[Luca]

So who's played it? Anyone buying an XBox for the sole purpose of playing the game? Because I played it at a friend's house and I'm thinking of cutting back on my already meager rations to save up for an XBox .

It's basically Halo, minus all the annoying stuff that people hated. Remember those long, repetitive levels that had two dozen rooms that all looked the same? Gone. The levels are still big (in fact, much larger than in the original I think), but they don't repeat themselves.

Remember the endless hordes of stupid flood creatures? Well, the flood are still there, but they're much smarter than before. They drive vehicles, for example. I remember hating the levels where I fought the flood because they were so dumb compared to the Covenant soldiers, but now they're much smarter. Some of them even have shields. On top of that, they aren't nearly as large a part of the game as before.

Remember how unbalanced the weapons were? Your "main" weapon, the assault rifle, was crappy even at short range unless you were up against large numbers of unshielded enemies. The pistol was a handheld superweapon. Not anymore - "tough" enemies are not quite as hard to take down, but the weapons are a lot better balanced. The pistol, for instance, is now truly an emergency sidearm, not a primary weapon. The new main weapon, the battle rifle, is a lot like the standard-issue rifle you get in modern combat FPS games, like an M-16. It has a 2x scope and fires in three-shot bursts. SMGs are very effective at short range and you can dual-wield them. Which brings up that awesome feature - dual wielding. Oh man this is fun. Basically, you can hold any two one-handed weapons at the same time and fire them independently using the left and right triggers. It's powerful, but it prevents you from melee attacking, throwing grenades, and switching weapons, and it takes much longer to reload. So it's balanced. There are a ton of new weapons - other than the human weapons, which are similar to before but restructured, the Covenant got plenty of new stuff. The plasma pistol is now a pea-shooter just like the human pistol, but they now have a carbine, fuel rod gun, grenade launcher, and energy sword. Yep, you can use the energy sword. And it's fun using dual-wielded plasma rifles, though that does get a bit weak later in the game.

The graphics are stunning. The story is okay though I'll probably understand it better the next time I play through it. The multiplayer is insanely good, topping the original by a lot even though the original had such great multiplayer.

Some of the missions have you playing as a Covenant elite, which is fun. You don't fight humans though, you fight Covenant heretics and flood.

Anyway, has anyone else played this game? How'd you like it?

[Ryan]

I haven't played it yet, but I'm going to a Halo 2 party this weekend. The guy hosting it bought the game at midnight and played till 6:30.

[Moogs]

A guy I work with has a friend who did the same thing. They stayed up all night playing it apparently.

[Luca]

I played it with a friend of mine from 4 PM to 12 AM on Tuesday. We got through almost the entire campaign in co-op mode, and only did one quick multiplayer deathmatch. But it was enough. This game is hella fun.

Oh and for all you doubters - yes, Blood Gulch is still there.

[alcimedes]

the first Halo i played through once with a friend in a night. wasn't at all interested in playing it again after that.

i have a feeling this one will be the same way. just another FPS, nothing all that fantastic about it, IMO.

[Mass Appeal]

Originally Posted by alcimedes the first Halo i played through once with a friend in a night. wasn't at all interested in playing it again after that. i have a feeling this one will be the same way. just another FPS, nothing all that fantastic about it, IMO.

I don't know which toughness level you had it set at but Halo should only be played in legendary mode. Anything less and you won't get the full experience.

[Delkan Cott]

Originally Posted by Mass Appeal I don't know which toughness level you had it set at but Halo should only be played in legendary mode. Anything less and you won't get the full experience.

Agreed, but legendary in Halo 2 is infinitely harder than legendary in Halo due to the no respawn in co-op mode.

[Mass Appeal]

Originally Posted by Delkan Cott Agreed, but legendary in Halo 2 is infinitely harder than legendary in Halo due to the no respawn in co-op mode.

That's good to hear. I feel that most new games are far to easy. I remember the infinitly respawning baddies in the original Ninja Gaidens. I hesitated tearing through a level once and get stuck with an endless cycle of eagles blocking my path.

[johnq]

OMG I think I officially hate Halo 2. Ok not really. But it's not the Second Coming. Actually I wasn't effected by hype, I don't read the gamer sites or rags at all. I just mean it didn't match my logical progression of already great, therefore 2 will be greater.

It is repetitive, it's just vertically repetitive now. Elevators, lifts, shafts, stairs, platforms.

Although it's plenty horizontal still. Tunnels and corridors and ledges up the wazoo.

It's just Halo (1) done right. But not taken to the next level that 3 years ought to have taken it to.

But it's so....lifeless and dull. Why no civilians? Why no wildlife (aside from distant birds)? Why no humans to care for and rescue? Just not enough distraction. Look at KOTOR or RS3...hell, the Marathons. I dunno. Bungie doesn't get "story" or compelling objectives anymore. This actually reminds me of Metal Gear Solid (minus the things that make that series great) : the gimmicky bosses. It feels less Halo like.

Seriously, I don't hate it, but it isn't mindblowing. It's as if A New Hope was made and then 3 years later Return of the Jedi came out with no Empire Strikes Back in between.

Despite that, it's still a solid game technically and will be played for a few years, happily.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I'll probably do what I do with all my XBox games (all 5 of them). Wait until it's a $20 platinum release.

My friend loaned me Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and I have to say, this game is better than the last 2 Star Wars flicks!

[johnq]

KOTOR is cool. And you barely are conscious of it all being thousands of years before the 6 movies. Still feels Star Warsy but it's all different. Well done. Nice details and side quests. Bungie take note.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by johnq KOTOR is cool. And you barely are conscious of it all being thousands of years before the 6 movies. Still feels Star Warsy but it's all different. Well done. Nice details and side quests. Bungie take note.

KOTOR is the game that got me to wipe the dust off my XBox. Guess I should be happy my wife has to work tomorrow.

[autodata]

Originally Posted by Mass Appeal I don't know which toughness level you had it set at but Halo should only be played in legendary mode. Anything less and you won't get the full experience.

I don't see how a difficulty setting could make the gameplay, story or repetetiveness suck less.

Buying an xbox was the biggest mistake I made in 2004. Seriously. Anyone who wants to play halo should just buy metroid prime, which is a much, much better game.

[Luca]

Metroid Prime is COMPLETELY different from Halo. You can't compare the two. MP is really more like Zelda than it is like Halo. Sure, it's in the FPS perspective, but that's the only thing they have in common. I like both games, but I beat MP and it really wasn't a whole lot of fun after that, so I sold it. Halo has replay value due to the excellent multiplayer.

The repetitiveness has been done away with, mostly, in Halo 2. But if you still dislike first-person shooters, then you're obviously not going to like Halo or Halo 2.

[Xaqtly]

Actually Metroid Prime is played in 3rd person, so it doesn't even have FPS in common with Halo. But I'll just add that I sort of liked Halo 1, and I'll probably mildly enjoy Halo 2. It just doesn't speak to me like it does to some people I guess. Now Marathon, on the other hand - now THERE is a game. I still play Marathon Infinity a few times a week with a few friends.

But with all the excellent console games coming out right now, in the past few weeks and in the rest of this and next month, I won't have time for Halo 2. I'm too busy playing GTA: San Andreas, Sly 2, Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal, and soon Metroid Prime 2, Gran Turismo 4, Viewtiful Joe 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and even Need for Speed Underground 2 and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

Note that there are no Xbox exclusive titles on that list, Halo is pretty much the only thing it has going for it.

[autodata]

Originally Posted by Luca Metroid Prime is COMPLETELY different from Halo. You can't compare the two. MP is really more like Zelda than it is like Halo. Sure, it's in the FPS perspective, but that's the only thing they have in common.

Actually, there is a whole lot in common, particularly the environment (alien, forest body with underground ruins, etc, etc). Metroid is just far more lush and the gameplay is much, much more dynamic and interesting. When I first played Metroid Prime all I could think about was that it was Halo done right.

Halo has replay value due to the excellent multiplayer.

I hate to be harsh, but F_ halo's multiplayer. No bots means big, empty maps when I have a buddy over. It's absolutely unplayable.

Originally Posted by Xaqtly Actually Metroid Prime is played in 3rd person, so it doesn't even have FPS in common with Halo.

Metroid Prime is a FPS.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Xaqtly Actually Metroid Prime is played in 3rd person, so it doesn't even have FPS in common with Halo.

Did you miss the running around, shooting stuff, and collecting powerups part of the game somehow?





How exactly is that not FPS?

[Luca]

autodata, you still completely ignore that MP and Halo are completely different games. Their objectives are completely different. The feel of the game is completely different. In Halo, a huge factor in the game is how you aim. In Metroid, you hardly have to aim at all, because you have auto-targeting. Metroid has puzzles, Halo doesn't. Metroid has new items you obtain that allow you to get through certain parts of the game, Halo doesn't. Halo has a rich variety of weapons you use, all of which use ammo that runs out. Metroid doesn't.

Halo is pretty much a computer-like FPS put onto a console. Metroid may look kind of similar, but it's nothing like Halo at all. I maintain that if you dislike Halo, it's because you generally just dislike console FPSs. Because the only thing that makes Metroid an FPS is the actual perspective; other than that it's an adventure game.

Have you ever played TimeSplitters 2? Now that's a true console FPS for the GameCube. And frankly, I think it sucks. At first it seemed like a near clone of Goldeneye for the N64, which was a sweet game. But play it some more and it's just not as good. The attempt at using dual analog controls on the GameCube just didn't go too well. Oh yeah, and you can play multiplayer against bots - but that kind of sucks too.

I think Halo's fine without bots. In fact, it makes it better. Get more than two people playing and it's great. That holds true with a lot of multiplayer games, although there are still plenty of maps small enough for two people to have a meaningful game.

I'd have to say that the GameCube is simply not meant for first person shooters. The XBox is much better at playing them, but even then it's not quite as good as a computer. The GameCube has so much going for it though - Rogue Leader, Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Super Smash Brothers.

[autodata]

There was a longer post here, but nm. However, I will say that Metroid and Halo are indeed very similar. They are both FPS where you explore a forested foreign world (ring or sphere) and the ruins it contains and fight against (similar looking) space pirates/covenent.

[autodata]

Jut to add, I would probably feel very differently about Halo if it had deathmatch with bots.

[Jay]

Originally Posted by autodata Jut to add, I would probably feel very differently about Halo if it had deathmatch with bots.

I defiantly agree, those of us that are on dial-up are basically banned in online play and sometimes I just don't want to play the game, I just want to go and massacre a few bots. But then just turn off the bots if you have a LAN party or go to college, which is probably the first place I'll have a connection faster than 56K.

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by Jay I defiantly agree, those of us that are on dial-up are basically banned in online play and sometimes I just don't want to play the game, I just want to go and massacre a few bots. But then just turn off the bots if you have a LAN party or go to college, which is probably the first place I'll have a connection faster than 56K.

Sorry to get OT, but why use dialup anymore unless you don't have anything else available? High speed access is too cheap to pass up now, it's a better value than dialup in most cases.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by DMBand0026 High speed access is too cheap to pass up now, it's a better value than dialup in most cases.

I'll put it into the perspective of a someone who already has dial-up. My mother can't afford $49 a month for broadband, the cheapest available in her area. However, her employer has a contract with AOL by which employees can get unlimited dial-up for $3 a month. That's an incredible difference in price, especially over time.

Even without that deal, what's the going rate for dial-up now? $15-$20? That still makes broadband access two to three times as expensive. Plus, you're usually locked into a contract for X months and might have to pay an upfront installation or hardware fee. Some people can't justify that much of an increase in price.

[Tuttle]

I would read what people who actually have the game are saying before going out and wasting money on it. MS seems to have spent an obscene amount of cash on marketing and hype. After the initial rush and fanning comments, more and more people are saying it's basically just another average first person shooter after they've had a couple of days to play through it to the end.

[applenut]

Originally Posted by Brad I'll put it into the perspective of a someone who already has dial-up. My mother can't afford $49 a month for broadband, the cheapest available in her area. However, her employer has a contract with AOL by which employees can get unlimited dial-up for $3 a month. That's an incredible difference in price, especially over time. Even without that deal, what's the going rate for dial-up now? $15-$20? That still makes broadband access two to three times as expensive. Plus, you're usually locked into a contract for X months and might have to pay an upfront installation or hardware fee. Some people can't justify that much of an increase in price.

How many people have that contract? I've never heard of it.

How many people have cable tv? How much do they pay for that?

How many people have their dial-up on a 2nd phone line? How much do they have to pay for that?

At my house, we have Optimum Online. When we were cable subscribers, the internet was an additional 29.99 fee on the cable bill. We were able to get rid of the 2nd phone line, save on charges on that, save the 24.99 that we paid to AOL and we had a connection that was insanely faster.

[Ryan]

My grandparents have DSL for less than what AOL dialup was.

http://www.sonic.net/sales/broadband/dsl/express.shtml

$21/month for 1.5/128. They save the four bucks on AOL and 20 on the 2nd phone line.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by applenut How many people have that contract? I've never heard of it.

Pretty much anyone who works for GMAC is eligible, AFAIK. That alone covers 29,000 people and I think some other GM employees can get this deal too (350,000 worldwide). I'm sure AOL probably has deals with other companies too, but no one outside of these companies really knows about them.

Broadband price and availability differ greatly depending on what part of the country you live in. For some it's dirt cheap; for other's it's not. I'm simply pointing out that it's not the greatest option for some folks.

[DMBand0026]

I'm aware it's not the best option for everyone, but for most people it is. Applenut is right. When my parents got rid of AOL a few years ago they were paying 24 a month for that on top of the charges for the second phone line. That came to over 50 USD a month. A total rip-off for what they were getting. They ditched the second phone line and AOL (a nightmare I might add) and now pay 30 USD a month for 500k cable. A savings of over 20 USD a month.

From my own experiences, the costs of having dialup (including the lost time from all the crap you have to deal with...slowness, disconnects...ect) are far too great to justify even a few dollar savings a month. So my thought is, even if dialup was $10 less a month, I'd still go for the high speed.

I didn't mean to demean anyone or say that it's stupid to not have high speed, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me anymore, unless of course they are in a position where they get dialup for $3 a month. In that case, I'd have to reconsider dialup

[Xaqtly]

I mixed up the view modes of the normal game and ball form. Not sure why. Also I agree with Luca about why Halo and Metroid are very different games. Halo feels like a FPS, it has a story but you're basically running and shooting, running and shooting. Metroid feels like the pace is slower, it has more puzzles and it seems to me that Metroid is more of an adventure game than Halo is, despite being in the first person perspective, and I feel that Metroid places emphasis on the story and the adventure aspect first, and the shooting second - while Halo is the opposite.

[Luca]

Originally Posted by Xaqtly I mixed up the view modes of the normal game and ball form. Not sure why. Also I agree with Luca about why Halo and Metroid are very different games. Halo feels like a FPS, it has a story but you're basically running and shooting, running and shooting. Metroid feels like the pace is slower, it has more puzzles and it seems to me that Metroid is more of an adventure game than Halo is, despite being in the first person perspective, and I feel that Metroid places emphasis on the story and the adventure aspect first, and the shooting second - while Halo is the opposite.

That sums up exactly why I enjoy both games, but in completely different ways. Halo has more replay value IMHO, because of the multiplayer. That may change with Metroid Prime 2, since it also has multiplayer. But it'll probably be limited to 4 players since the GameCube can't do networking.