Halo 2

Game Play

Looking Good

Like all game sequills Halo 2's graphics have been greatly improved on those in Halo: CE. Not that the graphics the original Halo are poor infact they're damn good but H2,s are even better. Check out the screens on the bottom of the page. For the full range and higher quality versions head over to Bungie.net

Environments

Now we have interactive environments and destructable scenery. This will be available on multiplayer aswell as campaign, meanig CTF could become intersting. Why go round the walls when you can knock them down. You can flatten walls and biuldings by driving into them with vehicles or blasting them with explosives, you can even use the new, high powered, mounted machin gun (see below) to tear threw buildings. There will also be interactive environments in which we will be able to open and close doors, shoot out lights and up turn objects to provide cover.

AI

The AI in halo 2 has improved now the covenant will fight in a more tactical manner (with the possible exeption of grunts). This could be seen in the E3 '03 real time demo when MC came up against a groupe of Jacklas. Instead of just shooting at MC, the Jackals grouped together and locked their sheild making it almost impossible for Master Cheif toharm them. That is of course untill the marine ran them all down in one fell swoop. Which brings me on to saying that the marines have got smart too and will prove alot more usefull they can only now drive but will form beffore atack. This means marines armed with shotguns and SMGs will take the front, those with battle rifles and Rocket Launchers follow behind and snipers will keep well out of harms way pick the enemy off one by one.

XBOX Live

Ye, Thats right XBOX LIVE! *let me take a minute to wipe the druel off my keyboard* All those people from all around the world will unite in one giant Halo blood bath. Clans will form, enemies will be made this will be a whole new experience. So get hooked up and wach out for the HB crew (that is not a threat, I was just trying to be friendly)

Characters

Now Master Cheif is back on Planet Earth we'll take a look at those inhabiting our green planet.

ODST
Orbital Drop Shock Trooper or Helljumpers what ever you want to call them you'll be coming across them in Halo 2. The ODSTs were vary majour chariters in all three Halo books but were never included in the game. For anyone who is not famillier with Helljumpers they are an all voulentary groupe of soldiers drop from spaceships in little one man pods, they are still members of the marine core but are more like the 16th centuty version of our present day SAS or Delta Force.

SPARTANS
Well its been rumoured that maby there will be encounters with more sprtans in Halo 2, whether it be Spartans of Master Cheif's generation or Mandezes Spartan IIIs.

Prophets
Theese are the big boss men of the covinant. They don't look too dificult to fight in that they appear un armed and cant walk, althogh they have cool, floating wheel chair thingys. It is also known that Prophets have a voice actor meaning they will be able to speak.

Brutes
Big, hairy, ugly looking gurilla like creatures, they are said to bodyguard the prophets but I'm sure well see them in other places too. More agile than an Elite but stronger than Jackals, it's one of these that hijacks the warthog in the E3 '03 trailer.

343GS
Not much is known about this but it has been confirmed that Guilty Spark will be returning, weather or not thats a good thing... well, you decide.

Weapons
The weapons stated here are only some of the confirmed weapons to be introduced in halo 2 but what we know is more than enough to satisfy

Dual Weilding

Yes Dual weilding just like golden eye. Any one handed weapon can be doubled so you can hold two of them and they dont need to be the smae gun, you can mix and mach as shown in tha last E3 demonstration you can hold a needler and a SMG. This means you can run into your enemy base like some gun hoe comando wasting your enemy in seconds. Great!

Melee Combos

Inspired by the bouble melee glich, bungie have now encorperated this concept into the game. Now you don't just smack them once you can completly lay into them. Hi ya!!

The Battle Rifle

This little beauty is expected to replace the assault rifle and is very effective at close range and medium range. When at close range it fires lots of rapid shots but when zoomed out it fires lots of pistol-like shots. This is going to be a favourite..

SMG(Sub-Machine-Gun)

The SMG is a fast firing gun that can be held in on hand meaning you can use it alongside another gun as part of a dual weilding or you can just have two of them (now you can run around like your favourite action hero, pumping your enemy full of lead). This gun will replace the assault rifle.

Energy Sword

Ever thought how much fun those elites must have while swinging those big swords around, now you can have a go. The sword has been slightly changed but their essentially the same bad ass light saber rip off they always were. This will mean you can go one on one with your mates each armed with a light sword.

Farewell To Arms

Based on lack of evidence to prove othewise, it is rumered that the pistol will not be returning in Halo 2. We allready know that the AR will not be included but most people (exept Smoki) won't really care about that since it will be replaced by the SMG and we can have two of those. The loss of the pistol, on the other hand has been alot more contrivercial as it is the choise weapon of many players. Forums have been red hot on the topic and Bungie have refused to comment. If it does not reappear in H2 then we should all miss the pistol but you don't know we may be contented with the BR and this legendary side arm will fade into irelivance.

Detination Grenades

Now I'm not sure as to weather theese will actually appear in Halo 2 but I just thought I'd mention them anyway because they sound so cool. A cross between your average frag and a plasma grenade in that they're human, HE grenades that stick to things with the added feature of a remote detination facility. This means you can leave it in a doorway, on vehicle or the enemy himself, wait untill the right time and then press the button. Ha! What fun.

The Needler

You may be thinking "That was in the last game !" and i know it was but as demonstrated at the recent E3 convention the funny lookin spiky gun is no longer a waste of space. The Needler has been drastically improved and it fires a lot faster and does more damage, It also counts a one handed weapon meaning you can dual weild.

The Rocket Launcher

The rate of fire has been made slightly faster and the velocity of the rocket has also been increased but the biggest change is that the rocket has a slight homing ability. To lock a rocket on to some one you zoom in on your target and keep the rectical on them, the longer you aim at them before firing, the better the lock. You can tell how good a lock you've got by how red the recticle is: the deeper the shade of red the better the lock.

Covenant Carbine

This is going to bring a whole new dimension to how you fight the covenant. It is a covenant plasma based weapon which is purple and will be like a sniper rifle so be extra careful when fighting elites at a distance this time round ! You can see the carbine by clicking here

Genorous Marines

Now you know those occasion when some distance away there's a Grunt in a shade wiping out marines and stood next to you is a sniper who is either half asleep or too stupid to take him out. Well no longer will you have to kill him for his weapon and risk angering your allys, instead just ask politly and they'll just hand it over.

Vehicles

The vehicles are also changing Halo 2. There are some new vehicles some have been tweaked and some posses new capabilities.

Hogs

Here is an early render of the warthogs expected in halo 2. From left to right: Standard Warthog With Chaingun, Jungle hog which although pictured here with a LAAG will actually be armed with a gausse cannon that fires rockets (kick ass), ice hog with tracks for driving on ice and the troop carrier hog for big loads of men. Warthogs have now been fitted with a horn and E-break.

Please click on the image to view it at a higher resolution

ATV

This is possibly going to be the most fun vehicle in Halo 2. Fast, mernuverable and the possible ability to hold a one handed weapon whilst riding on it, that includes light swords (here come the cavilry). This is the perfect vehicle for all you Halo extreme sports fans.

Shadow

Effectivly a covy warthog this didn't make it to Halo:CE due to deadline problems. It can cary 4 personell consisting of a driver, a gunner and 2 passengers. This is a cross between the ghost and the wraith in beeing quite fast and reasonably hard to destroy. The rear mounted gun turret will be simmilar to the stationary shade and will be able to turn and fire completely independant of the rest of the vehicle. Whith its speed, strength, firepower and troop carrying abbility the shadow will sertainly make campaign (the only place where the wraith will be appearing) a lot mor interesting.

Creep

Another Covanant campaign vehichle that acts like a gigantic troop caying bus. They about twice the size of a hog with a space in the middle to carry some covy troops. They also have a shade wounted on the top front to provide the vehicle with some kind of defence.

Phantom

Yet another new covinant vehicle to fight and this one flys. Its not as fast and maneuvable as the banshee but it has got an independitly rotating gun on the bottom and theres room inside for transportation. As is with the shadow and creep we are unsure as to weather it will appear in multi player or even if MC ever gets a go behind the wheel.

Hijacking

Scenorio: your stood in the middle of level in a totally exposed area and a ghost is heading straight for you. Now at preasant, in Halo: CE you could fire aimlessly at the vehicle and try to do some little move to get yourself out of the way to avoid being road killed, but in Halo 2 you wait untill the right moment, press X and jump on the front. Then you can knock them off, get in the driver seat, turn it around and mow them down with twin plasma cannons or simply drive off with there vehicle. In Halo 2 you can hijack pretty much any vehicle providing they're going slow enough or at a complete stop.

Boosts

Now if you don't want your vehicle to get hijacked then help is at hand with the addition of boosts for certain vehicles. Theese boosts can be used to prevent hijacking, Charging straight into the enemy base or getting away from a dangerous situation. The only downside to the boosts is that when boosting the vehicle it becomes almost imposible to control.

Damage

Along with the new addition of destructable scenery the vehicles now also are no longer inderstructable (including dropships). The vehicle destruction will be location specific for example shooting the hub caps of a warthog will make it vary difficult to controll or you can do the same thing to ghosts by shooting off the wings. When the vehicles are completly trashed they will explode and in some cases there may be a secondary explosion. No longer will you be able to abuse you vehicle but instead will have to take care and look after your set of wheels.

Mounted Guns

There are new mounted human gun turrets that are said to be vary powerfull and can hold of an entire envading enemy force but be carefull as like all other vehicles they may blow up.

Drivers

Increased AI means that marines can now drive. This should improve game play meaning its not always down to you to shoffer everyone else, now you get a go on the chaingun. Grunts can now drive vehicles a shocking thought but so far weve only see them of Ghosts.