Gadgets for Grownups

• Master Chief can now wield two weapons at once, board Covenant vehicles and steal Covenant weapons like the incredible double energy sword
• New enemies, allies and surprises around every corner - intense combat action with enhanced AI and real-time lighting
• Take the action online with your Xbox Live and switch sides, to become a Covenant Elite!

Opening Scene

Halo 2 opens with a cut scene in the Covenant Holy City of High Charity. Much has happened since Master Chief (that's you) created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do for his failures. This first cut scene is long, but the lush graphics, orchestral sound, and polished voice talent for both this and other cut scenes as well as the game itself put most animated television shows to shame.

Much has happened since Master Chief created so much havoc for the Covenant in the first Halo, and the Arbiter has much atoning to do.

In the end, though, Halo 2 is unabashedly a first-person shooter. It has a Mature rating and is not meant for kids. Gameplay is constant and intense. No sooner is one bunch of aliens taken care of than another descends. The controls are identical to the first game so those familiar with it will be up and blasting in no time. And the sound and graphics have been beefed up so that Halo 2 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful console games available.

Opening Fire

Most of the weapons from the first game return, although strangely the MA5B Assault Rifle (the default weapon in the first game) is not available. There is a single melee weapon known as the Covenant Sword, but the controls for it are the same as that for all the shooter weapons, making it difficult to direct. Also, for a new twist, you can hold two of the smaller guns at the same time and shoot double-fisted.

As for vehicles, the old favorites are back and joined by a few new, mostly Covenant wheeled monsters. Some improvements have been made to the AI so that the nonplayer characters can drive without running into too many obstacles while you man the turret. This improved AI also has enemies ducking for cover, and the banter from both the Marines and the bad guys has undergone massive improvements so that it no longer sounds quite so repetitive.

On Your Own

The most significant change in the single-player game is with Master Chief's much-touted defensive suit. At the beginning of the game, he is told that the suit has been upgraded, but it's really undergone a severe downgrade. In Halo 2, the player has only one lifeline. Unlike in the first game, there is basically no defensive shield on the suit, making gameplay tougher. It can often take multiple--sometimes a maddening number--attempts to make it through thorny parts of the game.

Or with a Friend

Finally, no review of a Halo game is complete without mentioning multiplayer. One of the main reasons to buy Halo 2 is the ability to play through Xbox Live, a feature not included in the first game, which was among the original releases for the Xbox. Multiplayer for Halo 2 uses all of the same weapons and vehicles as in the single-player game, and the types of games available in Halo (King of the Hill, Slayer, Capture the Flag) return with a host of new maps. Multiplayer Halo 2 offers customizable profiles, control layout, and screens as well as a voice proximity feature, where you can talk with other players via an Xbox Communicator so that those closer to you sound louder than those farther away. Players can also create both permanent clans and temporary parties in the Xbox Live world. Undoubtedly, this multiplayer feature alone ensures that Halo 2 will remain a top-selling game for years to come. --David Morel

Pros:

• Lush graphics and orchestral sound
• Constant, thumping shoot-'em-up action
• Multiplayer available through Xbox live

Cons:

• Suit downgrade makes single-player often overly difficult
• Get ready for some bleary-eyed mornings

• Control a character during massive firefights as you eliminate as many Covenant soldiers as possible
• Use your tactics skills to command squads and eliminate the enemy
• A wide variety of vehicles&locations designed in perfect detail

It's this smart AI system that makes for a noticeably unique gameplay feel. Another very nice feature is the seamless transition into vehicular elements. As you venture through mission objectives, a variety of enemy flyers and on-ground buggies are yours for the taking. Come across a vehicle and the camera will pull back to a third-person view as you strap in and motor through crossfire. A co-op mode allows a friend to join you in the single-player missions. For chaotic fighting action, up to four players can duel in split-screen deathmatch mode or link systems for LAN play. However you choose to hero your way through Halo: Combat Evolved, the action should break in your new Xbox in explosive style.

• Enables DVD movie playback functionality on the Xbox
• Infrared receiver plugs into Xbox controller port
• Required for DVD functionality on the Xbox

Feeling rather light in hand, this remote features large keys that feel rubbery yet firm. The kit sports some of the basic functions you'd expect from a common controller, including chapter skip, play, pause, and number buttons. There's also handy 32x fast-forward and reverse controls.

Pressing the display button calls up a friendly onscreen menu that allows access to more features, including up to 10x magnification, A-B playback loop (for cueing and viewing favorite scenes repeatedly), and subtitle and audio options. It's worth noting that many lower-cost DVD remotes have access to such features through the press of a button. The fact that this one requires you to use a menu to access such common commands may rankle DVD aficionados, as the menu is a bit slower than using buttons. Still, the menu is quite intuitive and couldn't be much easier to use.

For the remote to work, you'll need to plug the included infrared receiver into an open controller port on the Xbox. Most gamers will never need to unplug the receiver again, as you can plug it into the rarely used fourth port. Interestingly, the receiver works best when the remote is operated almost directly in front of it, and can be a little finicky when signals are sent from the far left or right.

The couch potato crowd won't be thrilled to learn that the remote does not include power or eject buttons. Why such standard features were omitted escapes us, but that is far and away the worst thing we can say about an otherwise decent control. --Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Though very lightweight, the controller seems sturdily made and the buttons are large and comfy
• Uses any of the 4 Xbox game controller ports; rarely gets in the way
• Gives the Xbox cool DVD playback features
• Onscreen menu is very easy to use

• No power or eject buttons
• A-B looping, subtitles, and language selects--as well as other features--are only accessible via onscreen menus
• Cannot use the remote from far to the left or right of the sensor

• Forge a hero based on actions - Heroes age and evolve through the actions you choose and the paths you follow?for good, evil, or in between. Follow the way of the sword and see your muscles bulge, weave the dark arts and witness power crackling at your fingertips, or rely on speed and stealth to develop lightning-like reflexes and eagle-eyed accuracy

• Drive through the largest GTA environment ever -- The game has three cities players can explore, for a gaming area 5 times larger than Vice City
• Steal all-new vehicles, including bicycles
• New graphics elements as cars get dirty and even rust, the longer you drive them

• Designed for Sony PSP
• New space battles allow you to dogfight in X-wings, TIE fighters, Jedi starfighters and several other starcraft, or fight it out on foot aboard an enemy capital ship
• More than 13 new battlefronts on land and in space, including many from Star Wars - Episode III Revenge of the Sith such as Utapau, Mustafar and the space battle above Coruscant

• Choose from over 450 games
• Compete with gamers across the street or across the globe with Xbox Live(tm)

• Designed to fit your hands morecomfortable, with smaller grips and better button placement
• The revised D-pad surface improves directional movement

• You are a young Jedi Knight, charged with leading a group of freedom fighters across the galaxy
• Journey to dozens to unique locations, from the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk to the Jedi Academy of Dantooine

• Unlock unauthorized cheats and enhancements
• Constantly update your cheats and codes through the Internet(requires PC with Internet connection)