Product Description

This limited edition sees the Halo 2 game and an exclusive bonus DVD housed in an exclusive metal box. The bonus disc includes: Behind the Scenes: The Making of Halo 2; Making the Game: six video featurettes; Visualizing the Story (concept art, early level design, from script to game, narrated storyboards, character tests); Bonus material (trailers from Halo 1 and 2, cut scenes, commentaries, Inside Bungie, A Bungie History, Before Halo, The Making of Halo 1, gameographies.

Halo 2, a sci-fi action/first-person shooter game, is a full sequel to the bestselling original and will continue the story of the Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super-soldier who is the only man that has successfully defied the Covenant, a coalition of alien races on a murderous march toward Earth.

Halo 2 surpasses its predecessor both in graphical beauty and combat intensity. The Master Chief and his marine allies return to battle the full complement of Covenant forces, as well as new enemies who have not yet revealed themselves. Halo 2 also expands the Master Chief's already substantial arsenal with powerful new weapons, many pried from the twitching claws of defeated enemies, as well as more than twice as many drivable vehicles for exploring vast landscapes or speeding into battle. In addition to its epic single-player campaign, Halo 2 will be playable online through Xbox Live.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7495 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Released on: 2004-11-11
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Platform: Xbox
• Subtitled in: English

Amazon.co.uk Review
The original Halo was one of that rare breed of games that was so compelling it persuaded millions of people to go out and buy a new console just to play it. Without Halo the Xbox would probably have failed instantly, which gives this long awaited sequel an incredible amount to live up to. So far relatively little has been seen of the game but what has been revealed seems to surpass the original with startling ease.

Widely regarded as the best first-person shoot-'em-up ever made for a home console, Halo 2 follows in its forebear's footsteps with a perfect blend of single and multiplayer action. The former offers far more variety than the first game as the battle is brought to Earth and the incredible advances in the game's AI, as well as just its graphics, become immediately obvious. There are now a lot more friendly troops to help you out and the evil Covenant invaders have become even more organised and intelligent.

In the all-important multiplayer mode, the most significant change is that you can now play the game online on Xbox Live against anyone in the world. This is the feature fans have been clamouring for and it's supplemented by new gameplay features such as the ability to steal vehicles, man fixed gun emplacements and play as the bad guys. If you don't yet own an Xbox, Halo 2 is all the reason you need to change that.—Harrison Dent

Customer Reviews

November 11th (9th for u damn Yanks!!!) The Day Of Reckoning
Where to start??
This is the best game in the history of gaming without a shadow of a doubt!! I was a diehard PS2 fan, until Halo converted me! Now with HALO 2 the PS2 is useless, anyone who does not own an XBOX buy one for this game!! Oh and get XBOX Live!

Now to the game! The campaign mode is.....a Holywood Blockbuster!! The story is phenomenal and moves at a pace to complement the gaming experience. Multiplayer on Live is the peak of online gaming and is reason enough to buy this game, what can I say without spoiling the story??

Oh yes, BUY THIS GAME!!!

Plays like a dream !!!
I recently had the privilege of playing through roughly half way through the first player game, and can't wait for the 11 th to get my own copy of this wondeful game. Where does one start to describe this fantastic game ... differences to the old game are numerous, and will take me all day. Let's just say graphically your surroundings have more detail, and looks a bit more crisper than the first game. I won't spoil it but if you have been following the hype that is Halo 2, you should know that you can wield two weapons in each hand, the warthog now also has the rocket launcher as a weapon and a nice touch is the ability to walk up to one of your own soldiers and take his weapon in exchange of your own. Need a sniper rifle in a hurry, walk up to the guy with one and simply hit the x button and you exchange weapons. Once you got rid of your target, simply hand it back and off you go. The enemy has these wierd hover look out towers that you float up into on a beam of light ...Cool ! There are numerous things that are different to the old game that combined, makes this game easely the best game on any console in any category. Yes, this is still a straight forward go through area, kill everything in sight, and move on the to the next area and repeat. But ... adding so many added abilities, available options to complete a task just increases a hundred fold. You just feel that the people who made this game, did it with bucket loads of love and it shows in every arena that you play in.

One of the first thing that hits you is the massively impressive set pieces. As before, huge open areas are the norm, and here you'll find beautifully rendered buildings and rooms. Rooms and buildings on Halo, as in the first game, are almost identical in this game, it's just the scale seems to have been upped a bit. Rooms also happen sometimes turn out to be giant lifts as your battle ground only a second ago, suddenly starts to move downwards just as another battle starts up. Gameplay wise things have a very similiar feel to the first game, and any Halo player will feel at home here. The warthog and the alien vehicles that you can use have been slightly updated. I found the warthog seems to have lost some weight as it feels a lighter version of the old game's version. It seems to have more oomph and has a more sprightly performance compared to the last version. Anything wrong with the game ... ??? The only thing that stood out to me was grass that grows against walls that suddenly appears as your warthog gets closer to it. It's almost as if it grows right in front of you. Also, at times enemies seem to get stuck in walls or will run against a wall as if it's demented. Does it affect gameplay, not in the least, and it is a very teensy weensy annoyance that doesn't register when playing this game.

Finally, if I have to name two or three things that stand out for me that makes this game different to the old one, it would be this. The story is a lot more involved compared to the last game, you feel the story is more on par with a epic movie like star wars, and you get to see a lot more of the alien involvement in the game. The game leaves you exhausted, even ater a few minutes of play. Now, loads more enemies appear on screen, the old health bar is replaced with a single health bar that when empty, means your dead. So no more simply running about shooting and killing everything. You have to use cover to survive, which makes the game a lot more realistic. The whole game is one long battle and you better have your wits about you as you will know that you have been in a fight. And finally ... I was really surprised about the fact that you don't get to play as master chief throughout the game ... you also .... No, you'll see when the time comes. Whatever you do, just buy it cause nothing will come close to this game for years to come. Well done Bungie, I salute your master piece in all it's glory.

A nice appearance, but worth the extra money?
Halo 2 is a wicked game by itself. Short single player, but an absolutely classic and infinately enjoyable multiplayer. When the Limited Edition was announced, my palms itched, as they always do when my money needs spending on said item.
The Limited Edition not only comes in a swanky tin, but also includes a behind the scenes video, concept art, early level design images... a massive amount of bonus content.
The manual itself is, instead of being human related, is written from the Covenant's point of view.
Altogether, if you can afford this or are a fan of Halo, or both, I recommend this. It is a very impressive Collector's Edition package that should show Half Life 2 how it's done.