Halo 2

So I’m through the second game in the series and thoroughly enjoyed, though the same gripes with the original, the lack of a map can be frustrating, though the mini map helped locate enemies, I chose to run through big sections of this one in order to get through some sections inside 20 minutes, when I realised I don’t have to fight everything. There are no direct spoilers in this just a few notes to pay attention to.

Again playing the anniversary edition of Halo 2, and the graphical difference is absolutely amazing. A lot of care was put into bringing this game upto a more modern standards. Again I find myself in awe of the games AI and how they don’t just fire blindly or run into danger but instead will do what’s needed to help you through

The lighting effects alone are a massive improvement and the shadowing makes the game feel ever more alive, and the world seem that little bit more real. All the textures were rebuilt, the entire game feels very different but the story remains the same, which ultimately is what I want as I play for the story. The enemies felt at least a little more of a threat, and the new sword was fun to play with, as well as playing both as Master Chief and the Arbiter. Seeing the story from two sides definitely felt different.

And a boss fight at the end of the game was welcomed, took a couple of attempts as it seems he has the ability to take you out in a single hit, alas, plasma grenades stuck to him and a few shotgun blasts finally put him down. Truth was a pain but not super difficult, a boss fight for the end of the game was definitely welcomed.

The world is definitely feeling more and more as I play through this sage. So of course onto Halo 3 we go.

Finally Halo

So way back in November of 2001 a game released called Halo Combat Evolved, an FPS game for the Xbox. Now being young, and recently discovering my girlfriend was pregnant I could never afford and Xbox, much less Halo. Plus I was a bit of a Sony fan boy back in the day and so over the years via various means I have attempted to play Halo. Just never quite getting into the swing.

Now in the here and now, having Game Pass Ultimate is a wonderful thing and totally worth £10.99 per month I might add. I finally installed The Master Chief Collection, and a couple of days ago sat down to finally begin my Halo play through. I played through the Anniversary edition, which features updated graphics, music and sound effects but the core game is the same as it was 20 years ago. Seeing as I’m playing for the story as always there was no harm in playing an updated version so far as I’m concerned.

So I found the enemies to be a little comical, almost silly in some ways, hard to find the covenant threatening. The flood on the other hand those guys are nasty at times. Having said that, the game is largely a lot of fun, most of the game I played with the start weapon and a shotgun, which makes light work of just about everything thrown your way. I tell you this though playing a game 20 years back is confusing to say the least, wandering around it made me wonder how we ever got along without in game maps, some portions of the game are massive and it rarely gives you a directional marker. The Warthog vehicle is a nightmare and seemingly has a mind of its, physics wise a lot of this game is pre-motion capture. But the game itself is fun and the story while simple was enough to keep me engaged and entertained.

The ragdoll graphics as ever are amusing and it does lead several times to areas of frustration as I was stuck with my shield and 1 bar of health, I like to play dangerously but little by little and with a little dumb luck I was able to push through. Definitely a fun game. Of course I shall continue next up will be Halo 2, lets see how much has changed since the original and of course how the story unfolds next.