Halo 2 comes out Tuesday: IGN gives it 9.8/10...

[Tassadar500]

I just played Halo 2 on Xbox Live and

[Asher]

Why ?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Just read some more on Halo2 being only 10 hours in SP and having a dissapointing storyline.

Oh well, looks like it'll be a rental for me.

[Felch]

I'm liking it.

I always preferred playing the SP co-operatively, and I'm almost done with my first run on easy. The story is kind of ambitious at times, but is suitably cool in that it gives a lot more situations to play through than the original. I'm looking forward to slugging through it on legendary. Playing the original on it gave a good sense of challenge and accomplishment.

The multiplayer is sweet, but kind of annoying at times. What I wish XBL would do is allow players more specificity in the playlists. In an optimatch game, I should be able to specify the map and rules I want to play with.

I haven't noticed much in terms of problems with other players. Some people stink, and sometimes you come across really coordinated squads. I figure imbalance like that will solve itself once the ranking system comes into play more.

Of course, with a name like Felchx0r, Salad Tossers don't bother me.

[Kuciwalker]

You can't melee Hunters anymore. This is a bit annoying, as ammo seems to be short more often than in Halo, especially if you're carrying a plasma sword. Also, I've heard a lot about the awesome Marine AI but I've never had more than two or three with me and they don't seem to follow you around much.

[BustaMike]

I never had any problems with ammo in SP. And hunters will still die in 1 hit from a sniper shot. I think the single player is pretty good (with the exception of the end).

It's the multiplayer playlists that piss me off. I want to choose the type of game I'm playing, not have the game choose one for me.

Something to try... I was able to get out of almost all of the SP levels, without even really trying to. On a couple you can just walk out to the top in certain places. On others you need to ramp yourself out with a vehicle. If you sword charge a vehicle while it is trying to ram you, you will fly 50-100 ft. straight up in the air. It's pretty cool. You can do a similar thing in multiplayer if you shut off friendly fire and ram your teammate with a warthog.

[Tassadar500]

Originally posted by Asher
Why ?

I'm not exactly sure what the specific reason is. But I don't like how it's set up, and I find there is hardly any team work involved. A lot of times, it's hardly as if I'm on a team.

[Tassadar500]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
You can't melee Hunters anymore. This is a bit annoying, as ammo seems to be short more often than in Halo, especially if you're carrying a plasma sword. Also, I've heard a lot about the awesome Marine AI but I've never had more than two or three with me and they don't seem to follow you around much.

Really? In one of the levels, I had five marines follow me, and even survive Brutes, Hunters, and Elites, by taking cover and working together. Sometimes it seemed like they weren't AI.

[BustaMike]

I have officially decided that Halo2 has the worst online multiplayer ever.

Every game in history has given players their choice of game modes and maps until this one. It is IMPOSSIBLE given the current setup to either host or join a gametype of your choosing with people who are not on your friends list.

I would advise anyone who is still considering buying this game to NOT buy it. Rent it. Have fun with the single player, because god knows the online version sucks.

[Verto]

Originally posted by BustaMike
I have officially decided that Halo2 has the worst online multiplayer ever.

Every game in history has given players their choice of game modes and maps until this one. It is IMPOSSIBLE given the current setup to either host or join a gametype of your choosing with people who are not on your friends list.

I would advise anyone who is still considering buying this game to NOT buy it. Rent it. Have fun with the single player, because god knows the online version sucks.

This game would be worth buying even if it didn't have Xbox Live capability at all.

[Asher]

I really have no idea why BustaMike is having such a hard time with the online play.

Is he playing a different version than I am?

[BustaMike]

Asher, do this. Join a team deathmatch game on Beaver Creek with random people (i.e. not on your friends list). See how long it takes you... oh wait. It's not possible to do that. That's the problem.

Does anyone besides me even understand how this game is set up?

This game would be worth buying even if it didn't have Xbox Live capability at all.

Eh, it's fun, but at only 8-10 hours to beat the game, I hardly think it's worth buying for SP alone.

[bipolarbear]

The AI is incredibly better as compard to the first Halo. In the second level, the Marines were actually quite helpful, as opposed to the first game, where I would kill them b/c they got in the way all of hte time.

I really lke the dual weilding feature, and how they let you fire each gun independently, just when you dual wield it cuts down your peripheral vision a lot

The soundtrack is still really good, nad the graphics are amazing. There jsut aren't enough small levels to play on for multi. They have Beaver Creek( tHink Battle Creek) but my friends and I already know that map so it is the same old hum drum just with a different weapon set, and a few covenant instead of Master Chiefs.

I like the customization that they have for multi now in terms of colors and stuff, it helps a lot to tell who you kill.
I'm quite angry that they stripped down the pistol. No more scope, and its not nearl as powerful as it used to be. F*CK!!!!!!! That was the best multi weapon, super versatile and powerful.

Ultimately I think HALO 2 was overhyped somewhat, I am now looking forward to the new Goldeneye.

[Asher]

Originally posted by BustaMike
Asher, do this. Join a team deathmatch game on Beaver Creek with random people (i.e. not on your friends list). See how long it takes you... oh wait. It's not possible to do that. That's the problem.

I've honestly never tried to do that. I've got a huge friends list, almost all my games involve us starting a Party and hopping games.

I've never had a desire to choose a specific map and try to join it with randoms.

I don't usually like playing with random people, the signal to noise is too high.

[BustaMike]

That's the difference then. I have a medium sized friends list, but we also all work and go to school at different hours (and also some of them suck at shooters). I've got 3-4 people that I can consistantly play with. This isn't enough to just play against each other all the time. So, we have to join other games... and that's where the problem is. Not to mention that even if the random map and type was ok with me (which it's obviously not) matchmaking can take forever just to find a game AND if you do find a good game, it's automatically ended. If you find cool people to play against, there's no way to continue playing against them.

You have to admit. That's a pretty terrible setup.