Halo 2

[Dark0ne]

Long awaited sequel to Combat Evolved, provides impressive FPS action for Xbox gamers wanting to see the next installment of the Master Chief story.

[Chaosmaker]

Is Halo 2 coming out for the Pc because the first one was a major failure with the lag.

[Dark0ne]

As far as I know no port for the PC has been planned after the multiplayer disaster that was the Halo PC. Its just in the wrong forum..moving.

[Btcc22]

I prefer Halo PC to that Halo 2 Xbox Live junk which lags like a horse (if that makes sense) quite often and is just downright unfair in these ranked games you pretty much have to play!

 

Halo PC was great until patch 1.05 (still OK). Halo CE was a joke mind, they made a mess of that. I worked out it could have been a 20mb patch instead of splitting the community up even further.

 

Go to a decent server such as Jolt on Halo 1 and you're laughing.

 

Let's have a detailed look at what I think about Halo 2 on Xbox Live!

 

Halo 2, Xbox Live

 

If there’s one thing that people will associate Halo 2 with it’s probably the fact that it supports Xbox Live game play, unlike its predecessor. It probably got the Halo fans more exited than the story line in the months before release. One question needs to be asked; does it live up to expectations?

Bungie have spent a long time working on the online aspect of Halo 2 and since release Xbox Live traffic has gone through the roof. There should be no doubt in the mind of anybody that this game is not only popular, but the biggest hit on the Xbox to date.

 

Background:

 

Halo 2 on Xbox Live has many features to be talked about, which all combine to offer the gamer an unrivalled online gaming experience. Perhaps it would good if I told you that Xbox Live is not free. You must have your own Xbox, copy of the game, pay for your broadband and then pay a subscription to Xbox Live as well as preferably buying an Xbox Live headset. Now, apart from MMORPG games, most gaming online is free, which includes the original Halo on PC, so what makes Xbox Live and Halo 2 worth your hard earned money?

 

Features:

 

Halo 2 on Xbox Live has many features which have not yet been seen in other games on Xbox Live, as well as the more common features. I think the best way to get through all of these features would be to list some of the more important features, then talk about them individually.

 

• Clans

• Matchmaking

• Friends list

• Bungie Statistics

• Custom Games

 

 

Clans:

 

Halo 2 supports clans which are groups of up to 100 players which can play together in Xbox Live games. Clans are able to compete in two game types which clan less players cannot. These games are ‘Minor Clan match’ and ‘Major Clan match’. These modes allow clans to battle other clans online in matches which have totally random game setups. The scores of these matches automatically go on the Bungie Stats website which will then give the clan a ranking and a level for a minor match and a level for major matches. These levels can be used to dictate the skill of a clan.

A clan starts by an individual player setting up a clan within Halo 2 and then inviting other players, which could be people they know off Xbox Live or perhaps friends. They are then able to promote the clan member to different statuses such as the unflattering title of Peon. There are only 4 ranks available; Peon, Member, Staff and Overlord, being the leader or leaders of the clan.

Recruiting members is a breeze. All you have to do is go to your friends list or recent players, select the player you want to invite and then select the ‘Send Clan Invite’ option. While this is easy, it has become apparent from owning my own clan that the chances are nobody will join your clan because they’ve got their own or are in another clan. Since I’ve had my copy of Halo 2 a few days after release nobody has ever accepted a clan invite except for one member from the Halo 1 division of the clan who happens to be the co-leader.

Another point, don’t expect clans to be colour co-ordinated. Clans do not have their own colour schemes, or logos as was hoped for before release.

Overall, the clan system is pretty basic and considering nobody seems to actually join the clans, if you actually get a decent sized clan going, then you should consider yourself lucky.

 

Matchmaking:

 

This is the mode of play you’ll probably find yourself playing the most. There are

7 modes which can be entered by all players including those without a clan and 6 of those are ranked and will go towards your Bungie player statistics.

Upon entering the Quick match option you can choose which matchmaking mode you wish to play. Halo 2 will then search for a game and join it. Depending on the game mode, a number of other players up to 16 will be able to join. In a team game it will usually make sure there is an even number of players to balance the teams, but this isn’t always the case. Matchmaking will then randomly select a map and game type from the set play list. Once it has completed that part, it will allow you to chat with other players before beginning the game. Once you have reached this stage, the only way to back out before the game begins is to turn off your Xbox which will irritate your team mates highly if they find themselves a player down and losing in a ranked game.

Once the match is over, it will be recorded on your player statistics at http://www.bungie.net/stats.

 

Friends List:

 

Halo 2 provides you with access to your friends list as do all Xbox Live games. However, there are 3 lists which you can access. Firstly and most obviously there is the friends list which shows all players you have befriended and you can tell if they have Halo 2, and whether or not they are online. Then there is the clan list which will show you other players in your clan which gives easy access to their statuses within Xbox Live. Thirdly there is a ‘Recent Players’ list which will allow you to easily add players from previous games you have played to your friends list (if they accept) and send them clan invites.

 

Bungie Statistics:

 

The site, known as Bungie Stats allows you to look up gamer-tags and look at their ranks across all the modes which they have played. You can also look up individual games and view the results for the match. You can also view world leader-boards to see which players are the best of the best and view your own world ranking providing you are high enough to even be listed.

However, the site is far from perfect. Games which have been played may sometimes take a long time to appear on the site, they may be reported incorrectly with perhaps the wrong map for example, your rankings may periodically disappear replaced with a message telling you that you haven’t even played any games of a certain type. The worst is when you are told your Xbox Live gamer tag doesn’t even exist on the Bungie Stats website. Despite all these problems the site is a welcome addition to the game experience and can be found at http://www.bungie.net/stats.

 

Custom Games:

 

If you want a break from the matchmaking games then you should give making a custom game a try. Custom games are unranked and so take the pressure to perform away and a little bit more fun to the game. You, if you are party leader, get to choose what map you play and what game mode it is on. You can even create new game modes to add a little bit of spice into the game. To do this however, you have to leave your party and go back to the menu which is another source of irritation.

Another point is that if you have no friends, you won’t be playing any custom games. Unfortunately, players are unable to search for custom games and can only get in when invited by players who are in their friends list. Also, the party could be in matchmaking meaning you are unable to join at all instead of perhaps being able to join the party and wait for game over which seems like a far better idea.

 

Overall:

 

Halo 2 on Xbox Live has many good points, and despite some reviews may say, it also has many bad points.

 

The main complaint has to be able matchmaking, especially if you’re not within the US. Lag, especially in Big Team Battle, can quite often being intolerable leaving you warping around wondering where you are as your ranking points slip helplessly away through no fault of your own. Even when the connections are good, if your host is in the US and you are for example in the UK, you’ll still be affected lag which you’ll probably notice more on the smaller maps such as Lockout where you should really do your best to avoid shotgun and sword battles, because you’ll probably come off worse against a foreign host. If you are outside the US, and manage to get a host from your country (don’t hold your hopes high) you may immediately notice the improvement in your performance as lag stops taking such a high toll.

 

Bungie Stats could do with improvement as could the matchmaking system to make it fairer towards those outside the US and to those who have to get stuck within laggy and unbalanced games rather than simply losing ranking points which have been worked for so hard.

 

 

Hopefully this review will have offered a small insight into Halo 2 on Xbox Live. It doesn’t cover all the points, but rather gives a brief summary of the system. It has been written from the point of a UK player having to play in a US dominated game which will be reflected in some of the issues about lag.

 

Written for TouringNet.co.uk and may not be reused in part or in whole without express permission from TouringNet.co.uk

 

---------

There we go :)

[mrpyromania]

Written for TouringNet.co.uk and may not be reused in part or in whole without express permission from TouringNet.co.uk

:laugh:

I suppose you didn't read the last part? :happy:

[Dark0ne]

Written for TouringNet.co.uk and may not be reused in part or in whole without express permission from TouringNet.co.uk

:laugh:

I suppose you didn't read the last part? :happy:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

He's the owner of Touringnet.co.uk -- LoL :notti:

[mrpyromania]

Right,yes well....Um you see.....

*runs away*

[Switch]

I just finished this game a few days ago, it wasn't half bad. I think they improved a lot on some of the gaming features in Halo, especially some of the more annoying ones. Like, being able to ride vehicles in just about every mission, and also riding in one didn't spell certain death like in the previous game (being able to be squashed or run over by your own vehicle, including the fact they were easily destroyed and you along with them). Also, Wraiths are no longer so seemingly invincible, you can easily destroy them with a Ghost, it just takes a little time. They won't nuke you with their energy pulse at point blank range like before, heh.

 

I enjoyed it for the most part, my only pet hate with it was mainly the Flood. They were annoying enough in the previous Halo, but they somehow found a way to make them worse. They seem to take a ridiculous amount of firepower to kill now, and if you don't get out of the area fast often more keep spawning, so you barely have time to figure out where the heck you're meant to be going. Grr. Plus those little ones that like to go "poof" in your face can now cause serious shield damage, and resurrect Flood that you've already killed!? That was infuriating.

 

Also, it seemed a little short. Below 10 gaming hours to complete it? I'm sure they could have done more. Oh well.

 

All in all it was a very good game I think, though in some ways Halo did feel a bit more "epic".

 

*Goes to play Metropolis again... god I love Scorpions :D*

[Btcc22]

I bet The Library had more floors in it this time..except they didn't give you a title for each one!

[Cloaksheed]

I prefer Halo PC to that Halo 2 Xbox Live junk which lags like a horse (if that makes sense) quite often and is just downright unfair in these ranked games you pretty much have to play!

 

Halo PC was great until patch 1.05 (still OK). Halo CE was a joke mind, they made a mess of that. I worked out it could have been a 20mb patch instead of splitting the community up even further.

 

Go to a decent server such as Jolt on Halo 1 and you're laughing.

 

Let's have a detailed look at what I think about Halo 2 on Xbox Live!

 

Halo 2, Xbox Live

 

If there’s one thing that people will associate Halo 2 with it’s probably the fact that it supports Xbox Live game play, unlike its predecessor. It probably got the Halo fans more exited than the story line in the months before release. One question needs to be asked; does it live up to expectations?

Bungie have spent a long time working on the online aspect of Halo 2 and since release Xbox Live traffic has gone through the roof. There should be no doubt in the mind of anybody that this game is not only popular, but the biggest hit on the Xbox to date.

 

Background:

 

Halo 2 on Xbox Live has many features to be talked about, which all combine to offer the gamer an unrivalled online gaming experience. Perhaps it would good if I told you that Xbox Live is not free. You must have your own Xbox, copy of the game, pay for your broadband and then pay a subscription to Xbox Live as well as preferably buying an Xbox Live headset. Now, apart from MMORPG games, most gaming online is free, which includes the original Halo on PC, so what makes Xbox Live and Halo 2 worth your hard earned money?

 

Features:

 

Halo 2 on Xbox Live has many features which have not yet been seen in other games on Xbox Live, as well as the more common features. I think the best way to get through all of these features would be to list some of the more important features, then talk about them individually.

 

• Clans

• Matchmaking

• Friends list

• Bungie Statistics

• Custom Games

 

 

Clans:

 

Halo 2 supports clans which are groups of up to 100 players which can play together in Xbox Live games. Clans are able to compete in two game types which clan less players cannot. These games are ‘Minor Clan match’ and ‘Major Clan match’. These modes allow clans to battle other clans online in matches which have totally random game setups. The scores of these matches automatically go on the Bungie Stats website which will then give the clan a ranking and a level for a minor match and a level for major matches. These levels can be used to dictate the skill of a clan.

A clan starts by an individual player setting up a clan within Halo 2 and then inviting other players, which could be people they know off Xbox Live or perhaps friends. They are then able to promote the clan member to different statuses such as the unflattering title of Peon. There are only 4 ranks available; Peon, Member, Staff and Overlord, being the leader or leaders of the clan.

Recruiting members is a breeze. All you have to do is go to your friends list or recent players, select the player you want to invite and then select the ‘Send Clan Invite’ option. While this is easy, it has become apparent from owning my own clan that the chances are nobody will join your clan because they’ve got their own or are in another clan. Since I’ve had my copy of Halo 2 a few days after release nobody has ever accepted a clan invite except for one member from the Halo 1 division of the clan who happens to be the co-leader.

Another point, don’t expect clans to be colour co-ordinated. Clans do not have their own colour schemes, or logos as was hoped for before release.

Overall, the clan system is pretty basic and considering nobody seems to actually join the clans, if you actually get a decent sized clan going, then you should consider yourself lucky.

 

Matchmaking:

 

This is the mode of play you’ll probably find yourself playing the most. There are

7 modes which can be entered by all players including those without a clan and 6 of those are ranked and will go towards your Bungie player statistics.

Upon entering the Quick match option you can choose which matchmaking mode you wish to play. Halo 2 will then search for a game and join it. Depending on the game mode, a number of other players up to 16 will be able to join. In a team game it will usually make sure there is an even number of players to balance the teams, but this isn’t always the case. Matchmaking will then randomly select a map and game type from the set play list. Once it has completed that part, it will allow you to chat with other players before beginning the game. Once you have reached this stage, the only way to back out before the game begins is to turn off your Xbox which will irritate your team mates highly if they find themselves a player down and losing in a ranked game.

Once the match is over, it will be recorded on your player statistics at http://www.bungie.net/stats.

 

Friends List:

 

Halo 2 provides you with access to your friends list as do all Xbox Live games. However, there are 3 lists which you can access. Firstly and most obviously there is the friends list which shows all players you have befriended and you can tell if they have Halo 2, and whether or not they are online. Then there is the clan list which will show you other players in your clan which gives easy access to their statuses within Xbox Live. Thirdly there is a ‘Recent Players’ list which will allow you to easily add players from previous games you have played to your friends list (if they accept) and send them clan invites.

 

Bungie Statistics:

 

The site, known as Bungie Stats allows you to look up gamer-tags and look at their ranks across all the modes which they have played. You can also look up individual games and view the results for the match. You can also view world leader-boards to see which players are the best of the best and view your own world ranking providing you are high enough to even be listed.

However, the site is far from perfect. Games which have been played may sometimes take a long time to appear on the site, they may be reported incorrectly with perhaps the wrong map for example, your rankings may periodically disappear replaced with a message telling you that you haven’t even played any games of a certain type. The worst is when you are told your Xbox Live gamer tag doesn’t even exist on the Bungie Stats website. Despite all these problems the site is a welcome addition to the game experience and can be found at http://www.bungie.net/stats.

 

Custom Games:

 

If you want a break from the matchmaking games then you should give making a custom game a try. Custom games are unranked and so take the pressure to perform away and a little bit more fun to the game. You, if you are party leader, get to choose what map you play and what game mode it is on. You can even create new game modes to add a little bit of spice into the game. To do this however, you have to leave your party and go back to the menu which is another source of irritation.

Another point is that if you have no friends, you won’t be playing any custom games. Unfortunately, players are unable to search for custom games and can only get in when invited by players who are in their friends list. Also, the party could be in matchmaking meaning you are unable to join at all instead of perhaps being able to join the party and wait for game over which seems like a far better idea.

 

Overall:

 

Halo 2 on Xbox Live has many good points, and despite some reviews may say, it also has many bad points.

 

The main complaint has to be able matchmaking, especially if you’re not within the US. Lag, especially in Big Team Battle, can quite often being intolerable leaving you warping around wondering where you are as your ranking points slip helplessly away through no fault of your own. Even when the connections are good, if your host is in the US and you are for example in the UK, you’ll still be affected lag which you’ll probably notice more on the smaller maps such as Lockout where you should really do your best to avoid shotgun and sword battles, because you’ll probably come off worse against a foreign host. If you are outside the US, and manage to get a host from your country (don’t hold your hopes high) you may immediately notice the improvement in your performance as lag stops taking such a high toll.

 

Bungie Stats could do with improvement as could the matchmaking system to make it fairer towards those outside the US and to those who have to get stuck within laggy and unbalanced games rather than simply losing ranking points which have been worked for so hard.

 

 

Hopefully this review will have offered a small insight into Halo 2 on Xbox Live. It doesn’t cover all the points, but rather gives a brief summary of the system. It has been written from the point of a UK player having to play in a US dominated game which will be reflected in some of the issues about lag.

 

Written for TouringNet.co.uk and may not be reused in part or in whole without express permission from TouringNet.co.uk

 

---------

There we go :)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Lag on Halo 2. WTF? I live in Australia and have no such lag of which you speak. The game is the best, it searches for the best host for everyone and makes so everyone has a good connection.