Gameplay

Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)

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"This is a time to rejoice, a moment that all fiction fans should savor. For the Halo 2: Anniversary Terminals can be found, and with them, your path will be clear; your entry into a greater understanding guaranteed. Your next Great Journey is nigh, and nothing – not even the Flood – can stop it..."
Jeff Easterling on the terminals, referencing the Prophet of Truth's speech[1]

Halo 2: Anniversary features Terminals accessible to the player in each level. Animated by Sequence, these terminals focus on the role of Thel 'Vadam as well as that of the Arbiters throughout Covenant history and have connections to the story of Halo 5: Guardians.[1][2][2][3] The terminals are presented from three distinct points of view: target profiles by ONI agent Lt. Commander Jameson Locke, Sesa 'Refumee, the leader of the "heretics" as he learns the truth about the Covenant religion during his conversations with 343 Guilty Spark, and a devout Covenant scribe compiling a record known as The Punished Deeds.[1]

The terminals have been stated to be placed in more conspicuous locations than in the earlier games, as 343 Industries wishes all players to be able to find them.[4] Like the terminals of Halo 4, the Halo 2: Anniversary terminals are not hosted on the game disc and are only accessible online.[5] There are a total of thirteen terminals to be found in the game,[6] and two separate "Prologue" terminals.[7]

The TerminalsEdit

One
ONI File: Target Profile
 
The terminal in the armory, with the window in the background.

Campaign level: Cairo Station
The terminal is one of the computer consoles located in Cairo Station's Armory A-01, on the wall to the left of the doors leading into Commons B-01. The console's screen flashes "INCOMING MESSAGE" in red.


Targeting a legend.

SUBMIT SECURITY CREDENTIALS:
SPARTAN-117
IDENTITY CONFIRMED

ACCESS GRANTED

TARGET PROFILE:
THEL 'VADAMEE, SUPREME COMMANDER
COVENANT FLEET OF PARTICULAR JUSTICE

TARGET VALUE: ALPHA
REPORT COMPILED BY LT. COMMANDER JAMESON LOCKE

The view pans around a wireframe hologram of the Arbiter as Locke narrates.

  • Locke: "Pursuant to Office of ONI Retrieval and Acquisitions inquiry of 26 September, 2552, the following is a target profile of Thel 'Vadamee, Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, compiled by Lieutenant Commander Locke."

The view changes to a small Covenant shuttle docked at a gangway in The Rubble.

  • Locke: "First confirmed contact with 'Vadamee came in 2535 on an unofficial human colony known as The Rubble. After-action reports from civilians, as well as Spartan units 006, 111, and 120 suggest that 'Vadamee was at that point a relatively minor functionary of the Prophet of Regret."

'Vadamee stalks through passages aboard the Infinite Spoils, when a shadow flits across the foreground. He readies his energy sword as Jai-006 rushes him, tackling him to the ground. Jai attempts to train his rifle on 'Vadamee's head, but 'Vadamee bends the barrel. Jai tosses the weapon away and takes out his combat knife. The two briefly grapple, and 'Vadamee headbutts Jai. Another Elite arrives and begins firing upon Jai, who gets up and retreats.

The scene changes to space in orbit around a glassed planet, where human forces attack the Fleet of Particular Justice with Longswords.

  • Locke: "Spartan-006 engaged 'Vadamee in combat. Both parties survived the encounter. Shortly after 2535, the UNSC first encountered the newly-formed Fleet of Particular Justice, now led by 'Vadamee."

A Longsword flies by an assault carrier, and is fired upon by a pursuing Seraph. The Longsword is hit and loses control, glancing off the hull of another assault carrier.

  • Locke: "Review of early engagements with this fleet show that it quickly grew in size from five to nearly sixty ships, as 'Vadamee cut a path through many human systems."

Two MAC platforms in orbit around a planet attempt to fend the fleet off, but each are hit with a plasma charge, which shatters the stations.

  • Locke: "ONI Section 3 made multiple attempts to anticipate, or even track 'Vadamee's movements, at the cost of a number of operatives' lives."

A Ket-pattern battlecruiser speeds through space, under fire from two Marathon-class heavy cruiser and one Stalwart-class light frigate. Two Ket-pattern battlecruisers and one CAS-class assault carrier drop out of slipspace. The carrier burns into the human ships with their energy projectors.

  • Locke: "'Vadamee eluded all such efforts and he continued his unpredictable and devastating campaign. 'Vadamee also stands out from other Covenant commanders in the frequency in which he takes a personal role in ground assaults."
'Vadamee throws the dead body of a UNSC Marine to the ground and roars.

AppearancesEdit

Characters

Artificial Intelligence
Human
Jiralhanae
San'Shyuum
Sangheili



TriviaEdit

The fourth terminal is almost identical to the eleventh terminal from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. In addition to being graphically enhanced (including the incorporation of the remastered versions of Sesa 'Refumee and 343 Guilty Spark), the original terminal's scene of the monitor being attacked and one of Guilty Spark's lines have been removed. The Heretic Leader's lines have also been rerecorded by John DiMaggio, who portrays him in the rest of the terminals; he is voiced by an uncredited actor in the original terminal. 343 Guilty Spark's speech also has a different filter and may have been rerecorded. The initial scene of Guilty Spark flying away from the explosion of Installation 04 may have been inspired by the scene that plays at the very end of the original Halo CE credits.

GalleryEdit

Development imagesEdit

ScreenshotsEdit

SourcesEdit

External linksEdit