. Furthermore, the enemy AI is not very impressive, and basically runs towards you or shots at you while waiting from a distance. In the end though, this is arguably one of the richest experiences on the original Xbox, but not a giant leap forward from an already remarkable game.… Expand

wow this was and maybe one of the biggest dissapointments in a sequel ive ever had the misfortune of playing. the good of this game can be sumed up very fast .controls are tight and graphics where great in there day and that would be it. every thing els about this game falls flat on its face . the story starts out kinda intresting then you start playing as the arbator which was like WTF!!!! i dont wana play as this **** i want to play as the master chief . i wouldnt have minded if it was a seperate campahn mode i could pick from the start but no it jumps back and forth and its HORRABLY annoying. then there is the wepons balance OMG! they just took a huge dump on that all the wepons ammo got cut by 1/2 or 2/3 of what they use to hold on top of that they gimped alot of the old guns. remember how sweet the pistol was? yeah now you might as well shoot spitballs as the enimy. the old machine gun use to be a pretty solid wepon to use now they tossed that for the gimp little smg which is like shooting a FKin BB gun. the enimy AI has takin a major dump . the brutes are complete idiots they just charge you over and over and over and never stop . so you eather get cheap killed up against a wall or you jump up on some thing high and laugh at them as they run into the object over and over again like a retard tryin to hump a door knob on speed. the ending is one of the worst in gaming history . it pretty much sets you up to what you think will be the final mission only to give you a big F U wait 3 damn years to play the next one HAHA dumbass . now you would think ok well the online will be awsome right i mean that was one of the coolest things about Halo 1 was how bad ass a multiplayer game it was . well WROOOOONG!!!! another Epic fail by bunjie . first off im not sure how many maps there are but i can say this much i played the same 2 FKin maps for 10 hours and thoose 2 maps sucked. this games search set up SUCKS and suck HARD! now toss in how the wepons where all gimped and you have a piss poor pathetic waste of a online game . people giving this any thing higher then a 7 ... try to defend that . you cant . this game sucks end of story.… Expand

A top 5 game of all time for me. I could play this for hours and I would never get tired of it. Even if I got hungry and weak, I wouldn't find a faullt with this game. It's revolutionary. It's just one of those "perfect" games.

Worst Halo. Multiplayer is OK, but it has the worst campaign, and a weird place balance. For the real Halo's, check out Halo: Combat Evolved, or Halo Reach. For something different, try out MW2 or Black Ops.

Halo 2 is an excellent game. It's not quite as good as the first one, but what is? This game has a great campaign and awesome multiplayer. I got this game as a Christmas present back in 2005 and I'm still playing it! You know a game is good when it doesn't grow old even after 5 years.

I think Halo 2 lost some of its score when they deactivated Xbox Original Live. The campaign still delivers, its epic but sometimes there are those "Where do i go?!?!" moments. Graphics are really good for Xbox, and the voice recording is good too. I think that they still could of worked on the graphics.

Upon its release Halo quickly established itself as the original Xbox's killer exclusive and this highly anticipated sequel arrived three years later amongst huge fanfare. Fortunately, while it did not exactly reinvent the FPS genre, it more than lived up to the hype providing an excellent evolution of the close to flawless original. Single player, co-op play and online Vs modes are all accounted for and anyone that enjoys the FPS genre won't be disappointed with what they find here.… Expand

This is just about the best Halo ever made. I mean seriously, there have been Halos after this, Halo 3, Halo ODST, and Reach. But from all of the Halos I've played, (which are Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach) this one is the best.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the one of the best shooter games of all time, and the best game in the Halo series. Halo 2 is kind of the filler game between halo:CE and Halo 3. Halo 2 has the player play was Master chief (The main character from all of the good halo games) and as the Arbiter. I really liked how they allowed you to experience both sides of the game lore. You saw the struggle to save humanity, and the insanity behind the prophets great journey. Fight along side elites and grunt and riding in phantoms was awesome. My favorite part about Halo 2 was high charity. The city is huge and looked awesome. Oh, and you cannot forget about the amazing soundtrack.... Was just great..… Expand

This is a great game. It is bigger and better than the original. There are several more weapons, enemies and vehicles. The multiplayer is spectacular. The campaign is fun but the story is not the best in my opinion. Also this game was rushed so the graphics were not up to the expectation of the e3 demo. It still deserves a 10.

Story: 7
Characters: 8
Graphics: 8
Setting: 8
Multiplayer: 10
Soundtrack: 10
Audio: 9
Gameplay: 10
Re-Playability Value: 9
Fun Factor: 9

Score: 8.8/10

This game is hands the down the best game ever. I don't care about Zelda, Call of Duty, or even the other Halos when this game is brought up. It is so good it is at it's own level of phenomenal. One of the best stories I have ever played. The multiplayer is great and Bungie is the GOD of video games and Microsoft is amazing. People can disagree with me but I know right now a ton of people who agree with exactly everything I have said in this post.… Expand

A disapointing sequel. I didnt like the new look that the game had and it didnt really fit well with me. The story was a little too similar to the first game. It was interesting playing on the covenant side and it was easily the best part of the campaign. Multiplayer was fun but besides an updated look, It didnt really have much different from the first game's multiplayer.

It was an ok game but very disapointing.… Expand

This is my favorite Halo out there. Not the best graphics, but the funnest campaign of them all. Not to mention the only Halo where you take the covenant's side. I love the civil war they have in the game as well. Not the best ending either, but still a wonderful game. It's funner than hell to play it couch co-op.

Halo 2 is one of the greatest games ever created. The story was much different than it's superior predecessor, but nonetheless Halo 2 left any other game in its day in its wake. The gameplay was solid, fluid, and realistic. Graphics were good for its day, and the game in its self was extremely addictive and fun! The world of halo explodes into a massive science fiction epic where you never know what is going to happen, and you are left at the edge of your seat until the final seconds of the game. Level designs were great and very creative! I enjoyed the variety, and the multiplayer is arguably the bar-setter for every other game to date. A great campaign, and a great multiplayer experience. A superior game and a delivering sequel.… Expand

Halo: Combat Evolved was always going to hard to follow up and Halo 2 almost manages it. The sprawling environments return, so do the covenant, so does the flood in fact so does everything. It feels like a copy and paste at times with very few gameplay changes and very few variations in environment. However what it does well is it brings the intergalactic war well and truly home and turns up the epicness to 11. Invading giant mobile covenant bases, assaulting a hanging city before it falls into the depths below and a story to bonkers that you get far too in over your head and it feels right! Halo 2 is by no means as good as Halo:CE but it damn well comes close.… Collapse

This game is the sequel to one of the best game of all time! Great campaign, really fun missions and you can play as the Arbiter in some missions. Multiplayer is just amazing and improved on the multiplayer (BT). And halo 4 will be awesome, HALO FTW!!!!!!! Halo 2 9.6/10

Halo 2 adds several mechanical achievements over Halo:CE, as well as continues the incredible story arc the first began. What is loses is the originality of the first without introducing enough new elements to feel completely fresh. This is understandable, considering what a feat the first game was and how soon after this game was released. Again, graphics and controls stand up well, even after a considerable amount of time. The Soundtrack from any Halo game is incredible, and this one is no different. For the completionist, this game on Legendary is, in my opinion, the hardest of all the Halo games, CE to Reach. Overall, a great continuation that just failed to deliver enough new material to be the greatest.… Expand

Amazing game. Bungie really did an Awsome job with halo 2. It has the best soundtrack in the series, and introduced some exiting gameplay elements like boss fights and hidden skulls to find. I really enjoyed the master chief's new suit of armor as well. No longer will you have to look all over the levels for health packs. Your mark vi completely brings you back to full health and negates fall damage. I will continue to play this game untill the day I die. I will play it with my future children as well.… Expand

I have done my halo 1 review and now it is time to move onto the best of the series. It is important to point out that I am only basing this review on the singleplayer as I didn't manage to play the multiplayer before it was shut down, shame because I heard it was the best in the series :/. Anyway onto the review, the games plot is great with some good voice acting and cutscenes added into it, the gameplay is still as great as always and (again) the music and sound effects are where it is at, they went for an electric guitar in the music this time as opposed to the choir in the original and it pays off as it makes for great action music. 10/10 (I have redeemed myself for the halo 1 review)… Expand

Halo CE came out and it was awesome and I couldn't think it could get better. But it did, Halo 2 will forever be in my mind the greatest FPS of all time. The campaign was well thought out and a great continuation of the first. And the multiplayer was so addicting. Its the one game I have played until that sad day when the shut down the servers. I will miss you Halo 2 MP.

A fantastic and welcome addition to the Halo universe. The gameplay has changed in a very positive way with the ability to dual wield and the addition of the sword. For fans of the original, get the sequel.

Following up Halo: Combat Evolved is no small feat. Luckily, Halo 2 was open to the challenge and succeeded in every way. The multiplayer speaks for itself. The only nitpick is the brevity of the campaign and the cliffhanger ending. Still, the campaign, while short, is incredibly original containing a twist you will never see coming.

Awesome game, improvement over the first in some ways. The only reason I dinged it down a notch was because I hated the missions when you were forced to be an alien, I rushed through them and didn't enjoy them at all. Multiplayer was also awesome, loved the introduction to the BR in this game.

This is the best of the Halo games. It's addicting, it's not repetitive, and it doesn't have bad writing. The graphics are awesome for 2004, and the level design is beautiful. It also includes a large variety of weapons, and added the ability to duel wield weapons. I always go for a Magnum, and a Plasma Rifle.

This game will make your dick hard and thats not a lie. You can debate on weather this halo or halo 3 being the best halo. The gameplay was insane. Did I mention it makes your dick hard?

Greatest game i have ever played. Matchmaking in this game was so much fun, plus I would play hours on end with friends in private games. The campaign was awesome, you get to drive around in a tank, drop in a pod from space, survive a flood onslaught, basically anything you could want to do in a Halo game. NO game has had better multiplayer, and NO sequel has lived up to its name period. We wouldn't have GOW, COD, or any modern first person shooter without this game happening. Game summed up by emoney "This game will make your dick hard." Microsoft can GO TO HELL for taking off this games multiplayer and ruining the series with Halo 3 and 4. 3 wasn't bad but 4 is unplayable.… Expand

OMG I miss this game, this was the first game I modded in which so I can fly the Pelican. I love this game with a passion can really hoping they could bring the Dual make into the Halo Series.

After nine years and counting, Halo 2 still remains one of the best (If not the best) first person shooters of all time. The sequel to the 2001 hit "Halo: Combat Evolved" not only keeps all of the characteristics that made the first game great, but also adds new exciting features including the ability of hijacking vehicles, dual wielding, and multiplayer. Halo 2 looks pretty good for a 2004 game, but Halo is best known for its gameplay, not its graphics. To no surprise, Halo 2 is an amazing game that deserves to sit in every nerds collection.… Expand