Halo 2 // XBOX - Pantheon Game
Virtual shooting, actual arthitis

// The skinny: This is the killer app that launched 20 million XBOXes, er XBOX-i? The Halo franchise has been the heir-apparent of N64's Golden Eye. Aliens invade earth and now Master Chief must stop not one, but hundreds of Halos from destroying the galaxy.

// Review: Halo got even hotter when they added online play to up to 16 people, being able to play as the Convenant, and dual wielding weapons. The campaign mode is pretty cool and you can play co-op split screen instead of needing two machines (Doom3), but the addiction is in the multiplayer. What's great about campaign mode is that it puts you in situations that require you to become fairly proficient with all of the weapons and vehicles, which will serve you well in multi-player. And the weapons are fairly balanced, except dual wielding combos are little match for uber weapon/grenade combos. But whether you are circle strafing with SMGs, sniping, blowing up, swording, or cold-cocking, all frags are pretty satisfying.

/ A lot of the minor downsides were solved by the first patch (weapon balance, cheating). You can't do anything about juvenile players who are use every derivative of 4 letter words or pre-pubescent teens screaming "I'm the best, I'm the best, you all suck!" in girls' voices. They removed the health meter from Halo 1, but you do have health. So when your shields drop, you have no idea how much life you have left.

/ There are a lot of the classic game modes, which are really fun (oddball, CTF, King of the Hill, territories) and are highly customizable. Anything with energy swords or sniper rifles are pretty awesome. They have even adpated classic Halo maps as well.

// Wrap up: Half Life 2 is widely considered the "better" FPS game (but you also need a $400 video card to keep up with it), but as far as best over all game, even those publications give Halo 2 the nod. If you can't system link 4 Xboxes together with HD projectors, take this online for a lot of fun. Just be prepared to get your ass handed to you by 12 year olds whose gamertags are named after their favorite Pokemons.

Entertainment rating: 5