Halo 2

Halo 2's main character is still, of course, Master Chief - this time amid a slight makeover. Bungie has confessed that the new Master Chief boasts less polygons then the older model in order to allow for more action to be put on screen at the same time without worrying about slowdowns. In addition to the polygon decrease, Master Chief now features plenty of new moves. For one, he can sprint instead of walking at the speed of a turtle on crutches. The second new move gives Master Chief the ability to peek around corners in order to see what awaits him, similar to what Solid Snake does in past Metal Gear Solid titles. Last but not least, Master Chief can now combine melee attacks in order to accomplish devastating combinations. The new assortment of moves to execute is impressive to say the least.

Another aspect of Master Chief that has received an overhaul comes in the form of his weapon assortment. The famous assault rifle now features scope ability, while the handy pistol gets a nifty enhanced design. The vehicles in the original Halo were hands down one of the coolest things since slice bread, and that's what Bungie is building on. New snow and jungle versions of the standard Warthog jeep will make an appearance in the sequel, as well as an innovative Covenant Shadow and ATV battle machine. It's important to note that much of this information could simply be rumours: Bungie is keeping quite tight-lipped over the entire project. While speaking of rumours, speculation has it that the vehicles in Halo 2 will also be fully destroyable - now that's sweet!

Two new types of enemy breads have added themselves to the already powerful Covenant regime in Halo 2. The first, undergoing the title of Prophets, are a small, quick set of creatures who hover around and rely on strategy to surpass the adversary. The second, being called the Brutes, are just about the opposite. These immense monsters simply break anything that tempts to get in the way. Halo veterans will also be glad to note that old Covenant kinds such as the Elites will return for yet another take. The entire enemy artillery force as a whole will receive a face-lift as they take advantage of an even more advanced artificial intelligence script. If you thought seeing your opponents cover each other was simply amazing, wait until you witness them breaking up into small teams in order to overtake from every angle possible.

Multiplayer is a much bigger focus for the people at Bungie when it comes to Halo 2. The company has already said it wants to develop the sequel around everything the first Halo missed out on as far as multiplayer goes. Already confirmed, or at least strongly indicated, are full Xbox Live and System Link capabilities. This means gamers can expect to battle head-to-head or in teams from anywhere around the world. The possibilities are near endless with Halo 2 using Microsoft's vast Xbox Live network; tournaments, online clans and even downloadable levels are only the commencement. However, what really made Halo such a unique title was the dept within its single player experience. Let's just hope Bungie hasn't substituted the importance of a strong solitary experience with infinite multiplayer ideas.

New vehicles, a redesigned main character with neat moves and revamped weapons, more enemy types, entirely fresh locations and Xbox Live support are only the beginning of Bungie's inspired intentions. If there is one thing worth being a little disappointed about at the moment it's the thought of having to wait almost another full year to play this promising piece of software. Hoping to take Halo 2 and its entire glory home before the 2003 winter season is nothing more then a fantasy.

Expectations are sky scraping and while Bungie does have plenty to live up to, Xbox owners shouldn't be the least worried about the outcome.

Video Coverage (Latest Videos & Video FAQ)
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Description	Dur.	Size	Details
The full Halo 2 trailer - awesome viewing.	2.40min	23.5MB	MPG