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| {{Era|H2}}
| | HALO SUCKS |
| :''See the PC version: [[Halo 2 Vista]]''
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| {{Game Info Box
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| |name=''Halo 2''
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| |image=Halo_2_box_art.jpg
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| |imageSize=200
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| |Developer=[[Bungie Studios]]
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| |Publisher= [[wikipedia:Microsoft Game Studios|Microsoft Game Studios]]
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| |US Date Released= November 9, 2004
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| |UK Date Released= November 11, 2004
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| |PC US Release Date= May 8th, 2007
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| |Genre= [[First-person shooter]]
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| |Game modes=[[Campaign Mode]], [[multiplayer]]
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| |ESRB= Mature (M) for Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
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| |Platform=[[Xbox]]<BR>[[PC]] - Windows Vista Exclusive.
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| |Media=DVD, PC-CD
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| |Website=http://bungie.net/Games/Halo2/
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| }}
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| '''''Halo 2''''' is a [[first-person shooter]] developed by [[Bungie Studios]] for the [[Xbox]] video game console and is backwards-compatible with [[Xbox 360]]. It is the sequel to the game ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', and features a newly built graphics engine with the addition of new elements to the game.
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| Like the ''[[Marathon]]'' series, the game will further develop the struggle between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant|Covenant Empire]].
| | - John Veillette (johnvei@hotmail.com) |
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| ==Storyline==
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| {{Template:spoiler}}
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| ===Main Characters===
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| ====UNSC====
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| *[[John-117|Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN John-117]]
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| *[[Cortana]]
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| *[[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson]]
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| *[[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]]
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| *[[Lord Hood|Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood]]
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| *[[Pete Stacker|Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker]]
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| *[[Marcus Banks|Staff Sergeant Marcus Banks]]
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| ====Covenant====
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| *[[Arbiter (Character)|The Arbiter]]
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| *[[Rtas 'Vadum|SpecOps Commander Rtas 'Vadumee]]
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| *[[Tartarus|Jiralhanae Chieftain Tartarus]]
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| *[[High Prophet of Truth]]
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| *[[High Prophet of Mercy]]
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| *[[High Prophet of Regret]]
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| ====Forerunner====
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| *[[343 Guilty Spark (Construct)|343 Guilty Spark]]
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| *[[2401 Penitent Tangent|2401 Penitent Tangent]]
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| ====Flood====
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| *[[Gravemind]]
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| ===[[First Battle of Earth]]===
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| [[Image:Pain.png|thumb|right|The [[Brute]] Chieftain, [[Tartarus]], about to brand the [[Arbiter (Character)|Supreme Commander]] with the mark of shame.]]
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| The game begins shortly after the events of [[Halo: Combat Evolved]]. Before the game begins, we catch a small glimpse of the Covenant via a cutscene. For the first time, we learn a little bit about the society of the Covenant. A constrained and armorless [[Arbiter (Character)|Supreme Commander]] is being branded with the [[Mark of Shame]]. It is revealed that he is the former Supreme Commander of a Covenant fleet that destroyed [[Reach]], as well as the one who failed to save [[Alpha Halo]].
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| [[John-117]] begins on [[Cairo Station]], one of the three hundred space defense platforms orbiting [[Earth]]. Shortly after the [[Covenant]] arrive, a bomb is set on the station. After a while, Master Chief finds the bomb and uses it to destroy a Covenant assault-carrier. He and the Marines then set out to the city of [[New Mombasa]]as a sole surviving Covenant ship landed on Earth . While in the city, Master Chief destroys a [[Scarab]]. After the Scarab is destroyed, the Covenant ship makes a [[Slipspace]] jump which destroys the city, and the UNSC ship, [[In Amber Clad]], with the Master Chief aboard, gets swept up in the warp field in a desperate attempt to follow it.
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| ===The Arbiter===
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| The Elite branded in the opening cutscene was supposed to be executed, however, rather than have him slain outright, the [[High Prophet of Truth|Prophets of Truth]] and [[High Prophet of Mercy|Mercy]] made the decision to give him a chance to regain his lost honor and serve the [[Covenant]] again.
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| The Prophet's offered him the role of [[Arbiter]], the highest honor for an Elite during a time of need. As Arbiter, he must conduct missions for the prophets that are hopeless and suicidal and die as a martyr for his race. This is part of the [[Great Journey]], which is a religious series of events that the Covenant heavily believe in, to complete their "Great Journey", the Covenant must activate a Halo installation.
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| As his first mission as Arbiter, the Elite must eradicate a group of [[Heretics]] who have separated themselves from Covenant society. They reside in a gas facility near the destroyed Alpha Halo. The Arbiter was to die during this mission, but he narrowly escaped death and defeated the heretic leader. This is the first time we witness conflict within the Covenant society as the heretics constantly tell the Arbiter he is a fool for believing in their Great Journey and the lie of the Prophets.
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| ===Discovery of [[Installation 05]]===
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| During this time, Master Chief, aboard the ship ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad]]'', is transported to the vicinity of another [[Halo]] ring - the [[Delta Halo]] - perhaps many tens of thousands of light years from Earth, on which they land. This time, [[Cortana]] and Master Chief are well aware of the dangers of Halo. They quickly begin to search for a way to disable it before the Covenant are able to reach it. Master Chief discovers the existence of the [[Prophet of Regret]], and must infiltrate his temple and kill him. Rather than aiding, the [[Prophet of Truth]] calls back the [[Phantoms]] and destroys the temple with an [[Energy Projector]]. Narrowly escaping, Master Chief is then captured by [[Gravemind]].
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| [[Image:MC_attacks_Regret.jpg|thumb|[[Master Chief]] battles [[Regret]].|left]]
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| ===The [[Index]] and Gravemind===
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| The [[Arbiter (character)|Arbiter]] remains alive and is sent by the Prophets to Delta Halo. The Arbiter is sent to lower the contamination shields surrounding the [[Library]] so the Covenant ships may approach. It is revealed to the Covenant that [[the Flood]] have been released, however, the Covenant still press forward. After completing his mission and retrieving the [[Index]], [[Brute]] [[Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]] takes the Index from The Arbiter. 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 Arbiter. Tartarus then throws the Arbiter into the seemingly bottomless core of the [[Library]].
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| In the next cutscene, the Arbiter is caught in a green vine-looking object. He is next to Master Chief who has just regained consciousness. A giant being known as [[Gravemind]], a form of the Flood, holds the two. He comments on the differences between Humans and Elites and informs the Arbiter of the Prophets replacing Elites with Brutes as they don't feel Elites can protect them any longer. He tells of their killings and 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 for 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 comments that the Covenant will not find the salvation they are looking for. He then transports both Master Chief and The Arbiter to places they will likely find the Prophet of Truth who has the Index, which Gravemind wants back. It is now that the Arbiter realizes the Elites have been betrayed, and finds it hard to believe.
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| ===High Charity===
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| Master Chief is transported to [[High Charity]] where he 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 executing a genocide against Elites, feeling the Elites can not protect the Prophets. Brutes are put in their place and sent to wipe out the remaining Elites. As Master Chief travels through the holy planetoid, he encounters much conflict between Covenant, allowing for less resistence against himself, making it easier for him and Cortana to infiltrate the area. Their success leads to Prophets to promote this as a failing of the Elites rather than acknowledging their forces are scattered and unorganized.
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| When Master Chief reaches the other prophets (Truth and Mercy), he sees [[Sergeant Johnson]] and [[Miranda Keyes]] get captured and the Flood starts to attack. In the attack the Prophet of Mercy dies. After Master Chief gets close to the [[Forerunner]] ship, he tries to grab Cortana but can't because she does not want to risk a remote detonation of ''[[In Amber Clad]]'' so she stays on and becomes seperated from the Master Chief and is left within a computer on [[High Charity]].
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| ===The [[Great Schism]]===
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| The Arbiter is transported to a forest and finally realizes the truth in Gravemind's words after being attacked by a group of Brutes, who were once his allies. He rallies Elites and makes his way to the entrance of the structure. Once making his way through the cavern, he reunites with [[Rtas 'Vadumee]], an Elite Commander. They combine forces with Sergeant Johnson and help get the Scarab to the middle structure to make an entrance for the Arbiter to get to Tartarus. He then makes his way to the center of the structure to stop Tartarus from activating the ring.
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| The [[Halos]], we learn from [[343 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 remote past. In spite of this, the [Brute leader [[Tartarus]] forces Miranda to activate the ring in preparation to fire, to bring about - in his eyes - the Great Journey. The player must fight Tartarus(and on higher levels other brutes) to retrieve the [[Index]] and stop the activation of Installation 05.
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| The Index is retrieved and the Installation cannot fire. 343 Guilty Spark reveals that although the Index was removed before Delta Halo had time to complete it's firing sequence, it sent signals to other Installations in the Galaxy, putting them on standby mode. Now, they can be activated remotely from the [[Ark]] (assumed to be either on Earth or the [[Forerunner Ship]] itself).
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| After that scene the camera moves to a picture of Master Chief apparently aboard the Forerunner ship. When asked why he is on the ship all he says is, "Sir, finishing this fight."
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| After the credits roll, a teaser for Halo 3 shows where the Flood has completely taken over [[High Charity]] with the Gravemind saying "Silence fills the empty grave now that I am gone, but my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on." The scene then changes to a stand in the council chambers of the Hierarchs the Gravemind then says "Now I shall ask, and you shall answer." It then changes to Cortana saying "Alright, shoot".
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| There is no novelization of this game yet. It is possible that a novelization that follows the canon laid down by the previous three novels might differ somewhat plotwise from the game, due to various differences between the game and the other novels.
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| {{Template:Endspoiler}}
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| ==Gameplay==
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| ===Campaign===
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| [[Image:Arbiter gameplay - banshee.jpg|thumb|Playing as [[The Arbiter]]|right]]
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| The campaign in Halo 2 picks up directly after the events of [[Halo: Combat Evolved]]. The story delves 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.
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| The player can play the campaign alone on a single-player mode or on a split-screen cooperative mode. The game follows a linear series of episodes that differ from Halo: CE because the player 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:CE and new weapons being introduced. The biggest alteration to gameplay is perhaps the ability to [[dual wield]] small weapons, this allows for twice the fire-power at the expense of being unable to throw grenades or [[melee]]. In terms of vehicles, all vehicles from the first game remain with a few new vehicles being introduced. In Halo 2, however, vehicles can 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.
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| As The Arbiter, the player is not equipped with a flashlight and instead has a rechargable [[Active Camouflage]] that last for short bursts, giving the player a preemptive advantage on unsuspecting enemies.
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| There are four levels of competition: [[Easy]], [[Normal]], [[Heroic]] and [[Legendary]].
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| You can have a variety of allies; if you are the [[Master Chief]], you are accompanied by [[UNSC Marines]] and occasionally [[ODST|Marine ODSTs]] , but if you are the [[Arbiter|Arbiter]] you are joined by [[Grunts]], [[Jackals]], [[Hunters]], and [[Elites]] but do not fight humans, instead you combat the [[Heretic]]s and the Flood.
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| Though after a number of levels, you'll begin to fight the Covenant Loyalists, comprised of the [[Prophets]] as the leadership group, the [[Brutes]] as the commanding group, as well as the [[Jackals]] and the [[Drones]].
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| ===Multiplayer===
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| [[Image:EliteAscension.jpg|thumb|A team of [[Elite]] players|left]]
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| There are a wide variety of [[multiplayer]] game types, several of which have returned from the original Halo game. A typical deathmatch game called [[Slayer]], a team based [[Capture the Flag]] game, an offense/defense version of capture the flag called [[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 captureing certain parts of the map called,[[Territories]], 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.
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| ===Multiplayer (Online play)===
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| 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 multiplayer. 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.
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| 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 "every man for himself" 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.
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| Note: It appears that the host has some advantages over other players during the game due to lag, although (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
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| 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 unenjoyable. The automatic host selection process also eliminates the ability of the host to exert outsized control over the parameters of the game.
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| ''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.
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| 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]], were released for $11.99 until they were made free on August 30, 2005.
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| 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.
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| ====Updates and Map Packs====
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| Through [[Xbox Live]], players receive mandatory updates for Halo 2 which fix bugs, exploits and tweak features to ensure fair gameplay 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:
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| *[[Bonus Map Pack]]
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| *[[Killtacular Pack]]
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| *[[Maptacular Pack]]
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| *[[Blastacular Pack]]
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| ===Player Damage system===
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| 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.
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| * '''[[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. The power is displayed above the motion tracker in the bottom-left of the screen.
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| Note: the amount of protection/recharge time it provides varies with difficulty, decreasing as the difficulty is raised
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| * '''[[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 word on this new system is the addition of a Biofoam dispenser in the armor (so health regenerates after time).
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| ===Powerups===
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| There are two types of normal powerups available in ''Halo 2''.
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| * '''[[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.
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| * '''[[Active Camouflage]]:''' Drastically reduces the player's visibility 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 multiplayer, 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)
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| More unique powerups known as [[skulls]] exist in campaign mode, as hidden items for the player to find.
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| === Easter Eggs ===
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| {{main|Easter Eggs}}
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| ===Weapons===
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| ====UNSC Weapons====
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| *[[M6C Magnum Sidearm]] (Dual Wieldable)
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| *[[M7/Caseless Sub Machine Gun]] (Dual Wieldable)
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| *[[BR55 Battle Rifle]]
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| *[[M90A Close Assault Weapon System]]
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| *[[SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle|SRS99C-S2]] [[SRS99C-S2 AMB|AMB Sniper Rifle]]
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| *[[M247 GP Machine Gun]]
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| *[[M41 LAAG|M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun]]
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| *[[M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher]]
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| *[[M68 Gauss Cannon]]
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| *[[Frag Grenade|M9 HE-DP Fragmentation Grenade]]
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| ====Covenant Weapons====
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| *[[Plasma Pistol]] (Dual Wieldable)
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| *[[Plasma Rifle]] (Dual Wieldable)
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| *[[Needler]] (Dual Wieldable)
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| *[[Covenant Carbine]]
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| *[[Particle Beam Rifle]]
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| *[[Plasma Cannon]]
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| *[[Energy Sword]]
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| *[[Fuel Rod Cannon]]
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| *[[Shielded Plasma Cannon]]
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| *[[Plasma Grenade]]
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| =====Jiralhanae Weapons=====
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| *[[Brute Plasma Rifle]] (Dual Wieldable)
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| *[[Brute Shot]]
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| *[[Gravity Hammer]] (Non-usable)
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| ====Forerunner Weapons====
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| *[[Sentinel Beam]]
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| === Vehicles ===
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| ====UNSC Vehicles====
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| =====Usable=====
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| *[[M12 Warthog LRV]]
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| *[[M12G1 Warthog LAAV]]
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| *[[M808B Scorpion MBT]]
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| =====Non Usable=====
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| *[[D77H-TCI Pelican|D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship]]
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| *[[D77H-TCI Pelican|D77H-TCI Pelican Gunship]]
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| *[[Albatross|Albatross Heavy Dropship]]
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| *[[Longsword|C709 Longsword Interceptor]]
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| *[[UNSC Frigate]]
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| **[[In Amber Clad|UNSC ''In Amber Clad'']] (FFG-142)
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| *[[Marathon-class Cruiser]]
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| *[[Orbital Defense Platform]]
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| **[[Cairo Station|ODA-142 Cairo]]
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| **[[Malta Station|ODA-143 Malta]]
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| **[[Athens Station|ODA-144 Athens]]
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| ====Covenant Vehicles====
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| =====Usable=====
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| *[[Ghost (Vehicle)|Ghost]]
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| *[[Spectre]]
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| *[[Shadow]] (Turret Only)
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| *[[Wraith]]
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| *[[Banshee]]
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| =====Non Usable=====
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| *[[Scarab]]
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| *[[Phantom]]
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| *[[Seraph]]
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| *[[CCS-class Battlecruiser]]
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| *[[Assault Carrier]]
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| *[[High Charity]]
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| ==Game Levels==
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| {{col-begin}}
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| {{col-2}}
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| === Campaign Levels ===
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| *[[The Heretic (Level)|The Heretic]]
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| *[[The Armory (Level)|Armory]]
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| *[[Cairo Station (Level)|Cairo Station]]
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| *[[Outskirts (Level)|Outskirts]]
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| *[[Metropolis (Level)|Metropolis]]
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| *[[The Arbiter (Level)|The Arbiter]]
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| *[[The Oracle (Level)|Oracle]]
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| *[[Delta Halo (Level)|Delta Halo]]
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| *[[Regret (Level)|Regret]]
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| *[[Sacred Icon (Level)|Sacred Icon]]
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| *[[Quarantine Zone (Level)|Quarantine Zone]]
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| *[[Gravemind (Level)|Gravemind]]
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| *[[Uprising (Level)|Uprising]]
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| *[[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]]
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| *[[The Great Journey (Level)|The Great Journey]]
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| {{col-2}}
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| === Multiplayer Maps ===
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| *[[Lockout]]
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| *[[Ascension]]
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| *[[Midship]]
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| *[[Ivory Tower]]
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| *[[Beaver Creek]]
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| *[[Burial Mounds]]
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| *[[Colossus]]
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| *[[Zanzibar]]
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| *[[Coagulation]]
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| *[[Headlong]]
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| *[[Waterworks]]
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| *[[Foundation]]
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| *[[Containment]]
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| *[[Warlock]]
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| *[[Sanctuary]]
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| *[[Turf]]
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| *[[Backwash]]
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| *[[Elongation]]
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| *[[Gemini]]
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| *[[Relic]]
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| *[[Terminal]]
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| *[[Desolation]] (Exclusive to the Xbox version)
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| *[[Tombstone]] (Exclusive to the Xbox version)
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| *[[District]] (Exclusive to the [[Halo 2 Vista|PC version]])
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| *[[Uplift]] (Exclusive to the [[Halo 2 Vista|PC version]])
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| *[[Example (Halo 2 Vista Map Editor Example)|Example]] (Example map for the [[Halo 2 Vista|PC version]]'s map editor)
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| {{col-end}}
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| ==Trailers==
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| 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 [[Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser]] 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]].
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| *[[Halo 2 Announcement Trailer]]
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| *[[Halo 2 Cinematic Trailer]]
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| ==Demonstrations==
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| ===E3 2003===
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| 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. Two new vehicles shown were the [[Gauss Warthog]] 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. Most of this now appears in the Halo 2 level: [[Metropolis]].
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| ===E3 2004===
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| In 2004 at E3, 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]] 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. Afterwards fans were allowed to try out the demo.
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| ==Halo 2 Versions==
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| [[Image:Halo_2_LCE_case_and_extras.jpg|150px|thumb|''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'']]
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| Halo 2 shipped in two versions:
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| '''Halo 2 Regular Edition''' ($49.99 at launch, now $29.99)
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| *Standard Xbox game case with Halo 2 box art.
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| *Halo 2 for Xbox.
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| *Halo 2 game manual from the Humans' perspective.
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| *Pamphlet advertising ''[[Halo 2: The Official Game Guide|Halo 2: The Official Guide]]'' and ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack]] Volume 1''.
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| *2 month Xbox Live trial card.
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| '''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition''' ($54.99 at launch, now discontinued)
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| *Sleek metal case with outer plastic slipcover.
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| *Halo 2 for Xbox.
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| *Halo 2 game manual from the Covenant's perspective (written as a report from the [[Arbiter]] to the [[Prophet of Truth]])
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| *"Making of Halo 2" DVD with other featurettes including game design, deleted scenes, concept art, deleted content and more.
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| *Pamphlet advertising ''[[Halo 2: The Official Game Guide|Halo 2: The Official Guide]]'' and ''[[Halo 2: Original Soundtrack]] Volume 1''.
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| *Booklet called ''[[Conversations from the Universe]]''.
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| *7-Eleven Slurpee coupon (advertising the three Limited Edition Halo 2 Slurpee cups).
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| *2 month Xbox Live trial card specially printed with Halo 2 imagery.
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| ==Themes==
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| {{Template:spoiler}}
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| Halo 2 greatly expanded the plot introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved, and many themes and parallels to the real world can be drawn.
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| [[Image:Regret2.png|right|thumb|150px|Religion: The Prophet of Regret.]]
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| Religion and it's impact is a major theme throughout Halo 2. We learn that the Covenant race is highly religious and their goal for activating Halo is part of their religious journey known as "The Great Journey" where they believe it will bring great salvation to their doomed race. However, there are those who do not believe in The Great Journey, and take the Prophets as liars. As a result to their rebellion, they are branded as heretics by the Prophets and the Arbiter is ordered to exterminate them. This can be drawn as a parallel to the Crusades led by Christians as early as the 11th century who killed or campaigned against those who did not believe in Christianity, particularly Muslims. These people were also branded as heretics.
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| Dealing with the consequences of society and government within the Covenant world, Halo 2 shows that technology alone can not 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. 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 unorganization makes them a weaker force, despite greater firepower. The Flood is mostly a privative 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 plotline 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.
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| The game also has element of a monomyth, a common structure in many stories of adventure. Since the game ended on a cliffhanger ending with the story incomplete, it's uncertain if [[Halo 3]] will conclude the story like a typical monomyth. 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 trial 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.
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| 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 his honor he lost when he failed to stop the destruction of Installation 04.
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| {{Template:Endspoiler}}
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| ==Reaction==
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| Generally, the game was positively received.
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| 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.
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| 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 a new plan. But we know it’ll work.' " According to Xbox.com, the game has received more than 38 individual awards.
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| 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 distracted the player from Earth's survival and the main point of the game.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Summary: Halo CE score: 9.8, Halo 2 score: 8.9, Halo 3 9.5
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| ==Statistics==
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| ''Halo 2'' was released November 9, 2004. The game was one of the most highly anticipated games on the Xbox. 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.
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| 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>.
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| ==Trivia==
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| *Due to the limited time before release, the original last three levels were cut.
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| *A gameplay video was released before the game was shipped showing an extended version of an on-Earth level after landing in the city from a Pelican, Master Chief would meet Brutes and escape down a highway, only to see Elites falling in pods from the sky all around him. The cutscene that it ended with featured a popular line from Cortana, who when Master Chief pulled out a plasma grenade, she said, "betcha can't stick it." to which Master Chief said, "you're on" and the trailer ended. The level was edited down and did not include most of what the trailer showed.
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| *Originally, there were to be several kinds of Warthogs including an Arctic model, a transport vehicle and a small ATV would make an appearance. These were all cut from the final version of the game. A rocket-launcher enabled Warthog was included in Halo: PC and the ATV and variations of the Warthog are to appear in Halo 3.
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| *Bungie has referred to Halo 2 as "...a lot like Halo 1. Only it's Halo 1 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.
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| *A song, known as "Remembrance" at the start up screen, (The un-edited version found on the "Halo 2 Original Sound Track Volume 1") just happens to play for exactly 1:17 or "117".
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| ==Halo 2: Original Soundtrack==
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| {{main|Halo 2: Original Soundtrack}}
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| There are two volumes of the ''Halo 2'' soundtrack, one released alongside the game. And the other released in Early 2006.
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| ==References==
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| <references/>
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| ==Related Links==
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| '''Internal'''
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| *[[Halo 2 Credits]]
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| * [[Action Figures]]
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| * [[List of Halo 2 changes]]
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| * [[I Love Bees]]
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| * [[List of "Seven" references in Halo]]
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| * [[Early Halo 2 Script]]
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| * [[Halo 2 PC]]
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| '''External'''
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| * [http://bungie.net/Games/Halo2/ Bungie's Official Halo 2 Site]
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| * [http://www.haloeastereggs.net/eastereggs.php?gamename=Halo%202 Halo 2 Easter Eggs]
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| * [http://www.halo2.com Xbox.com's Official Halo 2 Site]
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| * [http://halo.bungie.org Halo.Bungie.Org]
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| * [http://www.h2vista.net Halo 2 Vista website and forums] - a community for gamers & modders of Halo 2 Vista
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| * [http://halo2pc.org HALO2PC.org] - news about the Vista version of HALO 2
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| * [http://xbox.ign.com/articles/513/513152p1.html IGN E3 2004 Preview]
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| * [http://halo.bungie.org/halo2updates/ "Frankie's Bungie Updates"]
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| * [http://howstuffworks.com Howstuffworks] article on [http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/halo2-ai6.htm the game AI of Halo 2].
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| * [http://www.HaloWiki.net HaloWiki.net] Another halo wiki, focusing mainly on multiplayer. Extremely in-depth.
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| * [http://www.haloplanet.com/halo2/ Halo Planet]
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| * [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2829646839306698410&q=halo+documentary Documentary] A Halo documentary.
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| [[Category:Halo 2]]
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| [[Category:Games]]
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| [[es:Halo 2]]
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| [[de:Halo 2]]
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