Halo 2

Halo 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second title in the Halo series, the sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved and followed by Halo 3. A Windows Vista version of the game was released on May 17, 2007. It was developed by a team at Microsoft Game Studios who are referred to internally as "Hired Gun". Game developer Pi Studios produced editing tools for this version, which allows users to create multiplayer maps. The game features a new game engine, as well as using... (More) Halo 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second title in the Halo series, the sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved and followed by Halo 3. A Windows Vista version of the game was released on May 17, 2007. It was developed by a team at Microsoft Game Studios who are referred to internally as "Hired Gun". Game developer Pi Studios produced editing tools for this version, which allows users to create multiplayer maps.

The game features a new game engine, as well as using the Havok physics engine; added weapons and vehicles; new multi-player maps; and a continuation of the storyline from Halo: Combat Evolved. In the game, humans, who have developed faster-than-light travel and colonized hundreds of worlds, have been engaged in a war against a collective of Xenocidal alien races, the Covenant. The player assumes the roles of Master Chief and the Arbiter, and fights enemies on foot or with a collection of alien and human vehicles.

After its initial release, Halo 2 was the most popular video game on Xbox Live, holding that rank until the release of Gears of War for the Xbox 360 nearly two years later. By June 20, 2006, more than 500 million games of Halo 2 had been played and more than 710 million hours have been spent playing it on Xbox Live; by May 9, 2007, this number had risen to more than five million unique players on Xbox Live As of May 9, 2006, Halo 2 is the best-selling first-generation Xbox game with 8 million copies sold worldwide,and 6.3 million copies sold in the US alone. Critical reception of the game was generally positive, with most publications lauding the strong multiplayer component; at the same time, the campaign was the focus of criticism for its cliffhanger ending. On February 9, 2006, Nick Baron announced that a version of Halo 2 would be released on PC, but exclusively for the Windows Vista operating system (though this limitation can be removed by a patch). The game was ported by a small team at Microsoft Game Studios (codenamed Hired Gun) who worked closely with Bungie Studios.

Halo 2 is a story-driven action-shooter game with a first-person perspective. The game features an expanded range of vehicles, as well as other gameplay changes compared to its predecessor. In the original Halo, health and shield bars are visible on-screen. In Halo 2, the health bar is no longer visible; instead, shield regenerates quickly when the player is not taking damage.

Certain weapons can be dual-wielded, which allows the player to compensate for reload times, while sacrificing accuracy and the ability to use grenades for raw firepower. The player can carry two weapons at a time (or three if dual-wielding; one weapon remains holstered), with each weapon having advantages and disadvantages in different combat situations. For example, most Covenant weapons eschew disposable ammo clips for a contained battery, which cannot be replaced if depleted. However, these weapons can overheat if fired continuously for prolonged periods. On the other hand, human weapons are less effective at penetrating shields and require reloading, but cannot overheat due to prolonged fire. The player can also carry a total of eight grenades (up to four of each type: plasma and fragmentation); however, grenades can only be thrown when single-wielding. Another new ability found in Halo 2 is the ability to board enemy vehicles that are near the player and traveling at low speeds. The player or AI latches onto the vehicle and forcibly ejects the other driver from the vehicle. (Less) Developer: Bungie Studios - Released: 2004, Nov 9 - Genre: FPS - Platform: Xbox,PC