# Halo 2 -- 16 hours, 1 minute, and 14 seconds (and counting) 'til release **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624 "2004-11-08T12:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/61 "2004-11-11T02:20:14Z")
My favorite part so far? David Cross is one of the voices for the marines. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/62 "2004-11-11T03:06:44Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > My favorite part so far? > > David Cross is one of the voices for the marines. He’s either the voice of a few marines or one that catches up with you an awful lot. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/63 "2004-11-11T04:06:57Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > He’s either the voice of a few marines or one that catches up with you an awful lot. If it’s the same guy, he’s a faster healer than Wolverine. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/64 "2004-11-11T05:07:23Z")
> [@velveeta](#): > > I’m pretty sure this is a problem with the slow speed of the DVD player and only 64 MB of RAM. A coworker has a modded XBOX that copies and runs the game from the harddrive and he doesn’t have the cut scene problems. The game is just pushing the limits of the XBOX… > > … > > If you put Halo and Halo 2 side by side, Halo 2 is far superior graphically. > > And I like the exploding Warthog too. 😛 Wow, that is the first “legal” reason to get a mod chip… I agree that Halo 2 is graphically superior, the textures are beautiful, the lighting makes Sam Fisher 2 hide in the shadows (which does make it a little harder to see some enemies at a distance) but all in all it is a gorgeous game. Just gotta aim a little higher with the grenades… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/65 "2004-11-11T05:15:25Z")
Oh, and I have to say that, with the exception of how easy it is to get lost in the big maps, everything that **Cisco** listed as a negative I view as a positive. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/66 "2004-11-11T05:15:47Z")
You may have noticed this already, but this struck me as funny. Of course, I had been playing for about 5 straight hours, so I could have laughed at all sorts of unfunny things at that point. Put your crosshairs one the different marines faces at point blank, and don’t move … most of them will give you some “you’re the boss, what next?” kind of quote , but one guy says “Hey, if you’re going to the fridge, grab me a beer.” ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/67 "2004-11-11T05:17:43Z")
> [@FordPrefect](#): > > Wow, that is the first “legal” reason to get a mod chip… Modded Xboxes are being banned left and right from Xbox Live. Even if you disable it before logging on, they’re finding out that it’s been modded. Has anyone beaten the game yet? We’re at… FEED ME, SEYMOUR!And my friend just left for the night. We were wondering how far along we are. I’m guessing about halfway. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/68 "2004-11-11T05:25:29Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Modded Xboxes are being banned left and right from Xbox Live. Even if you disable it before logging on, they’re finding out that it’s been modded. I know, hence the quotes. However, I wish MS had been somewhat smarter in their copyright protection. Let us rip the games on to the hard drive (like we can with music :rolleyes:, but insist that the game disk is in the DVD drive to run the game. Open the DVD and the game ends, just like it does now. That way we get faster I/O and can still prevent piracy. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/69 "2004-11-11T05:39:00Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Oh, and I have to say that, with the exception of how easy it is to get lost in the big maps, everything that **Cisco** listed as a negative I view as a positive. Differences of opinion aside, the getting lost thing seems to be getting worse. Maybe it’s because I’m sitting too far away from a TV that’s too small and I’m playing split-screen co-op, but I was getting really damn annoyed tonight. There were periods of 30+ minutes where we would just run around in circles not knowing where the hell we were supposed to go. The first Halo was very intuitive and I never got stuck or felt unsure of the objective for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time. On subsequent playthroughs I’d run right through. The boards - although much larger - somehow seem more cluttered on Halo 2. I’m sure I’ll love the online multi-player once I get into it but I’m not so sure that I’m going to give the campaign a second runthrough. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/70 "2004-11-11T05:43:34Z")
> [@eno801](#): > > well so far we have: > i was wondering how important is capitalization when sending out invites i.e. NOTTICOYOTE instead of\*\* notticoyote\*\*? I set mine as all lowercase , but how important it is , I have no idea Declan ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/71 "2004-11-11T05:48:45Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > The first Halo was very intuitive and I never got stuck or felt unsure of the objective for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time. On subsequent playthroughs I’d run right through. The boards - although much larger - somehow seem more cluttered on Halo 2. I’m sure I’ll love the online multi-player once I get into it but I’m not so sure that I’m going to give the campaign a second runthrough. I had that problem all the time in Halo. The swamp level was especially bad. I’m not that far into the sequel, but I haven’t run into anything near that bad. I do wish they’d just give you a marker on your radar, though. It’d make it so much easier. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/72 "2004-11-11T08:09:43Z")
I just played for about an hour, still haven’t gotten Master Chief off the initial spaceship/station level. Died about a dozen times, at least. I’ve never been a master at FPS games in general, even less so on consoles, but I thought I remembered the controls of the first _Halo_ game feeling comfortable to me after 30 minutes or so. After an hour of the sequel, I still don’t feel that comfortable with the controls, I’ve already run into three separate sections where it was too dark or too cramped to see the enemy, etc. I spend most of the game wondering, “What the hell is going on? Who am I shooting again? That blue dot out there, or that red dot over – oh, something just killed me.” I’m only 33, I shouldn’t have to feel that old. ---
**Author:** ![eno801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@eno801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eno801)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/73 "2004-11-11T08:21:05Z")
well BRIOHAZARD is the only invite i got out. maybe i misspelled the others, but i kept getting “no such gamertag”. of course i was going off of memory and lord knows mine is shot so i will try again tommorrow. and man the sword rules 😃 ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/74 "2004-11-11T11:39:43Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Hey, are you my alter-ego or something? That all sounds disturbingly familiar. I might pick it up then, but there’s also this problem of springing for Xbox Live. Is it just a game matching service, or is it essential for getting online with your Xbox? I already have cable modem service. You’ll need it if you want to play multiplayer online. More info here: [Halo2 and Live](http://www.bungie.net/news/TopStory.aspx?story=xboxlivewelcome) ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/75 "2004-11-11T11:42:08Z")
Can it be? Am I actually the first Doper to beat it? A friend got it on Tuesday, we played for a couple hours, then class got canceled on Wednesday, played for a couple hours, got some food, played until about 1 AM Thursday, and were able to beat it. About the ending: I was SEVERELY disappointed. There didn’t seem to be any conclusion to the storyline, leaving it open for Halo 3. Leaving room for another sequel, that’s cool with me, but at least try to wrap things up. All in all, though, a damn good game. There a a few things I liked better in the first one (bombs on the banshee, for one), but there are so many cooler things in #2 that I don’t mind. Ghost-jacking, the Covenant sword, dual-weilding (especially SMGs or Plasma Rifles). Playing as the Covenant was a cool idea, but got old really fast. I found it impossible to tell which Covenant were with me and which were the heretics I was supposed to be killing. There’s probably more I want to say, but it’s almost 4 AM, so I’ll leave it at this. ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/76 "2004-11-11T11:58:40Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Modded Xboxes are being banned left and right from Xbox Live. Even if you disable it before logging on, they’re finding out that it’s been modded. Yeah, I just want to be clear that I do not recommend doing this. I was using it to point out the hardware limitations that they’ve imposed upon themselves. I really wish Microsoft would change their mind on this. I mean, how is it any different than installing a game to a PC and running it with the CD still in the drive? > [@Miller](#): > > David Cross is one of the voices for the marines. And for you **Angel** fans, Julie Benz is the voice of Miranda Keyes. So far, I haven’t gotten lost yet. _knock wood_ ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/77 "2004-11-11T12:44:24Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > The first Halo was very intuitive and I never got stuck or felt unsure of the objective for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time. On subsequent playthroughs I’d run right through. The boards - although much larger - somehow seem more cluttered on Halo 2. I haven’t looked at the multiplayer maps yet, but I get the feeling that the single player maps were designed more with mutiplayer in mind than fitting the map to the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/78 "2004-11-11T14:36:49Z")
Darn you!!! Darn you all to heck, **Cisco!** I am at the Arbiter’s search for the index, probably about a quarter of the way through that part. I have no idea how much is left. Hate the boss characters, hate the SMG, hate the [“Gun Metal”](http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19559.htm) aspect of the game. Love the animation, love the Beam Rifle, love the Battle Rifle. Is it just me, or does anyone else get a sick pleasure from the Brute Shot? I feel like a vindictive 5-year-old Jason Kidd, firing bounce-passes that explode in the crotches of my enemies. Try it. You’ll LOVE it. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/79 "2004-11-12T02:41:06Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > I’ve never been a master at FPS games in general, even less so on consoles, but I thought I remembered the controls of the first _Halo_ game feeling comfortable to me after 30 minutes or so. After an hour of the sequel, I still don’t feel that comfortable with the controls, I’ve already run into three separate sections where it was too dark or too cramped to see the enemy, etc. If you have trouble with the controls, get [one of these](http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=5438) and enter a world of precise aiming and quick turning. Playing a first-person shooter with an Xbox controller is like playing guitar with your feet. ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624/80 "2004-11-12T13:48:15Z")
I really hate the Flood. (If you think I got killed a bunch last night, then you’d be right.) So, the Halos activate if the Flood escape and wipe out their food source, i.e. all life in the galaxy, so that they starve to death… but the Flood are locked up in their containment unit until they are accidently released. No one was feeding them, so why didn’t they all starve to death in there? If the only way to kill them is to starve them out then there shouldn’t be any Flood left to escape - but no, for some reason they just go dormant. It’s a plot hole that bugs me so if I’m missing some vital piece of info that clears it up, then please share it. And I haven’t finished the game yet, but please tell me there are no timed missions. I got almost all the way to the end of Halo 1 thinking how great it was that there were no timed missions only to discover that damn Warthog run at the end. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halo-2-16-hours-1-minute-and-14-seconds-and-counting-til-release/273624.md?page=5)