Information AboutHalo 2 |
''Halo 2'' is a popular Game Console on November 9 , 2004 , ''Halo 2'' and its predecessor are both compatible with the Xbox 360 , including its Xbox Live functionality. From the day of its initial release, ''Halo 2'' has been the most popular video game on Xbox Live, even after the release of the Xbox 360. {Link without Title} The game will be also available for the Windows Vista operating system sometime in the future. HISTORY One note regarding the release of Halo 2 was an estimated one million dollar Alternate Reality Game project titled I Love Bees . For those who are not familiar with the "ARG" premise: a story is put forth on webpages and other media devices. Players are invited into a part of the story they might not otherwise see. ARGS have become increasingly popular in the early 21st century, and this popularity is owed in large part to "I Love Bees". On the morning of October 14 , a Leak of the French version of the game was posted on the Internet , and circulated widely. Microsoft , the parent company of Bungie Studios , tried to contain the spread, and pledged to bring Legal Action against anyone who spread the leaked version 1 . The leak failed to have a significant effect on ''Halo 2'' sales. The first official release of ''Halo 2'' was in Australia , New Zealand and the United States on November 9 , 2004 . Anticipation for game was high; three weeks before this release, a record 1.5 million copies had already been pre-ordered 2 . This was followed by releases on November 10 in France and other European countries, and November 11 in the UK. The game sold 2.4 million copies and earned up to $125 million US in its first 24 hours on store shelves, thus out-grossing the film Spider-Man 2 as highest grossing release in entertainment history. 3 As of November 9 2005, exactly a year after its release, Halo 2 had sold more than 7 million copies worldwide 4. Some observers saw this as another milestone in the emerging dominance of the video game industry. Halo 2 won "Game of the Year 2004" at GPhoria, among other awards (Best Boss Battle, etc.), including different award shows. Since ''Halo 2'' was a successful killer app for the Xbox and its Live Online Service , Microsoft took advantage of ''Halo 2'' to ban Modded Xboxes from the network when they tried to log on for online gaming. On February 9 , 2006 , Bungie Studios announced that Halo 2 would be released exclusively for the Windows Vista operating system. The game is to be ported by a small team at Microsoft Game Studios who will work closely with Bungie Studios . VERSIONS 1.0 - Shipping version 1.1 - Map Download/Cheat Fix Halo 2 is currently on version 1.1. There have been multiple updates, and downloadable content via Xbox Live but the main screen still states 1.1 in the lower right hand corner. PLOT ''Halo 2'' opens following two juxtaposed ceremonies. The Master Chief is being awarded at the Cairo station orbiting Earth while the former leader of the Covenant fleet is being judged and tortured for his crimes. Both for the same event: the destruction of the Halo in the original game. These rings are sacrosanct to The Covenant , but presented a great galactic threat, notably The Flood and the rings' ability to destroy all sentient life in the Galaxy. Their prophesied discovery signals the beginning of what they call the "Great Journey". Upon activation of the rings, the Covenant believe their Journey will begin. The action begins following the Master Chief's ceremony. A Covenant fleet jumps out of slipspace and sends boarding parties towards a battlecluster of stations. These boarding parties carry plasma explosives designed to take out the MAC (Magnetic Accelerator Cannon) guns which threaten the Covenant flagships. The Master Chief finds and disarms the bomb located on the Cairo with the help of Cortana . The pair joins In Amber Clad and heads to earth where the Covenant are attacking the city of New Mombasa . The UNSC Marines successfully repel the invaders with the help of Master Chief . Upon fleeing, the remaining Covenant carrier jumps to a new ring world (in the process, destroying New Mombasa), Installation-05, dubbed " Delta Halo ", with In Amber Clad and the Chief in pursuit. The crew of the vessel land on Delta Halo in an attempt to discover the reason for the Covenant's incursion. In Amber Clad's crew learn more of the Halo's significance to The Covenant in the process. Finally, in order to disrupt the Covenant leadership, the Master Chief kills the leader of the Covenant fleet, the High Prophet of Regret. The action switches to the condemned Covenant fleet commander assuming the role of the and their potential hosts. The Master Chief and the Arbiter meet upon the release of the Flood from Delta Halo . A mysterious Flood creature called the Gravemind sends the Arbiter and Master Chief in separate directions to prevent The High Prophets from activating Delta Halo. The Master Chief finds himself upon the nearby Covenant Holy City, High Charity , a gargantuan space station, and pursues the remaining Prophets. During his mission, The Chief must battle his way through an erupting Covenant Civil War between Brutes and Elites. After capturing the '' In Amber Clad'', the Flood, led by the Gravemind, arrive on the city and begin to consume and infect the populace. The only remaining High Prophet, Truth, escapes on a Forerunner vessel hidden in the core of High Charity . The Master Chief manages to stow away on board while Cortana stays behind in order to detonate the ''In Amber Clad'''s engine reactors to destroy Delta Halo and High Charity, stopping Tartarus from activating Halo. The Game comes to a close as The Arbiter and a force of Elites aided by surviving members of In Amber Clad's crew pursue and kill Tartarus and his Brutes on Delta Halo as he is attempts to activate the Halo System. After the game credits finish rolling, a scene appears in which Cortana and Gravemind are conversing. This appears to be a teaser for Halo 3 . GAMEPLAY Campaign The game's "Campaign" mode offers options for both Single-player and cooperative Multiplayer participation. When playing in this mode the player must complete a series of Levels that encompass ''Halo 2'''s storyline. These levels require the player to alternate between the roles of Master Chief and a Covenant Elite called The Arbiter , who occupy identical but diametrically opposed roles in the story's conflict. Aside from variations in storyline the Arbiter differs from Master Chief in that his armor lacks a flashlight, instead it is equipped with a short duration rechargeable form of Active Camouflage that disappears when the player attacks or gets shot. In Campaign mode there are five Levels Of Difficulty : Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary, and Mythic. Legendary has been described as "suicide" by the game developers, and Mythic is only available by activating the "Mythic" Skull. An increase in difficulty will result in an increase in the health of opponents, an increase in their accuracy, a reduction of duration and an increase in recharge time for the Arbiter's active camouflage, and a reduction of health in the player. Playing under Legendary difficulty causes the appearance of hidden skulls, collection of which enacts special game conditions. Multiplayer See Also: List of multiplayer gametypes in Halo 2 automatically matches players based on criteria such as skill and Ping . The screenshot is from a Beta version of the game.]] Unlike its predecessor, ''Halo 2'' allows players to compete with each other via the Xbox Live online service, in addition to the original's support for split-screen and System Link multiplayer. ''Halo 2'' In ''Halo 2'', Xbox Live players do not choose to host public games, and they do not get to specify individual maps and options to search for. Instead, players select "playlists" that are geared to different ''styles'' of play. For example, the "Rumble Pit" playlist offers a variety of "every man for himself" game types, primarily Slayer or variations thereof; "Team Skirmish" offers a number of 4-on-4 team games, which are primarily objective-based games like Capture The Flag ; "Big Team Battle" is similar to Team Skirmish but allows teams of up to 8 players. Other playlists allow head-to-head play and matches between different clans. Bungie updates these playlists every once in a while, deleting the unpopular gametypes and adding new ones. The Xbox Live servers create games automatically from the pool of players that have chosen each playlist, choosing a game type and map automatically and selecting one player to serve as the game's host (it is a common belief that this person has a bit of an advantage over the other players, which can be true in some gametypes, leading to a method people use to get host called bridging). Players can create small "parties" with their friends and enter games together as teammates in Team based games. If the Xbox console hosting the game drops out, the Xbox Live service automatically selects a new host from among the remaining players so the game can continue. Players may still choose to set up games for their own party to their own specification, and invite others into that game from their Friends and Clan lists, however these games are not made publicly available. Bungie.net records every single statistic that is displayed on-screen in the end-of-game "Postgame Carnage Report."(if mods were used in that game and were reported the game will not file correctly) Anyone can visit Bungie.net and look at any Xbox Live player's stats. If a player logs in with a Microsoft Passport , they can also access the "Gameviewer". This presents an image of the level that was played from the player's choice various angles, superimposed with a summary of the crucial game events. For example: for each kill, the attacker and target's locations and the attacker's weapon are displayed, and the paths taken by flags in Capture the Flag games are shown. Bungie keeps these stats for several hundred games per player at a time, then games begin to be purged to save space, and they are used as evidence when banning suspected cheating players (see "Xbox Live Updates", below). Regular players have expressed concerns regarding the game balance of ''Halo 2''. Many players feel that game strategies are too dependent upon controlling the "power weapons" in each map such as the Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, or Energy Sword, which leads to the overshadowing of the other weapons in the game. They feel that, should a team acquire these weapons, it will become more difficult for their opponents to score kills or attain objectives. This is debatable, and in fairness the maps are balanced for each team to have similar access to these weapons. The objective skill is in making sure that you have an effective strategy to retain your weapons while relinquishing the opposing team of theirs. Much game time may be consumed attempting to seize the weapons in question from the opposition to shift the balance of power. This primarily affects team games and one-on-one games; in free for alls, a player with a "power weapon" will become a priority target for the other players, meaning that the weapon will change hands frequently. Another common criticism is the dominance of dual-wielding weapons over single-wielding combined with grenades, although attempts have been made to address these issues with the April 18th automatic update. Some people feel that the updates were not sufficient for balancing issues. (see " Xbox Live Updates "). The superbounce has become a major glitch in the game letting players get on top of maps and very high areas just by crouching into a wall and jumping off a ledge. There are multiple bounces on every multiplayer map, and some appear on single player levels. Another widely used trick is the "spectre wheelie" which lifts the nose of the covenant spectre and allows players to drive up walls. The particulars of the PC multiplayer aspect have yet to be disclosed. Indications are Bungie plans on keeping the multiplayer modes similar. The status of cooperative play for the PC is completely unknown. Damage system The damage system in ''Halo 2'' is slightly different from that in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The player has a regenerating shield, but now cannot see the health bar included in the original game.
Powerups There are two types of powerups available in ''Halo 2'' Multiplayer.
Gametype Settings: In some gametypes, the overshield and/or active camo are always active on one or all of the players, and if disabled, will recharge over time. One common mistake for new players is to mix the overshield and the active camo; the overshield creates a faint halo around the player, rendering the active camouflage useless. Main characters See Also: Halo characters
MUSIC The ''Halo 2'' soundtrack was mostly composed by Martin O'Donnell , who had also composed the music of ''Halo''. Steve Vai provided guitar backing for many tracks, including the album's signature piece ''Halo Theme- MJOLNIR Mix'', which also serves as the theme song for Halo 2 . Additional tracks included various outside musicians, including Joe Satriani, Incubus , Breaking Benjamin , and Hoobastank , who are all featured on the official soundtrack and to a certain extent, in the game. The Halo 2 Original Soundtrack: Volume Two was released on April 25, 2006 and features Incubus with a special guest appearance by Kirk Johnson . ADDITIONAL CONTENT Xbox Live updates A common complaint regarding ''Halo 2's'' online play has been the widespread cheating which occurred almost immediately upon the game's release. Users exploited bugs in the game and vulnerabilities of the network to win ranked games and thus increase their matchmaking rank. In response to these complaints, Bungie released an automatic update for ''Halo 2'' (a mandatory patch) on Monday, April 18th, 2005, which fixed many of the various bugs and cheats in the game (though some inevitably persist, most of the time among the MM levels i.e. 30-50, reducing the number of players who play matchmaking at that level), slimmed down split-screen HUD information, and rebalanced various weapons to promote use of single-wield weapons, grenades, and melee attacks. For example, the melee attacks and grenades are now far more powerful. The battle rifle is now more accurate. A full list of changes can be seen here . This brings ''Halo 2'' up to Version 1.1. ''Halo 2'' also supports downloadable content, with Bungie making various new multiplayer maps available. Four maps were made available to download on Monday, April 25th, 2005. They are now all completely free. On the 5th, 5 new maps were made available for free on xbox live. The Map Pack disk (below) was also released on that date. For further information on the map packs and their contents, see the List Of Downloadable Maps . Another update was added in July, 2005 (a week or so after the release of the map pack). The update added a detection tool that would automatically detect and ban 'modders' using modified content on their Xboxes. Modified versions of the downloadable maps would allow people to use cheats such as 'autoaim' and 'automatic reload' during matches on Xbox Live. Any players who are detected using modified content would be automatically banned from Matchmaking on Xbox Live. The update also fixes a teleporter glitch on the map, Relic. The players who use 'modded' content to have an unfair advantage over other players now resort to using 2-month free trial accounts to cheat on Xbox Live. Many players hold their rank (or level) in high regard, and these people will give 'modders' 2-month free trial cards so their rank can be 'boosted' up from winning unfairly. Playing with 'modders' can get one kicked off the Xbox Live service. Recent Updates Global Changes # Backwash is being removed from playlists where appropriate # Rumble Armory is being removed # Rumble Hardcore is being added # Big Team Battle will no longer use large squad restrictions Rumble Pit # All objective games are being removed from the Rumble Pit # Rumble Rockets is being removed from the Rumble Pit # Rumble Duals is being changed to Rumble Slayer on Midship and Beaver Creek Rumble Training # Objective games are being given an increased weight # Rumble Duals is being changed to Rumble Slayer on Midship and Beaver Creek # Rumble Fiesta on Backwash is now Rumble Fiesta on Lockout # Rumble Showers on Backwash is now Rumble Showers on Lockout # Rumble Swords on Backwash is now Rumble Swords on Midship Double Team # 2v2 Duals Only is now 2v2 Slayer on Midship and Beaver Creek # Foundation is being removed from Double Team # 2v2 Rockets is being removed from Double Team Team Slayer # Team Duals is being changed to Team Slayer on Beaver Creek and Gemini # Foundation is being removed from Team Slayer # Team Rockets is being removed from Team Slayer # Team Snipers is being removed from Team Slayer Team Training # Team Duals is being changed to Team Slayer on Beaver Creek, Foundation and Gemini # Team Plasma Wars on Backwash is now Team Plasma Wars on Lockout # Team Showers on Backwash is now Team Showers on Gemini Team Snipers # Containment, Waterworks and Elongation are being removed from Team Snipers Team Hardcore # Elongation is being removed from Team Hardcore # Team Snipers are being removed from Team Hardcore # Team Slayer Covenant on Warlock is now regular Team Slayer # Team Slayer (No Sniping) is being added # Team Ball on Ivory Tower is being removed # Team Crazy King on Gemini, Sanctuary, Beaver Creek and Ivory Tower are being removed # Multi Flag on Sanctuary will now have Flag At Home To Score OFF # The No Duals weapon set will now be used on Team Slayer, Team Ball, Team Crazy King, CTF Classic and Neutral Bomb gametypes 6v6 Team Battle # Team Slayer and Team Slayer BR will now be 100 kills to win Multi-Team # Team Plasma Wars on Backwash is now Team Plasma Wars on Lockout # Multi Team Ball on Backwash is now Multi Team Ball on Turf Clanmatch # Team Duals on is being changed to Team Slayer on Beaver Creek and Gemini # Team Duals on Foundation is being removed # Team Snipers is being removed from Clanmatch Team ActionSack # Shotgun based gametypes have had their weight reduced # Pit of Joy is now 5 minutes to win and has a weight increase # Brutality will no longer have damage resistance turned on # Dodgeball on Backwash is now Dodgeball on Midship # Brutality on Backwash is now Brutality on Gemini # Laser Blasters on Backwash is now Laser Blasters on Lockout ''Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack''
The ''Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack'' is an expansion pack for the video game '' Halo 2 '', intended to make Xbox Live content and updates available to offline players. The disk contains the game's Automatic Update , all nine new multiplayer maps, a documentary about the making of the maps, and a cinematic called "Another Day on the Beach". It was released on July 5 , 2005 . At release, it cost £15 in the UK and $19.99 in the U.S. , available at par in Canada . It contains 9 levels: Turf, Containment, Warlock, Sanctuary, Terminal, Relic, Backwash, Gemini, and Elongation. Information on the new maps can be found Here . The new multiplayer content can be used on Xbox Live, System Link and Split-Screen modes. Five of the new maps (Elongation, Terminal, Backwash, Gemini, Relic) were released online through Xbox Live 's downloadable content service on July 5 , the same day as the map pack. The other four maps (Turf, Sanctuary, Warlock, Containment) were released earlier in the summer. All of the multiplayer maps are now availiable as free & mandatory downloads presently. CRITICISM See Also: Criticism of Halo 2 Halo 2 is much more ambitious than its predecessor, yet there is heated debate over whether the game is superior to its predecessor. Arguments are mainly directed at the multiplayer aspect of the two games, with emphasis placed on Halo 2's greatly simplified learning curve and controversial matchmaking modes. AWARDS
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