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This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo 2 Campaign: Hindsight
  • Subject: Halo 2 Campaign: Hindsight
Subject: Halo 2 Campaign: Hindsight

So I played through Halo 2's campaign the other the day. And, since I'm bored and I have nothing better to do, I'm going to talk/ramble about each level and give my opinions.

The Heretic -

I love this cutscene. I always have. After all the mystery and enigma of Halo: Combat Evolved, we finally get a look at the inner workings of the Covenant. The trial, interlaced and merged seamlessly with the Master Chief receiving his new armour is masterful. The dialogue is great, and the characterisation is dynamic.

The Armory -

Nothing much to say about this. A tutorial mixed in with a few more cutscenes.

Cairo Station -

Reminiscent of Halo: Combat Evolved's level, Pillar of Autumn, mixed in with a bit of Truth and Reconciliation. A very fun level, which showcases the new graphics wonderfully, and introduces the new features. Some sections can be a little repetitive, but all in all a strong level. And the cutscene at the end never fails to amaze me.

Outskirts -

Yay, we get to see futuristic Earth...or not. I remember being disappointed that New Mombasa didn't seem very futuristic at all. It was a fun level to play though, with good sniper sections, the always fun rooftop glitch, and fun driving at the end. It's just a shame that the aesthetics weren't similar to those of the E3 trailer. At least ODST fixed that.

Metropolis -

Johnson bringing a tank. What's not to love? That said though, the beginning sequence where you drive over a bridge isn't that exciting, and on replays it can get a little predictable. Some of the Warthog driving is fun, and the music track which plays when you take out the three Wraiths in front of the building is nothing short of epic. Taking the Scarab out felt a little anti-climatic though, although I understand that Bungie's options were limited due to the Scarab being scripted. The cutscene at the end show Regret's carrier jumping into slipspace is great.

The Arbiter -

Ah, the Arbiter levels. I honesty don't know why people disliked them so much. I thought the story was much more interesting that the Master Chief levels, and seeing the world through your enemy's eyes was incredible, seeing why the Covenant fights. The gameplay was a little dull though, until you get to the Banshee chase. That's awesome. The character of the Arbiter was created wonderfully.

Oracle -

Okay, this level was a bit boring. The Flood lacked the atmosphere they had in CE, and they were a bit boring to fight. It was also never really explained how they broke out, and why the Monitor didn't warn the Heretics of them. Seeing Spark again was good though, after we'd thought him out of the picture.

Delta Halo -

I love this level. Dropping in at the beginning was awesome, and fighting alongside the ODSTs was great. It was a non-stop action ride, and is easily one of my favourite levels.

Regret -

I like the way this level really makes you feel like a Supersoldier. You have to assassinate one of the most important members of the Covenant and battle through an army to get to him. Killing Regret was a little anti-climatic as with the Scarab, boarding and punching B wasn't all that fun. In all honesty I'd have preferred having to deplete his shields, followed by a cutscene showing the Chief kicking his ass. The fleet coming in added a sense of urgency to the mission, and the ending with the Gravemind was a nice twist.

Sacred Icon -

A bit of a boring mission. Okay, I can see why people disliked the Arbiter missions. The story of them though made them worth it. The opening Sentinel section dragged on a bit, and the Flood, once again, weren't very exciting to fight.

Quarantine Zone -

One of my favourite levels in the whole game. Linking up with your Elites, battling through the Flood hoards, driving around in vehicles, fighting gigantic Sentinels, epic music playing in the background, encountering Johnson and Miranda at the end, and then finally learning of arguably the best twist in the Halo story, when Tartarus betrays you. A great level, which made me love the Arbiter even more.

Gravemind -

The cutscene at the beginning was great, seeing what happened to the Arbiter as he learns his life has been a lie was gripping. The actual level was pretty fun too, the only problem was that you had to fight Brutes in narrow corridors. Once again, I loved the way this level made you feel like a Supersoldier. It featured some great battles too.

Uprising -

I liked this level. It wasn't fantastic, but it was good. The combat was a little flat, but the progression of the plot was great. You got a real sense that the Covenant was crashing down around you.

High Charity -

I'm of two minds with this one. Fighting the Flood was a little boring, but seeing the sometimes three way battles between the Elites, Brutes and Flood was fun. Racing to capture Truth was also exciting, and I liked the way that a lot of the Covenant just ignored you, focusing on the schism.

The Great Journey -

This was a good finale. Battling through the Brutes in vehicles to the Scarab, and then seeing the Elites and humans team up to stop Tartarus. Flying the Banshee was fun, and Johnson was awesome. The "boss battle" at the end wasn't fantastic, but was good enough. The cutscene at the end of it was epic, and now that Halo 3's safely out, I didn't cry when Master Chief said "Sir, finishing this fight."


All in all, Halo 2 had a great campaign with, in my opinion, the best storyline. It should have been longer, and we should have been on Earth more, but I understand that Bungie had problems with the development. A great campaign in a great game.

Anyone agree/disagree with my ramblings?

  • 05.11.2010 5:34 AM PDT

E4web

Posted by: Wolverfrog
High Charity -


Also happens to be the only level in the series where you spawn with... a Needler. Also houses the Flood Juggernaut, which was planned for Quarantine Zone, which had a Sentinel that fired Needler needles.

I do agree that Halo 2 has the best storyline however it wasn't delivered in the way we expected simply because of the limited options Bungie had; it simply exploded the Halo canon, in a good way.

  • 05.11.2010 8:44 AM PDT

Let there be CHAOS!

I pretty much agree with you completely OP. Good read.

  • 05.11.2010 8:51 AM PDT