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{{era|H2}}
{{Title|''Halo 2''}}
{{Ratings}}                                    
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{Game Info Box
{{references}}
|name=''Halo 2''
{{Under construction}}
|image=Halo 2 box art.jpg
{{Game infobox
|imageSize=200
|name= ''Halo 2''
|Developer=[[Bungie Studios]]
|image= [[File:Halo2-Cover-Large.jpg|300px]]
|Publisher= [[wikipedia:Microsoft Game Studios|Microsoft Game Studios]]
|primary-dev=[[Bungie|Bungie Studios]]
|US Date Released= November 9, 2004              
|support-dev=[[Certain Affinity]] {{C|[[Downloadable content|DLC]]}}
|UK Date Released= November 11, 2004              
|publisher= [[Microsoft Studios]]
|PC US Release Date= May 8th, 2007              
|engine=[[Blam engine]]
|Genre= [[First-person shooter]]
|writer=[[Joseph Staten]]
|Game modes=[[Campaign]], [[Multiplayer]]
|composer=[[Martin O'Donnell]]<br>[[Michael Salvatori]]
|ESRB= Mature (M) for Blood and Gore, Language, Violence               
|platform= [[Xbox]] <br> Xbox 360 (backwards compatible) <br> [[Personal computer|PC]] - [[Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Windows Vista Exclusive]]
|Platform=[[Xbox]]<br />[[PC (realworld)|PC]] - Windows Vista Exclusive.
|releasedate= '''US''': November 9, 2004<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/news/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=7139 '''Bungie.net''': ''Halo 2: One Year Later'']</ref> <br>
|Media=DVD, PC-CD                                 
'''UK''': November 11, 2004 <br>
|Website=http://bungie.net/Games/Halo2/                 
'''JP''': November 11, 2004 <br>
'''Vista''': May 8, 2007
|genre= [[First-person shooter]]
|modes= [[Campaign]]<br>[[Multiplayer]]
|rating= M ([[Wikipedia:Entertainment Software Ratings Board|ESRB]])<br>C ([[Wikipedia:Computer Entertainment Rating Organization|CERO]])<br>16+ ([[Wikipedia:Pan European Game Information|PEGI]])
}}
}}
<center>''Looking for the PC version, ''[[Halo 2 Vista]]''?''</center>
{{Quote|Earth will never be the same.|Official tagline}}
'''''Halo 2''''' is a first-person shooter video game developed by [[Bungie Studios]] for the [[Xbox]] video game console and is backwards-compatible with the [[Xbox 360]]. It is the sequel to ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and features a newly built graphics engine with the addition of new elements to the game.


''Halo 2'' develops the struggle between the [[United Nations Space Command]], [[Covenant]], and the [[Flood]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]] in the fall of [[2552]].
'''''Halo 2''''' is a [[first-person shooter]] video game developed by [[Bungie|Bungie Studios]] for the [[Xbox]] video game console and is forwards-compatible with the [[Xbox 360]]. It is the sequel to ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and features a newly built graphics engine as well as many new gameplay elements. Storywise, ''Halo 2'' develops the struggle between the [[United Nations Space Command]], [[Covenant]], and the [[Flood]] during the [[Human-Covenant War]] in the fall of [[2552]]. A sequel, ''[[Halo 3]]'', was released on [[2007 (real world)|September 25, 2007]].


==Storyline==
The game is one of the most successful and actively played video games for the original Xbox console, with 8.46 million copies sold as of November 2008. Despite this, the game's online servers, along with all other original Xbox LIVE services, were discontinued on [[2010|April 15, 2010]].
{{Spoiler}}
===Synopsis===
''Halo 2'' continues and develops the story of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo: First Strike]]''. A second story is also present, following the tasks of a disgraced [[Sangheili]] [[Zealot|Commander]] as he attempts to redeem himself from his failure to protect [[Installation 04]] from the humans.  


It begins with the trial and punishment former [[Supreme Commander]] of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]], who is branded with the [[Mark of Shame]] by [[Tartarus]] due to his failure to protect a [[Installation 04|Sacred Ring]].  
A [[Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|PC version]] of ''Halo 2'' was released in 2007. ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'', a remastered edition of the game, was released for the [[Xbox One]] as part of ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' on [[2014|November 11, 2014]], the 10th anniversary of the original game.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-the-master-chief-collection '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'']</ref>


The story then turns to [[Orbital Defense Platform]] [[Cairo Station|Cairo]] Station, where the [[Master Chief]] receives the new [[MJOLNIR Mark VI]] armor, then meet Admiral Terrence Hood for an awards ceremony held for the dual purposes of awarding meritous acts and boosting the morale of the surviving human population. The festivities are soon interrupted by [[Cortana]] reporting "15 Covenant Capital Ships holding position just outside the kill zone", signaling the start to the Covenant Siege of Earth. [[UNSC]] [[Marine]] forces along with the Master Chief protect the station from the invading [[Covenant Navy|Covenant Naval infantry]], then go to the surface of to [[New Mombasa]] on the surface of the [[Earth]] to face the [[Covenant Army]] revealed to be led by a [[Prophet of Regret|Prophet of Regret]]. After the Covenant invasion force is halted by the UNSC defenses, the Prophet of Regret flees Earth with with Keyes and her detachment in pursuit on [[In Amber Clad]]. The hasty in-atmosphere jump destroys most of the city of New Mombasa
==Synopsis==
===Characters and setting===
''Halo 2'' does not pick up directly after the events of its predecessor, but rather, after the events depicted in the novel ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', taking place in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' with the events explaining [[John-117|Master Chief]]'s return to [[Earth]] not featured in any game so far. The story dives deeper into the society of the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]], their goals, beliefs, and alliances, as well as continuing Master Chief's story to put an end to the Covenant threat on Earth as well as [[Installation 05|another Halo]]. ''Halo 2'' also introduces the insectoid [[Yanme’e]] and the [[Jiralhanae]], who were first mentioned in ''First Strike''. They are shown as large, hairy, ape-like beasts; although they do not have [[Energy shielding|energy shields]] like the Sangheili, their immense bulk and strength allows them to absorb a large amount of damage before dying.


The story then turns back to the disgraced Sangheili Commander, is given the chance at redemption by taking up the mantle of [[Arbiter (rank)|Arbiter]], along with the concomitant mortality of the task. The new [[Arbiter (character)|Arbiter]] accepts and becomes the will of the Prophets, seeking to complete the impossible task assigned for redemption from his crimes. The Arbiter is tasked with the assasination of a [[Sesa 'Refumee|Heretic Leader]] disillusioned with the Covenant following the events of Installation 04 up to its destruction. The Arbiter tracks the Heretic Leader throughout the gas mine where the [[Heretics]] sought refuge. When the Arbiter is finally able to face the Heretic Leader, 'Refumee asserts his belief that the Prophets have lied about the [[Great Journey]], punctuating this with the entry of a [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|Monitor]].  Before the Arbiter could learn more of the claims, the battle resumes, and the Heretic Leader is killed before any meaningful discourse could take place. The Arbiter leaves without learning what caused the Heretics to turn from their sacred oaths to uphold the Covenant.  
The game follows a linear series of episodes that differ from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The player will play as both the Master Chief and a troubled Covenant Sangheili known as "[[Thel 'Vadam]]".


Turning back to the Master Chief's story, Keyes exits slipspace in her ship undetected with the Prophet of Regret unaware that he had been followed. To the surprise of the pursuers, they discover that Regret led them to [[Installation 05|another Halo Ring]]. Keyes soon determines that their objective is to Capture the Prophet of Regret and stop the Covenant from firing the Halo Rings, and the Chief is dropped onto the surface of Installation 05 with other UNSC personnel to do so. In the course of pursuing Regret, the Chief discovers with the aid of Cortana that the Prophet intends to personally activate Halo. Keyes decides that the new revelation about Regret's intentions warrants his death, which the Chief successfully achieves. But before being able to make his escape, the Covenant attempt to kill the Chief by glassing the area, and he jumps into the lake surrounding Regret's location. Incapacitated from the shock of the Covenant bombardment, the Chief is last seen being dragged into the depths of the lake by tentacles of some creature.  
=== Plot synopsis ===
{{Spoiler/begin}}
[[File:CouncilsScorn01.jpg|thumb|300px|Thel 'Vadamee before receiving the Mark of Shame and becoming the Arbiter.]]
The game begins on [[High Charity]], the mobile capital city of the [[Covenant]]. The former [[Supreme Commander]] of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]], [[Sangheili Zealot|Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, is on trial before the [[High Council]] for his failure to protect [[Installation 04|Halo]]. Despite his insistence that the [[The Flood|Flood]] hampered his abilities, the [[Hierarchs]] who lead the council, the High [[San'Shyuum|Prophets]] of [[Prophet of Truth|Truth]], [[Prophet of Mercy|Mercy]], and [[Prophet of Regret|Regret]], deem him guilty of failing to protect the Sacred Ring. 'Vadamee is then stripped of his rank and his armor and is branded with the [[Mark of Shame]] by [[Tartarus]], the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]].


fter the Elites fail to protect the [[Prophet of Regret]], they are removed as the protectors of the [[Covenant]] [[Hierarchs]] by the two remaining [[Prophet]]s of [[Truth]] and [[Mercy]], who give the role to [[Jiralhanae]] (Brutes). This leads to the [[Great Schism]] in November 2552, splitting the [[Covenant]] into two factions, the [[Covenant Loyalists|Loyalists]] and the [[Covenant Separatists|Separatists]].
The story then turns to Earth's [[Orbital defense platform|Orbital Defense Platform]] [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]], where [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]] receives the new [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|MJOLNIR Mark VI]] armor from the [[Master Gunnery Sergeant (Armory)|Master Gunnery Sergeant]]. [[Avery Junior Johnson]], who recently has been promoted to [[Sergeant Major]], arrives to take the Master Chief to an awards ceremony overseen by [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]]. At the ceremony, John-117, Johnson, and  [[Miranda Keyes]], [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]]' daughter, are awarded medals as those in attendance celebrate. The festivities are soon interrupted by [[Cortana]] reporting that "15 Covenant Capital ships holding position just outside the kill zone," signaling the start of the Covenant siege of Earth. UNSC Marine forces, along with John-117, protect the station from the invading Covenant forces while other stations are overwhelmed and destroyed. A bomb is discovered on Cairo station, and John-117 sends it into space. He detonates it, destroying several Covenant ships, before landing on the hull of Keyes' ship, the UNSC frigate ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]''. The frigate heads to the Earth city of [[New Mombasa]] to fight off the Covenant troops, which are led by the High Prophet of Regret. After the Covenant invasion force is halted by the UNSC defenses, the Prophet of Regret flees Earth with Keyes and her detachment in pursuit on the ''In Amber Clad''. The hasty in-atmosphere jump devastates the city of New Mombasa, destroying the [[Space elevator|Space Elevator]] and scattering its wreckage for miles around.


===Main Characters===
The story returns to the disgraced [[Sangheili]] Commander, Thel 'Vadamee, who is given a chance for redemption by the High Prophets of Truth and Mercy by taking up the mantle of [[Arbiter]] and the imminent mortality it entails. The new Arbiter becomes the will of the Prophets, seeking redemption by completing seemingly impossible tasks assigned to him. As his first mission as the Arbiter, 'Vadamee is tasked with the assassination of a [[Sesa 'Refumee|Heretic Leader]], Sesa 'Refumee, who has become disillusioned with the Covenant following the events on Installation 04 and its destruction. 'Vadamee tracks the Heretic Leader through the gas mine where the [[Heretics]] sought refuge, battling the Heretics and the Flood along the way. When the Arbiter finally faces the 'Refumee, he asserts his belief that the Prophets have lied about the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. [[343 Guilty Spark]] appears and corroborates 'Refumee's assertion (both Elites consider Guilty Spark to be an Oracle of the [[Forerunner]]s, the ancient race the Covenant hold as gods). Before 'Vadamee can learn more of the claims, 'Refumee attacks 'Vadamee, and the Heretic Leader is killed. Tartarus then appears to extract the Arbiter and Guilty Spark, further preventing 'Vadamee from learning any further information from Guilty Spark. 'Vadamee departs, not learning what caused the Heretics to betray their sacred oaths to the Covenant.
====UNSC====
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]]
*[[Cortana]]
*[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery J. Johnson]]
*[[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
*[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Sir Terrence Hood]]


====Covenant====
[[File:Regret.jpg|300px|thumb|left|[[John-117|Master Chief]] battles the [[Prophet of Regret]].]]
*[[Arbiter (Character)|The Arbiter]]
Returning to SPARTAN-117's story, the ''In Amber Clad'' exits slipspace with the Prophet of Regret unaware that he had been followed. To the surprise of the pursuers, they discover that Regret has led them to another [[Installation 05|Halo Ring]]. Keyes sends John-117 and ODSTs to the surface of Installation 05 to capture Regret while the ''In Amber Clad'' is repaired. In the course of pursuing Regret, John-117 discovers, with the aid of Cortana, that the [[San'Shyuum]] intends to personally activate Halo, in the belief that it will propel true believers on the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. To buy time to acquire the [[Activation Index]] before the Covenant are able, Keyes orders John-117 to kill the Prophet of Regret, a mission he successfully achieves. Before making his escape, however, High Charity and its [[High Charity Defense Fleet|escort]] arrive and attempt to kill John-117 by glassing the area. He survives by jumping into the lake surrounding the structure in which he encountered Regret. Incapacitated from the shock of the Covenant bombardment, John-117 is last seen being dragged into the depths of the lake by tentacles belonging to a sentient creature.
*[[SpecOps Commander|Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]
*[[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]]
*[[High Prophet of Truth]]
*[[High Prophet of Mercy]]
*[[High Prophet of Regret]]


====Heretics====
The story now shifts back to the Arbiter on [[High Charity]], in orbit around the ring. The Hierarchs have declared Regret's death to be the [[Sangheili]]'s failure, and the Elites have been removed as the [[Honor Guard of the Covenant|protectors of the Prophets]]. This role has now been given to the [[Jiralhanae]], causing further tension between the Brutes and Elites who were already at odds. Now that the new ring has been discovered, Truth and Mercy query Guilty Spark on how to activate it. They learn of the [[Activation Index|Sacred Icon]] that will light the ring and they dispatch Thel 'Vadamee to recover it. He makes his way through the [[Quarantine Zone]] of Installation 05, fighting scores of [[Flood]] and [[Sentinel]]s, seeking the Activation Index. 'Vadamee arrives at the [[Library]] to find Keyes and Johnson have retrieved the Index from its protective housing. While 'Vadamee fights to take it from them, Tartarus arrives and again intervenes in his task. Upon taking the Index himself, Tartarus reveals the Hierarchs ordered him to kill 'Vadamee and oust the Elites. His treachery revealed, Tartarus knocks the Arbiter down a shaft in the Index chamber to the abyss below.
*[[Heretic|Heretic Leader]] [[Sesa 'Refumee]]


====Forerunner Constructs====
Beneath the Library, John-117 finds himself in the clutches of the [[Gravemind]], the creature that acts as the controlling intelligence of the Flood. It is revealed that Thel 'Vadamee has been saved from his fall by the Gravemind as well. It is within the Gravemind's chamber where the Arbiter and John-117 meet. The Gravemind announces to John-117 and 'Vadamee that he has much to tell them. The Prophet of Regret and [[2401 Penitent Tangent]], the Monitor of Installation 05, appear, both now infected and assimilated into the Gravemind's mass. They argue back and forth before the Gravemind reveals that Regret's "Great Journey" and Penitent Tangent's "Containment" are one in the same. Then both the Gravemind and John-117 try to convince 'Vadamee that the Covenant's belief about the Halos is a lie. They reveal that the Halo installations were created not to save life, but to destroy it, causing the Arbiter to question his faith. These new revelations, paired with the imminent genocide of the Sangheili lead 'Vadamee to reluctantly join John-117 in the mission to stop the ring from being activated. The Gravemind then sends John-117 to High Charity to retrieve the Index while the Arbiter is sent to the [[Control Room (Installation 05)|Control Room of Installation 05]] to stop the Covenant from activating the ring.
*[[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|04-343 Guilty Spark]]
*[[2401 Penitent Tangent|05-2401 Penitent Tangent]]


====Flood====
John-117 is teleported inside of High Charity in the middle of a broadcast by the Prophet of Truth. Upon John-117's arrival, Truth and Mercy flee to the [[Anodyne Spirit|Forerunner Dreadnought]], and formally transfer command of the Covenant Military to the Brutes. Before the prophets make it to the ship, however, they are attacked by the Flood, and Truth leaves Mercy behind to die. Meanwhile, John-117 pursues the Prophets. Throughout his pursuit, he kills many Covenant troops, witnesses the [[Great Schism|conflict between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae]] and saves a group of Marines. At the same time, the Flood, under the control of the Gravemind crash into [[High Charity]] using the ''In Amber Clad''. John-117 finds Mercy being infected by the Flood, and the Prophet tells the Spartan that Truth is going to Earth to "finish what [[Hierarchs|we]] started." Cortana implores John-117 to pursue Truth, but he is hesitant as his mission to retrieve the Index is not complete. Cortana devises a plan to complete his mission by detonating the crashed ''In Amber Clad'' to destroy the ring if it is activated. This plan, however, requires Cortana to stay on board High Charity. John-117 boards the Dreadnought through an energy conduit before promising Cortana that he will come back for her.
*[[Gravemind]]


===Minor Characters===
[[File:D-Halo.jpg|thumb|300px|Installation 05 sending a pulse to signal the rest of the Halo Array to be put on standby for a remote activation from the Ark.]]
====UNSC====
Meanwhile, Thel 'Vadamee is teleported to near Halo's Control Room. There he finds many dead Elites, which he has no doubt were killed by the Brutes. With the help of a few deployed Elites, and sympathetic [[Unggoy]] and [[Mgalekgolo]], he fights his way to meet the [[Special Operations Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee, who is surprised to hear that the Brutes murdered the [[Sangheili Councilor|Councilor]]s. Seeing Tartarus land on Halo's Control Room, the Sangheili fight their way to a {{Pattern|Protos|Scarab}}, where Sergeant Johnson is held. Johnson forcefully initiates an uneasy alliance between the humans and the Elites and takes control of the Scarab. With the combined efforts of Johnson and 'Vadamee, the Scarab breaches the Control Room doors by using the Scarab's main energy cannon, and 'Vadamee enters to confront Tartarus. In the Control Room, Tartarus hears the truth of the Halos directly from [[343 Guilty Spark]]. Still blinded by faith, Tartarus forces Keyes to activate Halo. Many [[Sangheili Zealot|Zealots]] and Councilors aid the Arbiter in his final fight against Tartarus, and eventually after a long and tough fight, manage to kill him. Once Tartarus is defeated, Keyes grabs the Index just in time to stop Halo from firing. However, 343 Guilty Spark says that this has activated a failsafe protocol, causing the Installation to send a signal to the rest of the [[Halo Array]], putting them on standby for remote activation from [[Installation 00|the Ark]].
*[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Harper]]
*[[Major]] [[Easley]]
*[[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Pete Stacker (Marine)|Pete Stacker]]
*[[Staff Sergeant]] [[Marcus Banks]]
*[[Corporal]] [[Perez]]
*[[Lance Corporal]] [[Jones (Marine)|Jones]]
*[[Private]] [[Butkis]]
*[[Private]] [[O'Brian (ODST)|O'Brian]]
*[[Private]] [[Parsons (Marine)|Parsons]]
*[[Private]] [[Walpole]]
*[[Unnamed Lieutenant (Halo 2)|Unnamed Lieutenant]]
*[[Master Gunnery Sergeant (Armory)|Unnamed Master Gunnery Sergeant]]


====Covenant====
The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives at Earth with John-117 onboard. He alerts Admiral Hood of his presence, and tells him that he is "[[Halo 3|finishing this fight]]."
*[[Prophet of Disdain]]
*[[Prophet of Objection]]
*[[Prophet of Pity]]


In a scene after the credits, it appears that High Charity has been completely taken over by the Flood, as thousands of Flood spores are visible floating throughout the air. The Gravemind speaks satisfactorily of being free of his "empty grave," and suddenly Cortana appears as a hologram on a pedestal in his room. The Gravemind tells her that there are questions that linger in his mind which Cortana must answer. Cortana replies, "Alright...shoot," before the screen turns black.
{{Spoiler/end}}


=== Campaign ===
The [[campaign]] consists of 15 levels, of which 14 are playable.
#[[The Heretic]] - ''"For failure such as this, no punishment is too great."'' (cutscene; unplayable)
#[[The Armory]] - ''"Suit up, prepare for battle."'' (tutorial)
#[[Cairo Station]] - ''"Defend the station's MAC gun from Covenant boarders."''
#[[Outskirts]] - ''"Rally scattered marines, clear hostile contacts from the old-city."''
#[[Metropolis]] - ''"Take the bridge, break the Covenant's grip on the city-center."''
#[[The Arbiter]] - ''"Infiltrate a Forerunner facility, quell the heresy within."''
#[[The Oracle]] - ''"Kill the Heretic Leader. The Prophets' will be done."''
#[[Delta Halo]] - ''"A Covenant army stands between you and Regret. Get to work."''
#[[Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret]] - ''"You heard the lady. Locate the Prophet, take him down."''
#[[Sacred Icon]] - ''"Succeed where others have failed. Lower the shield protecting the Sacred Icon."''
#[[Quarantine Zone]] - ''"Parasites, humans - no matter. The Icon must be found."''
#[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]] - ''"The Prophets have the Index and plan to use it? Over your dead body."''
#[[Uprising]] - ''"This is certain: The Brutes shall pay for the blood they have spilled."''
#[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]] - ''"Cortana can handle the Index - stopping Truth is up to you."''
#[[The Great Journey]] - ''"Form an unexpected alliance, keep Tartarus from activating the ring."''


===[[First Battle of Earth]]===
== Appearances ==
[[Image:Pain.png|thumb|right|The Brute Chieftain Tartarus, about to brand the Arbiter who was once a Supreme Commander with the [[Mark of Shame]].]]
{{Featurelist|secondcolumn=title-5
''Halo 2'' begins shortly after the events of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. In the opening cutscene, an [[Elite]] holding the rank of [[Supreme Commander]] is brought before the [[High Council]] of the [[Covenant]], to be evaluated for his "colossal failure" in being unable to protect [[Installation 04]] from Spartan 117 -- the [[Master Chief]], referred to as "The Demon". After some debate, he is accused of heresy, and sentenced to death. Although he was sentenced to death, the Prophet in charge of his execution made him the "[[Arbiter (Rank)|Arbiter]]", a ceremonial position of great importance to the Covenant, which you later play as in the level The Arbiter, Sacred Icon, Quarantine Zone, Uprising and The Great Journey.
|title-1=Characters|
;Human
*[[Avery Johnson]]
*[[Banks]] {{1st}}
*[[Butkis]] {{1st}}
*[[Joseph Harper]] {{1st}}
*[[John-117]]
*[[Fones]] {{1st}}
*[[Marcus Stacker]]
*[[McKenzie (Marine)|McKenzie]] {{1st}}
*[[Miranda Keyes]] {{1st}}
*[[O'Brien (ODST)|O'Brien]] {{1st}}
*[[Palmer (Marine)|Palmer]] {{1st}}
*[[Parsons (Marine)|Parsons]] {{1st}}
*[[Pascal]] {{1st}}
*[[Perez (Marine)|Perez]] {{1st}}
*[[Remi]] {{1st}}
*[[Terrence Hood]]
*[[Unidentified master gunnery sergeant]] {{1st}}
*[[Walpole]] {{1st}}


Meanwhile, the Master Chief is on board the ''[[Cairo]]'', one of the three hundred Orbital Defense Platforms stationed to protect Earth. There, his armor is upgraded to Mark VI, and he is taken to a ceremony, celebrating the humans' victory at [[Alpha Halo]], or Installation 04, alongside [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Junior Johnson]] and [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]. As the ceremony takes place, the disgraced Elite Commander is tortured and branded with the [[Mark of Shame]] by the [[Brute Chieftain]] [[Tarturus]], at the Covenant Holy City of ''[[High Charity]]''. At the ''Cairo'', the ceremony is interrupted when the [[High Prophet of Regret]] arrives in-system with a small Covenant fleet, attempting to destroy the station's [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]].
;Sangheili
*[[Rtas 'Vadum|Rtas 'Vadumee]] {{1st}}
*[[Sesa 'Refumee]] {{1st}}
*[[Thel 'Vadam|Thel 'Vadamee]] {{1st}}


[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Sir Terrence Hood]] orders Master Chief to lead the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] in defending the station, as the Covenant send out waves of boarding parties to destroy the extremely powerful Orbital Defense Platforms with bombs. The boarders succeed in destroying two stations, the ''[[Malta]]'' and the ''[[Athens]]'', but the Master Chief, with the help of his AI companion [[Cortana]], manages to disable the bomb on the ''Cairo'' just in time; following this, as Regret's forces are attempting to land on Earth, the Chief takes the bomb, and, using an airlock, free falls through space, passing through a hole punched in the side of a Covenant Carrier, where he reactivates the bomb and destroys the ship, before being picked up by the UNSC ship ''[[In Amber Clad]]''.
;Jiralhanae
*[[Tartarus]]


The battle is then taken to the surface of Earth, in [[Mombasa]], [[Kenya]], where UNSC forces attempt to push back the invading Covenant. Originally, Master Chief's mission is to attempt to board Regret's Carrier and capture him, but once the [[Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform|Type-47 "Scarab" UHAP]] leading the Covenant attack is destroyed, Regret's ship attempts to escape. This leads to ''In Amber Clad'' following the ship as it makes a [[Slipspace]] jump inside the city.
;San'shyuum
*[[Prophet of Mercy]] {{1st}}
*[[Prophet of Regret]] {{1st}}
*[[Prophet of Truth]]  


The Elite branded in the opening cut-scene is sentenced to be executed by the Covenant High Council. Rather than have him slain outright, the [[High Prophets]] of [[Truth]] and [[Mercy]] make the decision to give him a chance to regain his lost honor and serve the Covenant again. The Prophet's offer him the chance to serve as the Arbiter, the highest honor for an Elite during a time of instability. As the Arbiter, he must conduct missions for the Prophets that are almost certainly suicidal, in which the current Arbiter will die as a martyr for his race. This is part of the [[Great Journey]], a religious series of events of which the Covenant heavily believes in. In order to complete their Great Journey, the Covenant believe they must activate the Halo installations, which they consider to be sacred artifacts created by the [[Forerunners|gods of the Covenant]]. As his first mission, the Arbiter must eradicate a group of [[Heretics]] who have separated themselves from Covenant society, claiming that the Prophets are false and their "Great Journey" is a lie. They reside in a gas facility near the destroyed Alpha Halo. After infiltrating the facility, the Covenant [[Special Ops]] team, led by the Arbiter, discover that the heretics have accidentally released [[the Flood]] that were contained in the labs within and the Covenant are forced to fight through the infestation. The Arbiter is supposed to die during this mission, but he escapes death and succeeds in killing the [[Sesa 'Refumee|Heretic leader]] and his followers. This is the first time we witness conflict within the Covenant society, as the Heretic leader tries to convince the Arbiter he is a fool for believing in the "Great Journey" and the lie of the Prophets. The Arbiter also learns that the Heretic leader had been in communication with the AI construct [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]], monitor of Installation 04, known as the "Holy Oracle" by the Covenant. Apparently, the heretics had learned about the true nature of Halo from the monitor himself. The monitor is taken by Tartarus as the Covenant forces leave the station.
;AI
*[[343 Guilty Spark]]
*[[2401 Penitent Tangent]] {{1st}}
*[[Cortana]]


===Discovery of [[Installation 05]]===
;Flood
[[Image:MC attacks Regret.jpg|300px|thumb|right|[[Master Chief]] battles [[Regret]].]]
*[[Gravemind]] {{1st}}
During this time, the Master Chief and company, aboard the [[UNSC]] ship ''[[In Amber Clad]]'', are transported through the [[slipspace]] portal to the vicinity of another [[Halo]] ring which is dubbed [[Delta Halo]]. They land and attempt to track down Regret. This time, the humans are very well aware of the dangers Halo presents. While tracking Regret, Cortana and the Chief learn that he is planning to activate the ring. As Commander Keyes and Sergeant Johnson search for a way to disable the installation before the Covenant are able activate it, Master Chief discovers Regret's location, infiltrates his temple, and kills him. Rather than aiding his fellow [[hierarch]], the [[Prophet of Truth]] calls back the [[Phantom]]s that would have provided Regret with help and instead destroys the temple with an [[Energy Projector]]. Narrowly escaping the destroyed building, Master Chief is captured by [[Gravemind]], a huge and mysterious entity that is the coordinating force behind the Flood.


===The [[Index]] and Gravemind===
|title-2=Species and entities|
On ''[[High Charity]]'', the [[Prophets]] have stripped the [[Elites]] of their role as the Prophets' protectors in the wake of [[Regret]]'s death and give the honor to the Brutes, causing more discord inside the Covenant. The [[Arbiter (character)|Arbiter]] has returned and is sent by the Prophets to Delta Halo with a new mission - to lower the contamination shields surrounding the ring's [[Library]] and retrieve the "[[Activation Index|Sacred Icon]]" located within. The icon is actually an object called The Index, which is needed in order to activate the ring. Once the shields are lowered, it is revealed to the Covenant forces that [[the Flood]] have been released. However, the Arbiter has to press forward, aided by [[Tartarus]]. To further complicate things, the humans are also heading for the Library to retrieve the Index before the [[Covenant]] do so they will be unable to use it. Amidst the chaos of the fighting Covenant, [[Humans]], and Flood, the Arbiter eventually reaches the Library. Johnson and Keyes have got there first and seize the Index, forcing the Arbiter to combat them, knocking them both unconscious. After retrieving the Index, Tartarus takes it from the Arbiter and has his [[Brutes]] surround him. The Arbiter objects, saying the Prophets will not stand for his actions, to which Tartarus laughs, informing him that the Prophets sent him to kill the Arbiter. The Chieftain then blasts the Arbiter into the seemingly bottomless core of the Library and takes Keyes and Johnson captive.
*[[Flood]]
**[[Pod infector]]
**[[Flood combat form]]
**[[Flood carrier form]]
*[[Forerunner constructs]]
*[[Forerunner]] {{Mo}}
*[[Human]]
**[[UNSC Marines]]
*[[Jiralhanae]]
**[[Jiralhanae Captain|Captain]] {{1st}}
**[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]]
**[[Jiralhanae Major|Major]] {{1st}}
**[[Jiralhanae Minor|Minor]] {{1st}}
**[[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|Honor Guardsman]] {{1st}}
*[[Kig-Yar]] (''Ruuhtian'')
**[[Kig-Yar Major|Major]]
**[[Kig-Yar Minor|Minor]]
**[[Kig-Yar Sniper|Sniper]] {{1st}}
***[[Jha'kaar]] {{1st}}
*[[Lekgolo]]
**[[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[Sangheili]]
**[[Sangheili Councilor|Councilor]] {{1st}}
**[[Field Master]]
**[[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Honor Guardsman]]
**[[Lights of Sanghelios]] {{1st}}
**[[Special Operations Commander]] {{1st}}
**[[Special Operations Sangheili|SpecOps]]
**[[Sangheili Major|Major]]
**[[Sangheili Minor|Minor]]
**[[Sangheili Ranger|Ranger]]
**[[Stealth Sangheili|Stealth]]
**[[Sangheili Ultra|Ultra]] {{1st}}
**[[Sangheili Zealot|Zealot]]
*[[San'Shyuum]]
*[[Unggoy]]
**[[Unggoy Ultra|Ultra]]
**[[Special Operations Unggoy|SpecOps]]
**[[Unggoy Heavy|Heavy]] {{1st}}
**[[Unggoy Major|Major]]
**[[Unggoy Minor|Minor]]
*[[Yanme'e]] {{1st}}
**[[Yanme'e Minor|Minor]] {{1st}}
*[[Sentinel]]
**[[Constructor]] {{1st}}
**[[Sentinel Aggressor|Aggressor]]
**[[Enforcer]] {{1st}}
*[[Fish]] {{1st}}
*[[Rangmejo]] {{1st}}


In the next cut scene, the Master Chief regains consciousness to find himself caught in green vine-looking tentacles. The Arbiter is also being held next to him, struggling to break free. A giant hideous being known as the [[Gravemind]], a highly intelligent form of the Flood, holds the two captive. He comments on the differences between Humans and Elites and informs the Arbiter of the Prophets' treachery and Halo's true nature, which the Arbiter still refuses to believe. The creature then reveals that he has [[Prophet Form|reanimated the corpse]] of the Prophet of Regret as part of himself. He also has with him [[2401 Penitent Tangent]], the monitor of Delta Halo. 2401 and Regret argue about the truth behind the "Great Journey", Regret saying it will bring salvation while 2401 disagrees with the Covenant's responsibility in handling Halo and the Flood. Gravemind says that the Covenant will not find the salvation they are looking for. Master Chief backs this up, telling the Arbiter that Halo is a weapon. When the Arbiter still finds this hard to accept, Gravemind says he will show him the truth and transports both the [[Master Chief]] and the Arbiter to separate places where they will likely find the Prophet of Truth and the Index. It is now that the Arbiter truly realizes the Elites have been betrayed.
|title-3=Organizations|
*[[Covenant]]
**[[Covenant military]]
***[[Honor Guard]]
***[[Covenant Special Operations]]
**[[Covenant fleet]]
**[[High Council]]
**[[Rh'tol]]
*[[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction]] {{1st}}
*[[UEG]]
**[[United Nations Space Command]]
***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
****[[A Company]] {{1st}}
***[[UNSC Navy]]
****[[UNSC Home Fleet]]
****[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare]]
*****[[SPARTAN-II program]]


===''[[High Charity]]''===
|title-4=Locations|
The Master Chief is transported to ''High Charity'', where he interrupts the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s announcement to the Covenant that the “Sacred Icon" has been discovered. Truth flees and, after fighting off several Brutes, the Chief inputs Cortana into the Covenant network, separating himself from her. She discovers that the Covenant are in the middle of a civil war with the Prophets, who are executing a genocide against the rebelling Elites. [[Brutes]] are put in charge and sent to wipe out the remaining Elites. Knowing Truth has the Index, Master Chief chases after him. As the Chief travels through the ancient planetoid, he encounters much conflict between Covenant, allowing for less resistance against himself and making it easier for him and Cortana to infiltrate the area. The Flood suddenly arrive aboard the ''[[In Amber Clad]]'' and begin infesting the city.
*[[Sol system]]
**[[Earth]]
**[[Africa]] {{1st}}
***[[East African Protectorate]] {{1st}}
****[[Mombasa]] {{1st}}
*****[[New Mombasa]] {{1st}}
******[[New Mombasa Sector A|Sector A]] {{Fm}}
******[[New Mombasa Sector B|Sector B]] {{1st}}
******[[New Mombasa City Center|City center]] {{Fm}}
******[[New Mombasa Docks|Docks]] {{Fm}}
******[[Section 14]] {{1st}}
******[[New Mombasa industrial zone|Industrial zone]] {{1st}}
******[[Kilindini]] {{1st}}
*******[[Kilindini Park Cultural Center]] {{1st}}
******[[Mombasa Tether]] {{1st}}
******[[New Mombasa 105 East]] {{1st}}
******[[Kilindini Underpass]] {{1st}}
******[[Liwitoni Station]] {{1st}}
*****[[Old Mombasa]] {{1st}}
******[[Grid Kilo 23]] {{1st}}
******[[Hotel Zanzibar]] {{1st}}
******[[Liberty Street]] {{1st}}
******[[Mombasa Quays]] {{1st}}
******[[Sector 0-5]] {{1st}}
****[[Tanzania]] {{1st}}
*****[[Zanzibar Island]] {{1st}}
******[[Wind Power Station 7]] {{1st}}
*[[High Charity]]
**[[Tower Districts]]
***[[High Council Chamber]] {{1st}}
***[[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]]
***[[Hanging Gardens]] {{1st}}
***[[Valleys of Tears]] {{1st}}
***[[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]] {{1st}}
***[[Holding chamber]]s {{1st}}
***[[Mid Tower]] {{1st}}
***[[Far Tower]] {{1st}}
**[[Lower districts]] {{1st}}
*[[Coelest system]]
**[[Substance]] {{1st}}
***[[Installation 05]] {{1st}}
****[[Control Room (Installation 05)|Control room]] {{1st}}
****[[Library]] {{1st}}
*****[[Index chamber]] {{1st}}
****[[Quarantine Zone]] {{1st}}
****[[Sentinel Wall]] {{1st}}
****[[Temple (Installation 05)|Temple]] {{1st}}
****[[Bastion of the Brutes|Bastion of the Jiralhanae]] {{1st}}
****[[Jiralhanae encampment]] {{1st}}


Guarded by [[Tartarus]] and his Brutes, Truth and [[Mercy]] prepare to board the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]], a colossal [[Forerunner]] ship discovered by the [[Prophets]] located in the center of the city, with Johnson and Keyes brought along as captives. Truth gives Tartarus the order to activate Halo, and the Chieftain assures him he won't fail. Suddenly, Flood [[Infection Form]]s attack and one of them latches onto Mercy. When Tartarus attempts to help, Truth says to leave him, telling Mercy that "...the Great Journey waits for no one, brother. Not even you." Master Chief arrives just as they depart for the ship. The dying Mercy tells him that Truth is heading for Earth, to finish what they started. Cortana tells the Chief he has to stop him. In the case that Tartarus activates Delta Halo, she will trigger ''In Amber Clad''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s reactors which would destroy ''High Charity'' and the ring. Not wanting to risk a remote detonation of the frigate, Cortana stays behind as Chief races after Truth.
|title-5=Events|
*[[Human-Covenant War]]
**[[Battle for Earth]] {{1st}}
***[[Battle of Mombasa]] {{1st}}
**[[Battle of Installation 05]] {{1st}}
**[[Fall of High Charity]] {{1st}}
*[[Great Schism]] {{1st}}


===The [[Great Journey]]===
|title-6=Vehicles|
The Arbiter is transported to a jungle on [[Delta Halo]], just outside the ring's control room. Here, he finds several [[Elites]] have been massacred by the [[Brutes]] and finally realizes the truth in [[Gravemind]]'s words. The Arbiter rallies several Elites and leads an uprising against the Brutes and other Covenant Loyalists (Jackals and Drones) with the assistance of other Separatists (Grunts and Hunters). Fighting his way to the control room, he reunites with Special Operations Leader [[Rtas 'Vadumee]], an Elite Commander, who had taken control of a Wraith. Seeing [[Tartarus]] land and enter the control room with the Index, they fight their way towards the structure to stop him. The Arbiter then combines forces with Sergeant Johnson, who has escaped and commandeered a [[Scarab]], and they break through the remaining defenses. The Arbiter makes his way into the structure and rushes to the control room to stop Tartarus from activating the ring.
====UNSC====
;Usable
*[[M12 Warthog]]
**[[M12 Chaingun Warthog]]
**[[M12G1 Warthog]] {{1st}}
*[[M808B Scorpion]]


The Arbiter and Johnson confront Tartarus and his Brutes in the control room as he is trying to get Keyes' to use the Index. The [[Halos]], as we learn from [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|Guilty Spark]], were built to prevent the Flood from spreading throughout the Galaxy, and that the [[Forerunners]] who built it were wiped out when they fired it as a "weapon of last resort" at some point in the past. In spite of this, Tartarus forces Miranda to activate the ring in preparation to fire, to bring about -- in his eyes -- the Great Journey. As the Arbiter, the player must then fight Tartarus (and on higher levels other Brutes) to retrieve the [[Index]] and stop the activation of Installation 05.
;Unusable
*[[D77-TC Pelican]]
*[[D96-TCE Albatross]] {{1st}}
*[[Drop pod]]
**[[M8823 drop pod]] {{1st}}
*[[GA-TL1 Longsword]] {{c|C709 variant}}
*[[Hog]] {{1st}}
*{{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}
**{{UNSCShip|Feeling Lucky}} {{1st}}
**{{UNSCShip|Say My Name}} {{1st}}
*[[Orbital defense platform]]
**[[Cairo Station (station)|ODA-142 ''Cairo'']] {{1st}}
**[[Malta Station|ODA-143 ''Malta'']] {{1st}}
**[[Athens Station|ODA-144 ''Athens'']] {{1st}}
*[[Tractor unit]] {{1st}}
*[[UNSC frigate]]
**{{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}} {{1st}}
***{{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} {{1st}}
*[[Überchassis]] {{1st}}


After the Arbiter kills Tartarus, Miranda retrieves the Index and the Installation cancels its firing sequence. Guilty Spark reveals that although the Index was removed before Delta Halo had time to complete its firing sequence, it sent signals to all other Installations in the galaxy (a total of 7 rings), putting them on a dangerous standby mode. Now, they can only be activated remotely from a location called [[Installation 00|the Ark]].
====Covenant====
;Usable
*[[Spectre]]
**{{Pattern|Wuzum|Spectre}} {{1st}}
*[[Wraith]]
**{{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}}
*[[Banshee]]
**{{Pattern|Oghal|Banshee}}
*[[Ghost]]
**{{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}


The scene then changes to Truth's Forerunner ship entering through slip space near Earth, as the planet's defenses are in the midst of another battle. We see that Master Chief has stowed away on-board. When asked by [[Lord Hood]] what he is doing on the ship, the Chief replies, "Sir, finishing this fight", ending the game in an abrupt cliffhanger.
;Unusable
*[[Covenant carrier|Assault carrier]]
**{{Pattern|Syfon|assault carrier}} {{1st}}
***''[[Day of Jubilation]]'' {{1st}}
***''[[Solemn Penance]]'' {{1st}}
*[[Covenant cruiser|Cruiser]]
**{{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}
*[[Drop pod]]
**{{Pattern|Udka|Assault Carapace}} {{1st}}
*[[High Charity]]
*[[Seraph]]
**{{Pattern|Kai|Seraph}}
*[[Shadow]]
**{{Pattern|Ruwaa|Shadow}} {{1st}}
*[[Scarab]]
**{{Pattern|Protos|Scarab}}
*[[Phantom]]
**{{Pattern|Kez'katu|Phantom}} {{1st}}
*{{Pattern|R'sisho|Tick}}


After the credits roll, a teaser for ''Halo 3'' shows that the Flood has completely taken over ''[[High Charity]]''. The Gravemind's tentacles can be seen going through the city as he says, "Silence fills the empty grave now that I am gone, but my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on." In the council chambers of the Hierarchs, Gravemind continues, "Now I shall ask, and you shall answer." Cortana appears, and says "Alright, shoot".
===Forerunner===
;Unusable
*[[Keyship]] {{1st}}
**''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' {{1st}}


There is no novelization of the game yet. It is possible that a novelization that follows the canon laid down by the previous three novels might differ somewhat plot wise from the game, due to various differences between the game and the other novels.
|title-7=Weapons|
{{Endspoiler}}
====UNSC====
;Usable
*[[BR55 battle rifle]] {{1st}}
*[[M231 machine gun]]
*[[M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon]]
*[[M6C magnum]] {{1st}}
*[[M7 SMG]]
*[[M9 fragmentation grenade]]
*[[M41 Vulcan]]
*[[M41 rocket launcher]]
*[[M68 Gauss cannon]] {{1st}}
*[[M90 shotgun]]
*[[M247 general purpose machine gun]] {{1st}}
*[[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle#SRS99C-S2|SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]] {{1st}}
*[[Type 14 Magnetic/Anti-Tank Mine]] {{1st}} {{c|Gametype-specific use only}}


==Gameplay== 
;Unusable
===Campaign ===
*[[110mm rotary cannon]]
[[Image:Arbiter gameplay - banshee.jpg|thumb|Playing as [[The Arbiter]]|right]]
*[[Anvil-II air-to-surface missile]]
The campaign in ''Halo 2'' does not pick up directly after the events of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', but rather after the events depicted in the novel ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', with the events explaining [[Master Chief]]'s return to [[Earth]] not featured in any game so far. The story dives deeper into the society of the [[Covenant]], their goals, beliefs, and alliances as well as continuing Master Chief's story to put an end to the Covenant threat on Earth as well as another Halo ring.
*[[ASGM-10 missile]]
*[[M6D magnum]] {{C|Appears on [[Tombstone]] as model-only}}
*[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]]
**[[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon#"Super" Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|Super MAC]]
*[[Point-defense gun]]
**[[M870 Rampart point defense gun]]


The player can play the campaign alone on a single-player mode or on a split-screen co-operative mode. The game follows a linear series of episodes that differ from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' because you will play as both the Master Chief and a new character, a troubled Covenant Elite known as The Arbiter. The player has an adjusted arsenal of weapons, some of which have been altered or removed from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and new weapons being introduced. The biggest alteration to game-play is perhaps the ability to [[dual wield]] small weapons; this allows for twice the firepower at the expense of being unable to throw grenades or [[melee]] without dropping the left weapon. In terms of vehicles, all vehicles from the first game remain except the M12A1 Warthog LAAV from the PC version, and the Spirit. Also a few new vehicles being introduced. In ''Halo 2'', however,  the previously indestructible vehicles can now be destroyed and the player is able to "[[Boarding|board]]" an enemy vehicle by climbing on and knocking the driver out. The same can be done by an enemy to the player when driving.
====Covenant====
As the Arbiter, the player is not equipped with a flashlight and instead a rechargeable [[Active Camouflage]] that lasts for short bursts, giving the player a preemptive advantage on unsuspecting enemies.
;Usable
*[[Class-2 directed energy cannon]]
*[[Fuel rod cannon]]
*[[Energy sword]]
**[[Type-1 energy sword]]
*[[Plasma grenade]]
**{{Pattern|Anskum|plasma grenade}}
*[[Plasma pistol]]
**{{Pattern|Eos'Mak|plasma pistol}}
*[[Plasma rifle]]
**{{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}
**{{Pattern|Kewu R'shi'k|plasma rifle}} {{1st}}
*[[Brute shot]]
**[[Jovokada Workshop Brute Shot]]
*[[Plasma Mortar#Type-26 35cm Directed-Energy Mortar|Type-26 Directed-Energy Mortar]]
*[[Shade]]
**{{Pattern|Eeo'Pimu|Shade}} {{1st}}
*[[Class-1 directed energy cannon#Type-29 Anti-Infantry Weapon Emplacement/Mounted|Type-29 Anti-Infantry Weapon Emplacement/Mounted]] {{1st}}
*[[Needler]]
**[[Type-33 needler]]
*[[Fuel rod gun]]
**{{Pattern|Pez'tk|fuel rod gun}}
*[[Plasma cannon]]
**{{Pattern|Shepsu|plasma cannon}} {{1st}}
*[[Class-1 directed energy cannon#Type-46 Directed Energy Weapon/Mounted|Type-46 Directed Energy Weapon/Mounted]] {{1st}}
*[[Beam rifle]]
**{{Pattern|Sulok|beam rifle}} {{1st}}
*[[Carbine]]
**{{Pattern|Vostu|carbine}} {{1st}}
*[[Scarab Gun]] [[:Category:Easter eggs|Easter egg]] {{1st}}


There are four difficulty levels as in the previous ''Halo'' game: [[Easy]], [[Normal]], [[Heroic]] and [[Legendary]].
;Unusable
*[[Antimatter charge]] {{1st}}
*[[Class-1 directed energy cannon#Medium plasma cannon (Wraith)|Medium plasma cannon]]
*[[Gravity hammer (fiction)|gravity hammer]] {{1st}}
**[[Fist of Rukt]] {{1st}}
*{{Pattern|Zo'op|Weevil}} {{1st}}
*[[Energy Projector]]
*[[Energy stave]]
*[[Focus cannon]] {{1st}}
*[[Heavy plasma cannon]]
*[[Plasma cannon (starship)|Plasma cannon]]
*[[Pulse laser turret]]


You can have a variety of allies; if you are the [[Master Chief]], you are accompanied by [[UNSC Marines]] and occasionally [[ODST|Marine ODSTs]] and you battle all Covenant species and in one instance, [[the Flood]]. But if you are the [[Arbiter (Character)|Arbiter]], you are joined by [[Grunts]], [[Jackals]], [[Hunters]], and other [[Elites]], but you never fight humans; instead, you combat the [[Heretic]]s, the Flood and occasionally [[Sentinels]].
====Forerunner====
;Usable
*[[Sentinel beam]]


After a number of levels you will begin to fight the [[Covenant Loyalists]] which include the following: the [[Prophets]] as the leaders, the [[Brutes]] as the commanding group, and the [[Jackals]] and [[Drones]] as the followers.
;Unusable
*[[Shard cannon]] {{1st}}
*[[Enforcer missile launcher]] {{1st}}


===Multiplayer===
|title-8=Equipment and technology|
[[Image:1206873175 All action.jpg|thumb|350px|A group of players fighting each other on multiplayer.|left]]
;[[Power-up]]s
There are a wide variety of [[multiplayer]] game types, several of which have returned from the original ''Halo'' game: a typical death match game called [[Slayer]], two team based [[Capture the Flag]], [[Team Slayer]] games, an offense/defense game which involves the planting of an oddball like bomb in the enemies' base which the other team has to disarm in a certain amount of time. [[Assault]], a more esoteric free-for-all form of capture the flag called [[Oddball]], a game extrapolated from a child's game of "tag" called [[Juggernaut]], and a game of capturing certain parts of the map called [[Territories]] which replaces the Race gametype from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', as well as others and the ability to create one's own variants. Of the preset variations present in the original game, only [[Race]] is missing, replaced by a similar but different game. You also have the option of choosing an Elite skin to play as and have the color changes just like the Spartan skin if you chose them in the edit menu. You may also create your own game variations.
*[[Active camouflage]]
*[[Overshield]]


<br /><br /><br />
;Armor
*[[Kig-Yar combat harness]]
*[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]]
**[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI]] {{1st}}
*[[ODST armor]]
*[[Sangheili harness]]
**[[Arbiter body armor]] {{1st}}
**[[Heretic Sangheili#Equipment|Artifact retrieval harness]] {{1st}}
**[[Sangheili Zealot#Ceremonial battle harness|Ceremonial battle harness]]
**[[Sangheili High Councilor#Equipment|High Councilor harness]]
**Honor Guard harness
**[[Ranger harness]] {{1st}}
**[[Combat harness]]
**[[Ultra-class armor]] {{1st}}
*[[Unggoy combat harness]]


===Multiplayer (Online Play)===
;Other
[[Image:HAVsmall.jpg|thumb|right|320px|Halo 2 Vista Multiplayer - Online.]]
*[[Camera drone]] {{1st}}
Unlike its predecessor, ''Halo 2'' allows players to compete with each other over the [[Xbox Live]] online service, in addition to the originals support for split-screen and System Link multi-player. ''Halo 2's'' Xbox Live mode offers a unique approach to online gaming that is intended to alleviate some of the problems that have plagued online first-person shooters in the past. Traditionally, one player sets his or her computer or console up as a game server (or host), specifying the game type and map and configuring other settings. The game software then uses a service like Xbox Live or [[GameSpy]] to advertise the game to the world at large; other players choose which game to join based upon criteria such as the map and game options each host is offering as well as the [[wikipedia:ping|ping]] times they are able to receive.
*[[Plasma battery|Covenant plasma battery]] {{1st}}
*[[Covenant portable shield]]
*[[Roadblock|Covenant roadblock]] {{1st}}
*[[Covenant watchtower]] {{1st}}
*[[Energy shackle]] {{1st}}
*[[Energy shield]]
**[[Sangheili personal energy shield]]
*[[Energy core|Forerunner energy core]] {{1st}}
*[[Forerunner gas canister]] {{1st}}
*[[Power core|Forerunner power core]] {{1st}}
*[[Fusion drive]]
*[[Gravity bridge]] {{1st}}
*[[Holo-drone]] {{1st}}
*[[Holotank]]
**[[Portable holo-pedestal]] {{1st}}
*[[Identification friend or foe]]
*[[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet]]
*[[Methane tank]]
*[[Ordnance pod]] {{1st}}
*[[Pinch fusion reactor]]
*[[Repulsor engine]]
*[[Sentinel manufacturing facility]] {{1st}}
*[[Shield door]] {{1st}}
**[[Ultra-class armor]] {{1st}}
*[[Fusion coil|UNSC fusion core]] {{1st}}
*[[UNSC Navy uniforms]]
**[[UNSC Navy Dress Uniform]]
**[[UNSC Navy Service Uniform]]
**[[UNSC Navy working uniform]]
}}


In ''Halo 2'', Xbox Live players do not choose to host games, and they do not get to specify individual maps and options to search for. Instead, players sign up for "playlists" that are geared to different ''styles'' of play. For example, the "Rumble Pit" playlist offers a variety of "free-for-all" game types, primarily Slayer or variations there of; "Team Skirmish" offers a number of 4-on-4 team games, which are primarily objective-based games like Capture the Flag; "Big Team Battle Skirmish" is similar to Team Skirmish but allows teams of up to 8 players. Other playlists allow various things such as matches between different [[clans]]. The Xbox Live servers create games automatically from the pool of players that have signed up for each playlist, choosing a game type and map automatically and selecting one player to serve as the game's host. Players can create small "parties" with their friends and enter games together as teammates or, in Rumble Pit, adversaries. They can also play custom gametypes like regular multi-player. Unranked gametypes allow people on the same Xbox console without an Xbox Live account to play with them as "guests". If the Xbox console hosting the game drops out, the Xbox Live service automatically selects a new host from among the remaining players so the game can continue.
== Development ==
Note: It appears that the host has some advantages over other players during the game due to lag (giving him the ability to move/react faster than the other players, and for certain glitches to work), resulting in a form of cheating called bridging in which somebody uses their PC to get host.
=== Engine ===
Halo 2 features a modified version of the engine from Halo: Combat Evolved. This new engine featured support for online play via Xbox Live, improved visuals, and the implementation of the Havok physics engine that would replace Bungie's in house physics engine used in Combat Evolved.


Since launching in November 2004, the service has been very popular with gamers. While some players resent the loss of individual control inherent in ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s approach to online gaming, others feel it provides a significantly improved gaming experience compared to more traditional online first-person shooters. Bungie's servers match players up by skill level, which tends to eliminate the kind of severely imbalanced games that less-skilled players often consider unfair and not enjoyable. The automatic host selection process also eliminates the ability of the host to exert outsize control over the parameters of the game.
Halo 2 was initially meant to implement a new graphics engine called Pstencil that would allow for objects to cast real-time shadows. This lighting technique proved too expensive for the Xbox's hardware to handle, and was only ever seen in the E3 2003 demo of Halo 2. In order to make the demo playable on stage, massive optimization had to be done across the demo map, such as the deletion of objects that were no longer in frame.
=== Gameplay and design ===
In the aftermath of the success of ''Combat Evolved'' in the multiplayer and LAN scene, there was a desire to double down on multiplayer development. The team was also involved in the development of Xbox Live at this point.<ref name = "LikeLaunch">[https://www.gameinformer.com/interview/2020/05/13/what-it-was-like-to-launch-halo-2 '''GameInformer''' - ''What It Was Like To Launch Halo 2'']</ref>


''Halo 2'' players with [[wikipedia:Microsoft Passport|Microsoft Passport]] accounts can log on to [http://www.bungie.net bungie.net] and obtain extremely detailed statistics on their performance, including level maps for several hundred of the player's most recent games that indicate graphically where and when the player scored a kill or was killed him- or herself.
One of the biggest alterations to gameplay in ''Halo 2'' is perhaps the ability to [[dual wielding|dual wield]] weapons; this tactic allows for twice the firepower at the expense of being unable to throw grenades or [[melee]] without dropping the left weapon. In terms of vehicles, all vehicles from the first game remain except the M12A1 Warthog LAAV (rocket warthog) from the PC version and the [[Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Spirit]] dropship. Also, a few new vehicles are introduced. In ''Halo 2'', however, the previously indestructible vehicles can now be destroyed and the player is able to "[[Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|board]]" an enemy vehicle by climbing on and knocking the driver out, as well as planting [[grenade]]s to further damage the vehicle. The same can be done by an enemy to the player when driving.


On April 25, 2005, Bungie released the first four of nine new multiplayer maps over Xbox Live. The first four were [[Containment]] and [[Warlock]] for free and [[Sanctuary]] and [[Turf]] for $4.99 until they were made free on June 28, 2005. On July 5, 2005, the final five of the nine new maps: [[Backwash]], [[Elongation]], [[Gemini]], [[Relic]], and [[Terminal (Level)|Terminal]], were released for $11.99 until they were made free on August 30, 2005.
When playing as the Arbiter, the player's flashlight is replaced with a rechargeable [[active camouflage]] that lasts for ten seconds, giving the player a preemptive advantage on unsuspecting enemies.  


On April 17, 2007, [[Desolation]] and [[Tombstone]] were released via Xbox Live, and again on May 7, 2007, after several glitches on the maps were found and fixed.<ref>[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12414 Bungie Weekly Update 05/04/07]</ref> The maps initially had a fee of $4.00 until July 7, 2007 (a.k.a [[Bungie Day]]) when they were released for free.
The player can have a variety of allies; if they are playing as the Master Chief, they will be assisted by [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marines]], and occasionally [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODSTs]]. However, the Arbiter is joined by [[Unggoy]], [[Kig-Yar]], [[Mgalekgolo]], and other [[Sangheili]], allowing for deeper insight into Covenant culture.


====Updates and Map Packs====
On the damage mechanics, fall damage now has been reduced considerably. The threshold minimum damage has been increased, such as from 3 stories building height will not cause player any damage while on [[Halo: Combat Evolved|the previous game]], it gives the player some damage. The most benefits come from splatter damage as a slight touch from the object now is no longer kill anyone instantly including player (Except some who are designed to be invulnerable). The player now needs more effort to score a splatter kill.
Through [[Xbox Live]], players receive mandatory updates for ''Halo 2'' which fix bugs, glitches, exploits and tweak features to ensure fair game-play online and offline. The latest version of ''Halo 2'' (on Xbox) is version 1.5. The [[Halo 2 (Xbox) Auto-Updates|Auto-Updates]] and map packs are as follows:


*[[Bonus Map Pack]]
=== Campaign and story===
*[[Killtacular Pack]]
{{Quote|I think everybody had their own priorities for the sequel. For me, I felt passionate about exploring this whole other world, that isn’t all about Master Chief. The other side.|[[Joseph Staten]]<ref name="vice">[https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history '''Vice.com''': ''The Complete, Untold History of Halo'']</ref>}}
*[[Maptacular Pack]]
*[[Blastacular Pack]]
*[[Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack|''Halo 2'' Multi-player Map Pack]] (A collaboration of all map packs and Auto-Updates excluding the Blastacular Pack and Auto-Updates 4 and 5.) On ''Halo 2'' Xbox Live you can not pay Microsoft points for any new map unlike ''Halo 3'' in the Xbox Live Marketplace. From now on you are required download maps to play Xbox Live on ''Halo 2''.


At each map pack's debut, there was a fee to pay in order to download them. However, over time they became free.
''Halo 2'' has been the only game in the series to have the most content either cut from the game entirely or redesigned completely as evidenced in many forms of media. In the ''Halo 3'' Essentials disc featuring the "Director's Commentary" of the cutscenes, three separate levels were discussed as having been proposed but ultimately scrapped due to time constraints: [[Covenant Ship]], [[Forerunner Tank]], and [[Forerunnership|Forerunner Ship]]. In the "Making of ''Halo 2''" documentary there was concept art seen regarding a level location [[Installation 00|The Ark]], although the design was later placed into ''Halo 3''<nowiki />'s [[The Storm]] as the [[The Portal|Portal]]. The former could have been a part of pre-production for ''[[Halo 3]]''. Marty O'Donnell was also quoted in a [[Bungie Podcast]] (Episode 13, at 21:00) saying that all the actors had recorded the lines to the original ''Halo 2'' ending and that it still exists today, but he will never show it. The [[Flood Juggernaut]] was a character that was modeled and placed in the coding of the game but never had AI programmed or had been placed on any level, similar to the [[Huragok|Engineer]] in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''.


===Player Damage system===
The head writer for ''Halo 2'' was [[Joseph Staten]]. With the ''Halo 2'' campaign, Staten was interested in expanding the game's scope from solely the Master Chief and humanity,{{Ref/Reuse|vice}} fleshing out the [[Covenant]] antagonists through the perspective of the [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter]]. The core idea behind the Arbiter was to create a character who suffered the consequences of the Master Chief's victory in the first game.<ref>'''[[Remaking the Legend]]'''</ref> According to Staten, Bungie co-founder and the game's project lead [[Jason Jones]] was extremely passionate about including two particular scenes that were ultimately cut. In one of these, the Master Chief would be standing on an orbital above Earth and look down on the carnage inflicted by the Covenant, saying "Only blood will pay for this." A similar scene occurs in the final game, at the conclusion of "[[Cairo Station]]", but the quote is absent. Jones also wanted to have [[Miranda Keyes]] play the role of an antagonist and have her betray the Master Chief, strapping a bomb to his back and throwing him down a hole. Staten was not fond of the idea and, though great effort, convinced Jones it would not work in the context of the story.{{Ref/Reuse|vice}}
The damage system in ''Halo 2'' is much different from what it was in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The player has a regenerating shield and regenerating health.


*'''[[Energy Shields]]:''' The Shield in ''Halo 2'' is slightly weaker than it was in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', but recharges at a higher rate. It slowly decreases in power as it sustains damage. After it takes damage, it starts to recharge 2 seconds after the last time damage was sustained. It will stop during recharge if the player is hurt during that period. The power is displayed above the motion tracker in the bottom-left of the screen.
A key theme in the story's development was bringing the war to Earth.<ref name = "LikeLaunch"/>


Note: The amount of protection/recharge time it provides varies with difficulty, decreasing as the difficulty is raised.
According to Microsoft Halo Franchise Development Group employee [[Eric Trautmann]], who liaised with Bungie on the development of the ''Halo'' story, Bungie was initially skeptical that fans would recognize the [[ODST]]s during the ''[[Delta Halo]]'' level, and questioned the in-universe purpose they served. This was the last work Trautmann worked on before leaving development on the Halo franchise in November 9, 2004.<ref>[http://scifishow.libsyn.com/005-dc-reboot-trautmann-interview-round-2-of-our-quiz '''The Sci Fi Show''': ''Episode 005: DC Reboot/Eric Trautmann'']</ref>
{{Expand-section}}


*'''[[Health]]:''' In ''Halo 2'', once the shields run out, the player also has a buffer of health. Unlike ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the health in ''Halo 2'' regenerates after the shield. The amount of health left is not visible to the player. Bungie's explanation for this new system is the addition of a Biofoam dispenser in the armor (so health regenerates after time).
=== Audio ===
''Halo 2''{{'}}s audio and soundtrack were directed by [[Bungie]]'s composer, [[Martin O'Donnell]]. [[Jay Weinland]] and [[C. Paul Johnson]] served as the team's audio lead and sound designer, respectively.{{Ref/Book|[[Halo 2 Manual]]|Page=30}} A total of 21,090 lines of dialogue was recorded.<ref>[http://nikon.bungie.org/news.html?item=20971 Halo Dialogue Statistics, from the source] - HBO, November 12, 2007</ref>
{{Expand-section}}


===Powerups===
== Multiplayer ==
There are two types of normal powerups available in ''Halo 2''.
[[File:H2 Tombstone Slayer.jpg|thumb|300px|Multiplayer action in ''Halo 2'' on Tombstone: An ongoing Free-For-All battle.]]
Unlike its predecessor, ''Halo 2'' allowed players to compete with each other over the [[Xbox LIVE|Xbox Live]] online service, in addition to the originals support for split-screen and System Link multiplayer. ''Halo 2's'' Xbox Live mode offered a unique approach to online gaming that is intended to alleviate some of the problems that have plagued online first-person shooters in the past. Traditionally, one player sets their computer or console up as a game server (or host), specifying the game type and map and configuring other settings. The game software then used a service like Xbox Live or GameSpy to advertise the game to the world at large; other players choose which game to join based upon criteria such as the map and game options each host is offering as well as the [[wikipedia:ping|ping]] times they are able to receive.


*'''[[Overshield]]:''' An enhanced, non-regenerating shield which adds an additional two layers to your shield (red then green). The Overshield functions on top of the regular shield - when it is active, the normal shield does not take damage. However, the Overshield will gradually reduce in power until it is gone, at which point the player's normal shields will be vulnerable to damage. Unlike ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the Overshield powerup is not available in the single player campaign.  
In ''Halo 2'', Xbox Live players do not choose to host games, and they do not get to specify individual maps and options to search for. Instead, players sign up for "playlists" that are geared to different ''styles'' of play. For example, the "Rumble Pit" playlist offers a variety of "free-for-all" game types, primarily Slayer or variations there of; "Team Skirmish" offers a number of 4-on-4 team games, which are primarily objective-based games like Capture the Flag; "Big Team Battle Skirmish" is similar to Team Skirmish but allows teams of up to 8 players. Other playlists allow various things such as matches between different [[clans]]. The Xbox Live servers create games automatically from the pool of players that have signed up for each playlist, choosing a game type and map automatically and selecting one player to serve as the game's host. Players can create small "parties" with their friends and enter games together as teammates or, in Rumble Pit, adversaries. They can also play custom gametypes like regular multiplayer. Unranked gametypes allow people on the same Xbox console without an Xbox Live account to play with them as "guests". If the Xbox console hosting the game drops out, the Xbox Live service automatically selects a new host from among the remaining players so the game can continue.


*'''[[Active Camouflage]]:''' A powerup that makes the player almost completely invisible for a period of time, making all but a faint outline of him transparent. This effect is reduced if the player is hit by weapons fire, if he or she fires a weapon or throws a grenade, or in some cases if he or she switches weapons. In campaign mode, active camouflage is only available in levels in which you play as the Arbiter. (note: on multi player, if the Overshield technology and the Active Camouflage are used in conjunction the Active Camouflage is not sophisticated enough to hide the enhanced over shields)
Since launching in November 2004, the service has been very popular with gamers. While some players resent the loss of individual control inherent in ''Halo 2''<nowiki />'s approach to online gaming, others feel it provides a significantly improved gaming experience compared to more traditional online first-person shooters. Bungie's servers match players up by skill level, which tends to eliminate the kind of severely imbalanced games that less-skilled players often consider unfair and not enjoyable. The automatic host selection process also eliminates the ability of the host to exert outsize control over the parameters of the game.


More unique power ups known as [[skulls]] exist in campaign mode, as hidden items for the player to find.
''Halo 2'' players with [[Wikipedia:Microsoft Passport|Microsoft Passport]] accounts can log on to [http://halo.bungie.net bungie.net] and obtain highly detailed statistics on their performance, including level maps for several hundred of the player's most recent games that indicate graphically where and when the player scored a kill or was killed him or herself.


 
===Maps===
====UNSC Weapons====
{{Col-begin}}
*[[BR55 Battle Rifle]]
{{Col-2}}
*[[M6C Magnum Sidearm|M6C Personal Defense Weapon System]] (Pistol/Magnum)
;Default ''(released at launch)''
*[[M7 Caseless Submachine Gun]] (SMG)
*[[M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade]] (Frag Grenade)
*[[M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun]]
*[[M41 SSR MAV/AW|M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher]]
*[[M68 Gauss Cannon]]
*[[M90A Close Assault Weapon System]] (Shotgun)
*[[M247 General Purpose Machine Gun]] (Machine Gun Turret)
*[[SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle]]
 
====Covenant Weapons====
*[[Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade]] (Plasma Grenade)
*[[Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword]] (Energy Sword)
*[[Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol]] (Plasma Pistol)]
*[[Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle]] (Plasma Rifle)
*[[Type-26 ASG|Type 26 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun]] (Shade)
*[[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher]] (Needler)
*[[Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon]] (Fuel Rod Gun)
*[[Type-50 Sniper Rifle System]] (Beam Rifle)
*[[Type-51 Carbine]] (Covenant Carbine)
*[[Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon]] (Plasma Cannon)
*[[Scarab Gun]] (Only found in the level Metropolis and Outskirts)
 
=====Jiralhanae (Brute) Weapons=====
*[[Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer]] (Gravity Hammer/[[Fist of Rukt]])
*[[Brute Plasma Rifle|Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle (Jiralhanae)]] (Brute Plasma Rifle)
*[[Type-25 Grenade Launcher]] (Brute Shot)
 
====Forerunner Weapons====
*[[Sentinel Beam]] (Orange)
*[[Sentinel Beam]] (Blue)
*[[Heavy Needler]]
 
===Vehicles===
====UNSC Vehicles====
=====Usable=====
*[[M12 Warthog LRV]]
*[[M12G1 Warthog LAAV]]
*[[M808B Scorpion MBT]]
 
=====Non Usable=====
*[[D77H-TCI Pelican|D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship]]
*[[Albatross|Albatross Heavy Dropship]]
*[[Longsword|C709 Longsword Interceptor]]
*[[UNSC Frigate]]
**{{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} (FFG-142)
*{{Class|Marathon|Cruiser}}
*[[Orbital Defense Platform]]
**[[Cairo Station|ODA-142 ''Cairo'']]
**[[Malta Station|ODA-143 ''Malta'']]
**[[Athens Station|ODA-144 ''Athens'']]
 
====Covenant Vehicles====
*[[Shadow|Type-?? "Shadow" Troop Carrier]] (only drivable with a mod)
*[[Spectre|Type-?? "Spectre" Infantry Support Vehicle]]
*[[Type-25 Wraith|Type-25 "Wraith" Main Battle Tank]]
*[[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Type-26 "Banshee" Ground Support Aircraft]] (also a [[Heretic Banshee]])
*[[Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Type-32 "Ghost" Rapid Assault Vehicle]]
 
=====Non Usable=====
*[[Assault Carrier]]
*[[CCS-class Battlecruiser]]
*''[[High Charity]]''
*[[Seraph-class Starfighter]]
*[[Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform|Type-47 "Scarab" Ultra Heavy Assault Platform]]
*[[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Type-52 "Phantom" Troop Carrier]]
 
==Game Levels==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Campaign Levels===
*[[The Heretic (Level)|The Heretic]] (no gameplay)
*[[The Armory (Level)|Armory]] (tutorial)
*[[Cairo Station (Level)|Cairo Station]]
*[[Outskirts (Level)|Outskirts]]
*[[Metropolis (Level)|Metropolis]]
*[[The Arbiter (Level)|The Arbiter]]
*[[The Oracle (Level)|Oracle]]
*[[Delta Halo (Level)|Delta Halo]]
*[[Regret (Level)|Regret]]
*[[Sacred Icon (Level)|Sacred Icon]]
*[[Quarantine Zone (Level)|Quarantine Zone]]
*[[Gravemind (Level)|Gravemind]]
*[[Uprising (Level)|Uprising]]
*[[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]]
*[[The Great Journey (Level)|The Great Journey]]
{{col-2}}
 
===Multiplayer Maps===
*[[Lockout]]
*[[Lockout]]
*[[Ascension (Level)|Ascension]]
*[[Ascension]]
*[[Midship]]
*[[Midship]]
*[[Ivory Tower]]
*[[Ivory Tower]]
*[[Beaver Creek]]
*[[Beaver Creek]]
*[[Burial Mounds]]
*[[Burial Mounds]]
*[[Colossus]]
*[[Colossus (map)|Colossus]]
*[[Zanzibar]]
*[[Zanzibar]]
*[[Coagulation]]
*[[Coagulation]]
Line 293: Line 507:
*[[Waterworks]]
*[[Waterworks]]
*[[Foundation]]
*[[Foundation]]
*[[Containment]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Warlock]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Sanctuary]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Turf]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Backwash]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Elongation]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Gemini]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Relic]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Terminal (Level)|Terminal]] (only with expansion or download)
*[[Desolation]] (Exclusive for the Xbox version)
*[[Tombstone]] (Exclusive for the Xbox version)
*[[District]] (Exclusive for the [[Halo 2 Vista|PC version]])
*[[Uplift]] (Exclusive for the [[Halo 2 Vista|PC version]])
*[[Example (Halo 2 Vista Map Editor Example)|Example]] (Example map for the [[Halo 2 Vista|PC version]]'s map editor)
{{col-end}}


==Trailers==
;[[Bonus Map Pack]]
In 2002, Bungie released the first glimpse of ''Halo 2'' in a pre-rendered CG trailer. The trailer featured the [[Master Chief]] in his new [[MJOLNIR Mark VI]] [[Armor]] preparing for battle in a space station. [[Cortana]] is also heard and has dialogue with the Chief. It also featured Earth and {{Class|CCS|Battlecruiser}}s in orbit. The battle appears to have the UNSC losing. The events of this trailer were featured in the final version of ''Halo 2''. Some of the events and dialogue of this trailer was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game. Most of this now appears in the ''Halo 2'' level [[Cairo Station]].
<!--dates of release and previous prices belong on the map pack page, not on the ''Halo 2'' page-->
*[[Containment]]
*[[Warlock]]
{{col-2}}
;[[Killtacular Pack]]
<!--dates of release and previous prices belong on the map pack page, not on the ''Halo 2'' page-->
*[[Sanctuary]]
*[[Turf]]


*[[Halo 2 Announcement Trailer|''Halo 2'' Announcement Trailer]]
;[[Maptacular Pack]]
*[[Halo 2 Cinematic Trailer|''Halo 2'' Cinematic Trailer]]
<!--dates of release and previous prices belong on the map pack page, not on the ''Halo 2'' page-->
*[[Backwash]]
*[[Elongation]]
*[[Gemini]]
*[[Relic]]
*[[Terminal (map)|Terminal]]


==Demonstrations==
;[[Blastacular Pack]]
===E3 2003===
<!--dates of release and previous prices belong on the map pack page, not on the ''Halo 2'' page-->
In 2003 at E3, Bungie released footage of a playable in-game demo of the ''Halo 2'' campaign. The demo featured the battle on [[Earth]] in the city of [[New Mombasa]]. [[Master Chief]], [[Cortana]], [[Sergeant Johnson]], [[Corporal Perez]], [[Major Easley]], and [[Sergeant Banks]] were all seen/heard in the demo. The demo showed off new features like Dual-Wielding (the [[Master Chief]] could actually keep both his dual-wielded weapons when he switched to his secondary sidearm; this was changed for the final product), Vehicle Damage, and Boarding. Three new vehicles shown were the [[Gauss Warthog]], [[Shadow]], and the Covenant [[Phantom]], which at the time had only one plasma turret on its underside instead of three. Returning vehicles featured the [[Ghost (Vehicle)|Ghost]], [[Pelican]], [[Covenant Cruiser]], and [[Longsword]] Fighters. New weapons the [[Battle Rifle]], [[SMG]], and [[Brute Shot]] were also shown, although the final Brute Shot design for ''Halo 2'' was vastly different than what was shown in this trailer. The events of this demo were featured in the final version of ''Halo 2''. Some of the events and dialog of this demo was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game, such as the AAA Gun becoming a [[Scarab]]. Most of this now appears in the ''Halo 2'' level: [[Metropolis]].
*[[Desolation]]
*[[Tombstone]]
{{col-end}}


[[Video:Halo_2_E3_Gamplay_Trailer-1221898573-627|300px]]
===Server shutdown===
On April 15, 2010, the ''Halo 2'' multiplayer services, along with all other original Xbox LIVE services, were discontinued. However, some of ''Halo 2'''s fans left their Xbox's running after April 15. Xbox LIVE did not boot the approximately 500 people who had signed into Xbox LIVE before the discontinuation of service on April 15. These players continued playing online amongst one another but no new players could sign on. On April 30, 2010 only 12 fans who had managed to keep their Xbox and Xbox LIVE connections stable remained logged into ''Halo 2'' on Xbox Live. Nicknamed the "Noble 12", they continued to play games among themselves. In response, Stephen Toulouse, director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live, tweeted "To those noble folk keeping halo2 alive: we see you, and we salute you,". These hardcore fans were awarded ''[[Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta|Halo: Reach Beta]]'' keys because of their attempts to keep ''Halo 2'' alive. Over the next 9 days, 10 of the 12 gamers would experience either Xbox malfunctions or Internet malfunctions. Some were reported as logging off voluntarily to play the ''Halo: Reach Beta'' they received. Only two people remained online in ''Halo 2''. On May 10, 2010, "Agent Windex" was quoted as saying "I just got kicked off guys. Good Job Apache, you're the last one". Later that day, "Apache N4SIR", the very last person on ''Halo 2'', was booted from Xbox LIVE. This marked the end of ''Halo 2'' on Xbox LIVE and the end of the original Xbox LIVE.<ref>'''Official Xbox Magazine's Official Guide to Halo''', ''pages 24-25''</ref><ref name="shutdown">[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive36.pl?read=1065222 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''The shutdown of Halo 2'']</ref>


===E3 2004===
==Marketing promotions and release==
In 2004 at E3, Bungie released footage of a playable in game demo of the ''Halo 2'' multi player. The demo featured the multiplayer map [[Zanzibar]] and displayed playable character models the [[Spartan]] model and the [[Elite]] model. It also showed off some of the weaponry of the game and some special features. The [[Battle Rifle]], [[SMG]], [[Needler]], [[Rocket Launcher]], and [[Energy Sword]] were displayed. The Gauss Warthog and the Ghost also made an appearance. Some features included the lock-on feature of the Rocket Launcher, the Duel-Wielding ability, Explosive Barrels, Ghost's boosting, Warthogs horn and Gauss Cannon and Sword Lunging. Afterward fans were allowed to try out the demo.
{{Halo 2 editions}}


==''Halo 2'' Versions==
===Announcement trailer ===
[[Image:Halo 2 LCE case and extras.jpg|150px|thumb|''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition''.]]
{{Main|Halo 2 announcement trailer}}
''Halo 2'' shipped in two versions:
In 2002, Bungie released the first glimpse of ''Halo 2'' in a pre-rendered CG trailer. The trailer featured the [[John-117|Master Chief]] in his new [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|MJOLNIR Mark VI]] armor preparing for battle in a space station. [[Cortana]] is also heard and has dialogue with the Chief. It also featured Earth and {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s in orbit. The UNSC seem to be losing in the battle. The events of this trailer were featured in the final version of ''Halo 2''. Some of the events and dialogue of this trailer was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game. Most of this now appears in the ''Halo 2'' level [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]].


'''''Halo 2'' Regular Edition''' ($49.99 at launch, now $14.99)
=== E3 2003 ===
{{Main|Halo 2 E3 demo}}
E3 2003 featured the release by Bungie of footage of a playable in-game demo of the ''Halo 2'' campaign. The demo featured the battle on [[Earth]] in the city of [[New Mombasa]]. [[John-117|Master Chief]], [[Cortana]], [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]], [[Perez (Marine)|Corporal Perez]], [[Easley|Major Easley]], and [[Banks|Sergeant Banks]] were all seen/heard in the demo. The demo showed off new features like Dual-Wielding (the [[John-117|Master Chief]] could actually keep both his dual-wielded weapons when he switched to his secondary sidearm; this was changed for the final product), Vehicle Damage, and Boarding. Three new vehicles shown were the [[M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle|Gauss Warthog]], {{Pattern|Ruwaa|Shadow}}, and the Covenant [[Kez'katu-pattern Phantom|Phantom]], which at the time had only one plasma turret on its underside instead of three.  


*Standard Xbox game case with ''Halo 2'' box art.
Returning vehicles featured the [[Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle|Ghost]], [[Pelican]], [[Covenant cruiser|Covenant Cruiser]], and [[GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword]] Fighters. New weapons the [[BR55 Battle Rifle|Battle Rifle]], [[M7/Caseless Submachine Gun|SMG]], and [[Type-25 Grenade Launcher|Brute Shot]] were also shown, although the final Brute Shot design for ''Halo 2'' was vastly different from what was shown in this trailer. New enemies such as the Brutes were shown in this demo, but as a secondary warrior race by the side of the Elites. The events of this demo were featured in the final version of ''Halo 2''. Some of the events and dialog of this demo was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game, such as the AA Gun becoming a Scarab. Most of this now appears in the ''Halo 2'' level; [[Metropolis]].
*''Halo 2'' for Xbox (also for Xbox 360)
*''Halo 2'' game manual from the Humans' perspective.
*Pamphlet advertising ''[[Halo 2: The Official Game Guide|Halo 2: The Official Guide]]'' and ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack]] Volume 1''.
*2 month Xbox Live trial card.
*Limited edition Elite manual.


'''''Halo 2'' Limited Collector's Edition''' ($54.99 at launch, now discontinued)
===Halo 2 Council===
To help promote ''Halo 2'', Microsoft established the Halo 2 Council, an off-shoot of its celebrity "Xbox Playaz Club". It had seven members, consisting of actors [[Wikipedia:Wilmer Valderrama|Wilmer Valderrama]], [[Wikipedia:Benjamin Mckenzie|Benjamin Mckenzie]], and [[Wikipedia:Aisha Tyler|Aisha Tyler]]; [[Wikipedia:Jeremy Shockey|Jeremy Shockey]] of the [[Wikipedia:New York Football Giants|New York Giants]]; and bands [[Wikipedia:Hoobastank|Hoobastank]], [[Wikipedia:Incubus (band)|Incubus]], and [[Wikipedia:Linkin Park|Linkin Park]].<ref>[https://www.geek.com/games/halo-2-celebrity-council-557102/ '''Geek.com''' ''Halo 2 celebrity council'']</ref> Members of the Halo 2 Council received advanced copies of the game, as well as an exclusive "Halo 2 Pelican Case", a portable Xbox contained in a personalized suitcase with a 15-inch HDTV, two controllers, Xbox Live headset, and an Ethernet connection.<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/1492292/linkin-park-hoobastank-wilmer-valderrama-to-get-first-shot-at-halo-2/ '''MTV.com''' ''LINKIN PARK, HOOBASTANK, WILMER VALDERRAMA TO GET FIRST SHOT AT "HALO 2"'']</ref> They were also offered "VIP tours of Bungie Studios, voice-over recording sessions for game integration, [and] access to Halo 2 during the development process." Members promoted the game through ''Halo''-related events, such as Aisha Tyler's birthday party, where around 100 guests were invited to play an advance version of ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s multiplayer.<ref name="H2Council">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070219010712/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/personality/guests/20041027-stars.htm '''Xbox.com''' ''Hollywood's Hooked On Halo'']</ref>


*Sleek metal case with outer plastic slipcover.
=== E3 2004 ===
*''Halo 2'' for Xbox. (also for Xbox 360)
{{Main|Halo 2 E3 Multiplayer Demo}}
*''Halo 2'' game manual from the Covenant's perspective (written as a report from the Arbiter to the [[Prophet of Truth]])
''Halo 2'' also had a significant presence at E3 2004 (May 11–13, 2004). On May 8, Microsoft held a preview event in a private home in Beverley Hills, California, which had been transformed into a replica of "the stunning futuristic world of Halo, complete with camouflaged marines and roaming Cortanas." It was attended by the members of the ''Halo 2'' Council, as well as well-known celebrities of the time such as Joe Reitman, Jolene Blalock, Andrew Keegan, Jordana Brewster, Bai Ling, Ben Foster, Kelly Hu, Kyle Boller, Laura Prepon, Brad Bufanda, Lindsay Lohan, Breckin Meyer, Luke Walton, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris Masterson, Danny Masterson, Rick Yune, Good Charlotte, Ryan Phillipe, Gregory Smith, Shannon Elizabeth, Taryn Manning, and Tara Reid.{{Ref/Reuse|H2Council}}
*"Making of ''Halo 2''" DVD with other featurettes including game design, deleted scenes, concept art, deleted content and more.
*Pamphlet advertising ''[[Halo 2: The Official Game Guide|Halo 2: The Official Guide]]'' and ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack]] Volume 1''.
*Booklet called ''[[Conversations from the Universe]]''.
*[[7]]-Eleven Slurpee coupon (advertising the three Limited Edition ''Halo 2'' Slurpee cups).
*2 month Xbox Live trial card specially printed with ''Halo 2'' imagery.


==Reception==
During the event itself, ''Halo 2'' held a central position in Microsoft's showcase. At the pre-event Xbox conference on May 10, Bungie released footage of a playable in-game demo of the ''Halo 2'' multiplayer. The demo featured the multiplayer map [[Zanzibar]] and displayed playable character models the [[SPARTAN-II]] model and the [[Sangheili]] model. It also showed off some of the weaponry of the game and some special features. The [[BR55 Battle Rifle|Battle Rifle]], [[M7/Caseless Submachine Gun|SMG]], [[Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher|Needler]], [[M19 SSM Rocket Launcher|Rocket Launcher]], and [[Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword|Energy Sword]] were displayed. The Gauss Warthog and the Ghost also made an appearance. Some features included the lock-on feature of the Rocket Launcher, the Dual-Wielding ability, Explosive Barrels, Ghost's boosting, vehicle boarding, Warthogs horn and Gauss Cannon and Sword Lunging. The demo also featured the official announcement of the release date, November 9, 2004.<ref>[http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/news/200405/033.asp '''Kikizo.com''' ''E3 2004: Xbox Conference: Full Report'']</ref> After the demo's public unveiling, fans were allowed to try it out for themselves throughout the Expo on the showfloor.<ref>[http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/news/200405/046.asp '''Kikizo.com''' ''E3 2004: Halo 2 Hands-On, Screens, Vids'']</ref>
''Halo 2'' sold 5 million copies, making it the second best selling Xbox game, with approximately 19% of all Xbox owners possessing a copy of ''Halo 2''. The game also had the most successful opening night of any game up until ''Halo 3'', and, later, ''Grand Theft Auto 4''. The game had a generally amazing reception, gaining a 9.7 out of 10 from OXM, a 9.8 out of 10 from IGN, a 10 out of 10 from Game Informer, a 9 out of 10 from Play Magazine, and a 5 out of 5 from X-Play. It gained more Game of The Year awards in 2004 than any other game that year. X-Play, in late 2006, included it as #3 in their top 4 greatest shooters of all time. #4 was ''Resistance'', #2 ''Half-Life 2'', and #1 was ''Gears of War''. In early 2007, it made #8 on their top 10 Games of All Time countdown. The game had an average meta-score of 95 out of 100, making it the 3rd most critically acclaimed Xbox game, right behind ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and the ''Grand Theft Auto'' Triple Pack. The games multiplayer was held to be one of the best of all time, staying consistently number 1 the most played Xbox Live title from November of 2004 up until November of 2006, when ''Gears of War'' released.


==Themes==
===Halo2.com===
''Halo 2'' greatly expanded the plot introduced in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and many themes and parallels to the real world can be drawn.
{{Main|Halo2.com}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20040601000000*/http://Halo2.com Halo2.com] was the promotional website registered by Microsoft for ''Halo 2''. It first went live on May 11,<ref>[http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=9441 '''halo.bungie.org''' ''Halo2.com Goes Live'']</ref> and had national or regional variants, such as the Australian site (www.halo2.com.au/).<ref>[http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=10640 '''halo.bungie.org''' ''Aussie Halo 2 site a wealth of info'']</ref> Initially, it consisted of a straightforward promotional site, featuring screenshots, wallpapers, videos, and news.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=9792 '''halo.bungie.org''' ''Halo2.com gets updated'']</ref> Later, it was relaunched by [[Wikipedia:AKQA|AKQA]] on October 15, expanded and updated with a Covenant theme and tied to the [[i love bees]] alternate reality game.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=10870 '''halo.bungie.org''' ''Halo2.com has relaunched'']</ref> After ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release, it was merged with the official Xbox site.


Dealing with the consequences of society and government within the Covenant world, ''Halo 2'' shows that technology alone cannot win wars. Covenant society is deeply troubled with a corrupt government of Prophets who know more than they tell and order an act of genocide against their long-loyal [[Elites]]. While the Covenant is far more technologically advanced than humans, their society is divided and races do not get along. The [[humans]] are shown as more united and exhibit more teamwork while attempting to stop the Covenant, despite being outnumbered and out-gunned. Playing as the Arbiter, the player only fights other Covenant, making it apparent that their forces are not all focused on the humans and their civil war and disorganization makes them a weaker force, despite greater firepower. The Flood is mostly a primitive race but is still able to infiltrate High Charity and Cortana is still able to hack into their system because the Covenant never created a solid foundation and underestimated their enemies. The game shows that the power of determination is more powerful than that of technology. This is evident in both Master Chief's plot line as well as the Arbiter's, who manages to survive because he constantly focuses on his objective. He tells Tartarus that the Index is his only goal when he asks if he would seek revenge against the Master Chief.
=== i love bees ===
{{Main|i love bees}}
During the summer of 2004, the website [http://www.ilovebees.com ilovebees.com] was used as a publicity site for ''Halo 2'', with the site being pointed to by adverts for the game during movie trailers. Ostensibly a beekeeper's personal site, the server appeared to have been taken over by an unstable A.I. whose thoughts were scattered on the site. These included a number of "[[Axon]]" clips, which when put together formed an [[I Love Bees Axon Clips|audio drama]]. This [[alternate reality game]] acted as a prologue to the story of ''Halo 2''.


The game also has element of a monomyth, a common structure in many stories of adventure. ''Halo 2'' begins with Master Chief being awoken and called for combat while the Arbiter is spared and is given the choice to become a martyr. The Arbiter is put through a series of trials which he is expected to fail; when he doesn't, he realizes that the Prophets have turned against him and learns where his true alliances lie, becoming a central role in the Covenant Civil War. These events fit into the description of the first half of a typical monomyth.
===Cinematic trailer===
{{Main|Halo 2 theatrical trailer}}
In October 2004, a short trailer for ''Halo 2'' was shown in movie theaters and cinemas throughout the United States. It featured short clips of game play, some newly rendered scenes, as well as materials recycled from the E3 2003 demo. The trailer also featured a brief promotion of i love bees.


The elements of sacrifice and honor are both present. Cortana has sacrificed her safety to remain in the clutches of Gravemind, while The Arbiter accepts a suicide mission in order to regain the honor he lost when he failed to stop the destruction of Installation 04.
===Television trailer===
{{Main|Halo 2 commercial}}
In October through November 2004, a television advertisement for ''Halo 2'' aired throughout the United States. It consisted of footage from cutscenes and gameplay. There were two versions of the ad, a 30-seconds and a 60-seconds spot.
 
===Rereleases===
*'''2005''' - Rereleased as part of the ''Halo Triple Pack'' which included ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', ''Halo 2'', and ''[[Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack]]''.
*'''2007''' - Rereleased as part of the ''Halo History Pack'' which included ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', ''Halo 2'', and a sneak peek of ''[[Halo 3]]'', and as part of [[Xbox LIVE]]'s Xbox Originals.
*'''2014''' - Rereleased as ''Halo 2: Anniversary'', a remake of the game included in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection''.


==Reaction==
==Soundtrack==
Generally, the game was positively received.
{{Main|Halo 2: Original Soundtrack}}
There are two volumes of the ''Halo 2'' soundtrack, one released alongside the game, and the other released in Early 2006. You can usually find them at any retail store that sells music or games, or eBay.


Multiplayer especially was noted in being the best on Xbox Live at the time. Game Informer, along with numerous other publications, rated it lower than ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', citing enhanced multiplayer and more repetitive gameplay. ''Halo 2'' received multiple awards, including Best Console game of the month.
==Reception==
{{Quote|<nowiki></nowiki>''Halo 2'' is the single greatest achievement on the platform.|OXM 038, December 2004 (The OXM verdict: 10/10)<ref>'''Halo: The Master Chief Collection Companion''', ''page 15''</ref>}}
''Halo 2'' was very successful in sales. In company with PlayStation 2's hit of the year, ''[[Wikipedia:Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', it was the most sought-after video game among critics and gamers in 2004. Three weeks prior to launch, stores in the U.S. alone had pre-sold 1.5 million copies of the game to consumers. When it launched for the Xbox on the 9th of November, over 7000 video game, toy and electronics stores in the U.S. opened at midnight to welcome fanatical fans. ''Halo 2'' instantly began to prosper. One national retailer sold 8,500 copies of the game in just 11 minutes, and another had sold 200,000 units by daybreak. One single store sold 500 ''Halo 2'' units in three hours, 350 of them being sold between midnight and 1 a.m.<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20041110-9999-1b10halo.html</ref> Early on the launch day, Microsoft expected ''Halo 2'' to generate more money in 24 hours on store shelves than any game had done before. Moore said “I'm calling a $100 million day on ''Halo'' today.” ''Halo 2'' went on to be the success that Microsoft was anticipating, selling approximately 2.4 million copies in North America in 24 hours, generating $125 million. The video game software retailer GameStop sold more than half a million ''Halo 2'' copies in one day. In Australia, where more than 42,000 gamers had pre-ordered the game prior to its release, ''Halo 2'' shattered retail sales records by selling more than 104,000 units in no more than one week after launch, generating nine million dollars and beating the previous record holder by 38,000 copies.<ref>http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halo2/newsflash20041119.html</ref> In Canada, ''Halo 2'' succeeded in selling 222,000 units in its debut month, making it the biggest premiere month for any game up to ''Grand Theft Auto IV''. Before its release in New Zealand, more than 8000 units of ''Halo 2'' had been pre-sold.  


Most critics noted that ''Halo 2'' stuck with the formula that made its predecessor successful, and was alternatively praised and faulted for this decision. Edge noted in its review, “It's fitting that we're able to steal a line from the script to sum everything up. No spoilers here, just an epitaph, from the moment Cortana turns to Master Chief and says this: 'It’s not an original plan. But we know it’ll work.'" According to Xbox.com, the game has received more than 38 individual awards.
Three weeks after its release, ''Halo 2'' had sold over 5 million copies,<ref>http://www.xbox.com/en-US/press/2004/1202-halo2.htm</ref> making it the second-best selling Xbox game, with approximately 19% of all Xbox owners possessing a copy of ''Halo 2''. The game also had the most successful opening night of any game up until ''Halo 3'', and, later, ''Grand Theft Auto 4''. The game had a generally amazing reception, gaining a 9.7 out of 10 from OXM (10 out of 10 from its Australian counterpart), a 9.8 out of 10 from IGN, a 10 out of 10 from Game Informer, a 9 out of 10 from Play Magazine,  a 5 out of 5 from X-Play, and a 9.4 for Xbox from GameSpot. It gained more Game of The Year awards in 2004 than any other game that year. X-Play, in late 2006, included it as #3 in their top 4 greatest shooters of all time (#4 was ''Resistance'', #2 ''Half-Life 2'', and #1 was ''Gears of War''). In early 2007, it made #8 on their top 10 Games of All Time countdown. The game had an average meta-score of 95 out of 100, making it the 3rd most critically acclaimed Xbox game, right behind ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and the ''Grand Theft Auto'' Triple Pack. The games multiplayer was held to be one of the best of all time, staying consistently number 1 the most played Xbox Live title from November 2004 up until November of 2006, when ''Gears of War'' released.


The game's campaign mode has received some criticism for being too short, in addition to some dissatisfaction with the abrupt, cliffhanger ending that sets up the sequel, ''Halo 3''. GameSpot noted that the story switching between the Covenant and Human factions made the plot more intricate, but also distracted the player from Earth's survival and the main point of the game.  
Most critics noted that ''Halo 2'' stuck with the formula that made its predecessor successful, and was alternatively praised and faulted for this decision. Edge noted in its review, “It's fitting that we're able to steal a line from the script to sum everything up. No spoilers here, just an epitaph, from the moment Cortana turns to Master Chief and says this: 'It’s not an original plan. But we know it’ll work.'" According to Xbox.com, the game has received more than 38 individual awards. The game's campaign mode has received some criticism for being too short, in addition to some dissatisfaction with the abrupt, cliffhanger ending that sets up the sequel, ''Halo 3''. GameSpot noted that the story switching between the Covenant and Human factions made the plot more intricate, but also distracted the player from Earth's survival and the main point of the game. There is also some criticism of the game's on-the-fly streaming and level of detail adjustment, which can sometimes result in textures loading erroneously and "popping in" when the camera changes in cutscenes. Bungie has stated that this issue had been fixed for ''Halo 3'' and the Windows Vista port.


There is also some criticism of the game's on-the-fly streaming and level of detail adjustment, which can sometimes result in textures loading erroneously and "popping in" when the camera changes in cutscenes. Bungie has stated that this issue has been fixed for ''Halo 3'' and the Windows Vista port.
In an interview with Edge magazine in January 2007, Jamie Greisemer, one of ''Halo''<nowiki />'s design leads, said that the main reason for ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shortcomings was a lack of "polish" period near the end of the development cycle. Staff member Frank O’Connor admitted the cliffhanger ending was abrupt, noting “we drove off Thelma & Louise style." Nonetheless, in the interview Greisemer promised that they would make ''Halo 3'' a more than worthy successor.


In an interview with Edge magazine in January 2007, Jamie Greisemer, one of ''Halo''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s design leads, said that the main reason for ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shortcomings was a lack of "polish" period near the end of the development cycle. Staff member Frank O’Connor admitted the cliffhanger ending was abrupt, noting “we drove off Thelma & Louise style". Nonetheless, in the interview Greisemer promised that they would make ''Halo 3'' a more than worthy successor.
==Trivia==
 
*Originally, there were to be several kinds of [[M12 Force Application Vehicle|Warthog]]s including an Arctic model (which was included in the ''Halo 3'' DLC multiplayer map Avalanche), a transport vehicle and a small ATV (known as the [[M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle|Mongoose]] in ''Halo 3'') would make an appearance. These were all cut from the final version of the game. However, in ''Halo: Custom Edition'', fans created the arctic and transport warthogs, as well as the civilian Warthog featured in the multi-player map Headlong. A rocket Warthog was included in ''Halo PC'' and the ATV and variations of the Warthog appear in ''Halo 3''.
==Statistics==
*[[Jason Jones]] is known for establishing the quote: "''Halo 2'' is a lot like ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo 1]]'', only it's ''Halo 1'' on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas. And, the ninjas are all on fire, too." This led to the famous line of inside jokes, patches and t-shirts, user names, and memes of flaming ninjas.<ref>[http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/halo-2/528851p1.html Gamespy's Halo 2: Everything We Know article]</ref>
''Halo 2'' was released November 9, 2004. The game was one of the most highly anticipated games on the Xbox. It sold more than the original. On the morning of October 14, a leak of the French version of the game was posted on the Internet, and circulated widely. Microsoft, the parent company of Bungie, tried to contain the spread, and pledged to bring legal action against anyone who spread the leaked version.
*In the final days prior to the deactivation of ''Halo 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s multiplayer, Bungie added new sayings to the ''Did You Know?'' section of the lobby including messages of thanks to ''Halo 2'' fans for staying supportive for the half decade that it was active and hints about ''[[Halo: Reach]]'''s gameplay. Many of these were worded in a humorous manner, though several were outright jokes.
 
*''Halo 2'' has been played for about 100 million hours on Xbox since its release.
Regardless, Microsoft later touted that there were 1.5 million preorders for ''Halo 2'' in the United States alone and that this guaranteed it to have the largest first-day revenue of any game or movie ever.[http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10/19/news_6110893.html] The game sold 2.4 million copies and earned up to $125 million US in its first 24 hours on store shelves. [http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/10/news_6112915.html] As of March 2006, the game has sold over eight million copies worldwide<ref>[http://www.bungie.net/Inside/content.aspx?link=HistoryofBungie_p8 The History of Bungie, Page 8] Accessed 6-20-2007</ref>.
*Players who played this game with their current LIVE account before April 14, 2010 will unlock the ''Halo 2'' [[Nameplates|Visual Flair]] in ''Halo: Reach''.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=BWU_082010 '''Bungie.net''': ''Express Yourself'']</ref>
 
*The ''[[Hunt the Truth]]'' marketing campaign for ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' reveals that ''Halo 2'''s cover art is based on an in-universe photograph taken by [[Benjamin Giraud]] during the [[Battle of Mombasa]].
==''Halo 2'': Original Soundtrack==
{{Main|Halo 2: Original Soundtrack}}
There are two volumes of the ''Halo 2'' soundtrack, one released alongside the game, and the other released in Early 2006.


==''Halo'' Firsts and Lasts==
==Gallery==
===''Halo 2'' is the first ''Halo'' game to...===
===Cover art===
*...allow the player to pilot a [[Wraith]] and [[Spectre]].
<gallery>
*...have a level solely made up of cutscenes.
File:EPK H2.png|Icon art.
*...allow you to play as the Arbiter, which reveals about the Covenant and its rivalries.
File:H2 Title Art.png|Title art.
*...include dual-wielding.
File:Halo2-Xbox-GameCover.jpg|Full game cover for ''Halo 2''.
*...have allies drive vehicles while the player is on the gun or in the passenger seat.
File:Masterchief with sniper.jpg|Full screenshot featured on the back cover.
*...include [[Skulls]].
</gallery>
*...allow the use of the [[Energy Sword]], [[Brute Shot]] and [[Brute Plasma Rifle]], as well as the two [[Sentinel Beam]] types.
*...allow you to see your feet and legs when looking down.
*...introduce the [[Drones]], [[Brutes]], [[Sniper Jackal]]s, and [[Prophet]]s as species or ranks, and [[Enforcers]] and [[Sentinel Majors]] as new Sentinel models.
*...allow the player to swap weapons with allies.
*...have both [[Human]] and [[Covenant]] vehicles be destructible.
*...allow the player to hijack vehicles.
*...allow the player to touch a vehicle that is in use without dying.
*...have third person view when riding in the passenger seat of a [[Warthog]].
*...contain weapons in Covenant boxes.
*...not have Covenant radio boxes.
*...have a Covenant sniper rifle known as the [[Beam Rifle]].
*...not have a night vision scope on the [[Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel]].
*...allow you to jump off of high places and land without losing any health or shields.
*...show MAC guns. More are seen being fired from UNSC frigates at the end of ''Halo 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[The Storm (Level)|The Storm]].
*...allow the player to be an Elite in multiplayer.
*...not include a health bar; the Mk. VI MJOLNIR armor now features automatic Biofoam injectors, negating the need of a health bar.


===''Halo 2'' is the only ''Halo'' game to...===
===Concept art===
*...allow the player to pilot the Spectre.
<gallery>
*...use the Major Sentinel Beam.
File:H2 ConceptArt MasterChiefTakingCover.png|Concept art of the Master Chief taking cover.
*...allow the player to dual-wield the [[Needler]].
File:H2 SneakyArby.jpg|Concept art of the Arbiter and the Master Chief, later included on the [[Halo 3 Zune]].
*...have the [[Brute Plasma Rifle]].
File:H2 InteriorConstructControlRoom Concept.jpg|Concept art of a control room.
*...allow the player to fight Enforcers and Sentinel Majors.
File:H2 MachineDrivingComponent Concept.jpg|Concept art of a machine.
*...let the player see orbital MAC guns.
</gallery>
*...let the player use the [[Scarab Gun]].
*...allow you to see the weapon you used in gameplay on cutscenes (sometimes heavy wapons are not shown)
*...not have any sorts of power-ups in campaign.
*...have two-part levels and two-part cutscenes.
*...allow you to use [[Active Camouflage]] as the Arbiter.
*...have [[Grunts]], [[Hunters]] and [[Jackals]] as allies.
*...show an Elite without armor.
*...have a [[Shadow]].
*...not include the [[Assault Rifle]].
*...have the most levels in campaign.
*...not encounter Sentinels while playing as the Master Chief.
*...take place on a Halo ring other than [[Installation 04]].
*...not have a [[Fuel Rod gun]] in multiplayer.


===''Halo 2'' is the last ''Halo'' game to...===
===Promotional material===
*...have levels that take place in space.
<gallery>
*..take place on a Human Orbital Platform.
File:H2 Wallpaper Master Chief and ODST.png|A wallpaper used to market the game.
*...have Elites as enemies.
File:H2 Wallpaper Tartarus and Brutes.png|Another wallpaper used to market the game.
*...run on the PC.
File:Halo 2 028.jpg|Artwork featuring the Master Chief during the Battle of Mombasa.
File:H2 Chief EGM.png|EGM cover by Craig Mullins.
File:H2-Concept-Earth-MOUT.jpg|OXM cover by Eddie Smith.
File:H2 OXM Cover.jpg|Another OXM cover.
File:H2_EdgeCover_Concept.jpg|EDGE cover by Eddie Smith.
File:H2 BrigadeDamaged.jpg|"Brigade Damaged" by Zoé Brawley.
File:H2 BrigadeDamaged Wide.jpg|A larger version "Brigade Damaged."
</gallery>


==Trivia==
===Screenshots===
*Due to the limited time before release, the original last three levels were cut and were included in ''[[Halo 3]]''.
<gallery>
*Originally, there were to be several kinds of [[Warthog]]s including an Arctic model, a transport vehicle and a small ATV (Known as the Mongoose in ''Halo 3'') would make an appearance.{{fact}} These were all cut from the final version of the game. However, in ''Halo: Custom Edition'', fans created the arctic and transport warthogs, as well as the civilian warthog featured in the multiplayer map Headlong. A rocket-launcher enabled Warthog was included in ''Halo PC'' and the ATV and variations of the Warthog appear in ''Halo 3''.
File:Halo picture 12.jpg|The ''Halo 2'' main menu screen.
*Bungie has referred to ''Halo 2'' as "...a lot like ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. ''Only it's Halo: Combat Evolved'' on fire, going 120 miles per hour in a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas. And the ninjas are all on fire too." This phrase inspired various references, in the game and throughout the community, to burning ninjas.{{fact}}
File:H2 mchief cortana.jpg|John-117 and Cortana onboard ''Cairo Station''.
*A song, known as "Remembrance" at the start up screen, (The unedited version found on the “''Halo 2'' Original Sound Track Volume 1") just happens to play for exactly 1:17 (John's serial number) or 77 seconds.
File:UNSCDF.jpg|Lord Hood meeting John-117 and Avery Johnson.
*There are 21,090 lines of dialog, most of them randomly triggered during combat.<ref>[http://nikon.bungie.org/news.html?item=20971 Halo Dialogue Statistics, from the source] - HBO, November 12, 2007</ref>
File:Unsc convoy.jpg|A UNSC convoy made up of Pelicans and Warthogs.
*Originally, at the end of Cairo Station there wasn't going to be a bomb, but another level taking place on the Covenant carrier where you would fight a [[Drinol]]. At the end of the level when you destroy it, you get to freefall onto the ''In Amber Clad'', and can look around when falling. This level was deleted. <ref>''[[Halo 3|Halo 3 Legendary Edition]]'', Cutscene Commentary</ref>.
File:Brutesarbiter.jpg|Tartarus and his Jiralhanae carry Thel 'Vadamee past a group of Honor Guards.
*The song, “Amerika”, by world famous metal/industrial band Rammstein, has two ''Halo 2'' references in it. The first is when the singer starts to say "This is not a love song," the guitar and bass parts are similar to one of the tunes played in ''Halo 2''. The second is after the writing of the song, singer Till Lindermann was rumored to say that the population of the Germany liked the game, ''Halo 2'', an American made game.{{Fact}}
File:Arby helmet.jpg|Thel 'Vadamee takes on the title of Arbiter.
*On Wednesday, 13 October 2004, a pirated copy of the game leaked out to the public, and quickly spread on peer-to-peer networks and IRC.{{fact}}
File:GS-Heretic.jpg|343 Guilty Spark and Sesa 'Refumee, the leader of a heretic faction.
File:Deltahalo.jpg|The UNSC ''In Amber Clad'' approaches Installation 05.
File:Goingtoactivatehalo.JPG|John-117 standing in front of a hologram of Prophet of Regret.
File:Rally.jpg|Rtas 'Vadumee rallies his Sangheili.
</gallery>


==Related Links==
===20th anniversary artwork===
===Related Articles===
<gallery>
*[[Halo 2 Credits|''Halo 2'' Credits]]
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero.png|Official art by Victor Sales  titled "Heretic & Hero" celebrating the game's 20th anniversary.
*[[Action Figures]]
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero1.jpg|An initial sketch of the artwork.
*[[List of Halo 2 changes|List of ''Halo 2'' changes]]
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero2.jpg|The approved sketch of the artwork.
*''[[I Love Bees]]''
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero3.jpg|An early colored version of the artwork.
*[[List of "Seven" references in Halo|List of "Seven" references in ''Halo'']]
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero4.jpg|Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.
*[[Early Halo 2 Script|Early ''Halo 2'' Script]]
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero5.jpg|Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.
*''[[Halo 2 PC]]''
File:H2 UpperDeck HereticAndHero6.jpg|A near-final iteration of the artwork.
File:H2 UpperDeck DemonAndDisgraced.png|Official art by Victor Sales titled "Demon & Disgraced" celebrating the game's 20th anniversary.
File:H2 UpperDeck DemonAndDisgraced1.jpg|An initial sketch of the artwork.
File:H2 UpperDeck DemonAndDisgraced2.jpg|The approved sketch of the artwork.
File:H2 UpperDeck DemonAndDisgraced3.jpg|An early colored version of the artwork.
File:H2 UpperDeck DemonAndDisgraced4.jpg|Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.
File:H2 UpperDeck DemonAndDisgraced5.jpg|A near-final iteration of the artwork.
</gallery>


===External Links===
== Sources ==
*[http://bungie.net/Games/Halo2/ Bungie's Official Halo 2 Site]
{{Ref/Sources}}
*[http://www.haloeastereggs.net/eastereggs.php?gamename=Halo%202 Halo 2 Easter Eggs]
*[http://www.halo2.com Xbox.com's Official Halo 2 Site]
*[http://halo.bungie.org/halo2updates/ "Frankie's Bungie Updates"]


==Sources==
==See also==
<references/>
*[[Halo 2 credits|''Halo 2'' Credits]]
*[[List of Halo 2 Did You Know? quotes]]
*[[Early Halo 2 script|Early ''Halo 2'' Script]]
*[[Halo2.com]]


{{Halo Games}}
== External links ==
[[Category:Halo 2]]
*[http://halo.bungie.net/Projects/Halo2/default.aspx ''Official project page'' on '''Bungie.net''']
[[Category:Games]]
*[http://halo.bungie.org/halo2updates/ '''halo.bungie.org''': ''"Frankie's Bungie Updates"'']


[[es:Halo 2]]
{{Navbox/Media/Games}}
[[de:Halo 2]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:2, Halo}}
[[Category:Halo 2| ]]
[[Category:Canon]]
[[Category:Bungie games]]

Latest revision as of 17:04, November 9, 2024

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Halo 2
Halo2-Cover-Large.jpg

Primary developer:

Bungie Studios

Support developer(s):

Certain Affinity (DLC)

Publisher(s):

Microsoft Studios

Writer(s):

Joseph Staten

Composer(s):

Martin O'Donnell
Michael Salvatori

Engine:

Blam engine

Platform(s):

Xbox
Xbox 360 (backwards compatible)
PC - Windows Vista Exclusive

Release date(s):

US: November 9, 2004[1]
UK: November 11, 2004
JP: November 11, 2004
Vista: May 8, 2007

Genre(s):

First-person shooter

Mode(s):

Campaign
Multiplayer

Rating(s):

M (ESRB)
C (CERO)
16+ (PEGI)

 

"Earth will never be the same."
— Official tagline

Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios for the Xbox video game console and is forwards-compatible with the Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved and features a newly built graphics engine as well as many new gameplay elements. Storywise, Halo 2 develops the struggle between the United Nations Space Command, Covenant, and the Flood during the Human-Covenant War in the fall of 2552. A sequel, Halo 3, was released on September 25, 2007.

The game is one of the most successful and actively played video games for the original Xbox console, with 8.46 million copies sold as of November 2008. Despite this, the game's online servers, along with all other original Xbox LIVE services, were discontinued on April 15, 2010.

A PC version of Halo 2 was released in 2007. Halo 2: Anniversary, a remastered edition of the game, was released for the Xbox One as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on November 11, 2014, the 10th anniversary of the original game.[2]

Synopsis[edit]

Characters and setting[edit]

Halo 2 does not pick up directly after the events of its predecessor, but rather, after the events depicted in the novel Halo: First Strike, taking place in Halo: Combat Evolved with the events explaining Master Chief's return to Earth not featured in any game so far. The story dives deeper into the society of the Covenant, their goals, beliefs, and alliances, as well as continuing Master Chief's story to put an end to the Covenant threat on Earth as well as another Halo. Halo 2 also introduces the insectoid Yanme’e and the Jiralhanae, who were first mentioned in First Strike. They are shown as large, hairy, ape-like beasts; although they do not have energy shields like the Sangheili, their immense bulk and strength allows them to absorb a large amount of damage before dying.

The game follows a linear series of episodes that differ from Halo: Combat Evolved. The player will play as both the Master Chief and a troubled Covenant Sangheili known as "Thel 'Vadam".

Plot synopsis[edit]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Thel 'Vadamee before receiving the Mark of Shame and becoming the Arbiter.

The game begins on High Charity, the mobile capital city of the Covenant. The former Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, Commander Thel 'Vadamee, is on trial before the High Council for his failure to protect Halo. Despite his insistence that the Flood hampered his abilities, the Hierarchs who lead the council, the High Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, deem him guilty of failing to protect the Sacred Ring. 'Vadamee is then stripped of his rank and his armor and is branded with the Mark of Shame by Tartarus, the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae.

The story then turns to Earth's Orbital Defense Platform Cairo Station, where Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 receives the new MJOLNIR Mark VI armor from the Master Gunnery Sergeant. Avery Junior Johnson, who recently has been promoted to Sergeant Major, arrives to take the Master Chief to an awards ceremony overseen by Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood. At the ceremony, John-117, Johnson, and Miranda Keyes, Captain Keyes' daughter, are awarded medals as those in attendance celebrate. The festivities are soon interrupted by Cortana reporting that "15 Covenant Capital ships holding position just outside the kill zone," signaling the start of the Covenant siege of Earth. UNSC Marine forces, along with John-117, protect the station from the invading Covenant forces while other stations are overwhelmed and destroyed. A bomb is discovered on Cairo station, and John-117 sends it into space. He detonates it, destroying several Covenant ships, before landing on the hull of Keyes' ship, the UNSC frigate In Amber Clad. The frigate heads to the Earth city of New Mombasa to fight off the Covenant troops, which are led by the High Prophet of Regret. After the Covenant invasion force is halted by the UNSC defenses, the Prophet of Regret flees Earth with Keyes and her detachment in pursuit on the In Amber Clad. The hasty in-atmosphere jump devastates the city of New Mombasa, destroying the Space Elevator and scattering its wreckage for miles around.

The story returns to the disgraced Sangheili Commander, Thel 'Vadamee, who is given a chance for redemption by the High Prophets of Truth and Mercy by taking up the mantle of Arbiter and the imminent mortality it entails. The new Arbiter becomes the will of the Prophets, seeking redemption by completing seemingly impossible tasks assigned to him. As his first mission as the Arbiter, 'Vadamee is tasked with the assassination of a Heretic Leader, Sesa 'Refumee, who has become disillusioned with the Covenant following the events on Installation 04 and its destruction. 'Vadamee tracks the Heretic Leader through the gas mine where the Heretics sought refuge, battling the Heretics and the Flood along the way. When the Arbiter finally faces the 'Refumee, he asserts his belief that the Prophets have lied about the Great Journey. 343 Guilty Spark appears and corroborates 'Refumee's assertion (both Elites consider Guilty Spark to be an Oracle of the Forerunners, the ancient race the Covenant hold as gods). Before 'Vadamee can learn more of the claims, 'Refumee attacks 'Vadamee, and the Heretic Leader is killed. Tartarus then appears to extract the Arbiter and Guilty Spark, further preventing 'Vadamee from learning any further information from Guilty Spark. 'Vadamee departs, not learning what caused the Heretics to betray their sacred oaths to the Covenant.

Master Chief battles the Prophet of Regret.

Returning to SPARTAN-117's story, the In Amber Clad exits slipspace with the Prophet of Regret unaware that he had been followed. To the surprise of the pursuers, they discover that Regret has led them to another Halo Ring. Keyes sends John-117 and ODSTs to the surface of Installation 05 to capture Regret while the In Amber Clad is repaired. In the course of pursuing Regret, John-117 discovers, with the aid of Cortana, that the San'Shyuum intends to personally activate Halo, in the belief that it will propel true believers on the Great Journey. To buy time to acquire the Activation Index before the Covenant are able, Keyes orders John-117 to kill the Prophet of Regret, a mission he successfully achieves. Before making his escape, however, High Charity and its escort arrive and attempt to kill John-117 by glassing the area. He survives by jumping into the lake surrounding the structure in which he encountered Regret. Incapacitated from the shock of the Covenant bombardment, John-117 is last seen being dragged into the depths of the lake by tentacles belonging to a sentient creature.

The story now shifts back to the Arbiter on High Charity, in orbit around the ring. The Hierarchs have declared Regret's death to be the Sangheili's failure, and the Elites have been removed as the protectors of the Prophets. This role has now been given to the Jiralhanae, causing further tension between the Brutes and Elites who were already at odds. Now that the new ring has been discovered, Truth and Mercy query Guilty Spark on how to activate it. They learn of the Sacred Icon that will light the ring and they dispatch Thel 'Vadamee to recover it. He makes his way through the Quarantine Zone of Installation 05, fighting scores of Flood and Sentinels, seeking the Activation Index. 'Vadamee arrives at the Library to find Keyes and Johnson have retrieved the Index from its protective housing. While 'Vadamee fights to take it from them, Tartarus arrives and again intervenes in his task. Upon taking the Index himself, Tartarus reveals the Hierarchs ordered him to kill 'Vadamee and oust the Elites. His treachery revealed, Tartarus knocks the Arbiter down a shaft in the Index chamber to the abyss below.

Beneath the Library, John-117 finds himself in the clutches of the Gravemind, the creature that acts as the controlling intelligence of the Flood. It is revealed that Thel 'Vadamee has been saved from his fall by the Gravemind as well. It is within the Gravemind's chamber where the Arbiter and John-117 meet. The Gravemind announces to John-117 and 'Vadamee that he has much to tell them. The Prophet of Regret and 2401 Penitent Tangent, the Monitor of Installation 05, appear, both now infected and assimilated into the Gravemind's mass. They argue back and forth before the Gravemind reveals that Regret's "Great Journey" and Penitent Tangent's "Containment" are one in the same. Then both the Gravemind and John-117 try to convince 'Vadamee that the Covenant's belief about the Halos is a lie. They reveal that the Halo installations were created not to save life, but to destroy it, causing the Arbiter to question his faith. These new revelations, paired with the imminent genocide of the Sangheili lead 'Vadamee to reluctantly join John-117 in the mission to stop the ring from being activated. The Gravemind then sends John-117 to High Charity to retrieve the Index while the Arbiter is sent to the Control Room of Installation 05 to stop the Covenant from activating the ring.

John-117 is teleported inside of High Charity in the middle of a broadcast by the Prophet of Truth. Upon John-117's arrival, Truth and Mercy flee to the Forerunner Dreadnought, and formally transfer command of the Covenant Military to the Brutes. Before the prophets make it to the ship, however, they are attacked by the Flood, and Truth leaves Mercy behind to die. Meanwhile, John-117 pursues the Prophets. Throughout his pursuit, he kills many Covenant troops, witnesses the conflict between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae and saves a group of Marines. At the same time, the Flood, under the control of the Gravemind crash into High Charity using the In Amber Clad. John-117 finds Mercy being infected by the Flood, and the Prophet tells the Spartan that Truth is going to Earth to "finish what we started." Cortana implores John-117 to pursue Truth, but he is hesitant as his mission to retrieve the Index is not complete. Cortana devises a plan to complete his mission by detonating the crashed In Amber Clad to destroy the ring if it is activated. This plan, however, requires Cortana to stay on board High Charity. John-117 boards the Dreadnought through an energy conduit before promising Cortana that he will come back for her.

Installation 05 sending a pulse to signal the rest of the Halo Array to be put on standby for a remote activation from the Ark.

Meanwhile, Thel 'Vadamee is teleported to near Halo's Control Room. There he finds many dead Elites, which he has no doubt were killed by the Brutes. With the help of a few deployed Elites, and sympathetic Unggoy and Mgalekgolo, he fights his way to meet the Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee, who is surprised to hear that the Brutes murdered the Councilors. Seeing Tartarus land on Halo's Control Room, the Sangheili fight their way to a Protos-pattern Scarab, where Sergeant Johnson is held. Johnson forcefully initiates an uneasy alliance between the humans and the Elites and takes control of the Scarab. With the combined efforts of Johnson and 'Vadamee, the Scarab breaches the Control Room doors by using the Scarab's main energy cannon, and 'Vadamee enters to confront Tartarus. In the Control Room, Tartarus hears the truth of the Halos directly from 343 Guilty Spark. Still blinded by faith, Tartarus forces Keyes to activate Halo. Many Zealots and Councilors aid the Arbiter in his final fight against Tartarus, and eventually after a long and tough fight, manage to kill him. Once Tartarus is defeated, Keyes grabs the Index just in time to stop Halo from firing. However, 343 Guilty Spark says that this has activated a failsafe protocol, causing the Installation to send a signal to the rest of the Halo Array, putting them on standby for remote activation from the Ark.

The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives at Earth with John-117 onboard. He alerts Admiral Hood of his presence, and tells him that he is "finishing this fight."

In a scene after the credits, it appears that High Charity has been completely taken over by the Flood, as thousands of Flood spores are visible floating throughout the air. The Gravemind speaks satisfactorily of being free of his "empty grave," and suddenly Cortana appears as a hologram on a pedestal in his room. The Gravemind tells her that there are questions that linger in his mind which Cortana must answer. Cortana replies, "Alright...shoot," before the screen turns black.

Spoilers end here.

Campaign[edit]

The campaign consists of 15 levels, of which 14 are playable.

  1. The Heretic - "For failure such as this, no punishment is too great." (cutscene; unplayable)
  2. The Armory - "Suit up, prepare for battle." (tutorial)
  3. Cairo Station - "Defend the station's MAC gun from Covenant boarders."
  4. Outskirts - "Rally scattered marines, clear hostile contacts from the old-city."
  5. Metropolis - "Take the bridge, break the Covenant's grip on the city-center."
  6. The Arbiter - "Infiltrate a Forerunner facility, quell the heresy within."
  7. The Oracle - "Kill the Heretic Leader. The Prophets' will be done."
  8. Delta Halo - "A Covenant army stands between you and Regret. Get to work."
  9. Regret - "You heard the lady. Locate the Prophet, take him down."
  10. Sacred Icon - "Succeed where others have failed. Lower the shield protecting the Sacred Icon."
  11. Quarantine Zone - "Parasites, humans - no matter. The Icon must be found."
  12. Gravemind - "The Prophets have the Index and plan to use it? Over your dead body."
  13. Uprising - "This is certain: The Brutes shall pay for the blood they have spilled."
  14. High Charity - "Cortana can handle the Index - stopping Truth is up to you."
  15. The Great Journey - "Form an unexpected alliance, keep Tartarus from activating the ring."

Appearances[edit]

Characters

Human
Sangheili
Jiralhanae
San'shyuum
AI
Flood

Species and entities

Organizations

Locations

Events

Vehicles

UNSC

Usable
Unusable

Covenant

Usable
Unusable

Forerunner

Unusable

Weapons

UNSC

Usable
Unusable

Covenant

Usable
Unusable

Forerunner

Usable
Unusable

Equipment and technology

Power-ups
Armor
Other



Development[edit]

Engine[edit]

Halo 2 features a modified version of the engine from Halo: Combat Evolved. This new engine featured support for online play via Xbox Live, improved visuals, and the implementation of the Havok physics engine that would replace Bungie's in house physics engine used in Combat Evolved.

Halo 2 was initially meant to implement a new graphics engine called Pstencil that would allow for objects to cast real-time shadows. This lighting technique proved too expensive for the Xbox's hardware to handle, and was only ever seen in the E3 2003 demo of Halo 2. In order to make the demo playable on stage, massive optimization had to be done across the demo map, such as the deletion of objects that were no longer in frame.

Gameplay and design[edit]

In the aftermath of the success of Combat Evolved in the multiplayer and LAN scene, there was a desire to double down on multiplayer development. The team was also involved in the development of Xbox Live at this point.[3]

One of the biggest alterations to gameplay in Halo 2 is perhaps the ability to dual wield weapons; this tactic allows for twice the firepower at the expense of being unable to throw grenades or melee without dropping the left weapon. In terms of vehicles, all vehicles from the first game remain except the M12A1 Warthog LAAV (rocket warthog) from the PC version and the Spirit dropship. Also, a few new vehicles are introduced. In Halo 2, however, the previously indestructible vehicles can now be destroyed and the player is able to "board" an enemy vehicle by climbing on and knocking the driver out, as well as planting grenades to further damage the vehicle. The same can be done by an enemy to the player when driving.

When playing as the Arbiter, the player's flashlight is replaced with a rechargeable active camouflage that lasts for ten seconds, giving the player a preemptive advantage on unsuspecting enemies.

The player can have a variety of allies; if they are playing as the Master Chief, they will be assisted by UNSC Marines, and occasionally ODSTs. However, the Arbiter is joined by Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Mgalekgolo, and other Sangheili, allowing for deeper insight into Covenant culture.

On the damage mechanics, fall damage now has been reduced considerably. The threshold minimum damage has been increased, such as from 3 stories building height will not cause player any damage while on the previous game, it gives the player some damage. The most benefits come from splatter damage as a slight touch from the object now is no longer kill anyone instantly including player (Except some who are designed to be invulnerable). The player now needs more effort to score a splatter kill.

Campaign and story[edit]

"I think everybody had their own priorities for the sequel. For me, I felt passionate about exploring this whole other world, that isn’t all about Master Chief. The other side."
— Joseph Staten[4]

Halo 2 has been the only game in the series to have the most content either cut from the game entirely or redesigned completely as evidenced in many forms of media. In the Halo 3 Essentials disc featuring the "Director's Commentary" of the cutscenes, three separate levels were discussed as having been proposed but ultimately scrapped due to time constraints: Covenant Ship, Forerunner Tank, and Forerunner Ship. In the "Making of Halo 2" documentary there was concept art seen regarding a level location The Ark, although the design was later placed into Halo 3's The Storm as the Portal. The former could have been a part of pre-production for Halo 3. Marty O'Donnell was also quoted in a Bungie Podcast (Episode 13, at 21:00) saying that all the actors had recorded the lines to the original Halo 2 ending and that it still exists today, but he will never show it. The Flood Juggernaut was a character that was modeled and placed in the coding of the game but never had AI programmed or had been placed on any level, similar to the Engineer in Halo: Combat Evolved.

The head writer for Halo 2 was Joseph Staten. With the Halo 2 campaign, Staten was interested in expanding the game's scope from solely the Master Chief and humanity,[4] fleshing out the Covenant antagonists through the perspective of the Arbiter. The core idea behind the Arbiter was to create a character who suffered the consequences of the Master Chief's victory in the first game.[5] According to Staten, Bungie co-founder and the game's project lead Jason Jones was extremely passionate about including two particular scenes that were ultimately cut. In one of these, the Master Chief would be standing on an orbital above Earth and look down on the carnage inflicted by the Covenant, saying "Only blood will pay for this." A similar scene occurs in the final game, at the conclusion of "Cairo Station", but the quote is absent. Jones also wanted to have Miranda Keyes play the role of an antagonist and have her betray the Master Chief, strapping a bomb to his back and throwing him down a hole. Staten was not fond of the idea and, though great effort, convinced Jones it would not work in the context of the story.[4]

A key theme in the story's development was bringing the war to Earth.[3]

According to Microsoft Halo Franchise Development Group employee Eric Trautmann, who liaised with Bungie on the development of the Halo story, Bungie was initially skeptical that fans would recognize the ODSTs during the Delta Halo level, and questioned the in-universe purpose they served. This was the last work Trautmann worked on before leaving development on the Halo franchise in November 9, 2004.[6]

Help.png This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.

Audio[edit]

Halo 2's audio and soundtrack were directed by Bungie's composer, Martin O'Donnell. Jay Weinland and C. Paul Johnson served as the team's audio lead and sound designer, respectively.[7] A total of 21,090 lines of dialogue was recorded.[8]

Help.png This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.

Multiplayer[edit]

Promotional image for Halo 2 Blastacular Pack featuring a battle on the multiplayer map Tombstone. Screenshot from the Halo 2 press kit.
Multiplayer action in Halo 2 on Tombstone: An ongoing Free-For-All battle.

Unlike its predecessor, Halo 2 allowed players to compete with each other over the Xbox Live online service, in addition to the originals support for split-screen and System Link multiplayer. Halo 2's Xbox Live mode offered a unique approach to online gaming that is intended to alleviate some of the problems that have plagued online first-person shooters in the past. Traditionally, one player sets their computer or console up as a game server (or host), specifying the game type and map and configuring other settings. The game software then used a service like Xbox Live or GameSpy to advertise the game to the world at large; other players choose which game to join based upon criteria such as the map and game options each host is offering as well as the ping times they are able to receive.

In Halo 2, Xbox Live players do not choose to host games, and they do not get to specify individual maps and options to search for. Instead, players sign up for "playlists" that are geared to different styles of play. For example, the "Rumble Pit" playlist offers a variety of "free-for-all" game types, primarily Slayer or variations there of; "Team Skirmish" offers a number of 4-on-4 team games, which are primarily objective-based games like Capture the Flag; "Big Team Battle Skirmish" is similar to Team Skirmish but allows teams of up to 8 players. Other playlists allow various things such as matches between different clans. The Xbox Live servers create games automatically from the pool of players that have signed up for each playlist, choosing a game type and map automatically and selecting one player to serve as the game's host. Players can create small "parties" with their friends and enter games together as teammates or, in Rumble Pit, adversaries. They can also play custom gametypes like regular multiplayer. Unranked gametypes allow people on the same Xbox console without an Xbox Live account to play with them as "guests". If the Xbox console hosting the game drops out, the Xbox Live service automatically selects a new host from among the remaining players so the game can continue.

Since launching in November 2004, the service has been very popular with gamers. While some players resent the loss of individual control inherent in Halo 2's approach to online gaming, others feel it provides a significantly improved gaming experience compared to more traditional online first-person shooters. Bungie's servers match players up by skill level, which tends to eliminate the kind of severely imbalanced games that less-skilled players often consider unfair and not enjoyable. The automatic host selection process also eliminates the ability of the host to exert outsize control over the parameters of the game.

Halo 2 players with Microsoft Passport accounts can log on to bungie.net and obtain highly detailed statistics on their performance, including level maps for several hundred of the player's most recent games that indicate graphically where and when the player scored a kill or was killed him or herself.

Maps[edit]

Server shutdown[edit]

On April 15, 2010, the Halo 2 multiplayer services, along with all other original Xbox LIVE services, were discontinued. However, some of Halo 2's fans left their Xbox's running after April 15. Xbox LIVE did not boot the approximately 500 people who had signed into Xbox LIVE before the discontinuation of service on April 15. These players continued playing online amongst one another but no new players could sign on. On April 30, 2010 only 12 fans who had managed to keep their Xbox and Xbox LIVE connections stable remained logged into Halo 2 on Xbox Live. Nicknamed the "Noble 12", they continued to play games among themselves. In response, Stephen Toulouse, director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live, tweeted "To those noble folk keeping halo2 alive: we see you, and we salute you,". These hardcore fans were awarded Halo: Reach Beta keys because of their attempts to keep Halo 2 alive. Over the next 9 days, 10 of the 12 gamers would experience either Xbox malfunctions or Internet malfunctions. Some were reported as logging off voluntarily to play the Halo: Reach Beta they received. Only two people remained online in Halo 2. On May 10, 2010, "Agent Windex" was quoted as saying "I just got kicked off guys. Good Job Apache, you're the last one". Later that day, "Apache N4SIR", the very last person on Halo 2, was booted from Xbox LIVE. This marked the end of Halo 2 on Xbox LIVE and the end of the original Xbox LIVE.[9][10]

Marketing promotions and release[edit]

Features Standard Collector's edition
Image of contents Halo 2 box art.jpg Halo 2 LCE case and extras.jpg
Game disc & manual Yes Yes
Making of Halo 2 disc No Yes
Metal casing No Yes
Conversations from the Universe booklet No Yes

Announcement trailer[edit]

Main article: Halo 2 announcement trailer

In 2002, Bungie released the first glimpse of Halo 2 in a pre-rendered CG trailer. The trailer featured the Master Chief in his new MJOLNIR Mark VI armor preparing for battle in a space station. Cortana is also heard and has dialogue with the Chief. It also featured Earth and Ket-pattern battlecruisers in orbit. The UNSC seem to be losing in the battle. The events of this trailer were featured in the final version of Halo 2. Some of the events and dialogue of this trailer was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game. Most of this now appears in the Halo 2 level Cairo Station.

E3 2003[edit]

Main article: Halo 2 E3 demo

E3 2003 featured the release by Bungie of footage of a playable in-game demo of the Halo 2 campaign. The demo featured the battle on Earth in the city of New Mombasa. Master Chief, Cortana, Sergeant Johnson, Corporal Perez, Major Easley, and Sergeant Banks were all seen/heard in the demo. The demo showed off new features like Dual-Wielding (the Master Chief could actually keep both his dual-wielded weapons when he switched to his secondary sidearm; this was changed for the final product), Vehicle Damage, and Boarding. Three new vehicles shown were the Gauss Warthog, Ruwaa-pattern Shadow, and the Covenant Phantom, which at the time had only one plasma turret on its underside instead of three.

Returning vehicles featured the Ghost, Pelican, Covenant Cruiser, and Longsword Fighters. New weapons the Battle Rifle, SMG, and Brute Shot were also shown, although the final Brute Shot design for Halo 2 was vastly different from what was shown in this trailer. New enemies such as the Brutes were shown in this demo, but as a secondary warrior race by the side of the Elites. The events of this demo were featured in the final version of Halo 2. Some of the events and dialog of this demo was changed to fit the finished storyline of the game, such as the AA Gun becoming a Scarab. Most of this now appears in the Halo 2 level; Metropolis.

Halo 2 Council[edit]

To help promote Halo 2, Microsoft established the Halo 2 Council, an off-shoot of its celebrity "Xbox Playaz Club". It had seven members, consisting of actors Wilmer Valderrama, Benjamin Mckenzie, and Aisha Tyler; Jeremy Shockey of the New York Giants; and bands Hoobastank, Incubus, and Linkin Park.[11] Members of the Halo 2 Council received advanced copies of the game, as well as an exclusive "Halo 2 Pelican Case", a portable Xbox contained in a personalized suitcase with a 15-inch HDTV, two controllers, Xbox Live headset, and an Ethernet connection.[12] They were also offered "VIP tours of Bungie Studios, voice-over recording sessions for game integration, [and] access to Halo 2 during the development process." Members promoted the game through Halo-related events, such as Aisha Tyler's birthday party, where around 100 guests were invited to play an advance version of Halo 2's multiplayer.[13]

E3 2004[edit]

Main article: Halo 2 E3 Multiplayer Demo

Halo 2 also had a significant presence at E3 2004 (May 11–13, 2004). On May 8, Microsoft held a preview event in a private home in Beverley Hills, California, which had been transformed into a replica of "the stunning futuristic world of Halo, complete with camouflaged marines and roaming Cortanas." It was attended by the members of the Halo 2 Council, as well as well-known celebrities of the time such as Joe Reitman, Jolene Blalock, Andrew Keegan, Jordana Brewster, Bai Ling, Ben Foster, Kelly Hu, Kyle Boller, Laura Prepon, Brad Bufanda, Lindsay Lohan, Breckin Meyer, Luke Walton, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris Masterson, Danny Masterson, Rick Yune, Good Charlotte, Ryan Phillipe, Gregory Smith, Shannon Elizabeth, Taryn Manning, and Tara Reid.[13]

During the event itself, Halo 2 held a central position in Microsoft's showcase. At the pre-event Xbox conference on May 10, Bungie released footage of a playable in-game demo of the Halo 2 multiplayer. The demo featured the multiplayer map Zanzibar and displayed playable character models the SPARTAN-II model and the Sangheili model. It also showed off some of the weaponry of the game and some special features. The Battle Rifle, SMG, Needler, Rocket Launcher, and Energy Sword were displayed. The Gauss Warthog and the Ghost also made an appearance. Some features included the lock-on feature of the Rocket Launcher, the Dual-Wielding ability, Explosive Barrels, Ghost's boosting, vehicle boarding, Warthogs horn and Gauss Cannon and Sword Lunging. The demo also featured the official announcement of the release date, November 9, 2004.[14] After the demo's public unveiling, fans were allowed to try it out for themselves throughout the Expo on the showfloor.[15]

Halo2.com[edit]

Main article: Halo2.com

Halo2.com was the promotional website registered by Microsoft for Halo 2. It first went live on May 11,[16] and had national or regional variants, such as the Australian site (www.halo2.com.au/).[17] Initially, it consisted of a straightforward promotional site, featuring screenshots, wallpapers, videos, and news.[18] Later, it was relaunched by AKQA on October 15, expanded and updated with a Covenant theme and tied to the i love bees alternate reality game.[19] After Halo 2's release, it was merged with the official Xbox site.

i love bees[edit]

Main article: i love bees

During the summer of 2004, the website ilovebees.com was used as a publicity site for Halo 2, with the site being pointed to by adverts for the game during movie trailers. Ostensibly a beekeeper's personal site, the server appeared to have been taken over by an unstable A.I. whose thoughts were scattered on the site. These included a number of "Axon" clips, which when put together formed an audio drama. This alternate reality game acted as a prologue to the story of Halo 2.

Cinematic trailer[edit]

Main article: Halo 2 theatrical trailer

In October 2004, a short trailer for Halo 2 was shown in movie theaters and cinemas throughout the United States. It featured short clips of game play, some newly rendered scenes, as well as materials recycled from the E3 2003 demo. The trailer also featured a brief promotion of i love bees.

Television trailer[edit]

Main article: Halo 2 commercial

In October through November 2004, a television advertisement for Halo 2 aired throughout the United States. It consisted of footage from cutscenes and gameplay. There were two versions of the ad, a 30-seconds and a 60-seconds spot.

Rereleases[edit]

  • 2005 - Rereleased as part of the Halo Triple Pack which included Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack.
  • 2007 - Rereleased as part of the Halo History Pack which included Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and a sneak peek of Halo 3, and as part of Xbox LIVE's Xbox Originals.
  • 2014 - Rereleased as Halo 2: Anniversary, a remake of the game included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Soundtrack[edit]

Main article: Halo 2: Original Soundtrack

There are two volumes of the Halo 2 soundtrack, one released alongside the game, and the other released in Early 2006. You can usually find them at any retail store that sells music or games, or eBay.

Reception[edit]

"Halo 2 is the single greatest achievement on the platform."
— OXM 038, December 2004 (The OXM verdict: 10/10)[20]

Halo 2 was very successful in sales. In company with PlayStation 2's hit of the year, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it was the most sought-after video game among critics and gamers in 2004. Three weeks prior to launch, stores in the U.S. alone had pre-sold 1.5 million copies of the game to consumers. When it launched for the Xbox on the 9th of November, over 7000 video game, toy and electronics stores in the U.S. opened at midnight to welcome fanatical fans. Halo 2 instantly began to prosper. One national retailer sold 8,500 copies of the game in just 11 minutes, and another had sold 200,000 units by daybreak. One single store sold 500 Halo 2 units in three hours, 350 of them being sold between midnight and 1 a.m.[21] Early on the launch day, Microsoft expected Halo 2 to generate more money in 24 hours on store shelves than any game had done before. Moore said “I'm calling a $100 million day on Halo today.” Halo 2 went on to be the success that Microsoft was anticipating, selling approximately 2.4 million copies in North America in 24 hours, generating $125 million. The video game software retailer GameStop sold more than half a million Halo 2 copies in one day. In Australia, where more than 42,000 gamers had pre-ordered the game prior to its release, Halo 2 shattered retail sales records by selling more than 104,000 units in no more than one week after launch, generating nine million dollars and beating the previous record holder by 38,000 copies.[22] In Canada, Halo 2 succeeded in selling 222,000 units in its debut month, making it the biggest premiere month for any game up to Grand Theft Auto IV. Before its release in New Zealand, more than 8000 units of Halo 2 had been pre-sold.

Three weeks after its release, Halo 2 had sold over 5 million copies,[23] making it the second-best selling Xbox game, with approximately 19% of all Xbox owners possessing a copy of Halo 2. The game also had the most successful opening night of any game up until Halo 3, and, later, Grand Theft Auto 4. The game had a generally amazing reception, gaining a 9.7 out of 10 from OXM (10 out of 10 from its Australian counterpart), a 9.8 out of 10 from IGN, a 10 out of 10 from Game Informer, a 9 out of 10 from Play Magazine, a 5 out of 5 from X-Play, and a 9.4 for Xbox from GameSpot. It gained more Game of The Year awards in 2004 than any other game that year. X-Play, in late 2006, included it as #3 in their top 4 greatest shooters of all time (#4 was Resistance, #2 Half-Life 2, and #1 was Gears of War). In early 2007, it made #8 on their top 10 Games of All Time countdown. The game had an average meta-score of 95 out of 100, making it the 3rd most critically acclaimed Xbox game, right behind Halo: Combat Evolved and the Grand Theft Auto Triple Pack. The games multiplayer was held to be one of the best of all time, staying consistently number 1 the most played Xbox Live title from November 2004 up until November of 2006, when Gears of War released.

Most critics noted that Halo 2 stuck with the formula that made its predecessor successful, and was alternatively praised and faulted for this decision. Edge noted in its review, “It's fitting that we're able to steal a line from the script to sum everything up. No spoilers here, just an epitaph, from the moment Cortana turns to Master Chief and says this: 'It’s not an original plan. But we know it’ll work.'" According to Xbox.com, the game has received more than 38 individual awards. The game's campaign mode has received some criticism for being too short, in addition to some dissatisfaction with the abrupt, cliffhanger ending that sets up the sequel, Halo 3. GameSpot noted that the story switching between the Covenant and Human factions made the plot more intricate, but also distracted the player from Earth's survival and the main point of the game. There is also some criticism of the game's on-the-fly streaming and level of detail adjustment, which can sometimes result in textures loading erroneously and "popping in" when the camera changes in cutscenes. Bungie has stated that this issue had been fixed for Halo 3 and the Windows Vista port.

In an interview with Edge magazine in January 2007, Jamie Greisemer, one of Halo's design leads, said that the main reason for Halo 2's shortcomings was a lack of "polish" period near the end of the development cycle. Staff member Frank O’Connor admitted the cliffhanger ending was abrupt, noting “we drove off Thelma & Louise style." Nonetheless, in the interview Greisemer promised that they would make Halo 3 a more than worthy successor.

Trivia[edit]

  • Originally, there were to be several kinds of Warthogs including an Arctic model (which was included in the Halo 3 DLC multiplayer map Avalanche), a transport vehicle and a small ATV (known as the Mongoose in Halo 3) would make an appearance. These were all cut from the final version of the game. However, in Halo: Custom Edition, fans created the arctic and transport warthogs, as well as the civilian Warthog featured in the multi-player map Headlong. A rocket Warthog was included in Halo PC and the ATV and variations of the Warthog appear in Halo 3.
  • Jason Jones is known for establishing the quote: "Halo 2 is a lot like Halo 1, only it's Halo 1 on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas. And, the ninjas are all on fire, too." This led to the famous line of inside jokes, patches and t-shirts, user names, and memes of flaming ninjas.[24]
  • In the final days prior to the deactivation of Halo 2's multiplayer, Bungie added new sayings to the Did You Know? section of the lobby including messages of thanks to Halo 2 fans for staying supportive for the half decade that it was active and hints about Halo: Reach's gameplay. Many of these were worded in a humorous manner, though several were outright jokes.
  • Halo 2 has been played for about 100 million hours on Xbox since its release.
  • Players who played this game with their current LIVE account before April 14, 2010 will unlock the Halo 2 Visual Flair in Halo: Reach.[25]
  • The Hunt the Truth marketing campaign for Halo 5: Guardians reveals that Halo 2's cover art is based on an in-universe photograph taken by Benjamin Giraud during the Battle of Mombasa.

Gallery[edit]

Cover art[edit]

  • Icon art.

    Icon art.

  • Title art.

    Title art.

  • Full game cover for Halo 2.

    Full game cover for Halo 2.

  • Full screenshot featured on the back cover.

    Full screenshot featured on the back cover.

Concept art[edit]

  • Concept art of the Master Chief taking cover.

    Concept art of the Master Chief taking cover.

  • Concept art of the Arbiter and the Master Chief, later included on the Halo 3 Zune.

    Concept art of the Arbiter and the Master Chief, later included on the Halo 3 Zune.

  • Concept art of a control room.

    Concept art of a control room.

  • Concept art of a machine.

    Concept art of a machine.

Promotional material[edit]

  • A wallpaper used to market the game.

    A wallpaper used to market the game.

  • Another wallpaper used to market the game.

    Another wallpaper used to market the game.

  • Artwork featuring the Master Chief during the Battle of Mombasa.

    Artwork featuring the Master Chief during the Battle of Mombasa.

  • EGM cover by Craig Mullins.

    EGM cover by Craig Mullins.

  • OXM cover by Eddie Smith.

    OXM cover by Eddie Smith.

  • Another OXM cover.

    Another OXM cover.

  • EDGE cover by Eddie Smith.

    EDGE cover by Eddie Smith.

  • "Brigade Damaged" by Zoé Brawley.

    "Brigade Damaged" by Zoé Brawley.

  • A larger version "Brigade Damaged."

    A larger version "Brigade Damaged."

Screenshots[edit]

  • The Halo 2 main menu screen.

    The Halo 2 main menu screen.

  • John-117 and Cortana onboard Cairo Station.

    John-117 and Cortana onboard Cairo Station.

  • Lord Hood meeting John-117 and Avery Johnson.

    Lord Hood meeting John-117 and Avery Johnson.

  • A UNSC convoy made up of Pelicans and Warthogs.

    A UNSC convoy made up of Pelicans and Warthogs.

  • Tartarus and his Jiralhanae carry Thel 'Vadamee past a group of Honor Guards.

    Tartarus and his Jiralhanae carry Thel 'Vadamee past a group of Honor Guards.

  • Thel 'Vadamee takes on the title of Arbiter.

    Thel 'Vadamee takes on the title of Arbiter.

  • 343 Guilty Spark and Sesa 'Refumee, the leader of a heretic faction.

    343 Guilty Spark and Sesa 'Refumee, the leader of a heretic faction.

  • The UNSC In Amber Clad approaches Installation 05.

    The UNSC In Amber Clad approaches Installation 05.

  • John-117 standing in front of a hologram of Prophet of Regret.

    John-117 standing in front of a hologram of Prophet of Regret.

  • Rtas 'Vadumee rallies his Sangheili.

    Rtas 'Vadumee rallies his Sangheili.

20th anniversary artwork[edit]

  • Official art by Victor Sales titled "Heretic & Hero" celebrating the game's 20th anniversary.

    Official art by Victor Sales titled "Heretic & Hero" celebrating the game's 20th anniversary.

  • An initial sketch of the artwork.

    An initial sketch of the artwork.

  • The approved sketch of the artwork.

    The approved sketch of the artwork.

  • An early colored version of the artwork.

    An early colored version of the artwork.

  • Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.

    Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.

  • Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.

    Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.

  • A near-final iteration of the artwork.

    A near-final iteration of the artwork.

  • Official art by Victor Sales titled "Demon & Disgraced" celebrating the game's 20th anniversary.

    Official art by Victor Sales titled "Demon & Disgraced" celebrating the game's 20th anniversary.

  • An initial sketch of the artwork.

    An initial sketch of the artwork.

  • The approved sketch of the artwork.

    The approved sketch of the artwork.

  • An early colored version of the artwork.

    An early colored version of the artwork.

  • Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.

    Another work-in-progress iteration of the artwork.

  • A near-final iteration of the artwork.

    A near-final iteration of the artwork.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ Bungie.net: Halo 2: One Year Later
  2. ^ Halo Waypoint: Halo: The Master Chief Collection
  3. ^ a b GameInformer - What It Was Like To Launch Halo 2
  4. ^ a b c Vice.com: The Complete, Untold History of Halo
  5. ^ Remaking the Legend
  6. ^ The Sci Fi Show: Episode 005: DC Reboot/Eric Trautmann
  7. ^ Halo 2 Manual, page 30
  8. ^ Halo Dialogue Statistics, from the source - HBO, November 12, 2007
  9. ^ Official Xbox Magazine's Official Guide to Halo, pages 24-25
  10. ^ halo.bungie.org: The shutdown of Halo 2
  11. ^ Geek.com Halo 2 celebrity council
  12. ^ MTV.com LINKIN PARK, HOOBASTANK, WILMER VALDERRAMA TO GET FIRST SHOT AT "HALO 2"
  13. ^ a b Xbox.com Hollywood's Hooked On Halo
  14. ^ Kikizo.com E3 2004: Xbox Conference: Full Report
  15. ^ Kikizo.com E3 2004: Halo 2 Hands-On, Screens, Vids
  16. ^ halo.bungie.org Halo2.com Goes Live
  17. ^ halo.bungie.org Aussie Halo 2 site a wealth of info
  18. ^ halo.bungie.org Halo2.com gets updated
  19. ^ halo.bungie.org Halo2.com has relaunched
  20. ^ Halo: The Master Chief Collection Companion, page 15
  21. ^ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20041110-9999-1b10halo.html
  22. ^ http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halo2/newsflash20041119.html
  23. ^ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/press/2004/1202-halo2.htm
  24. ^ Gamespy's Halo 2: Everything We Know article
  25. ^ Bungie.net: Express Yourself

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

v • d • e
 
List of games in the Halo franchise
Original trilogy
Sequel FPS games
Standalone FPS games
Strategy games
Twin-stick shooter games
Virtual reality games
Arcade games
Game compilations
Mobile games
Tabletop games
Board games
Cancelled projects
Rejected pitches and internal prototypes
*Asterisks indicate upcoming releases
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