Related Links:

Newsletter

Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly.

Enter E-Mail Address Below:

E3 2004: Halo 2 Hands-On

The list of games at this year’s E3 made it hard for one person to try and go around and touch them all. From Doom 3 to Metal Gear Solid 3, Fable to Jade Empire and more, it was hard to sometimes catch even a glimpse of some of the most anticipate titles. Although most got their hands on some of the best titles coming out within the next twelve months, the Armchair Empire was able to test out Halo 2, behind closed doors. The most anticipated title for the Xbox revealed some of its new multiplayer mechanics, graphics, and of course, high-octane action.

If you were lucky enough to catch the “Zanzibar” multiplayer demo, than you know most of what we were able to do. The same video demo that was shown at the Microsoft press conference was the same one we played. There were two teams of five in a mode of CTF (Capture The Flag), which pitted the Spartans against the Elites. The Spartans, which cast a look very similar to Master Chief, are Marines trying to survive the nearby Elites, or as we better know them, Covenant. What’s new about the character models is that, through Xbox Live, the user will be able to customize both the Spartan and Elite with custom logos or clan symbols. That way if you’re playing a clan match or just a random match, recognizing a specific symbol might give you some respect, or hatred depending on your “style.”

Advertisement

The map, Zanzibar, is also given just as much attention, depth, and character as the two sides – a futuristic rendition of the D-Day invasion of Normandy where one side storms the beach while the other protects it.

The team storming the beach is given new supped-up vehicles, such as the new Ghost with infinite speed boost and the new Warthog with a mounted rocket launcher. What’s new, however, is

Advertisement

that the vehicles are destructible. Not only can you shoot and destroy the vehicles but also the amount of damage shows the condition of the vehicle. A broken down Ghost will have a wing missing and smoke rising over the front and a broken down Warthog is likely to be missing a hubcap or two. The amount of detail is remarkable.

The team defending the flag does not have vehicles but does have some high powered weapons and mounted weapons to harness. In addition, they are on high ground giving them a better shot and defensive cover over the invading team. All seems well in order until the opposing team actually breaks in, that’s when the real fun begins.

The new destructible environments will make safeguarding a task that sounds easy on paper, but extremely hard to do. With secret passages and numerous ways to escape, trying to chase down the flag in enemy hands is the hardest part of the job. (The new laser-targeted rocket launcher comes in handy.)

Well, now that everything is lined out, lets jump into the experience I had playing Halo 2.

We played about six games of single-flag CTF with a time limit of three minutes per round. Now I can’t go through every single game, which would take a lot of your time, so I will highlight some of the key moments.

The first game was, in fact, the best fun I had at E3. Our team took advantage of the Warthog and two Ghosts laying around and immediately stormed inside. We weren’t greeted with roses and smiles but instead rockets and shells of SMG ammo. Things were looking bleak until I managed to find a way inside to where the flag was being kept. It was quiet, too quiet, but that didn’t matter. I grabbed the flag and jetted up through the same entrance I came through. Now was the hard part, I was vulnerable to attack from anywhere. I was guided by a Bungie employee to try my luck at the side of the map where some stairs led to the top of the wall guarding the fort. It appeared that I was home free until in front of me the debris of the shattered wall exploded. I jetted down the last half of the stairs into the flag holder for the win.

In the next round I defended the flag with my fellow Elite. We really didn’t care about the safety of the flag; all we wanted to do was rip open some of that armor-plated suiting the Spartans wore. I made my up some stairs to the outside, right above where the flag was. I remembered that Bungie had earlier indicated there was a sword hidden in the center of the map, attainable with quick movement and steady timing. I wanted to win, so I knew I had to get that Covenant sword. I made my way to the spinning “halo” looking object where the sword was hidden and by a split-second picked it up. Now it was time for some true Halo action. I jumped down with the glowing sword in hand for some real kills. I started jetting towards the Spartan and, by pulling the right trigger, made a lunge attack to the Spartan sending him flying to his untimely death, which was immediately followed by a pleasant voice which revealed my favorite words: “Killing Spree”. Even though we failed to safeguard the flag in the end, I managed to rack up some more kills using double-SMG action.

At the end of the demo we were all left drooling for more, although we knew our time together had come to an end, at least for another six months. Credit has to be given to Bungie for keeping the same core mechanics of the gameplay still intact. Halo 2 is one of my top nominees for the Best Action Game of E3, although shockingly not the runaway candidate. The graphics, gameplay, sound, and team strategy was the best I have seen in any multiplayer game.

I thank Bungie for giving AE the chance of playing Halo 2, and I apologize to the others playing alongside of me. Sorry I had to take you all to the “Element School of Ass-Kicking.”

Halo 2 is scheduled for a November 9, 2004 launch.

- Eric Lahiji

(May 16, 2004)