Everything was good. but they promised great maybe if they'd actually tried instead of loffing around on their asses it would have been a ten. still a good game but that one point i think is the most important one.

This is the best game ever!! This tops any other game that came out. This will kill any GTA or Metroid Prime. the suck!!!

Overhyped. Seriously. How could anyone think that this game is a 10 out of 10? Have they played Brother in Arms 3? Have they played RE4? The graphics are great, but the single player campaign is repetitive, borderline boring, and features what could quite possibly be the most worthless story and terrible ending I've ever laid eyes on in a game. Sorry to rain on your parade Halo Fanboy, but this game coulda been, woulda been, shoulda been... but isn't that great. By the way, if you like playing online against 12 year old boys and their dads, then give the xbox live Halo experience a try. It's super neat. Give me something that requires the use of my mind any day of the week. Guarantee you won't find little children in Xbox Live of Brother in Arms. You know why? Because that game requires actual thought, instead of mindless, unrealistic shooting of anything that moves. C'mon! This game is ALL HYPE! It's gets a 5/10 from me, purely on it's techinical acheivements.… Expand

Halo conquered the "universe", with good level designs, great sounds, fun gameplay and a glorious musical score. And so came time for the battle of planet Earth

This game is pretty fun on solo. If you have Xbox live this game can be pretty damn addictive. I recommend this game to all those people who like "Tom Clancy" like games. you can be very sneaky.

This game was so awesome. the multiplayer was unreal and the x box live really whent well with halo 2. im a huge fan and i really think this is the best ever game created thats just me though but i hope i can change some of your minds.

I cannot get enough of multiplayer, if it were only multiplayer this game would deserve a 20. Unfortunately we also have the shoot and move, unstrategic and short single player missions! It took me two days playing 2 hours a day to beat this game on Normal. Very easy, only died twice (jumping off ledges). The storyline was incomplete and made me scared of whats to come. I didnt even get the dramatic effect when Cortana said "Another Halo". I was like awww man more flood, dangit.… Expand

The gameplay totally sucks, but if you get xbox live it really makes up for it. hate the gameplay, love it on xbox live.

It was not a very good game i would not give it more then a 0 because it is always the same missions over again and i thought we were supposed to save earth and we end up playing only 2 levels on earth it was nothing to do with earth will never be the same since it hardly had much to do with earth i enjoyed the first 1 much more. A lot of people got caught up with the hype just because its halo if halo was good it doesnt mean halo 2 will be good is well. I also didnt like to play with arbiter because who really wants to know about the covenant we want to destroy them the ending was even worse all these people who are giving it a high score play the game again and see the diffrence between halo 1 and halo 2… Expand

I say this is the best game ever! Only downside is its short Campaign player but i still reccemend buying it and specially Xbox Live. Even though Halo 2 campaign was short, Online gives such a good time......For all i know this is the best online system game i have ever seen........Better than runescape, halo 1 online......Halo 2 online is the best Online system EVER!

I wanted to give this game an 8, but i just could'nt do it. This is a very good game, a VERY good game. The graphics are some of the best I've seen. The only drawback is the short campaign. But it's hard to complain when the campaign is still extremely fun, even if it is a little short.

This game is great, but not as much as I expected. The game was fun to play, but it was really short, and ither to easy or to hard to beat (depending on you difficulty leavel). And the ending sucked, but still it had a great multi-player. So 9 is my #

This game is fun for some time, but not to special. The enemies are not very diverse and I have to push a lot of buttons. Maybe it goes better with an extra hand. My thumbs hurt also. The multiplayer is ok and configurable enough. Coagulation Ctf is very fun. I don't like the alien weapons very much, but you can take them out. They should've put an communicator with the game, so everybody has one and can talk. Please more models and alien weapons that are less silly. Warthog and tank are nice. But I still rather play another world on the amiga. On the xbox I like the last Splinter cell and Ninja gaiden best. Maybe Ninja Gaiden is the best game on xbox, but mileage may vary.… Expand

Online Ranking System is the greatest...i only wish there were no cheaters.

This and Halo 1 get everything about FPS gameplay right, but just doesn't do anything new and the characters are and story are pretty lame. To be honest, I HATE Master Chief and would rather play as Cortana.

Such a disappointment. They changed so much of what made Halo such a great game... WHY!? The developers themselves are disappointed with Halo 2. Hopefully they redeem themselves with Halo 3.

The reason this game got a seven is because its single player is so bad the mulltipler is great the best ever but the single is just so bad that I would give this game a 7, multiplayer 10, single 5, and thats being generous.

man this game is amaing. everythings all great. im glad the pistals got degraded, there were too many pistal *****s that gets me irritated. and the only shield thing is awesome, it makes the game more stressful and stuff so u dont go up to an hunter and start hitting him with ur pistal. the graphics are amazing. the dual wielding is awesome. the storyling is awesome too and leaves the story in a suspense. u can destroy vehicles now and thers no missles in the banshee thank goodness and the rocket lanuncher is great its homing!!! the dual wielding is great too halo 2 is a gotta buy that is until halo3 comes out, believe me i read the story and from what i figured theres a halo4 coming out.… Expand

Are you kidding me, the whole point of halo2 is the multiplayer, it is so much fun online, the game is pretty much pointless without xbox live or multiplayer but that is the entire point.

Although the single player campaign isn't quite as good as its prequel's - the story in particular veering wildly and ending far too abruptly - the improved physics and more tactile environment (principally the destructable vehicles) do make up for most of the shortcomings (as does one intriguing twist). However, what really gives it maximum scores is the simply spellbinding multiplayer.… Expand

VERY FUN GAME it is very fun and very interactive with the co-op, but still like hl2 better :P

best game of the year and for ever more best glithes and sweet game play and best grafics.

First of all if you walked into a store and you saw Halo 2 and Half-life 2 on shelf and you never had any of them get Half-life 2. There's nothging next-gen about it but one thing. The graphics not so good. The storyline is more off an ass wipe. But the way it's put together is quite next gen indeed. The multiplayer is quite sexy indeed. Counter Strike is still better...

Actually, my vote would be an 11, because this is my favourite videogame of all time.

This game kicks ass, the weapons, vehicles, levels, and multiplayer are all awesome, a must buy for any xbox owner.

The Best Game Ever. Not perfect (the campaign is very average and rubbish compared to halo 1) and a with slightly unoriginal plot Halo 2 does disappoint at times. Not in Multiplayer however, where it is actually perfect.

This game is the best game out there!! Some of you guys don't know what your talking about. Halo is the best. Awesome graphics, awesome games design, and its awesome online!!!

Talk about over hype. This game just sucked, the only grace was 2 gun mode, thats it. the next time someone says hl2 was over hyped, look at this crap.

Took an amazing game and improved on it in every way. Excellent story mode, full of variety. Unbelieveable online game, perfect multiplayer maps.

I really like the storyline in this game. This game is the best I have ever seen!

Perhaps not as good as it's ground breaking predessecor, but it's still a lot of fun. The gameplay, graphics, and multiplayer are top notch but the story is a little shoddy compared to the orginal. Then again, it's tough being in the middle of the trilogy.

This game is highly overrated and no game reviewer wants to admit it. The graphics looked like a downgrade, the character acting was abysmal and the gameplay just sucked. If your a true fanboy of the series none of that would have affected you but as for me, I'll stick with Halo 1.

This game is nothing different. The graphics are 7 but weapon choice gets a 1. The physics are 0, compare to Half Life 2. The online system is very well made but the habitual game play brings it down to a 4. The single player story is like watching a train wrech in slow motion.

Did the reviewers come up with their reviews for this game before it even came out? This game was a shameful sequel. The only welcome feature is the vehicle hijack. Despite how good it sounds, dual wielding is not a good feature, especially in multiplayer. It makes encounters really uneven. All this game does is make you want to go back to the original, and take out that pistol and blast away. I wont even talk about the single player.… Expand

Greatest fps on a console...EVER. the single player was a little short and the ending was anticlimatic but MAN was it amazing while it lasted. then multiplayer...woo never got any sleep that year lol this game is a all time classic even better than the first.

I'm really a fan of the first halo, and this game starts out delivering good gameplay, but after the first few levels the level designs become extremely repetitive (think library). The multiplayer is redeeming but many of the levels don't really feel balanced like halo1. This is a solid shooter but the first halo was superior. i would only check this out if you are a huge fan of the series. Just don't go in expecting greatness.… Expand

it is high-detailed and has a really tremendous story. even the multiplayer mission mode is really good. and let's not forget all the bugs & bounces! this game is really worth playing!!!

It's easy to distinguish those who have played the game and those who have not - like Kevin C. Reviews should be based on your opinion of the game after having played it for a while, not on reading some reviews and concluding it's a disappointment because IGN or some other site gave it a 98 rather than 100. I've played the single player campaign only - and it is phenomenal. The action is unmatched, the graphics are top-notch and the sound is outstanding. I think the game is totally worth the price based solely on the single player campaign, the multiplayer component is added value. I've played Half-Life (excellent and I can't wait for the sequel) and Unreal Tournament (boring and repetitive - I traded the damn thing in), and I can honestly say, based on my gameplay experience, that Halo 2 is one of the best games I have ever played. … Expand

This is gonna be the best best game of the year because everything is more advanced.

Wow, ok if you all hate the game so much, ill buy them all off you, then sell them on e-bay for $200. This game made $80,000,000 in two hours, Lets see the cool people who gave the game 0-5 ratings, create somthing like that. People spent thousands of working hours to make this game, deadlines, bugs, research, project costs, its not easy. So every time you give this game 0-5 just rember some poor guy or girl was up all night 7 days a week to make this thing, and i dont think they appreciate your ignorant opinon.… Expand

Halo was a fun game. It balanced the elements well. The thing I feared most was that Bungie would try to make it "better" and make all kinds of changes. Halo 2 was an incremental step forward: nicer graphics, online play, and a couple of other enhancements. Initially I like it better than Halo (1) which I would have rated a 10. So a 10 it is for Halo 2. And for those of you malcontents who are comparing it the Half Life: at least we can play Halo 2. Can you play Half Life 2???… Expand

First of all, I can't believe they're 220 votes already up on this game which has been out for basically 24 hours. Secondly - I REALLY can't believe how utterly spoiled some y'all are for hating on this game. I've played this game for roughly 30 minutes, and I'm already dumbfounded how sick this game is. In the past 3 weeks I've picked up Mortal Kombat: Deception, Dead Or Alive Ultamite, NBA 2005, and now Halo 2. Golden time for games and you ingrates who are knockin should appreciate it. … Expand

I didin't do any reading up on the game so I was surprised to have the multi-character game play and the depth of the story line. I haven't finished it yet, so I can only anticipate where it can go from here. I'm impressed by everything except the inability to use the mellee attack while holding two weapons.

This game is a great game and it will be a hit until furthermore. [Ed: until when?]

This game kicks ass.

OK, first of all, all who believe this game is overrated is either a PS2 fanboy, or a complete dumba$$. this game is amazing, and the story, though short, is strong. xbox owners rejoice, there is finally a Halo killer.

This game is unbelivable! This game is a 10 no doubt. I have a playstation 2 and an xbox but no game on either system compares to halo 2. i recommend this game to everyone!

After playing Metroid Prime.. its hard not to see the game's shortcomings. Somewhat basic gameplay, frustrating weapon pick up system (slooow).. Fantastic atmosphere though. 'King of the Hill' mode in multiplayer is top fun. As is 'Juggernaught'

Just like Halo this game is really awsome and a lot of fun to play. The only problem is the game is lacking in play time. Compared to the first Halo this game was short and it cut off without warning. The things I did like in this game was the larger variety in weapons, the amount of interactivity with the field and the vehicles, and of course the look of the game. The plot of the story was also a lot better but still not enough game play time.… Expand

If you don't own an Xbox yet now would be reason to go out and get one. Even if it's the only game you'll ever buy it will be worth it. You better believe people will still be playing Halo 2 even with the Xuon (Xbox 2) having a few years into it's life cycle. Halo 2 is the first game ever to be deserving of a score higher than a 10.

Buy it for the xbox live but please dont buy it just for the single player. it's sooo plain. nothing new from the original. plus the texture loading problem in cutscenes is like someone scratching across the blackboard. it's horrible! i think i am the only one that is not rationalizing my purchasing decision.

To the people that are complaining about falling and not getting hurt he is in a futuristic suet and it properly has a suspense or some thing and so what if they took out the scope on the pistol you do not have scopes on pistol most of the time any way. And by giving up the scope on the pistol they but a scope on a futuristic m16. so if you have a problem with some thing I sad you can kiss my fat Italian ass.… Expand

This game is not perfect, but is the best game ever. New weapons, and vehicles are excellent. I will be playing it until Halo 3.

I honestly can say it lived up to the hype. I still think it hasn't hit me on how totally awsome this game is. It is truely overwhemling.

EXCELLENT GAME! Its like reading an award-winning novel, playing an awesome game and watching an awesome movie all at the same time. The dual weapons are fantastic and the graphics are awesome. Most graphics on PS2 games are nothing compared to Halo 2. It's da best FPS EVER MADE.

No multiplayer co-op. What were they thinking???

It's been worth the wait, it took me a hour just to open the plastic once i got it. hands down the best game in history. i could not have dreamed of a better game, xbox has clearly out boxed the other consoles with halo 2. it will be years before any consoles come with a game to match halo 2.

Perfect.

It goes without saying that, after the majesty of the original, I was twisted with anticipation waiting for what I thought would be an experience to savour. Surely the time between games would have been spent bettering the original...surely? All I can say is that the Halo 2 experience is distinctly underwhelming. Graphically, and I really hope it's just me, but is it really, really patchy and poor? The cutscene quality is appalling at times. I could hardly believe seeing it at first. Was there so much of a rush and pressure to meet deadlines that they cut corners and left rough edges unpolished? Why else would the game look and feel as clunky as it does? Has anyone tried playing the original after a few hours of the newer? How does it feel? The audio is sad as well. 5.1? I'd settle for simple effects being audible and defined. I'd love to gush about how amazing this game is but sadly, as a simple game player, my disappointment has proven more telling and truthful than all the hype Chairman Bill can throw at me. Halo 2: a parasitic doppelganger that imitates poorly the radiance of the original host.… Expand

Great game aside from a lackluster single player campaign, but who cares about sp when you ve got stellar multiplayer via xbox live?

I loved this game overall cin. are great gameplay was awsome wasn't as much action as there was in number 1 im a little dissapointed that they took the pistol out but it was pretty cool that you could throw boxes around and onlines great its deffenatly better than counter strike.

I think it was worth the wait becuase online play is unreal even thought halo 1 did almost beat it in that subject....the whole game was short and the levels were long even though when u played basically 1 u were playin 5. It was pretty good though i did like it. i love online play thats worth it.

i dont get it. why is this game supposed to be the best thing out. plz explain to me, cause from what i see it ain't anything special.

You kow for everyone who has said how crappy the story you havn't named a better fps story ITS NOT AN RPG PEOPLE ITS A FIRST PERSON SHOOTER!!! WHERE U SHOOT THINGS!!! plus the ending was not that bad it was a cliffhanger just because u people were so happy the game was out and u played it for 15 hours straight on normal doesnt mean the game is too short try the other difficulties they're different. Plus its the best Live game by far. If you dont like this game then u should just throw out ur xbox now.… Expand

Sorry, I can't give this game a good review. I live in a rural area, so Xbox Live is no option for me. I otherwise have found a bland, repetitive, boring game with no improvements from Halo 1, and a much worse storyline. It's too bad that Halo3 won't be out for probably another three years, but then again, maybe it's not such a bad thing. After this stinker, I won';t be holding my breath for the next game. I'm trading my Xbox in for a PS2 so I can get GTA:SA.… Expand

This was a hard one to call, I have been waiting for this game since completing the first one but having completed this one, have found Halo 2 somewhat...lacking. I'm not sure what it is but it just doesn't have that 'Halo Spark'. The ending is a disgrace, it really does feel like the game has been halved and I cannot help but wonder if Microsoft are going to do a surprise announcement in early 2005 to say "Good news Halo 2 fans!!! We have another 15 levels of Halo 2 coming out in Feb 2005, yea for us!. Well, you'll excuse me if I don't applaud, shame on you MS and shame on you Bungie for allowing this to happen, the single player was incredibly short (50% short in fact). But it's not all bad news, the graphics are the best on the box and Multiplayer is fantastic. it's for this alone that the game gets 7/10 from me. I may be wrong about the extra 15 levels in Feb but wait and see. Hey Bill, what's next? Halo 3 - Home and Pro editions? The Pro version having ALL the single players levels???… Expand

WOW, the multiplayer alone blew me away.

This is the best xbox game yet!!!

A great game so far (haven't played alot of it), it's got this feel about it that immediately draws you in, I give this game 9.5 (closest score was 10)

Awesome game! I couldnt imagine it would be so good. Thumbs up for Bungie and Microsoft. best game on Xbox this far.

This game dissapointed me very much. I can't believe I was lied to or led the wrong way. I got it and the game is not all that it is hyped to be. The multiplayer is good... yea yea so what. But there is a thing called single player, and that is what counts to me. That is what the first person counts to me. O yea... Bungie... you suck.

BEST GAMER EVER, it is l33t and pwns all n00bs. the game takes a whole new perspective and era into console first person shooters.

Plays like the original, has a few tweaks that make multiplayer gaming more entertaining but there are too many fireworks, too much "I save the world like a Starship trooper" elements and no innovation. Seen it somewhere before and done it... Good for parties though.

The game story line is awesome including al the new weapons enemys vehicles etc, etc, etc HAL@ 2 Beats All Games DOWN TO THE GROUND!

Easily the best Xbox First Person Shooter ever created. It has more of everything, with great graphics and brilliant gameplay!

Not so good.

Halo 2 is not just a game, it is a all consuming experiece, that grabs hold of you and never lets go. This game has delivered beyond all the hype--halo 2 is pop culture. ps. hey game reviewers--- your days are few and numbered. very soon the gamers will have a true voice. and you will be held accountable for you scores(game spot) The new mag and site are coming soon!!! [Ed: scary!]

Very, very, very, very kickass. Singleplayer and multiplayer deliver just as everyone hoped they would. however: this game is still overrated. it does NOT beat all games down to the ground. compared to how revolutionary HL2 is, this game seems like not that much. BUT if you have an Xbox, then there is no question about buying this game.

Great game multi is awsome graphics awsome everthing else awesome what else is thier to say. best console game ever

One printed gold DVD has been stolen, ripped and is now available on warez-sites one month earlier. :/ That sucks.

The only people who dilike it are those who want to see it fail mearly because it is on xbox or because they are pc fanboys who cannot see past there hard drive mrrrrrrrr.

Its awesome! Just as good as the first Halo. I love double weapons and picking up swords. Halo 2 is one of the best (or is) games ever! Buy it Now! you won't regret it.

Extremely disappointing.. not a sh.tty game.. but for all they hype that it got... it sucks... weapons are not fun to use for hte most part.. grenades bounce all over the place.. you can fall from 100000 feet and live without losing any energy.. you jump about 50 feet in the air.. enemies look small and not intimidating.

(score 9.7). Firstly, anyone whom gave this game a score of say less than 6 is in my opinion an idiot. 'Halo 1 Fanatic' below, you say that this game is not a sh.tty game but you give it a '0'. Yeah you're disappointed and it didn't met your expectations but it really a zero. 98% of people on here wouldn't think so. Then Tom C below says he's disappointed because its too fast. Wake up from your 'I don't want anything to change' views and move on. The world doesn't stand still. Get used to the controls and you will find them adjusting like the first. There are good and bad points in this game but they should not be too distracting. As an exmaple why does the light distinguish after a few seconds rather than after a minute or so in the first? The fact that this game (excluding game control and plot) has the best graphics and sound) is testament to the ability of this machine and warrants some rating at least here. You can please some people all of the time and you can please all people some of the time but you can't please ALL people ALL of the time. … Expand

This game sucks. the weapons are weak, and i swear ive seen them somewhere else...oh yeah Unreal Tournament 2004. and that game is way better. like the other reviews said, you can fall from any distance and nothing happens. the maps look the same, just with different names, and the other maps are way to big if you only want to play with like 4 people.

Has anyone considered the possibility that Halo 2 plays alot like Halo because a) its the sequel and b) Halo is still an awesome game and really doesn't need too much new stuff? Excellent story, lots of dead aliens, and fantastic multiplayer. If any game deserves a perfect score, this is it.

A little repetitive. Some improvement graphically. Solid multiplayer support. But overall it's pretty good.

The greatest...love duel wield.

how can u guyz not vote a 10 out of 10 on this game. it went past all my expectations. HALO 2 RULES!!!!

Looks amasing new levels new wepons new vehicles new story line a must buy game.

Not a bad game, but not worth the hype. I waited too long for this game, and I'm disappointed. Like someone else said, the great scenes that were at E3 aren't in the game. Unreal 2004 is a much better structured game, and more balanced. Give me my pistol back! Too much hype over this game. Microsoft just lost one Xbox2 sale.

I agree with C tunnel. This game is not near worth the hype it is getting. i just played it for about 2 hours at my friends house, both single player and multiplayer, and there is nothing great about this game. it is identical to any other decent FPS out there. The multiplayer requires no brains or strategy, and all you do is jump around and blast your SMG. The capabilities of the player are so limited that it is hard to try to do anytyhing smart. all you can do is run jump and crouch. wow, thats AMAZING. The maps are god awful, and the mechanics of the sword are horrible. i played a swords only match, and it was the most boring experience of my life. there is no variety to what will happen. you just run up to the guy and try to hit him first. wow, thats fun. If you want a really good FPS, get Call of Duty for the PC. … Expand

Halo 2 doesn't live up to it's hype. I was waiting a long time for this game - watching all of the previews, buying all the magazines, reading all the boards. I waited in line for this game, got it home, turned it on, and almost cried. It was CRAP! Single player was horrible, multiplayer has no small maps, no bots or anything. The weapons now suck and are all automatic for the stupid players. I'm risking Carpal Tunnel syndrom for this piece of garbage? Not anymore. I think it will be funny. Ten years from now people who spent a whack of money on that game will be in debt, have bad wrists, and still will be delusional about the game's success. I agree with one of the guys here who said that people who give the game perfect don't ever point out why. A game needs to be flawless to get a ten. This game is nowhere near flawless. It might be a good rental, but that's about it.… Expand

This is an extraordinarily good game. The single player game was fun, but it's the multiplayer that will last me for hours and hours for the next couple of years. I would have given the original Halo a 10 and this sequel is even better.

Good game.

This game rocks and yes I have played it.

Best FPS ever but should of been twice as long. I keep playing it but hope that 2.5 is coming out in feb.

Halo 2 is very similar to the first game and that is good in most ways. it tries to out do the first game by complicating events and stories and whatever, thats not so good. the good thing with the first one was that it was so simple. now, you can play as the elite alien race, and back to master chief and back to the aliens and those ugly zombies are back...pretty confusing. the maps are pretty, the action is amazing. some levels have you flying banshee's and its done alot better this time around. vehicles get damage very nicelly, all the physics and rag doll deaths are cool. weapons are better too, duel wielding is nice but not amazing, because throwing granades remains crucial. the uzi like gun is fun and makes the action seem "earthly". havent finished but i am not dying to play it over and over like i did the first halo...maybe we are all used to this halo series, so not much of a shock there. i play battlefront star wars...now, that's a masterpiece!!!! … Expand