Halo 2 – XB – Preview

Some of you out there may
remember a little title called Halo that launched with the Xbox upon its
release.  The game met with moderate success and was somewhat of a sleeper hit.

Yeah, right.

Halo was and still is one
of the best FPS experiences on a console and easily the most successful title on
the Xbox.  And now, finally, Halo 2 is just nearing completion and is right
around the corner.  We at GameZone got a chance to sit down and play a
multiplayer demo of Microsoft’s H-Bomb, and let me tell you, the results were
simply stunning

The storyline on Halo 2
takes place on Earth in the year 2552.  The pesky Covenant are driving the last
of Earth’s forces back to the home planet and are staging one final swoop
against mankind by taking Earth.  It’s up to you as the great Master Chief to
take on the Covenant and save the future of the planet.

Halo 2 will offer up some
pretty cool innovations over the first game.  For starters, you will now be able
to wield dual weapons.  This system is easy to grasp, since the two shoulder
buttons on the controller each control their respective weapons and their
primary functions.  Of course, you won’t be able to hold two guns at the same
time and be able to throw grenades (no free hands).  You also have access to
melee weapons, like the plasma sword, which does a substantial amount of damage
at close range.

Vehicles now take
realistic damage.  For example, if you shoot the wings of a Ghost, they will
chip away until there is nothing left and eventually explode.  The same goes for
the Warthog, which shoots debris, tires and crunched metal with realistic
physics upon exploding.

The latest version of
Xbox Live is set to take full advantage of teams and online communities, and
given the LAN success of the original Halo, this sense of teamwork is very
important to the online components of Halo 2. “The chief concern with Halo 2 is
that the rivalries and friendships are real,” Frank O’ Connor of Bungie said.
Therefore, the multiplayer side of Halo 2 will be very team driven.

The graphics and sound in the
multiplayer demo were fantastic.  Bump-mapping and surface lighting look even
better in Halo 2 than in the original, and that’s a pretty tough act to follow.
The character models look amazing and the environments are deep, atmospheric and
realistic.

It’s official, Halo 2 is
closer than ever, and with some fantastic multiplayer gameplay, it’s going to be
all we’ve hoped for and more.  The Master Chief lands this fall.

For All E3 2004
Previews