E3 Hands-On Impressions of Halo 2: Part Two

[Teddman]

These guys didn't end up winning too often against Sinbad's posse--and yours truly.

That’s a great narrative from Ross (AKA Zondaro) in Part One of our Halo 2 impressions, but I'd prefer to think that VIP arrangements were fully in place for us at the Microsoft booth, and no illicit storming of the “behind closed doors” department was truly necessary. Let's just say that things were arranged a little less in advance than usual. Now to pick up where he left off…

After shooting pictures and video for about ten minutes, I politely tapped Ross on the shoulder and said, “Now get the Hell up outta that chair and let me go a few rounds.” Ross shook out as if awaking from within a deep zombie-like trance, and to my amazement handed over the controller type-S. I took his seat next to Sinbad's crew and the reign of terror began. Don’t feel too sorry for Ross though, a couple guys on the other team had to leave early, and so he was playing again in mere minutes. Well, maybe you should feel a little sorry for him—our team went on to whoop on his by about seven rounds to one.

Those kids with Sinbad were some trained killers! They must have done their homework with the original Halo. We racked up about five wins in a row at one point, before Ross put a stop to the deadly spree in the waning seconds of a round… Our flag bearer was almost across the beach before getting torn up by his Battle Rifle fire too.

The ringside atmosphere in the demo room really added to the fun of the game, with Sinbad’s posse hollering at every dramatic turn in the combat. Soon even the friendly Bungie staffers were yelling out encouragement and cheering players on with impromptu advice. “You gotta cover your man! Protect that flag-bearer! Get in the Warthog... Teamwork, teamwork!” I knew things were going well when our half-hour slot was up and they said, “Looks like we have some more time--want to keep playing awhile?” Towards the end of the hour, Sinbad even sat in for a couple rounds on Ross’s side. He turned out to be a bit of a liability to his team when he had some trouble remembering how to drive the Warthog: “I’m rusty… I haven’t played in three months. I forgot how to drive! Brotha can’t drive! BROTHA CAN’T DRIVE!”


Comedian Sinbad and friends added a lot to the giddy vibe in the Halo 2 demo room.

All in all, it was by far the most fun and intense playing experience I had with any game at this year’s E3. Here are a few of the new tactics our side exploited to demolish the competition:

Dual Guns
Is carrying two guns worth sacrificing your ability to throw grenades? In a word: Hell Yeah! A pair of full-clip Sub Machine Guns will drain a foe’s life bar in less than three seconds. That’s some serious stopping power. If you’re the more cautious type, alternate fire between each hand and leave some spare ammo on one side. That way you’ll never be a sitting duck, helplessly staring down an enemy at close range and singing the “Reload Blues” so common in the first game.

Another favorite of mine was the Needler & Sub Machine Gun combo. The homing fire of the Needler will track enemies across the field when your Machine Gun may miss. It’ll also help you figure out which way they’re fleeing if you lose sight of your quarry around a corner or amid the heat of the action. Just follow the direction of those pink tracers and back it up with a burst of sub-gun fire! If a situation calls for a grenade, you can always hold Y to go back to the one-gun setup.

Download video (6.7MB): Halo2_needler_machinegun.AVI

The Ghost
Besides being effective for beating a hasty retreat out of a sticky situation, the new boosting ability of the Ghost can be used as an offensive tactic. Boldly charge into an enemy head-on at full boost to inflict great damage or even land an instant kill. Ross crushed me to death between a rock and a hard place just like this, but not before I emptied both my Sub Machine Gun clips right into his grill. He ended up going down Respawn Lane along with me (and blowing his Ghost to smithereens). You can car-jack an enemy's Ghost or Warthog, but not if they're moving at high speeds. Also note that you can’t hijack a comrade’s vehicle.

Download video (3.3MB): Halo2_ghost.AVI

The Warthog
Despite being deformable, the old beast seems tougher and more responsive than ever. It also appears to have a bit of a roll-cage to it, as a few times I witnessed it take a glancing hit and tumble on its side, only to bounce back upright.

Download video (4.2MB): Halo2_warthog_roll.AVI

Download video (5.4MB): Halo2_warthog_blasts.AVI


The Energy Sword
This crucial powerup went mostly ignored during our play session because of the elaborate requirements for getting it. You had to ascend a high catwalk, shoot a lever to drop down a gantry, and then walk along it and jump through a revolving windmill to the platform the sword rests upon. Though it offers mighty attacking power (one lunge hit with the R-trigger is an instant kill), the process seemed too time-consuming for a mode with three-minute rounds. Maybe it's a good thing nobody got ahold of it, because I've heard that sword is dominating to a fault.

Download video (10.6MB): Halo2_energysword.AVI

Protecting the Base
Protecting the base isn’t as easy as it might seem. Though there are two turrets and a rocket launcher to work with, competent invaders will almost always make it far enough into the keep to throw a key switch. (Nice touch: when you flip that switch, the display panel above it literally shows the Windows ‘blue screen of death,’ complete with white text). This lifts a gate and opens a “Big-Ass Hole” (in the words of the Bungie devs) on the side of the base’s flag room. It's the size of a garage door and wide enough to drive a Warthog through. Protecting this switch initially seems like a smart defense option, but it’s better to just focus on the flag. After all, there are other ways in besides the big-ass hole. Ross once tried guarding the switch and “a guy came around the corner with two guns and destroyed [him].” Wonder who that was?

I found defense worked better when teammates were spread out. Station a few defenders out in the field, maybe one or two on a turret, and a couple in the flag room itself. That way you have several lines of defense to harass and slow down the assault, including guys right on top of the prize--their guns constantly swirling to aim at any point of entry.

Download video (6.0MB): Halo2_flag_guarding.AVI

Capturing the Flag
The opposite is often true on offense: sticking together can be more effective than fanning out. Get the gang into a Warthog and just make a beeline for that base, then charge upstairs to hit the key switch. Once that bay door is opened, it stays open for the round. After that, just assault the flag room in great numbers—grenades tossed inside are a good idea to clear out defenders. But they will be expecting you… As soon as the invaders get close, the message “The Flag is Contested” pops up onscreen. Also, there were no cloaking devices or overshield powerups in the demo level.

Clustering around the flag bearer is a smart idea on the way out, so that teammates can provide cover fire as well as pick it back up if the carrier gets wasted. Once the flag is outside of the base, it can’t be moved by the defenders at all. Instead, it resets back to the flag room if thirty seconds pass without it being advanced by an invader. This gives the offensive team a fighting chance, since they can transport the flag incrementally over time. Picking up the flag is done by holding down X, and makes you a high-profile target: a big blue Flag icon appears above the bearer’s head that can even be tracked through walls. There’s usually no time to fight back if you have the flag; you just haul ass. Getting into a Warthog or a Ghost with boost can be crucial to a quick getaway.

Download video (2.6 MB): Halo2_endround.AVI

All this depth and fun in just one online mode within a small multiplayer arena! If we couldn’t wait for November 9th before playing this demo, Ross and I are now crossing the days off the calendar as if it’s Christmas and there’s a chocolate behind every one. Halo 2 is that good already—and we haven’t even seen the single-player or co-op modes. As Ross and I walked out of the demo room, we passed another crowd waiting in line, peered at a huge Halo 2 poster, and admired a glass display case full of Halo 2 maquettes. On our way out of the press area, we were already dying to play the game again--November 9th can’t come soon enough!

Say, anyone know Sinbad’s Xbox Live gamertag?


Note to self: Renew Xbox Live in time for Halo 2.

[mrt]

"Note to self: Renew Xbox Live in time for Halo 2."

No kidding! what a HUGE incentive for XBL. i bet the subs go through the roof in Nov.

if it gets released Nov. 9th ill be impressed, and very happy.