Review: Halo 2
Wow. It’s really been almost three months since I posted a proper game review. For those of you that look forward to them, I apologize. I can’t say I have a very good excuse except for the fact that streaming really cut into the time that I usually use for playing through my backlog. Well, that and the fact that redesigned the site and was also occupied with another project (one that I’ll talk about soon). But, regardless of all these setbacks, I’ve finally finished my playthrough of Halo 2 and I’m ready to share my thoughts.
I reviewed the first Halo title several years ago. For that review, I played the version of the game included in the Master Chief Collection. For this review, I decided to do the same thing. As is the case with the first Halo game, the Master Chief Collection features an updated version of Halo 2; Halo 2 Anniversary. This version of the game is essentially a high definition remaster with updated textures and an updated lighting engine. Like the first Halo remaster, you can easily toggle between the original visuals and the updated graphics.
Due to the success of the first Halo title, it was inevitable that a sequel was just around the corner. Halo 2 was released for the Xbox in 2004, three years after the original. The events of the game are set immediately after the first game ends. The opening cutscene focuses on the trial of a Covenant commander accused of incompetence for allowing the humans to destroy the Halo “planet”. Meanwhile, during a victory celebration in Earth’s orbit, the Covenant appear and launch an attack on Earth. This is where the game begins, with the player controlling Master Chief as he defends against The Covenant attack. However, as the game progresses, players also find themselves controlling the disgraced Covenant commander, who has now been branded as The Arbiter. The Arbiter has come to believe that The Covenant has become corrupted and seeks to purge the heretics and restore order. As the events of the game unfold, the player will alternate between controlling both Master Chief and The Arbiter as they uncover the truth behind Halo and these mysterious worlds keep locked away.
Halo 2 capitalizes on the things that made the first game so unique among first-person shooters. Strategy continues to be a key gameplay element. Simply running around and blasting everything that moves will not get the job done. For starters, at any given time, the characters on the screen may be a mix of friend or foe. All non-player characters are controlled by in-game AI, just like they were in the first game. This time, however, the AI seems to be much more situationally aware. Not only will it strategize based on the players’ location (and nearby obstacles), but it even seems to analyze the players’ behavior. What I mean by this, is if the player tries to remain under cover in a certain position for too long, the AI will recognize this and attempt to flush the player out. This is something I don’t remember experiencing in the first game, and I found it to make the combat considerably more engaging.
Other updates to the gameplay include the ability to collect weapons from fallen enemies, dual-wield weapons, hijack enemy vehicles (think GTA style), and a major revision to the melee system.
The single-player scenario is also much more cinematic and story-driven than the first game. Even though I had played the original Halo to completion, it took me a while to get my head back into the game, so to speak. Everything just felt so different this time around. But, after a while, things clicked into place and I found myself enjoying this title even more than I did the original Halo.
I think that one of the things that gave me a bit of pause was the new controller scheme. In order to fully support dual-wielding weapons, the button assignment for Halo 2 had to be revised. For example, in the original game, the left trigger throws grenades, while the right trigger actually fires the gun. In Halo 2, each trigger fires whatever gun is held in the corresponding hand. The grenades are now assigned to the left bumper button instead. Of course, if playing on the PC, mouse and keyboard are always an option and you can customize keybindings however you like.
For this playthrough I mainly focused on the single player scenario. But I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the multiplayer aspect of Halo 2. This game has the distinction of being the first FPS title to feature built-in online matchmaking. Up to this point, other FPS games typically relied on third-party software (like QuakeSpy) to connect players together. However, due to the Xbox Live infrastructure, matchmaking was baked directly into the game for the very first time. Halo 2 also pioneered the concept of live voice chat (both proximity and team-based). Both of these technologies are now considered standard in online FPS titles.
In addition to the multiplayer modes found in the first Halo game, Halo 2 introduces three new online modes: Territories (teams battle to control and hold specific regions of the map), Juggernaut (one player is “it”, while the other players seek them out), and Assault (one team sets up a bomb at the enemy base, while defending their own from attack).
Until I sat down to play for this review, multiplayer Halo 2 was the only experience I had with the game. Back in the day, I had several friends at work that used to play Halo 2 LAN-party style. And a few times I was invited over to play. So, I had some experience with the various play modes back during the game’s original release. Today, the original Halo 2 multiplayer servers are no longer online. But players can still experience Halo 2 multiplayer via the Master Chief Collection. It’s important to note that the experience today isn’t quite the same as it used to be. Halo MCC multiplayer is a mash-up of various games in the series.Still, you can specify which game you want to play. So to emulate the Halo 2 multiplayer experience, you can choose either Halo 2 classic or Halo 2 Anniversary from a list when queuing for multiplayer matchmaking.
Even though the true version of the game is now difficult to come by, the MCC does a good job at preserving the authentic experience. Even though it took me a little bit to get into this one, once it clicked, I found myself having a very good time. Halo 2 is certainly an upgrade over the first game. For gamers who experienced it the first time around, I doubt anything will really ever come close to the magic that was Halo 2‘s multiplayer experience. But, with a dedicated group of friends that are willing to stick with you, you can replicate it almost perfectly today.
As always, I applaud Microsoft for including both the original presentation and the upgraded graphics in the MCC. Having these sorts of options allows players to select the type of experience they want.
Version Reviewed: PC
Difficulty: Variable – Halo 2 offers four different difficulty settings; Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary. For most players, especially those new to FPS games, Normal is the recommended setting. However, as was the case with the first game, even the Normal mode has more than its share of challenges for players who may be new the genre. Heroic and Legendary are reserved for players who have mastered the game and are looking for an even greater challenge. As always, the challenge found in the multiplayer portion of the game will vary greatly depending on your opponents. But more often than not, expect to die a lot. Just like with the first game, multiplayer in Halo 2 is popular and there are players who have been practicing for years on end. A new player should expect to be very patient as they build up their skills to a point where they will be able to viably compete in the multiplayer arena.
Multiplayer: Local and Network. Network play is cross-platform.
Story: The storyline for Halo 2 is somehow even more detailed than that of the original game. It used to be the case that FPS games tended to go light on storyline. However, by the time this game came out, that trend was largely a thing of the past. The storyline here gives the player a glimpse at both sides of the conflict, allowing the players to control both Master Chief and The Arbiter. Plus, it sheds light on the background story and really sets up the lore for the Halo universe going forward.
Originality: Halo 2 takes everything that made the original game unique and builds upon it. The introduction of new multiplayer modes, matchmaking technology, and even quality of life improvements to gameplay ended up feeling revolutionary.
Soundtrack: The original soundtrack for this game also broke new ground in many ways. For starters, the majority of the music is a mixture of gothic/orchestral themes mixed with electronica. This helps give the game a very unique feel. But the game also includes licensed tracks by popular artists like Breaking Benjamin and Incubus. For many, these songs felt a bit out of place, but I found them to be oddly appropriate when they do come up. It’s important to note that due to licensing issues, these pieces cannot be heard when playing the remastered version of the game. However, they still appear if you are playing the game with its original graphics. This is because the original game engine is still running in the background, so technically, the original music license still applies.
Fun: My comments here remain unchanged from the first game. Despite being frustrating at times, the gameplay is fun and rewarding. This is true for both the single player and multiplayer modes. Personally, I find multiplayer with actual friends to be much more enjoyable than playing against random opponents. If this is something you’re able to manage, you’ll be in for a real treat.
Graphics: The Master Chief Collection allows players to switch between the original graphics and the newly remastered experience. Obviously, the remastered graphics looks leaps and bounds better than the original game. But, for its day and time, the original Halo 2 was at the top of its class. Even today, the original rendering still holds up pretty well.
Playcontrol: I’ll go on record and admit that when it comes to FPS games, nothing beats the classic keyboard and mouse combo. This is true for any game, including Halo. That being said, the playcontrol is very well done and serves as a proof of concept for FPS games on home consoles. I found the revised button mapping for Halo 2 to be an improvement over the original.
Downloadable Content: No. (There are no additional scenarios for the game itself. However, the Master Chief Collection does add new modes and options for the six games included in the anthology from time to time)
Mature Content: Warfare, Violence
Value: Halo 2 Anniversary is still available on the Xbox Marketplace for around $10.00. But these days, the entire Master Chief Collection typically sells between $30-$40. Six games for this price is an amazing value. But even if you had to play $10 for the original game, it’s still worth it in my opinion.
Overall score (1-100): 100 – Halo 2 takes everything that’s great about the original game and improves upon it in some way. Be it simple QoL tweaks, to the introduction of an entirely new way to enjoy multiplayer. The story is gripping, the combat is complex, and the level design is top of the line. Halo 2 is often noted as one of the greatest games of all time, and it is very apparent why.
Original System: Xbox
Available today on: Xbox One/X/S, PC – (Updated as of Summer 2026)
Best Experience: PC, Xbox One/X/S – (Updated as of Summer 2026)
Other Reviews In This Series:
Halo – Halo 2 – Halo 3 – Halo 4 – Halo 5 – Halo InfiniteHalo 3: ODST – Halo: ReachHalo Wars – Halo Wars 2Halo: Campaign Evolved
