Throwback Thursday - Halo 2

Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia.  While my blog is rated E for everyone's safe and enjoyable viewing, I should mention this week's throwback is rated M for Mature.  Parental discretion is advised for playing this game.

Speaking of which, today's catch: The sci-fi shooting saga sequel that is Halo 2.

Halo 2 was released on November 9th, 2004, for the Xbox.  This auspicious sequel follows the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, in which players alternate between the roles of the famed human Master Chief and an alien Arbiter.  With a fun variety of modes and challenges, and a cooperative mode too, the campaign was an enjoyable affair to blast aliens while listening to an epic orchestral and rocking soundtrack.  However, the campaign takes a backseat to what is considered the crowning achievement in this game: A compelling local and online multiplayer.



With its fast paced action and finely tuned mechanics, hours upon hours were spent playing multiplayer matches among friends in this game.  There are a great variety of weapons with varieties in tactics that continually keep players engaged during matches.  Vehicles add a delightful sense of mayhem and challenge to overcome.  And landing a sticky grenade on a player is a feeling beyond satisfying.  Most impressive though were the maps that were the sandboxes for these multiplayer skirmishes, my favorite being the snowy landscape of Lockout.  With it's asymmetrical design and clever separation of indoor / outdoor and upper / lower zones, this map offers such an intriguing sense of flow that never leaves matches in dull or unfair stand-offs.  And because of its close quarters design, the matches are quick paced and full of plenty of action to be had.  It is in my opinion one of the best multiplayer FPS maps in any game.

Layout of Lockout (upper zone on the left; lower zone on the right)

While my personal playtime with this game was confined to local multiplayer bouts with friends and roommates, Halo 2 is known for introducing a new paradigm for matchmaking in games.  With the introduction of a "playlist" system, players now had an automated process of selecting game types and maps for a constant flow of matches with a layered skill-ranking system.  As such, players can extend their thanks for this game in setting a standard in matchmaking and multiplayer games to come.