Halo 2: it's good to play together!

Yes, yes it is.  There was a stubborn, selfish voice inside that insisted Halo 2 must be experienced alone,
with the lights dim and the surround sound pumping.  Just me and the game.  This, I soon discovered, was a lonely affair that left me longing for something more...

I found that something in the form of an invite, which unobtrusively flashed in the corner of my screen, beckoning me to test my skills on the broadband playing field.  I was reluctant at first, weary of jumping online and quickly getting schooled.  But, ah yes, Bungie thought of everything, didn?t they?  Thanks to the beautifully designed match-making system, neither side will ever be unevenly stacked.  Still, the system isn?t flawless, but let?s save the nitpicking for later?

Not since the days of Goldeneye, have I been so moved by a multiplayer experience.  Best console multiplayer ever?  Too early to call.  But I will say this, me & my merry band of childhood chums, now separated by hundreds of miles and state lines, bounced seamlessly from match to match without a hiccup?well, at least for a good two hours.  And when we finally did hit some lag, to tell you the truth, I could care less because I knew it would be a rare occurrence (I was getting stomped that round, anyway).  The slowdown happened during a 16-player battle,
and only after we?d played nearly a dozen or so of equal size. For a seasoned Live vet, it?s really quite mind blowing how quick and simple it is to join a 16-player lag-free game, really.  Thank you, Bungie!

And the party system!  Genius!  My friends and I were together the entire night, round after round, never loosing track of each other.

Wow, I haven?t even touched on gameplay yet.  But we all know that Halo was destined for human vs. human greatness.  Call it the physics; call it the mechanics; call it the perfect balance of weapons and vehicles; call it what you like, but all of these components come together to form a game that has just the right amount of speed,
skill, and strategy that will test the weakest and greatest of gamers, but most of all, provide simple,
unequivocal fun.  And that, my friends, is what videogames are built for.  Let me add that the maps are much improved over the original (and even the two remakes are refreshingly chaotic).  The range is marvelous, from close quarter free-for-alls to massive outdoor wars? I just, well, I simply haven?t played enough to give my professional opinion, so I?ll save that for future posts?

My only real gripe was related to getting adjusted with the match-making system.  As is you simply play a match until a winner is declared, view your stats, and then exist back into your single/party lobby and begin the hunt for a new game.  As far as I can tell, there is no possibility for declaring a rematch, and also, it?s difficult to make new friends, as your time with players outside of your party is limited to a single, often scrambled, match?you are, however, given the opportunity to chat and invite each other while everyone is viewing the post-round stats.

It?s unclear whether or not creating a custom game with a whole group of friends, or even strangers, would allow you to play again and again.  I will hopefully explore this at length today.  Whatever the case, the amount of customization is overwhelming.  A brief run through the menu system quickly intimidated me, and I opted for the ease and balance of the match-making system.  It?s too early for final judgment, but I will throw this out there: Halo 2 has staying power, tons of it.

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