Halo 2 - Limited Edition In Metal Box (XBOX)

Now to the game! The campaign mode is.....a Holywood Blockbuster!! The story is phenomenal and moves at a pace to complement the gaming experience. Multiplayer on Live is the peak of online gaming and is reason enough to buy this game, what can I say without spoiling the story??

Oh yes, BUY THIS GAME!!!

One of the first thing that hits you is the massively impressive set pieces. As before, huge open areas are the norm, and here you'll find beautifully rendered buildings and rooms. Rooms and buildings on Halo, as in the first game, are almost identical in this game, it's just the scale seems to have been upped a bit. Rooms also happen sometimes turn out to be giant lifts as your battle ground only a second ago, suddenly starts to move downwards just as another battle starts up. Gameplay wise things have a very similiar feel to the first game, and any Halo player will feel at home here. The warthog and the alien vehicles that you can use have been slightly updated. I found the warthog seems to have lost some weight as it feels a lighter version of the old game's version. It seems to have more oomph and has a more sprightly performance compared to the last version. Anything wrong with the game ... ??? The only thing that stood out to me was grass that grows against walls that suddenly appears as your warthog gets closer to it. It's almost as if it grows right in front of you. Also, at times enemies seem to get stuck in walls or will run against a wall as if it's demented. Does it affect gameplay, not in the least, and it is a very teensy weensy annoyance that doesn't register when playing this game.

Finally, if I have to name two or three things that stand out for me that makes this game different to the old one, it would be this. The story is a lot more involved compared to the last game, you feel the story is more on par with a epic movie like star wars, and you get to see a lot more of the alien involvement in the game. The game leaves you exhausted, even ater a few minutes of play. Now, loads more enemies appear on screen, the old health bar is replaced with a single health bar that when empty, means your dead. So no more simply running about shooting and killing everything. You have to use cover to survive, which makes the game a lot more realistic. The whole game is one long battle and you better have your wits about you as you will know that you have been in a fight. And finally ... I was really surprised about the fact that you don't get to play as master chief throughout the game ... you also .... No, you'll see when the time comes. Whatever you do, just buy it cause nothing will come close to this game for years to come. Well done Bungie, I salute your master piece in all it's glory.