20 years later, Halo 2's biggest critics are now its biggest strengths

The Halo The franchise seems to be turning over a new leaf, with 343 Industries just rebranded as Halo Studios and recent news that the developer is working on several Unreal Engine 5 projects. Many fans are cautiously optimistic Halonew direction. But it's moments like these that developers and fans alike need to remind themselves of the franchise's roots, its successes, its flaws, and how it's evolved over the past few decades. And since it's the game's 20th birthday, it's a good time to remember Hello 2.

Released November 9, 2004, Hello 2 was a truly monumental release for the original Xbox that heavily influenced Microsoft's future in the gaming space. Hello 2The multiplayer game was a huge success and laid the groundwork for online gaming on consoles, while its sensational campaign set a new standard for story-driven cinematic experiences. But it wasn't all roses. Hello 2 had plenty of criticism at the time of its release, although 20 years later many of those criticisms have turned into strengths.

Any Halo character whose story is still open

Halo is moving in a new direction with Halo Studios, but many characters in the universe still have incomplete stories that need to be completed.

20 years later, Halo 2 is considered one of the best entries in the franchise

Halo 2's dual story is fondly remembered

At the time of its release in 2004 Hello 2The campaign was met with several major criticisms from fans. One of the biggest criticisms at the time was Hello 2a dual narrative structure where players control the Master Chief for roughly half of the game and the Arbiter for the other half. Because the arbitrator didn't actually figure in any of them Hello 2's pre-release marketing, its appearance in the final product garnered a similar response as Metal Gear Solid 2Raiden's reveal, with many fans expressing their disappointment at not having him play as the main character of the franchise for the duration of the sequel.

But over time the arbitrator became one of the Halothe most popular characters and his mission in Hello 2 is remembered much better 20 years later. One of the biggest strengths Hello 2 Having the Arbiter as a second playable character means that fans were able to get a much better insight into the Covenant, its structure and motivations, all of which go a long way to practicality. Halorich sci-fi universe.

Halo 2's shorter length makes it extremely replayable

An even smaller criticism Hello 2 upon its release, its length was slightly shorter. Even if it's only an hour or two shorter than Halo: Combat Evolvedand its running time depends heavily on the difficulty setting, Hello 2The pace of the game is much faster as the missions themselves are slightly shorter than those in the predecessor. This faster pace made many fans feel like their adventure had only just begun by the time the credits rolled.

But again, 20 years later, Hello 2a faster pace is positive. In a market currently flooded with 50+ hour RPGs and unlimited multiplayer titles, the 8-9 hour campaign offers a welcome breath of fresh air.

Halo 2's cliffhanger doesn't sting nearly as much

Of course, the most infamous criticism Hello 2 at the time of its release, it had an abrupt cliffhanger ending. Just as Master Chief jumps aboard Truth's ship, the camera cuts to Admiral Hood asking the super soldier why he's there. The Chief responds with the now infamous “Sir, I'm finishing this fight” and the camera fades to black.

20 years ago, this ending was incredibly rushed and disappointing, and many fans felt as though the game ripped them out of a satisfying conclusion at the last minute. Fortunately, two decades later Hello 2The cliffhanger ending isn't really a problem anymore, players can end the fight instantly by just jumping into the Halo 3.

After the destruction of Halo, humanity experiences a short-lived victory. Eager for revenge, the Covenant launch a surprise attack on Earth, but find themselves ill-equipped to defeat the UNSC home fleet and are forced to flee into space. As Master Chief pursues his overzealous enemies, he discovers another Halo ring, revealing long-buried secrets, including an unlikely ally that will dramatically change the course of the Human-Covenant Conflict forever.

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