Halo 2

Review - Hallowed be thy name...

Has there ever been a month as big as this in gaming? Maybe it's just me getting caught up in the present, being carried away by the deluge of hype and forum banter that both preceded and now surrounds the release of the "big 3" in recent weeks. The three I'm speaking of are, of course, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Half Life 2 and Halo 2. Three absolutely huge releases, and luckily it seems, three very good games. It's nice at least to have the two go hand in hand; it's not exactly uncommon for the most hyped and commercially successful of games to be in reality distinctly average titles.

The truth is that an absolute disaster would have had to have occurred for Halo 2 to end up being described as "average". Hype can often be a very dangerous thing. It has severely damaged other titles in the past, but much like San Andreas recently, Halo 2 has not only survived the treacherous waters of it's highly anticipated launch but thankfully emerged with it's head held proud and high. The very first night I went online it was quite striking the excitement present in the other player's voices, sharing with me as they were their first game. "Awesome!" one American bellowed, "I can't believe this is actually happening!" admitted another (along with various other non-repeatable excitable expletives). Despite this, there's no escaping the fact that the single player has proved disappointing to many, and rightly so. However, ask any of the thousands of players on Xbox Live that have been enjoying Bungie's latest what they think of the single player and few of them will probably care either way. Halo 2 is now the latest in along line of titles that really necessitate the need to get your Xbox online. If you're not, then you're missing out - plain and simple.

The Xbox Live service is getting more exciting by the week. Titles like Burnout 3, Star Wars Battlefront and Flat Out, to name but three, have all been released in recent weeks and have all thrived when taken online. Halo 2 looks set to surpass any of these games, not least because unlike many of it's rivals it demonstrates that the Xbox Live network has the capacity to run wonderfully when everything is done right. Burnout 3's technical problems have been well documented. Star Wars Battlefront, despite being lots of fun, has never been a great example of Live running at its best. The framerate is really quite poor once online and finding a lag free game is often a quite daunting task. Halo 2, however, offers an even smoother online experience than Project Gotham Racing 2.

Before I even consider the game itself, I must mention the success with which Bungie has constructed a smooth, if slightly time consuming, lobby set-up. Granted, it's quite baffling at first, can be slow and it would be nice to select from a larger list of specific play types when searching for a game (though Bungie has assured us that both of these latter issues are being addressed as we speak). It's still a wondrously smooth system, however. Things become even easier still if you have a healthy friends list. If you do, then hooking up with a mate and forming a party is the ideal way to surf from game to game together. Better still, why not form a clan (which can be up to 100 people in size) and take on rival clans? It's all there and it all works. I've yet to be kicked out of a game unnecessarily (hello Burnout), I've not once been kicked out of the blue (Flatout anyone?) and in all honesty I think I've only twice seen even a hint of a drop in framerate (step forward, Battlefront).

And thank god it works too because it makes it all the easier to enjoy possibly the best online console game yet made. The customisation possibilities are really quite huge. Not only are there loads of different game types but also you're free to team up in any way you wish. Fancy an 8-on-8 Slayer fest? No problem. How about four teams of three competing in a fierce capture the flag marathon? Sorted. It's because there's so many different possibilities that it's going to be a long time before anyone tires of Halo 2 online. And even once you have tried everything that's on offer, it's hard to imagine ever tiring of it. Whether you're duel-wielding a pair of sub-machine guns, scooting about on a Ghost, rifle-butting a hapless Elite over a cliff or back flipping a Banshee over a crest, it's all just such a laugh. The environments are diverse, often absolutely huge and always extremely well put together.

Still though, no matter how much I evangelise about the Live experience there are still folk out there who either don't want to or cannot get on Live, and thus the single player is still a very important element. In all honesty, there's no denying that I have been left a little disappointed by it. Saying that, I personally found some later sections of the original Halo a little lacklustre and I know many of you would chastise me for that. Perhaps what's most dissatisfying is that the few problems that were evident in the first title are still evident now, and of what's left some has been improved whilst other aspects have suffered. Level design, for instance, is still very hit and miss. One moment you can be fighting your way though a delightfully huge and manic set-piece, the next you're trudging through a succession of identikit corridors killing a succession of identikit enemies. When Halo 2 is good it's extremely good, and when it's not it never gets worse than "still quite enjoyable".

There are some very cool new weapons on offer and the new duel-wielding ability offers up some interesting possibilities. An SMG or Plasma Rifle individually might lack punch, but when used together they're lethal; take down the shields with the rifle and finish them off with twenty machine gun rounds to the chest - job done. The Fuel Rod is also quite cool. Behaving a little like a cross between a Flamethrower and cutting laser, it's great for taking down the Flood amongst other things. The Covenant Energy Sword is a fearsome weapon in close quarters allowing skilled players to clear tight rooms quickly and effectively. There are times, I admit, when deep into the latest corridor-fest I've had to survive for what feels like too long on Plasma Pistols and other Covenant cast-offs, but that's a minor criticism in reality.

As often happens in sequels (especially if they're setting up for more parts in the future) the plot itself is a little convoluted and even confusing at times. It also doesn't help that the opening level is really quite poor in comparison to some sections of the game. Personally I would have liked to have more in the way of new enemies featured - though there is more variation than the original Halo, it does sometimes feel like you're shooting the same grunt or drone over and over again. At times though it's the little things that serve to detract the most. The standard Assault rifle in this version is, put simply, poorer than the gun featured in the first. The small infection Flood's also 'pop' in a far less satisfying manner. In many ways the single player almost feels like it's been made by a different company, desperate to recreate the success of the first but never fully grasping what was so great about it in the first place. That is an overly harsh assessment, of course (I'm just trying to illustrate a point) and I'm not for one moment suggesting that the single player is bad. It's not - it's still a great game.

There are some exciting twists, such as the chance to play as a second character for much of the game, the ability to hijack enemy vehicles and even some low-gravity space battles. The use of music feels different to the first but is still incredibly effective. Whilst it may appear initially that graphically things have not really progressed that much, after a few hours you'll start noticing the things like the improved textures (though on occasion they can pop up a bit late), the rock solid framerate or the truly amazing draw distance. When a title's this slick it's hard not to enjoy it.

It's true that the brilliance of the online play has somewhat quietened the voices that have already expressed doubt about the single player, but in all fairness this is rightly so. If you will be playing offline only then be aware that whilst Halo 2 is a really great game that you'll enjoy a lot, the extreme hype surrounding it might serve to disappoint you a little. All the more reason, some might say (or should that be, "I would say"?), for you to get online as soon as possible because Halo 2 is now the reason to get your console online (until Pro Evolution 4 comes out on Xbox, of course [isn't impartiality a great thing? - Ed]). It's technically accomplished, wonderfully diverse and ridiculously fun. It's the sort of game that you want to quit work or dump the girlfriend to play (I say that in jest, dearest, of course!). It's the sort of game you're still thinking about when you go to bed and instantly springs to mind when you wake up. It's all you could have wanted online and it deserves the success it is enjoying. Bravo!

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