Xbox User Reviews

Other than the graphics- which are worse than the first one and quite distracting, especially 20+ years later- this game is literally perfect. I can't say any more without waffling; please... play this game.

The most hardcore well designed upgrade to a franchise I have yet to see, Halo 2 brings the fight back in a whole new way! The campaign and story-telling are fantastic and energetic and the whole "sending them back their bomb" line . . . will live on in Halo history as the most epic one-liner ever!

An Xbox classic. Arguably the best "Halo" ever made. It's certainly better than the first game. Developer Bungie had improved every aspect of the original with "Halo 2". The story was more ambitious, the action had more variety and the multiplayer had evolved with Xbox Live. This was truly the Xbox game of the year back in 2004. It's a masterpiece. I'd rate it with a 10 out of 10.

Prob the hardest campaign and with insignia, its even better so anybody on pc and og xbox can time travel back to 2004.

The prequel to my favorite game of all time. Halo 2 was my first halo experience before I got a Xbox, and the main reason for me and my 3 siblings to get one. The story is great, but the competitiveness of the multiplayer is where the real cake lies.

This is the best game ever made nothing will come close to what this game did.

Remember this game in 2004? this is the most better game in history. Hope you like it

The best game ever made. Period. The Best multiplayer matches of all time. Period. I had to use 75 character but “best game of all time” is my only comment

Holds up pretty great, my only real complaint is a few areas with super repetitive level design. Also I didn't love the implementation of the high poly cutscenes, and had some trouble following the story though thats probably more my fault than the games.

Most fantastic game that was ever made. Back when Bungie was really cookin.

Relative for the time period this game released, this is the greatest action game over made, both offline and online. No game can equally match the offline campaign, online game play (including social), combat, and soundtrack.

Great game it was great back then and is still great today let the halo series carry on the legacy

Meilleur FPS ever ça ne change pas, la campagne est une oeuvre d’art de perfection et que dire du gameplay!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

the weapons do less damage and have less ammo compared to CE, the level design is terrible for being too linear and the enemy Spawn points are terrible especially the Jackal sniper ones forcing you to memorise them, enemies on Legendary are exageratly strong and powerful forcing you to use Powerful weapons or weapons that kill instanly, the arbiter has the worst levels of the game like Quarantine zone or the Great Journey, somehow looks worse than CE and Everything related to Humans look generic and don't look Sci-Fi like the marines and the Battle Rifle, they reused some soundtracks but with notable Changes. the only good things of the game is the Story and multiplayer. a sequel is supposed to be better than the previus entry and this game it's the WORST game of the series for it's gameplay, dificulty and Level design

Halo 2 was a perfect sequal to a game so perfect and well crafted. The only thing that makes it a 9 and not a 10 is the fact that it felt just a little bit rushed in some places and near the end the game's story felt kinda boring.

showed up with insane hype and found a way to continue what was halo and deliver an extra step up. this was so much fun as a local party game for birthdays etc. way too many memories. I can't wait for the halo collection to be available on ps5

The true 10/10 of the Saga, replayed in 2025. From game mechanics to story, music and, thanks God, level design done perfectly since the first entry "combat evolved" this Halo rappresent a total step forward in the fun and experimentation in an FPS. Remains some issues with the italian traslation of "Masterchief" that turns your comrades into indians street sellers calling you names, and a few section where your best option is just move along fast across enemy lines, making your status of legendary demon a bit unworthy, but hey, it's part of the plan! A truly Master Piece, replayable anytime.

Halo 2 is, without a doubt, a legendary entry in gaming history and one that left an indelible mark on me. Released in 2004 by Bungie, it took everything great about the first Halo and cranked it up to eleven. The story stands out as one of the most memorable aspects, diving deeper into the universe with a bold, dual-perspective narrative—switching between Master Chief and the Arbiter was a masterstroke that added layers of complexity to the conflict between humanity and the Covenant.Gameplay-wise, Halo 2 refined the mechanics of its predecessor, introducing features like dual-wielding and improved vehicular combat. The level design felt fresh and varied, keeping me on my toes from start to finish. And then there's the multiplayer—what can I even say? Xbox Live really came into its own with this game. The thrill of competing in online matches, exploring perfectly balanced maps like Lockout or Zanzibar, and experimenting with different game modes was unmatched. It was more than a game; it was a **** course, it wasn’t flawless. The abrupt ending caught me off guard, and at the time, it left me craving resolution. But even that frustration is part of what makes Halo 2 so iconic—it pushed me to eagerly await the next chapter. The game’s energy, innovation, and ambition are what keep it close to my heart and make it a standout in the Halo series. To me, it’s not just a game; it’s a defining piece of my gaming journey.

A surprisingly disappointing story and a fairly short single-player portion are noticeable shortcomings, but there's just so much breadth of content in Halo 2, and the action itself is so outstanding, that there can be no denying its quality.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

This is just as good as Halo CE. It fixes some issues like multiplayer, story, and levels but it also made other things worse. I personally think it looks worse, the Flood are more annoying for some reason, and I hate the new health system. I also don't care for story and always skip cutscenes.

I remember my bro coming home with a crystal Xbox and a copy of this, what a game!

Halo 2 is a great game that makes it easier to see its campaign in a more favorable light with time. One of the best multiplayer experiences at the time, and in general.

It's a great game. I highly recommend it. It has a lot of action, its mechanics are very good, the story line is very solid and of course the master chief is great.

Pontos fortes: • Personagens / Masterchief e Arbitro / Cinematicas / Trilha sonora / Campo de guerra / Gameplay / Flood Pontos fracos: • Nao tem legenda / Gráficos

This game is my 7th best game ever made. It might be seen as rushed and taped together to some people which it is. But it still out does the original by a large margin. 10/10

Simply a masterpiece. This game was the start of Xbox live and truly took Halo 1 and dialed it up.

Recuerdo jugarlo en xbox clasica en su multijugador que buenos tiempos uno de los mejores halo

When I played the original halo I thought it was awesome but this is art everything an fps sequel needs the story is really good so far I’m half way in halo 3

So happy this game got the remaster it deserved btw it was absolutely goated

After having played the original Xbox version of Halo 2 online with the Xbox Live substitute Insignia, there are much better competitive multiplayer games that exist even on this console. It's certainly great, but it's easily overhyped. Lots of the features Halo 2 was praised for upon release already existed prior in other games. Culminating all of them together certainly makes it special, but the actual gameplay experience leaves much to be desired. Lackluster weapon balance, and gamemodes that easily wear themselves out make it hard to keep playing if you've already been in the space for some time, which wasn't expected in 2004, but still likely. Regardless, the multiplayer is held together by an objectively revolutionary custom games system that holds it together even in modern light and paved the way for the future of casual online gaming as we know it. Becoming the proving ground of thousands of homemade gamemodes, dozens of modes that would become series staples, and a few that would transcend the series and become genre staples, such as the legendary Infection gamemode. Regardless, Halo 2's praise can likely be attributed to the ease of gameplay and large scale online connectivity. It is arguably one of the easiest FPS games to pick up and play in the entire genre, hosting a casually competitive to incredibly competitive range of gameplay and gamemodes. And with the rise of high-speed internet access across the world, hundreds of thousands of homes would join the fun in Xbox Live and experience online multiplayer for the first time in a format that heavily facilitates community and communication. Outside of the multiplayer, however, the campaign is probably my least favorite of the Bungie releases. Yet again suffering from similar issues with balance and a seriously lacking runtime, only about 9 hours during a time where 12-14 hours wasn't just the average, but was expected from your money. But, you can't mention Halo 2's campaign without the infamous legendary mode, which has Master Chief in a supposedly upgraded set of armour, that can handle less bullets than Rookie can in Halo 3:ODST. The same ones you can slaughter in droves as Master Chief without really thinking too much about it. Who's the real spartan here? At the end of the day, without the nuance of nostalgia, Halo 2 falls below my expectations of a 2000's multiplayer-focused shooter, but makes itself easily approachable for those who are new to the space, making it a unique case where you can easily hop in and play without much knowledge of video games at all. But regardless, lacks the mechanical skill-ceiling or gameplay variety of the sort of game I would be looking for now, or even in 2004. -steeliest

Incroyable, sublime notre aventure dans l'univers halo en faisant mieux que le premier titre avec l'arbiter , les brutes et les elites

Outstanding sequel to the legendary halos series with amazing maps continued story. The idea that there are two protagonist is a good edition to the the game and beside being the Masterchef story, but also speaks of the uprising and fall of the covernent which Bungie, fitted perfectly into the timeline. The first few levels are a stunning set of amazing combat ready environment to play through with the Masterchef with the addition of duel weilding. This was also the first game to boast the brutes which is a great challenge for players to tackle. The arbiter was an iconic character in the series while also being a way to chop and change from the Masterchef. His different abilitys allows you to go invisible at will and fight with covernent troops instead of agents. After the the first game this was a true stuner and great continuations of the series and bring Masterchef to the next chapter of his fight.

Its not a perfect game and yes the flood do make the game worse. I can't give this game a 8.5 so its a 9. its my favorite game of all time but its not a 10. I have played 10/10 games

Took the original's story and universe and turned it up to 11. Expands on everything, has a fantastic story, fantastic multiplayer, insane lore, amazing soundtrack... Perfection.

Masterpiece, much better than the first one in my opinion .

Jogo quase perfeito! nota 9.99, campanha perfeita, gameplay perfeita, gráficos excelentes pra época, multiplayer divertido. O único defeito é o jogo ser muito injusto na dificuldade lendária, enquanto nos outros jogos é só muito difícil.

If the final act wasn’t cut, this would be my favourite game of all time. The campaign is still a masterpiece, if not a flawed one. Halo 2 features one of the best stories ever written for a game, and multiplayer so revolutionary it changed online gaming forever. Any modern multiplayer experience, particularly for console, in some way owes itself to this. In what? 9 months? Bungie changed the status quo, again.

Halo 2 is a massive improvement on the solid foundation that Halo Combat Evolved started. A much more engrossing story, improved game-play and a working online multiplayer made Halo 2 one of the most important games I had growing up and playing with my cousins during Christmas. The only "complaint" I can bring against Halo 2 is on how barren the multiplayer was in terms of what was available, it was an early Xbox Live game so while there wasn't anything to unlock or grind for it did exactly what it needed to do at the time.

Halo 2 tenia todo bastante sencillo, solo tenia que seguir el camino de su antecesor y la gente hubiera estado conforme, pero en cambio decidieron superarse, añadiendo mas elementos al mundo de halo, asi como mapas y armas, pero sin duda lo mejor fue la historia, la adición del punto de vista del enemigo es sin duda lo que eleva esta campaña al siguiente nivel.

This is ok at best. It added a lot of cool features like duel wielding, a usable energy sword and being able to play as the covenant. But much like every mainline halo it gets worse halfway through where its just nothing but the flood

Dual wielding is incredible. The story is incredible. This is one of the best halo games ever created. The aniversary edition is very nice and well done. Anniversary cutscenes are some of the best cutescenes ever. They are better than most modern AAA cutscenes. Incredible, Incredible, Incredible, Incredible.

Simply a masterpiece. One of my favorite Halo games. It's challenging and at some times feals cheap, but it has such good gameplay and level design that trumps all those minor issues. Master chief is the goat.

Following the ways of old halo 2 shows how classic gameplay can still be fun even over 16 years later halo 2 and it's story show a way of how it was made while not making full sense the game and it's multiplayer is the 2nd best in my opinion with reach being in first

Halo 2 was once a game you could spent literally hundreds of hours into online multiplayer, and now because its no longer online, must rely on its mediocre single player campaign. While Halo 2 was a great multiplayer for its time, the single player campaign suffers greatly from a lot of dark empty repetitive levels with terrible syncing music. Although Halo 2 has a more interesting story line with viewpoints from the Arbiter and Master Chef, ultimately it fails as a single player experience.

Gran secuela del grandioso Combat Evolved, es un juego mucho más grande y representa uma gran mejora al diseño de niveles; sin embargo, la implementación del inquisidor como protagonista me queda a deber, no es porque sea un mal personaje, para nada, pero sus misiones no son realmente atractivas.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

One of the best Halo campaigns, it still holds up very well today and I've been playing it back and forth throughout the years, the gameplay is engaging enough to keep you on your toes especially if you play Heroic difficulty which is what I recommend to play early on and if you want a real challenge the legendary difficulty will be your best bet, regarded as one of the hardest campaign in any Halo game for me this title is easily one of the best of the series. Nowadays on MCC and the additional modifiers that alter the gameplay experience and difficulty (in both agonizing and bizarre ways) add a relative amount of replayability to the game.

My favorite halo game of all time played it for years