It's been close to 20 hours since I last gripped the controller. I'm happy to admit that I'm no longer seeing
flashes of dual sub-machines guns blazing every time I close my eyes—believe me, they were there. So it goes when you
commit yourself to a two-day, only stop to sleep (a little), marathon jaunt. Time well spent, in my opinion.
But I've been patient, opting to turn the difficulty up (just to "Heroic") on the campaign, in order to take my time
and enjoy what Bungie is offering—I'm thankful that I don't feel pressure from the higher-ups to speed through the game
on Easy/Normal for the purpose of rushing a review. And so, I've been allowed to soak up everything Halo 2 has to
offer, including its misses, and now, with a fresh mind in tact, I'd like to continue providing you with my updated
impressions.
I?ve talked a lot about the online multiplayer aspects of the game in my previous posts, so this time around, I?d
like to spend a little more time with the single-player campaign. Let me just say that I?m still thoroughly enjoying
the Live experience, although at times I feel like my friends and I are starting to get trapped playing the same
map/game-type over and over in our custom matches?this same issue has plagued my experiences with other online games.
That being said, I?m starting to appreciate what Bungie has done with the matchmaker system, forcing you to randomly
play all the different game-types on different maps?the only problem I have is convincing enough friends that this is
indeed refreshing and worth teaming up for (I really despise playing team matches with a bunch of spazes I don?t know).
But enough?
I?ve been saving time for the single-player, and just yesterday, broke deep enough into it to capture my interests
away from Live for a prolonged period of time. Still, I?m sticking to my initial gut reaction: something is missing. I
believe it?s known as the sophomore curse, feared across the spectrum of the entertainment world. That is, how
can a sequel to a successful original elevate above the innovation of the first? And in attempting to do so, does the
risk of failure outweigh the sure bet of simply tweaking the original formula?
As fans, we wanted more Halo from the sequel, not something entirely new. But at the same time?with the hype-machine
invading our lives around every turn?we came to expect something unexpected. Sure there are plot twists and gimmicky
dynamics (don?t worry, I won?t spoil it for those of you who aren?t there yet) tossed into the sequel, but it?s still
just Halo, and any many ways, not even.
Something is missing. And for me, that starts with the level design. Now, I didn?t mind the repetition of the
first game (well, maybe in the Library I did), so I don?t mean to imply that Bungie failed to fix a flaw. But
rather, I just don?t feel excited about the environments in general. Again, it was the novelty of the original that
really blew my mind, but even so, it just feels like the sequel is more confined, with only a few choice open-field
battles along the way?and what?s worse, if you?re feeling overpowered, just run, you certainly won?t be followed. What
scares me even more is that the game is supposed to contain 15 levels, and when I look at the menu that displays those
I?ve unlocked, I count eight. Why is that scary? Because it feels like I?ve played only three, and started a fourth.
What I loved about the original was that it seemed like you really accomplished something after spending an entire day
beating a level on Legendary?it was epic! That?s gone for me.
The inflated storyline isn?t helping to soothe this glaring problem either; but maybe I?m just not deep enough into
it, I hope? Either way, Halo 2 is still great, and one of the first single-player games I?ve enjoyed playing since
becoming a Live junkie. And I think I?d enjoy it even more with a partner, so I?ve got to organize some co-op time (if
only this were Live too?). Well, enough for now, I?ve got to get back to actually playing?
We?d love to hear anything you?d like to add to this discussion. Please, drop us a line, share your experiences,
frustrations, & joys?
