Halo 2 announcement trailer

The Halo 2 announcement trailer was an in-engine trailer using Bungie's early "pstencil" engine that screened at Microsoft's North American X02 event in August 2002.^[1] The trailer gives a basic introduction to Halo 2, showing that the Covenant had discovered and attacked Earth. It depicts Master Chief walking through an Orbital defense platform before jumping out of an airlock presumably to board a Covenant ship. This trailer was later re-imagined as the final cutscene in the game's first level, Cairo Station.

Transcript[edit]

A sentence appears on the screen:

:MISSION HISTORY
> LOADING

Cuts to Master Chief walking through a doorway, walking towards the camera. Various static messages are heard over the radio.

Pilot: "Sir! They just folded in, inside our formation!"

Admiral: "Son, I need you to calm down."

Pilot: "...additional contacts - moving to engage (static)"

Admiral: "(static) ...and get your picket back to rally point Alpha."

A rack of Battle Rifles automatically extends as Master Chief approaches; he takes one. Again the screen appears:

:EXPLORE DERELICT RING HABITAT
>COMPLETE

Cuts to the rack closing. Master Chief walks away from the camera into an elevator, and the doors close.

General: "Admiral, you can't let them maintain orbit."

Admiral: "I'm trying, General, but we've lost advantage within the lunar perimeter."

:DESTROY HOSTILE GROUND FORCES
>COMPLETE

Admiral: "My frigates are combat ineffective, and the fighters... they don't have enough punch to take out a Covenant assault carrier."

General: "Your pilots let up, but down here... it's the goddamn apocalypse!"

The elevator speed down its shaft. The trailer then cuts to the Master Chief who prepares his rifle.

:NEUTRALIZE ADAPTIVE PARASITIC LIFEFORM
>COMPLETE

General: "I'm asking you to retarget the orbitals!"

Admiral: "And let more of them slip the kill zone? That's insanity! There's nothing more I can do!"

The elevator door opens, and Master Chief steps out into a chamber.

:OUTWIT ANCIENT A.I. CONSTRUCT
>COMPLETE

Master Chief walks farther into the chamber, toward the camera.

Pilot: "The core defense is too intense. Our grid is maxed, I don't think we can last another run!"

Cortana: "Admiral, tell your men to hold their positions. Reinforcements are on the spoke."

Admiral: "The entire fleet is engaged, Cortana. With respect, what the hell sort of reinforcement have you got?"

Master Chief stops, and the camera turns to show Earth through an airlock window, various large explosions visible on its surface.

:STOP DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN RACE
(flashing)>IN PROGRESS

Tech: "It's passing below your position, ma'am. Proximity zero."

Master Chief opens a compartment and prepares to pull a lever.

Cortana: "What if you miss?"

Master Chief: "I won't."

Master Chief pulls the lever and the airlock doors open, causing air to be blown out. Master Chief rests against a pillar for a moment, and then flies out, shooting towards the camera. Fade to black, and fade in to Master Chief falling towards Earth, huge explosions evident on North America. A Covenant ship passes, allowing Master Chief to land on it. Fade to black and HALO 2 fades in.