Official Halo 2 Thread

Why do you guys use spoiler tags? It's an impression topic, why would someone come here if it's not to "spoil" the game a little?
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Best question of the day.

The marines have tons of lines, Bungie wasn't overestimating, I just reloaded a level a couple times over to see if the lines changed and they did. Keeping them alive is more rewarding this time, because they are better in a fight and more entertaining.
 
Well, I've been trying to avoid anything concerning single player, while still reading everything concerning multiplayer, so I appreciate the spoiler tags with the labels indicating what the spoiler is.
 
Campaign:
There is a point in the game where you'll have two Marines helping you out throughout most of the level. I'm not sure if it's because I gave them the right weaponry, or if it's because I've been looking out for them, or if it's because they're supposed to stay alive, but they've been hanging with me for quite a while.

I gave the male Marine a Covenant Carbine, he's always rushin' in with me to take on the Elites. The female Marine, I gave a Particle Beam Rifle, she stays back a bit and takes care of the Jackals with Beam Rifles and sometimes the Elites with Carbines while the male Marine and myself clean up. It just feels so great to be working with some Marines that are actually helpful. And it's not only that, but they're very vocal too, even now, towards the end of the level, they keep saying new stuff and exchanging words.

HALO 2 Marines >>>>>>>>> HALO Marines
 
Hey Sai, regarding Megalith's opinion...

How do you feel about the campaign and do you think he was being too harsh?
 
Much too harsh. But that's his way, man.

The game just seems to get progressively more pretty. I'm re-playing some levels and being more observant, details I didn't notice before just jumped out on me-- on the enviroment and the Marines/Covenant.
 
yo. I have a question - with regards to the visuals - you mentioned that the textures btw cutscenes and ingame is different - how apparent is this and how well do the visuals in game hold up in this instance? I remember a long time ago having a debate with someone on this board about how the cutscenes not possibly being real time because of the visual quality on MC's visor.. needless to say, it was long and lengthy - I guess what I'm saying is do you think they made special cutscenes (therefore avi or whatever the xbox is) or are they just souped up ingame scenes with everything else removed. Eh. not making much sense. Anyhow. Next q:

also, how would you rate Halo2's ingame visuals to say 1) Halo 2) Fry Cry 3) Doom3. Has any environment so far made you go woah because of visual polish (ala Orta?)
 
All Xbox games use a DVD9, but only a few of them actually use the second layer. I don't think Halo 2 is bigger than 4.7 GB so it should be OK.
 
Blimblim said:
All Xbox games use a DVD9, but only a few of them actually use the second layer. I don't think Halo 2 is bigger than 4.7 GB so it should be OK.
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They USED to, but these days, most XBOX games ship on silver DVD5 discs. My original copy of Halo is a DVD9, for example, but I've seen some GOTY versions of Halo that were on DVD5 discs.
 
TheGreenGiant said:
also, how would you rate Halo2's ingame visuals to say 1) Halo 2) Fry Cry 3) Doom3. Has any environment so far made you go woah because of visual polish (ala Orta?)
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Halo 2's in-game visuals, for the most part, are on par with Halo 1. Don't expect Far Cry or Doom 3. There are, however, neat little graphical touches (fur on the covenant Brutes; gleaming, glowing light from heat sources) that really give Halo 2 a semi-surreal touch.
 
dark10x said:
They USED to, but these days, most XBOX games ship on silver DVD5 discs. My original copy of Halo is a DVD9, for example, but I've seen some GOTY versions of Halo that were on DVD5 discs.
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Hmm, I thought the Xbox looked for something on the second layer to let a game boot. I guess I was mistaken. I don't remember seeing one of my games on a DVD5, but I'll take a look when I get back home.
 
Saturnman said:
Can you give a Marine a plasma sword?
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I haven't even tried this out yet. Give me a bit, I'll even take a picture if it works out. :D

DJ Demon J said:
Halo 2's in-game visuals, for the most part, are on par with Halo 1. Don't expect Far Cry or Doom 3. There are, however, neat little graphical touches (fur on the covenant Brutes; gleaming, glowing light from heat sources) that really give Halo 2 a semi-surreal touch.
Click to expand...
Going to have to agree with DJ Demon J here. While the game is a nice step up(visually) from the original HALO, it is not comparable with Far Cry or Doom 3.

But I'm sure that's what most of you expected.
 
Hey Sai, what's your gamertag? I don't think we ever got our match going in Halo PC (or maybe we played once?), but now that Halo 2 is nigh it's on like Donkey Kong.
 
Gamertag is SaiST, bro.

And no, we never got that HaloPC match. :( Could never find a suitable server.







... That's not an issue now though, I got rcon access to my clan's 3 servers. :p
 
I just can't understand how people could expect Far Cry quality visuals with a Xbox. Doom3 is another matter since it's mostly closed environments with few ennemies, so you can't really compare with Halo 2/Far cry's very big levels and number of ennemies.
From what I've seen of the game, it's quite a step from the first one. Just not "obvious". The lightning effects are much better, especially how they "interact" with the other characters bump maps. The character skins are more detailed, and some smoke/bloom effects are truly well done. I've been told it runs at a silky smooth 30 fps ingame, but that the cinematics can be quite jerky and have some LOD/texturing issues. It's quite weird that Bungie could not optimize the realtime cinematics to be perfect since they have full control of everything on the screen, but managed to get the game to run perfectly...
 
Sai said:
I haven't even tried this out yet. Give me a bit, I'll even take a picture if it works out. :D
Click to expand...

Cool, look forward to it.

Marines never used melee attacks in Halo 1, which made them quite vulnerable to Elites and Hunters. I'm hoping a plasma sword would give marines a chance instead of having to rush to their rescue when I'm busy elsewhere because they can't handle Elites (except for snipers).

I wouldn't trust Marines with rocket launchers though, no matter how smart the AI is.
 
Ive seen one screen shot that shows just how much Halo 2 creams Halo in visuals (ingame), probably better not post it, but its the scale that really is so much larger. I agree though on the whole it looks about the same.
 
Blimblim said:
I just can't understand how people could expect Far Cry quality visuals with a Xbox.
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I wasn't, but I have the feeling some people were...regardless, the biggest factor for me is the sheer scope of the game and the fact that there's no loading (except for chapters of course). The only other game I got a similar feeling with was Metroid Prime (it covered its loading with the constant elevator rides).
 
DJ Demon J said:
I wasn't, but I have the feeling some people were...regardless, the biggest factor for me is the sheer scope of the game and the fact that there's no loading (except for chapters of course). The only other game I got a similar feeling with was Metroid Prime (it covered its loading with the constant elevator rides).
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I never said YOU were the one doing that comparison ;)
 
Halo is still one of the best looking games this gen as far as Im concerned,so I don't know how looking like the first but a little better is a bad thing :P
 
TheGreenGiant said:
yo. I have a question - with regards to the visuals - you mentioned that the textures btw cutscenes and ingame is different - how apparent is this and how well do the visuals in game hold up in this instance? I remember a long time ago having a debate with someone on this board about how the cutscenes not possibly being real time because of the visual quality on MC's visor.. needless to say, it was long and lengthy - I guess what I'm saying is do you think they made special cutscenes (therefore avi or whatever the xbox is) or are they just souped up ingame scenes with everything else removed. Eh. not making much sense. Anyhow. Next q:

also, how would you rate Halo2's ingame visuals to say 1) Halo 2) Fry Cry 3) Doom3. Has any environment so far made you go woah because of visual polish (ala Orta?)
Click to expand...

reply:
Yeah the textures in the cutscenes and ingame is different. Some of the reflections in the cutscenes are real time reflections, opposed to Masterchief's helmet in the game. On the DVD that accompanies the collector's edition one of the first things they talk about is how they had to drop so much from the game visually simply because the Xbox couldn't handle it. They specifically mention real-time reflections on the Chief. The game's cutscenes look sharp, but even the first cutscene of the game has some pretty rough pop-in textures (where the characters and detail fills in as you get closer). These pop-in textures happen throughout the game, with details even popping in on boxes in the urban areas. There's still the same frame stops from time to time when you reach a new section to load up. And in the first cutscene of the game, there's even a frame stop.
 
I haven't finished it yet, Sonycowboy. I am on the fifth mission (though the first one is essentially a cutscene) and I think the missions are probably around an hour each so far. I'd guess the game is between 10-12 hours first playthrough. I expect to beat it tonight. I'll post a full review/impressions list when I complete the game. I really don't want to give anything away major for anyone or start a popcorn war.
 
From IGN boards

Hi guys I'm back. I tried to go to sleep and couldn't, so I got up and finished the game.

I frickin love it. I'm about as blown away as the first time I played the original and my expectations are a lot higher now than the first day I got my Xbox.

The only thing that I wish were a little different is the ending. I was running along through the game and in the middle of a cut scene and then the credits rolled. I thought I still had and hour or so to go when it ended. Anyway, it did pick a cliffhanger of a spot though and you will want to keep watching after the credits role because something that sets up HALO 3 happens after the thank yous.

Overall (not having been on LIVE yet), I would give it an almost perfect score. It did the impossible and followed up on what many consider the best game of all time with something that at least equals the original's experience. The game is so technically beyond what we have seen that I think it is as close as anyone will get to an Xbox 2 type of game before next November.

I'll have to play through the story again too, because there are a lot of plot details in this one. HALO 2 is more story driven than the first and from what I have seen of the multiplayer, I think it is going to have a ton of replay value.

I'm going to try to sleep for an hour before I go to work now
 
Prine said:
From IGN boards
The only thing that I wish were a little different is the ending. I was running along through the game and in the middle of a cut scene and then the credits rolled. I thought I still had and hour or so to go when it ended. Anyway, it did pick a cliffhanger of a spot though and you will want to keep watching after the credits role because something that sets up HALO 3 happens after the thank yous.
Click to expand...

I thought all these impressions should be under these tags? Anyway,
I hate it when games end that way.
 
Can you guys talk about your favorite levels in Campaign mode? I really liked Halo, Silent Cartographer and the two snow levels in the first and I wonder if there's anything that compares in the sequel.
 
EDIT: Upon further inspection, there is no widescreen display support. :( BUMMER


What I originally wrote:

I'm very happy to say there is a widescreen mode. I was not sure if this was going to make the cut. (If this was common knowledge, I apologize)
 
Scoot said:
reply:
Yeah the textures in the cutscenes and ingame is different. Some of the reflections in the cutscenes are real time reflections, opposed to Masterchief's helmet in the game. On the DVD that accompanies the collector's edition one of the first things they talk about is how they had to drop so much from the game visually simply because the Xbox couldn't handle it. They specifically mention real-time reflections on the Chief. The game's cutscenes look sharp, but even the first cutscene of the game has some pretty rough pop-in textures (where the characters and detail fills in as you get closer). These pop-in textures happen throughout the game, with details even popping in on boxes in the urban areas. There's still the same frame stops from time to time when you reach a new section to load up. And in the first cutscene of the game, there's even a frame stop.
Click to expand...


thanks for that. :| Well, can't wait to see the game and play the story to see how they take it. This thread is getting mighty unreadable; bit spoilerific.

Hey guys - if you're posting some; could you please say what it is that you're discussing then go into spoilers? :) thnx
 
Goddamnit, everyone seems to be getting it early and I'm still waiting for Thursday >:( Can't wait though, my shopping list is quite large aswell :P, Doritos and dip, a lovely limited edition copy, microwave pizzas and a bottle of Pepsi, a free Halo 2 tee-shirt and an extra game I might be able to grab :D It's going to be mad...
 
Some quick Weapons thoughts:

Most of the weapons have the same overall feel I'd say. There are now nifty little icons if you need to reload or if the battery is low on a Covenant weapon. I am not found of the semi automatic battle rifle, but the Sub Machine Gun KICKS ASS! Dual weild is really entertaining. :)

Dual Plasma Rifles seems really powerful, but of course you give up grenade throwing to do that. Also, charged shots from the plasma pistol drain the battery very quickly.
 
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