Editor’s Note: Halo 2 was released on the Xbox on November 9, 2004. Thus, I will be treating this review as if I am reviewing it in 2004. All comments are made in regards to the standards of that time period, as I don’t believe it is fair to review an older game in comparison to the standards of today unless I am doing so in retrospect.
Halo: Combat Evolved for the Xbox is one of the greatest First Person Shooters ever created and is perhaps the best launch title a system could ever hope to receive this side of Super Mario 64. Many believe that without this one game, the Xbox brand would not exist as it does today. It demonstrated that the First Person Shooter genre could be done, incredibly well at that, on consoles. College dormitories and apartments across the nation were host to countless Halo LAN parties because Halo is, without question, one of the best multiplayer experiences you’ll find on a console even after all this time. That alone is quite an impressive pedigree to live up to. While Halo 2 isn’t without its faults and does fall short in some areas, there’s no doubt that this is an excellent sequel.
