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Insightfully Critical Fan Review of Halo 2
Anonymous the Cowardly Lion writes "While browsing the tome of data that is the online-Halo-community I came across 7hr33.org, a group apparently known for their pioneering work in the Tricks scene (contemporaries of the infamous Warthog Jump). What caught my eye was their critique of Halo 2 from December 2004: The Page of Woah|Woe. It's a little too in-depth for the casual player at first, but by the final third it really encapsulates the reactions of core players to the sequel." From the article: "The assessment is in: Halo 2 is... well, different. And I don't mean that in an entirely negative fashion. A lot of the changes are for the better, and we should certainly hope so. Online play, dual-wielding, boarding, the energy sword, stunning new vistas, and a compelling story arch... in many ways, H2 is a phenomenal game. There isn't another like it."
Bungie's biggest mistake was removing falling damage from Halo 2.
It completely changed - for the worse - multiplayer tactics by making suicidal leaps an everyday occurrence.
I liked Halo as well as Halo 2 and will play it for a few hours every week. I think it's a great game and Bungie should be proud of it, but I also don't think it's the most amazing thing ever made. While I did think this review was pretty complete (and certainly long), I had some of the same observations at first but now I've come to better appreciate Halo 2. Since all my Halo 2 gametime is spent in multiplayer, that's where my comments will be directed.
I'm not going to comment on the small details the writer of this review thought are were very important (the pump of the shotgun on reload, or the emission from the plasma weapons), because, well, I just don't think they're important. I understand it's a level of polish and can appreciate it, but as a developer myself I can see why you tend to remove superflous details and concentrate on what's important.
H1 Pistol vs H2 Battle Rifle + Magnum
In H1, the pistol was pretty unbalanced, and a slight skill difference between players would become a pretty large margin when one of them has the pistol. The zooming capability in itself makes a weapon more powerful, and I think a good compromise was reached with the Battle Rifle and the Magnum. I don't know why the reviewer says the Battle Rifle doesn't have range - anyone who plays on Colossus knows otherwise. It's not unfairly powerful like the H1 pistol, but mid-range you can usually beat someone dual-wielding SMGs.
As for the magnum, most new people to H2 don't think it's very powerful - until you find out that a headshot from one of them without your shields = death. I agree ammo for the magnum is scarce, but I think that's because for nearly all weapons there's just too much ammo.
Gernades
Gernades are definitely different in H2 and I can see difficulty in trying to balance them. I was really used to them in H1, and the author is right that not using them isn't a big disadvantage of dual-wielding. On the the other hand, when you want to play a game like H2, you want your kills to be a sign of skill, not just some lucky toss (which happened a lot in H1).
Rocket Launcher
I agree, there's no reason a close-range rocket kill shouldn't at least severly damage the shooter.
Covenant weapons
I hated the H1 covenant "freeze", and was fine to see that go. But clearly Covenant weapons are more effective at taking away your shields, so there is still a useful distinction. However, I do agree having both the human and covenant version of a Battle Rifle, Sniper, etc. does seem a bit silly.
Picking up dual weapons
The example of trying to exchange your non-current weapon, while a bit contrived, simply demonstrates one of the disadvantages of dual-wielding. When you're playing a fast-paced game like a FPS, you need to quickly decide what weapon suite you'll carry. If you're in a situation where you're going to be killed quickly, don't go through all those steps. It should also be mentioned that if the shotgun is that important, you can also just pick it up by holding X (though obviously you'll lose your dual guns).
Energy Sword
I think the energy sword is well balanced. You can only whip it out in the short range, try it in midrange against dual-SMGs, or even in close range against two people and you'll find it's hardly a superweapon.
Needler
I'm willing to be surprised, but I agree this weapon remains useless.
Melee
Like the gernades and the pistol, melee was really powerful in H1. Unless you're assassinating someone, I wouldn't count on meleeing someone to death without shooting them a couple times. I think this a much more realistic feel than H1.
Campaign
Honestly, I don't think either H1 or H2 have very interesting campaigns. The graphics are great, the AI is great, the gameplay is great... but the level design and story just don't do it for me personally.
Simplifications
I really like the simplificatio
http://www.talknerdy.org
Yes, I got that the first time I read your post. However, when you say that Bungie develops it and Microsoft publishes it, you're implying that there's some sort of difference between those two entities - which there just isn't.
Bungie isn't some far flung subsidiary which Microsoft just happens to own. They're fully integrated into the company; more so than Ensemble, Rare, or Digital Anvil (who weren't relocated to Redmond and absorbed into the campus like Bungie was).