Widely considered one of the most controversial video games. Halo 2 has had a lot of praise and a lot of hate since it released in 2004. But what exactly is it that makes Halo 2's Campaign SO AWESOME?! Well, you're about to find out!
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Why Halo 2's Cliffhanger Ending Was AWESOME ► bit.ly/2wUv3mA
Check out the COMPLETE HALO 5 REVIEW PLAYLIST ► bit.ly/2nhK3cs
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You know me, when I make a promise to review Halo 2.... __________Time Stamps__________ #1 Blown Away (Intro) - 0:00 #2 Right Where I Left You - 3:49 #3 Deadly Ambition - 7:17 #4 Gameplay… Devolved? - 10:51 #5 A Badass to Match The Chief - 18:50 #6 The Characters - 22:01 #7 The Dialogue - 26:39 #8 Plotty Plot - 33:10 #9 The Feels - 35:28 #10 A Legend Cemented - 38:39
The Act Man Yes Act Man, I knew you would deliver, thanks for reviewing my favorite Halo!
I fund a meme about you here it is Does the act man is gay? I dont know doest the act man is gay?
I loved halo 2's soundtrack
The Act Man he blown away, plays blow me away
You keep it... I do know how to pick'em.
Regret made a terrible decision, and died as a result. Mercy could've lived, but wasn't shown mercy by his comrades. Truth died believing his own lies.
I. Chrome - That's actually cool as shit, never noticed that
I. Chrome Whoa thats actually pretty cool I never noticed that
*Mind blown*
I. Chrome Its explained in the books but yes, when presented here it looks bit stupid...
Really cool, but my only problem with this is that Truth knew the rings would kill everyone, he says something to that affect right before he uses Johnson's hand to activate the rings.
Here's the difference between the cliffhangers in Halo 2&5: in Halo 2 you were pissed because you wanted to play more of the game, in Halo 5 you were pissed because it sucked.
Samuel Boyd I like the ranked multiplayer and war zone but the campaign sucks dick
Halo 5 was so terrible that I couldn't wait for it to be over when I first played it, which gravely disappointed me considering how hyped the whole Hunt the Truth marketing had me. When it actually ended, I was even more annoyed with the cliffhanger as this Reclaimer trilogy had become a saga shortly before Halo 4's release, yet did not provide a complete story for Halo 5 besides the basic idea that Cortana survived and is now evil. I don't know how I feel about Halo Infinite's soft reboot as I still sort of am interested in seeing where the story was going (kind of like how I still wish The Amazing Spider-Man 3 actually happened), but I hope 343 actually learned their lesson rather than just stuffing in nostalgic stuff to try winning over old fans. Halo 5 was already supposed to make up for where Halo 4 failed.
Actually I was happy with the halo 5 campaign ending because it ended
In Halo 2 you're pissed because of how they end it. MC rides in on the dreadnought and when Hood asks what he's doing on that ship, he just says "Finishing this fight." as badass music starts playing. I was legit hyped to play one final mission after that cutscene, but Halo 2 just fucking ENDS.
@@spookynerd_jpg4223 honestly when I played that, my first thoughts were "fuck yes, they're gonna make another Halo game! I am already hyped."
Bungie: Steve Vai, I need you to improve Marty O'Donnel's iconic score. Steve: I need a guitar. Marty: Right this way.
The moment the arbiter says “Tartarus, the prophets have betrayed us.” It always give me chills, the way the arbiter realizes that all he’s fought for was a lie. Best decision ever to make him a character
And how Tartarus takes a second, almost taking the offer. But can't accept it himself.
@@tildencats9523 I bet that if Tartarus had actually listened to the Arbiter and offered to help him take down the prophets, we could have had playable brutes in Halo 3
@@tildencats9523 I loved that part. That line from arbiter is my absolute favorite Halo moment. Arbiter has all the reason in the world to hate Tartarus, yet he still tries to extend a forgiving hand…because Arby himself used to be blind like Tartarus was leading up to this. Then Tartarus’ hesitation, like he knew it was true, but wouldn’t let himself believe it because it goes against everything he’s ever believed. Wish we could moments like this in halo again. 343 will never come close to this era of Bungie writing/storytelling
@@SniperHawk57 man it's hard to pick a favorite part from halo 2 I use to play that game like it was an interactive movie.
There was no betrayal the prophets and there followers were too stupid to realise what they were doing.
0:16 Hey look Jimmy Kimmel was unfunny even back in the day.
LOL!
Yep
How is he still on air?
he has always been an asshole towards the gaming community back in the days and even now with his statement about esports.
The man who was the host for The Man Show is now a virtue signaling wimp.
I was going to Catholic school when I played Halo 2 for the first time. Arbiters journey actually, no joke, did get me to question what I'd been taught. Invaluable.
That's crazy dude! Hope you enjoyed the vid :D
CHRISSSSS
Sounds about right, Halo 2 introduced me to actual rock music, as opposed to the hip hop stuff I had been listening to previously.
Maybe halo is actually why I might be atheist.
Daniel Peterson I'm not one to criticize, but at least let people make their own decisions. Don't go around telling people to join anything, or what is the best. It's better for people to arrive at that conclusion themselves. It's why students enjoy books and learn more when they're actually interested in the material. If they're told to do it, even if it is interesting, most of the time the desire to read or learn is lost, simply because they were told to read it. Your opinion is yours, and I respect that. Just don't go telling people what to do and we're fine.
if there’s anything i really want to see from the Halo franchise, it’s a “Bungie Cut” of the original Halo trilogy, where we get their original vision with all the cut levels, enemies, mechanics and so on. just to see how it would have turned out
Yep...
The true tragedy is how the remasters never tried something like this
@@5thar They’re graphics remasters, not re-imagined games. The gameplay wasn’t changed.
@@chasetoyama8184 Yea I know, I was just agreeing with the comment above that something more ambitious then the graphics remasters would of been pretty cool😎😎
This aged well
Arbiter was the best part of Halo 2. His storyline and perspective of the covenant was amazing.
but he fought the same enemy types as Chief. I remember when the game came out, players were ‘expecting’ to kill a few marine-type enemies as Arbiter, which only added to the empty feeling of the ending. Im not knocking the decision, Im just saying thats how it legit felt at the time
@@lingricen8077 but tbf, being an elite killing marines while at the same time, being also MC killing covenants... It would feel just jarring. A huge mess. You would be like, what the heck am I doing ? Doing something and undoing it the next mission to some extent. Plus as the arbiter in the beginning you truly are in the "ennemy" side. You are killing people who could have unravelled the lies of the prophets. The arbiter acts truly as the right hand of the prophets. So I think they went the best and smartest way. You have 2 distincts factions with missions of opposite objectives and yet the plot goes forward at all time, and doesn't do then undo things jumping back and forth of factions.
@@lingricen8077human enemies aren’t fun to fight in halo
@@benc77yes they are lol. Makes me feel powerful
It's really sad that people don't get this excited for Halo anymore.
Heres to the best for halo infinite👍🏻
@@OfficialCineGameVerdicts The recent Halo Infinite trailer made me more excited for Halo than I've been in years. I hope it's great.
Halo Infinite!!!!!!!
@@ryatt9365 true! That's because Halo4,Halo 5, Halo Wars 2 aren't as good as the Bungie's Halo! But I'm really excited for MCC coming to PC and most importantly Halo infinite
A wild Halo Infinite comes near "Wat ya mean." It says to in a mocking voice
Halo 2 Anniversary Cutscenes is one of my favorite movies ever
Yeah
Sgt. Johnson: Here's what's about to happen; the Master Chief is going hop in this tank, drive across that bridge, and blow up any inhuman son of a bitch dumb enough to get between him and the Prophet of Regret. I always laugh my ass off when I hear that, and now that I have it, here's the link: kzhead.info/sun/a6pwf8uHeqymm2w/bejne.html
Honestly better than most movies nowadays
Noble Vagabond yeah it is pretty great😊👍🏻!!!
Right dude you can see the fuckin pores in the characters faces!! Holy shit! Even the aliens look like real life. Blew my mind the first time.
Wait, people didn't like the Gravemind scene? That was the coolest scene in the trilogy imo
The only thing I can think of is that it's heavy on the exposition and you're just dangling there unable to do anything.
@encycl07pedia- also some people didn't like that the flood had a face given to them. Like they wanted the flood to just be mindless zombies, not led by an extremely intelligent entity who they said looked like a venus fly trap
In The Original Cutscene it Was Very Awkward to Watch. Weird Camera Angles, Lips Aren’t Synced, Wrong Music, Etc
@@Spongebrain97 fair enough
I love how we got to see Covenant`s social structures, cultures, etc in this game. It shows that they actually have a society just like us, and I especially liked how we got to know how Elites feel about their duties. You`ll feel more attached to them through all the gameplay, so it makes the slaughter feel even sadder.
You're basically slaughtering brainwashed troops as the Elites and the others are manipulated by the Prophets and I agree that by knowing that, it's really tragic rather than satisfying
again, metal gear solid did it first, and they did film-like CINEMAtics before halo 2 (actman even cut away to mgs)
It makes it sadder because lore wise a lot of the Sangheili wanted to invite Humans to join the Covenant and actually didn't want to fight them but had to because the Church leaders said so.
We never saw how the Covenant civilians live, but yes it's pretty interesting to finally see more details about what the Covenant is like (besides the military and atrocities committed in the name of their religion and leaders).
The dialogue is pretty fuckin epic. Ya know a video is good when it makes you wanna go back and replay a game you've already played to death.
Tru dat!
RennsReviews I can't see it the same after the dubs.
Siraceman 13420/9 it could of been worst the dubs could of been the acturally campaign. Not really. but you can say it was an altered reality.
11/12/17 (or 12/11/17 if you're american): I really want to like your comment but I don't want to disturb those 117 likes
It did exactly that to me.... well, made me replay 1-3 that I've already played to death
This game’s cutscenes are fucking insane. I can’t get enough of it. Still shocked that they allocated this much money to the remastered cutscenes. They are movie grade and fill up almost an hour.
Those humans are the only humans in all of gaming that don't have that fake af feeling that all other games have
I just finished Halo 2's campaign yesterday, and halo 2 anniversary is honestly now one of the best games I've ever played. I just really want halo ce and halo 3 to be remastered like halo 2 was.
@@-hasamastersdegreeinwumbol8565 Even though it kinda sucked, there is already a remaster of CE
@@thecoolguy7985 yeah, but like you said, it kinda sucks. Maybe not so much ce, but I'd like halo 3 to have cinematic cutscenes like halo 4, but that's probably not going to happen.
@@-hasamastersdegreeinwumbol8565 while cinematic cutscenes would be great, but I honestly think Halo 3 doesn’t need a remaster. It still holds up INSANELY well so it would be unnecessary, at least for now.
Only thing I didn't like about the Halo 2 Campaign was Gravemind... mostly because I was young and didn't understand what he was at all. I thought the ending was epic enough despite it being a cliffhanger.
The ending sucked
Honestly, I was both terrified and awestruck by the gravemind.
@@Author_SoftwareDesigner Ok then, I think its great
Honestly the Gravemind is one of my favourite characters, mainly because I'm a fan of the Forerunner trilogy
@@Author_SoftwareDesigner i didn't understand what he was but why tf would i hate him for that? That made him badass to me
Halo 2 is a gold standard of what a studio's priorities should be if the game may not release on time
"Back in my day we didn't have no fancy tanks. We had STICKS, TWO SICKS, and a ROCK for a whole platoon. You're one lucky marine" Love it to this day
Aaand we had to SHARE the rock
Hahahaha and it's TRUE to how actual military old schools act and say.
@@celsieknaus5723 "back in the OLD Corps..."
But did you have to share the rock?
Time stamp?
Cortana: What if you miss? Chief: I won't. That gives me chills every time I watch it, it's just an awesome line.
Same
It also makes u feel like a badass
Wtf! No one else like this comment! Legendary
@@NickMemphis136 over 270 people disagree now lol
That one liner was more awesome that everything that was said in the entirety of Halo 5’s campaign.
crazy to think how “messy” the development was, when at the time this game to me was god tier, and like honestly thought bungie were absolute rockstars for making this, I cant even fathom it being better than how it launched
I think it was a blessing and a curse that it was released unfinished. It would be amazing to see what else they wanted to add, but honestly the glitches in multiplayer gave me hours and hours of enjoyment. I feel like if they had more time they might have "fixed" those. Halo 3 was so boring and sterile to me: no superjumps, no getting outside of the maps (at least that I remember). The most obvious thing I can think of when it came to H2 being unfinished is the Ascension map: the thing in the middle moves around but it looks like it's supposed to be attached to something. Obviously they just ran out of time.
I love Halo 2 for one reason. It introduced my favourite character of all time in the Halo series. The Arbiter genuinely is my favourite character and Keith David voices him so well! In terms of Voice Acting Keith David can reach levels that seem impossible.
The Arbiter looking down when he says to Shipmaster "That makes two of us" is another excellent subtle detail
In the original hes staring straight at the Shipmaster
It was alpha of arbiter to say that to his face
The elite one liners are better in my opinion
christian velasco Should’ve stayed that way.
@@totallytubular1179 WORT WORT WORT! I miss their one liners
33:11 Don’t make a girl a promise, if you know you can’t keep it. KZhead: Plays two ads Me: Were it so easy.
FatherOfGreyJedi they think they’re so slick. They started playing a sneaky extra ad at the end of all videos now.
@@wattsnottaken1 And one after the other
*Laughs in KZhead Vanced*
Spark That J we trade on ad for another
*gets 2 ads* Me: kill me or release me demon do not waste my time with talk
Truth made me realise who one of my best friends are. The way he manipulated my other friends into going against me and isolating me, making me a lone wolf. This is why I find the Arbiter’s journey a bit relatable. Disgraced, betrayed, removed from the group you’d been a part of devoting your time into.
The lore goes deep , my friend
The lore is deep with this one.
Halo 2, the first game I ever bought, taught me a lot. mostly from the Arbiter Chief shown what a perfect soldier is, doing their duty no matter the cost. but the Arbiter's journey, like you said, showing us when to admit we are wrong. He personally taught me that even when you are at your complete lowest, almost begging for death... you don't give up, you keep pushing and fight for your life.
Seems like Tartarus wanted more for his race than just being mindless brutes like they are right now. He wanted them to become like the elites, which i have to admit is quite admirable
Fun fact: The brutes used to be a space faring, militant civilization similar to elites. But then they had a huge nuclear war and it reduced them to savagery and barbarism. Tartarus was just trying to change that. Basically the brute homeworld is like fallout.
Well now you have atriox
@@ambrizfer7898 ikr
Revolver Ocelot Yeah. Doisac (Brute Homeworld for anyone who doesn’t know) is a hell hole.
Tartarus was actually quite a respectable warrior all things considered. I think Arbiter recognized this when he tried to reason with him at the end of Halo 2; he thought that Tartarus might see reason because he was more respectable, even honourable, that the rest of the brutes.
It’s still unbelievable how good the Halo 2 remaster graphics are. They’re better than some triple a games that came out this year
@@JuliaJvn_6 I mean 25-35 FPS is pretty good for laptop hardware that is implied to not be meant to run Halo 2 Anniversary.
@@sorrenblitz805 nah I knew that ,still I'm an idiot
only the cutscenes. the gameplay graphics look alright.
better than infinite thats for sure….
Actually, most of them…
It's all fun and games until a sniper jackal catches you slipping for literally 1 second
Honestly, I see you in every KZhead video from war thunder to Gordon Ramsay to Act Man, I am impressed man that lacks a moustache
We have all heard that a million times , get over it . And please do something other than commenting ALL DAY ON KZhead !! Or atleast comment something original , not some known fact that's been repeated a million times everywhere .
Jackal caught me sleppin
So funny and original and worth commenting!
1 second...I see you were playing on easy
That scene where Arbiter tries to tell Tartarus the truth really shows what a good person he is. He had every right to hate him for humiliating him, betraying him and slaughtering his people, nobody would have blamed him for killing in order to stop him as well as taking revenge. But he wanted to settle him in a peaceful way. He didn't see Tartarus and the Brutes as enemies but as victims, just like him.
1:49 Act Man: "They even added the Halo theme to guitar hero 3, the most popular game of 2007" Halo 3: Am I a joke to you?
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2007 was nuts. Here’s a slice of what dropped that year: Halo 3 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock God of War II Rock Band Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare Super Mario Galaxy Bioshock Mass Effect The Orange Box Best year in video game releases IMO. I’d argue that Call of Duty wins the popularity cake out of all of these though. :/
@@Level_Eleven 2011/2012
@@Level_Eleven holy SHIT i totally forgot The Orange Box dropped in 2007 WTF TF2 for life
I get what you're saying. But I think one thing is to have a great game, and an entirely different thing is to be the most popular game. Halo 3 was played by everyone that had a copy. Guitar Hero 3 was played by everyone that had a copy plus millions of other people that weren't even into gaming at the time. Within the world of gaming Halo is about as popular as GH, but GH at the time was popular both within and outside the gaming world. I think that's why it's safe to say overall GH 3 was more popular than Halo 3. I think. Most people I knew at the time that didn't even have a console or gaming PC were playing GH3 at stores, malls or friends' houses.
Halo 2 has the only campaign that I can play over and over again without getting tired of it (Halo 3's campaign comes close). The nostalgia I feel when I play it is unbelievable and IRL I constantly play the soundtrack nonstop.
It's the superior writing. Unlike all the basic stuff you see about fighting mindless hordes, the aliens are beings with agency. Being manipulated and forced to pick sides. I think establishing this humanity was the key moment that saved this game from a gears of war fate, where you continue fighting mindless monsters that somehow keep coming back.
Batfleck Forever That's how I feel as well, I just beat it yesterday for god knows how many times now. Also I own all the soundtracks of halo 2.
Nathanhs17 I agree. The scenes in which Master Chief is actually doing something instead of standing there and talking are my favorite, which is one problem I have with most of Halo 5's cutscenes.
The same but for halo ce.
CE had Chief just stand there and only says "Yes Sir" every...single... time. He gets his missions from Cortana mostly and just stands like a statue most of the time.
What I love about the halo 2 anniversary cutscenes is when you see elites (especially the ones with shipmaster) the armors paint jobs resemble that of how show cars are done and just looks really clean overall
Personally I was so glad they introduced regenerating health. Halo CE was not fun when you had 1 bar of health and were desperately trying to just do something. I died more times in CE than I ever did in Halo 2, which felt more engaging and generally enjoyable.
Weird, since, as shown, Halo 2 was objectively more difficult.
I don't like regenerating health. It makes you play like a coward and you can kinda get away with anything if you play your cards right, because the game doesn't punish you at all for making risky moves since you can just hide behind a box and regen. Health packs just make the game more interesting and keeps the player invested.
Kids now a days with never understand the hype behind Halo 2 & 3. It was palpable
I remember overhearing my friends mother and grandma talking about hearing everyone talking about halo 3s release haha.
John Superits The first video game I ever played was Halo 2 back when I was 2 years old. Without my douche of a stepdad, I wouldn't even know what Halo is, so I can at least thank him for that.
Was a high school sophomore when Halo 2 came out. Lots of guys 'out sick' that day.
RaSkipper "Out sick"? I wouldn't even make up an excuse, I'd just deal with the consequences. Going to get Halo 2 when it came out was worth any punishment I'd ever gotten. Then again, my mom and stepdad love video games (specifically Halo games) and the most punishment I could get from a teacher was detention, more homework, staying in for lunch, the usual. Again, 100% worth it.
John Superits I did my older brother gave me his original Xbox and and all the original halo games
The Arbiter was the best addition in halo. I loved playing as him, in fact my favorite halo missions and cutscenes of all time were arbiter focused! People who bitched about it were stupid.
I love the character but playing as him not so much, 1 mission would've been fine
Apollo DA, heck nah arbiters missions were the best, even uprising which from a difficult stand point is bullshit was awesome, with thunderstorm on you literally just watch the first half of the mission as your ultra elites dominate the brutes, plus the elites period were far more useful than marines.
Blake Killed The Prom Queen Than I am still stupid. I played Halo 2 a week ago and the Arbiter maps still suck. He is just unsympathic and his weaponry is just garbage. And don't let me start with the boring leveldesign especially during the floodmaps later on. But I guess I am just stupid and this is no opinion :D
Mischu Wischu, his maps are the best, his opening level is far more stunning then Cairo and outskirts, he also gets covenant allies, grunts are useless but elites and hunters blow marines away, also why is his weaponry bad? He gets human weapons after the mine and his carbine is just the Covenantbattle rifle, I'll admit his missions are by far the most glitchy even more with mcc.
same. I loved the camo armour.
i will for ever remember the time when my best friend to this time and i played together through the whole campaign...... it was so incredible awesome and left us absolutely speechless with the cliff hanger at the end. we both sitting there, mouth open and like " no! it cant end like that!" "What happens now??!?!" :D I love every second i spend in this game, or better: in this whole series.
I have rewatched most of your videos. Countless times while studying, playing games and before sleep. And i cant get enough of your genuin interest of games, their stories, their gameplay and their legacy. Topped off with your voice and enthuciasm to your ART. I have been hooked for years. Thank you for existing and making my days, weeks, months and years better.
“Permission to leave the station, sir?” “What for Master Chief?” “To give the Covenant back their bomb” The only moment I felt like a 14 year old girl in a concert over a true masterpiece. We were born in the best time, when we witnessed history in the making, a masterpiece forged Edit: 29:49 "Finishing this Big Mac"
Master Chief? Mind explaining to me what you’re doing in that Snuggie? Sir, going blankie mode
@@jamsanator0511 Master Chief? Mind telling me what you're doing in the supermarket? Sir, drinkee my slurpee
@@Mr.Murphy2802 Lmao
@@Mr.Murphy2802 Master Chief, mind telling me what you're doing on that wall? Sir, Curity Camera
@@PhilipAnthonyTV I know this comment is like a month old, but that pun is perfect lol
*2004:* We can't wait another year! *2014:* We could've waited another year or 2. My, my, how times have changed.
Nagger woah there, explain yourself
@@SageSea1 Watch the fucking video, asshole. Halo 2 is either too hard or too easy, no middle ground.
S Choudhry not necessarily true, you are overtly generalizing the entire video. How is watching a video called “why is halo 2’s campaign so awesome” the answer I need to a comment calling the same game a “piece of shit.” It isn’t really unbalanced, it is just that there are subtle introductions to enemies that were glossed over in design that made it appear that way. Ask anyone the hardest parts in the game and they will tell you “when I first fought the snipers or brutes.” Personally, I find the difficulty in heroic to be perfect.
@@SageSea1 I'll put it this way when it comes to difficulty. On heroic, duel wielding an SMG and Plasma Rifle is viable. On Legendary, only the noob combo is viable. Legendary makes so many fun strategies unviable because you'll be killed in 1.5 seconds. Heroic is actually pretty easy tbh. Either duel wield SMG and Plasma rifle or just spam the Covie Combine at Brute Heads. So long as your aim is true, you'll cheese the game.
@@lelouchvibritannia4028 watch your mouth there dipshit
I love the arbiter’s story arc, it is why he is my favorite character
I love the Arbiter. I love his character arc and his friendship with the Chief. Having him return was one of the few redeeming qualities of Halo 5.
Damm I miss this game launch times....the nostalgia hits you strong man
Jhin a blooming Flower I miss the old Halo launch times. Such as Halo 2 and 3.
Jhin a blooming Flower yeah :(
I wasn’t even a part of the old launches but just seeing them hits me with nostalgia. I hope Halo can be brought back to its global praise some time soon.
"permission to leave the station" "for what master chief?" "to get some nuggies" "permission granted"
Tendies e n d i e s
Patrick Fuller “Master Chief, mind telling me what you’re doing at McDonalds?” ‘Sir, finishing this Big Mac’
Are you an infant?
Lord I miss this game, and these days, my abuelita took me to buy it on release as a gday gift, definitely was so happy. One of the greatest memories I’ve obtained. Playing as Arbiter was the best. I love the elites. Tbh all the covenant aliens are pretty neat.
Man Halo 2 was a huge part of my childhood years later I still never get tired of It. Also this was the start of my FPS crazed back then.
Just fortunate enough that these were the type of games I grew up with.
This was the franchise that built up half my childhood. Is that healthy…?
try growing up where everyone plays games like fortnite. I still played these games really young so im fortunate enough to know just how much these games impacted the industry and I would choose these games over the ones we have now any day
Lucky, for me i grew up with halo pc but halo 2 vista never worked so id spend hours on custom edition. Sucks to be a millennial but atleast i missed fortnite.
Yeah... okay lol
guess you can say that you're a fortunate son.
People love to hate on the arbiter portions of halo 2 but there my favorite missions in the entire franchise. I feel they make halo 2 unique, I wish there was more missions that let you play as the covenant in the series.
Christian Young agreed it puts you in your ememies shoes and gives you the chance to experience the war through the perspective of the covenants eyes
It was sick
My personal favorite part of being the Arbiter gameplay-wise is his Active Camo, which gives you more options for how to play levels. You can basically give Quarantine Zone the finger, for example.
Christian Young, it would be even better to fight humans as the Covenant and see their hatred and war crimes against humans similar to CoD WaW in the Russian campaign.
I was 9 years old when Halo 2 came out, wasn't really on the Internet and knew nothing of other people's opinions on the Arbiter surprise. But the start of the first Arbiter level when you realize you're playing as the Covenant and Grunts are your allies, that was probably the best moment in any Halo campaign for me.
I was late to the Halo parade, I played Halo 2 for the first time in 2020 and I got to say, I was blown away. The scarab level was badass, fighting the flood felt like a nonrageful challenge. There will never be another Halo 2, nvm they remade it
Please never remake halo 2
CE's level design is more fondly remembered than it deserved. The areas on Halo and Silent Cartographer stole the show, overshadowing the cramped and repetitive remainder of the game. Halo 2's level design was an overall vast improvement, even if it never quite reached the same heights at its best.
I was absolutely shocked when he was saying the maps on H2 weren't as good as H1. Maybe he spent most of his time in campaign, but Halo 2 had the best multiplayer maps by far and I don't think any game has come close to having as many great levels as Halo 2. That being said, some of the campaign levels did leave something to be desired. The Heretic level was just so depressing and gloomy and even a little frightening to look at. But honestly being able to get the Banshee into the boss fight against Tartarus or getting the Scarab Gun was enough to make up for most of the issues I had with the campaign levels.
@@encycl07pedia- He WAS mostly talking about the campaign level designs, that's why. 😉
I loved the level design, the city maps, and the ancient civilization maps in Halo 2 was amazing. Also the part where you're in that submarine thing and going through those ancient underwater ruins while Cortana is explaining the lore behind it was incredible.
Luminite that was always one of my favorite parts as well, that whole level was amazing and probably my favorite in the campaign
I have likely quoted at least 90% of this game
Same.
90% That's a Rookies number go for the 117%
Honestly how hasn’t
Same
@@Dovah1912 Honestly why hasn't
The way the intro begins with the bell dropping at 0:35 seconds in is awesome!!! What a great memory from the past! Remainder me of my childhood. Simple times...
Thank you for starting out the video w breaking benjamins blow me away, it brougjt me so much nostalgia, i love that song so much and didnt even realize it was a halo 2 song until like 3 years ago
"Tartarus the prophets have betrayed us !" People seriously hated arbiter ? he is the most badass character that we ever got -_-
To be fair when I was a kid I hated the arbiter cause I wanted to play as Chief in this badass new Halo. As an adult I still don't like playing through the Arbiter levels, mostly because I hate fighting the Flood(giant swarms of annoying enemies, well annoy me) and almost all of his missions are Flood missions, but I love the story of the Arbiter's missions.
@@sorrenblitz805 i liked the arbiter more than master chief when i was a kid. his character is so good in halo 2
@@poopscoop4907 I love the arbiter as a character. I hate the Flood. I never liked fighting the Flood and in Halo 2 all but like 2 of the Arbiter's missions are Flood missions. I still to this day hate fighting the Flood.
@@sorrenblitz805 uprising, the heretic missions and great journey are soooooo good tho
@@sorrenblitz805 In my opinion, I think the arbiter levels are some of the best and more fun levels (maybe except sacred icon), and I loved to play them back to back. Don't get me wrong, the Chief levels are nice, but the first few just seem a bit bland (maybe except that part where you fight covenant at first in the streets). The vehicle sections are nice but just linear and enclosed. The first time I had fun with Chief was in Delta Halo
Me to my brother when my parents lied about getting us an Xbox for Christmas: Tartarus, the prophets have betrayed us.
Holy shit that Was sad
It's almost as sad as when I was 8 and my mom came into my room with her hands behind her back and a big smile saying: "I got a surprise for you!" Then pulls out the half empty glass of milk I didint finish at diner.
@Nugget this story sounds like it happened before the ps4 was even an idea
@Nugget maybe around the OG xbox era since that's when Halo 2 came out, but idk, definitely sounds like something before ps4 and xbox one were a thing
Some day when my generation is long dead and gone I hope where we are we get to play Halo 2 online like its the old days.
Having missions as the arbiter added SO MUCH to the lore. The constant three way battle like when you have to get the icon are insanely cool. The arbiter missions added even more depth to EVERYTHING, and presented actual real moral questions like a genuine story, like a movie.
Haters: halo sucks Me: watch your word, what you say is heresy!
*kicks down door* Did someone mention heresy?
Abbie Clough Haters There can be no greater heresy!
Abbie Clough me: (bust in duel wielding assault riffles) WHO SAID HALO 2 SUCKS!?!
Take care hater what you say is heresy
SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST *HERESEY!!!!!!*
The act man is a MASTER at explaining why something in a video game is good. When he says something feels awesome in a game, I remember how awesome I felt playing as a kid. In my opinion a true MASTER at script writing for KZhead videos. Keep it up, and stay awesome 👌
Thanks dude, that means a lot to me! I try to capture that feeling of explaining exactly what people feel, even if they don't know how to put it into words
The Act Man You do a glorious job!! When I'm watching your videos I get your points on why things are good story telling and such. (By the way you honestly make better points then a lot of people on KZhead lol) But most of all I'm hearing that awesome timeless music and going, YEAH I'M MASTER CHIEF. It brings me back to Friday nights with my 3 brothers just yelling at each other about how the energy sword is cheap 😂😂 No other video has done that so I commend you for it. Your videos have nostalgia magic if I had to lebel it
I couldn't agree more, you made me feel with this video, Act Man!!
The Act Man you literally are, though! This is the first video from your channel that I've watched. And I need to admit, you pretty much fucking nailed it! Good stuff
I still remember the first time I beat Halo 2. I teared up while watching the final cutscene and hearing the music that played during the end credits. It was the first time a game had made me feel emotional after beating it, but I was so happy that I had and the ending got me hyped for playing Halo 3. When I played the original Multi-player, I remember that I used an elite instead of a spartan and that I used a silver and red Mark of Shame for my emblem because I liked the character of the Arbiter so much, and still do. His inclusion was one of the best parts of Halo 2 for me
I really love this series of videos I’m fairly new to halo and love how you go into detail on the development process I can tell you love halo and the more I learn and play I feel the same have you ever considered doing halo lore?
Cortana: "That is another halo" Johnson: *coughs *"SAY WHAT?"*
Jenkins!!!!
"Mendoza!"
Other halo rings weren't a twist. Guilty spark says in two betrayals “but once the others follow suit”
No one payed attention to the random jargon guilty spark spewed in ce
@@Seedonator speak for yourself, i did and literally everyone else that i played the games with growing up did.
@@nuclearjanitors good for you
@@nuclearjanitors nice
@@Seedonator godspeed.
One underrated part for me was the voice acting. Steve Downes, there’s nothing I can say that has already been said, legend is an understatement. But Robert Davi (Shipmaster’s VA), absolutely NAILED the “warriors, prepare for combat!” Line. When I was little, I just remember hearing that and just thinking, “hell yeah. Let’s freaking fight”
I just watched this video yesterday and it brought back so many amazing memories of playing this game. I went home after work and fired up MCC and started the campaign again. I’m having just as much fun as the first time I played. I can’t think of a single other video game that is thrilling and captivates my attention like this so long after release. Perfection.
Miranda Keyes got a lot older in the enhanced version than what she looked like in the OG version.
I think an older Miranda is more consistent with her rank and position so I'm ok with it. Cortana seems to look younger on the other hand - which is consistent with her back story as well.
Yeah its weird since she was apparently 27 during the events of halo 2
Miranda Keyes is HOT in the anniversary edition.
@@cryojudgement2376 Miranda and Cortana in anniversary are a wet dream.
@@fawful7457 both really are. But I still think halo 2 of Cortana is just as hot
0:15 Wow, so Jimmy Kimmel was always a shmuck.
Is that really surprising?
You can always count on him to say some stupid shit
@@julians7613 I thought it was pretty funny.
Swear inhate that guy
@@stickydog2122 then that’s your opinion, imo its an overplayed stereotype and it’s not really accurate, making it unrelatable and unfunny
seeing one of my fav childhood bands, breaking benjanin, make a song for this game made me love them even more
Just wanted to throw this in there: this is a great, awesome video. Encapsulated everything I have to feel about this game/series, and I’ve grown up with this game (I’m 29 years old now)
I just came back to listen to this masterpiece again and I absolutely lost it during the scene Tartarus betrayed Arbiter. "BETRAYAL.....BETRADE"
What minute was it? I'm just looking for that
33:45 - 33:48
"To give the covenant back their bomb" My favourite line ever.
I would like this but it’s at 117 likes 👌🏿
What about “boo”
Such big dick energy
29:30 not really guilty spark mentions it in halo ce when he says “This installation ... of 25,000 light years, but when the others follow suit this galaxy will be quite devoid of any biomass to sustain the flood” so not and extremely big deal. Loved the video though. When I saw the dialogue section I thought Not enough time left.
The ONLY thing that I didn't like about the Remaster for Halo 2 was that they couldn't use Breaking Benjamin's "Blow Me Away" for when you fought through the Mausoleum of the Arbiter like they did for the original. A lot of the Remaster music was pretty good, but for that moment, it was rather lacking.
Chief and Johnson banging on the wall to each other is one of my favourite scenes. You know exactly what they're saying to each other and nobody says a word.
That'll always be my favorite cutscene
Drop pods hit the ground Chief kicks open the door Cortana: Can you possible make any more noise? Chief pulls out a rocket launcher Cortana: I guess so.
@@chuy3162 oh my god I loved that one
I recently beat MCC on Legendary difficulty. Usually I would have been so fucking happy to beat Halos' 1-4 on the hardest difficulty, but when I beat Midnight, I DID NOT GET THE LEGEND ACHIEVEMENT OR THE ACHIEVEMENTS FOR BEATING ALL LEVELS ON ALL DIFFICULTIES. I LOST NEARLY 300 OR MORE GAMERSCORE BECAUSE SPENDING 3 MONTHS OF MY LIFE TO BE A BADASS ISN'T ENOUGH FOR MICROSOFT I GUESS.
CripTik Storm lmfao I got the legend achievement and Helioskrill even by beating halo 2 with skulls
I know the feeling. I have posted my speedrun for the Monopolized achievement on the subreddit about the game don't record times.
CripTik Storm Doesn't each level have an achievement for beating it on legendary? Just look through your achievements and see which levels you didn't get it for. Redo those levels and get the achievement. When I beat Halo 4 on Legendary (along with the others in attempts to get Helioskrill before 5), I was disappointed not to see the achievement. It turned out I didn't get the achievements for Regret from Halo 2 (hate that level) and Midnight from 4. After redoing them, I got the achievement and ultimately got Legend and Helioskrill. Then 343 said screw you and your hard work and put it in the req system for anyone to get with luck.
CripTik Storm 3 months, why did it take you so long?
Kevin S. Medina I took a break in between 2 and 3.
i just wanted to say that something realy especial for me about this game was, well... *the credits roll* it had individual developer's messages, i cried as i saw their messages to their wifes sons and daughters never seen that before, and felt very happy to end it, as if we were unknown friends, that made a favor for each other a very rare feeling
Apart from Linkin Park, Halo 2's OST was literally the only other reason I started listening to rock as a kid. Also, subtle editing at 0:50 was greatly appreciated. #PewPewBoom ✊
_The twist that there are more halo rings was honestly unexpected and mindblowing at the time_ Unless you count Guilty Spark saying “Once the other rings follow suit” in the first game
Iirc even cortana shows them to master chief in halo 1
@@TheRafark where
He makes reference to other installations but it isn’t stated clearly if they are halo rings. It’s also not the main point of the line so most people wouldn’t acknowledge exactly what he meant. The focus of the line is the twist was that the installation would wipe out all life in the galaxy which is more important in the moment.
@@SwindleProbablyHe does make a point of correcting Cortana and Chief when they assume it's just the one ring that will kill everyone. He specifies the limited range of the ring and _then_ he says 'But once the others follow suit'. Which would mean there are other rings, or at least other superweapons with the same function, all acting in concert to cover the entire galaxy.
beating this game on legendary is one of my life accomplishments
I only beat in Heroic but i swear i died more in this game than in Sekiro lmao
@Juan Martinez I have pc too, I’d play with you
I genuinely didnt think i could do it. But i fucking did, and im never doing it again. Gravemimd legendary anyone?
FUCK THAT. I commend you bro HURAHH
Same. Took my friend and I literal years since we moved away from each other. made an event out of the last mission
I remember when halo 2 came out my cousin and I tried to beat the campaign on legendary and accidentally picking up the blind skull which made it fun
As a great man once said: “I hear this guitar in my dreams.”
My favorite Halo game!
Master Of Disguise same
Master Of Disguise Same
Master Of Disguise Same here my dear friend
Master Of Disguise Same
Yep Halo 2 was the best Halo followed closely by Halo 3, but for me personally I enjoyed Halo CE the same as Halo 3
11:14 "BuT LiFe iSn'T fAiR aCt MaN.... Shut up! Games should be fair!" Damn straight. There's a difference between challenging difficulty, and bullshit difficulty.
Exactly why Death Stranding is ass
Gta online avenger mission
Don’t forget LASO
The only thing that ruined halo 2 for me is the difficulty, if it wasn’t for that it would be in my top 3 halos
Exactly. I'm playing through it now, and jackals are next level bullshit. You'll just be walking, and then you're dead before you even see them. They should at least miss once, or the first shot strips your shields or something. I'm planning on going through on LASO. No idea how you're even supposed to fight against that.
29:28 There’s a line that Guilty Spark says in CE that implies that there are other rings but it’s quickly glossed over.
Act man the levels can’t be super expansive when they do such a great job at putting you in specific locations that are supposed to stick out. Love the content man hope you see this
"Only the strongest will survive " halo 2 vets will get this
Breaking Benjamin LOL.
I guess i was one of those strongest.
Halo 2 Blow me away soundtrack?
MoRpH yes it’s blow me away
I did halo 2 on legendary at 7 years old. It taught me that life is going to fuck you hard without mercy
does anyone else think that the Arbiter agreeing that his life doesn't matter is why the shipmaster ended up becoming strong allies and forming a brotherhood? He could have easily said he life is the only that matters, instead he looks directly into his eyes and says "that makes two of us."
holy fuck I didn't even think that Arbiter was talking about his own life, thought he was talking about Shipmaster's life. Wow mind blown
I always assumed he was talking about his life because of his failure and everyone turning their back on him. If you listen to ship master during the cut scene. He looks at arbiter after he says "that makes two of us" he looks at him and you hear a respectful grunt.
Yeah I always thought that was a deep moment. and since I've always had such a strong desire to keep my units alive I instantly bonded with Arbiter there. He was definitely saying that the lives of the elites mattered to him, but his own did not. In order to protect them he would have to fight with the fury of one with nothing to lose.
I always thought the Arbiter was making a sick comeback saying he doesn't care about ship masters life. But now I think about it, it's quite clearly the arbiter talking about himself. Thanks for pointing it out
2 seconds into the video im hit in the feels so god damn hard. Muh childhood. I had the collectors edition or whatever they called it back then and I watched that behind the scenes dvd a million times, it got me so hyped.
Just found this channel - happy there is a great back catalog to go through
The reason the Arbiter is so important to Halo 2, is he is a device through which the authors could employ the writing concept of "Show, don't tell". By playing AS the Arbiter and seeing what he sees, you don't have to be informed by cortana as you're running through a torn up battle ship how the covenant have had a civil war that was inexplicably not shown, and better still, ALSO not given through cutscene exposition. I'm not saying it couldn't have been done better, but the idea of using a foil to the chief as a storytelling device is genius from a writing perspective, and I agree, I probably wouldn't have given a rat's ass about the covenant if it weren't for this design decision. Think about though, did any of you give a shit about the Covenant's motives in CE? Not really, it was a great game, but they were just things to shoot at and strategize about how to overcome. They were obstacles rather than adversaries.
Joseph Davis By making us care about Arbiter, the entire covenant conflict feels far more personal. Makes Arbiters payback feel so well earned at the end of Halo 3
The Covenant in Halo CE was just kind of a bunch of generic bad aliens. We get some brief hints here and there about some kind of religious significance to what they're doing but it's never expanded upon.
A good way to explain it is imagine Star Wars without Darth Vader. We’d have no one on the opposing side to look at. No one to give a face to the opposition. Luke would lose the connection with that side. We would just have a group of baddies rather than a much deeper story.
"Sickest riff known to mankind. They even added it to guitar hero 3. The biggest game of 2007." That shit is gooooooold. Thanks Act Man.
For those who don't get it, Halo 3 also released that year lol
I get chills every time I hear that dialogue between Shipmaster and Arbiter
I was never a Halo fan. I'm on PC so I couldn't really play it. I just played the MCC and you nailed it. The writing and story is absolutely awesome. Not just Halo 2 but I thought as a whole the series has great writers and they deserve credit. Bravo !!! David Keith is truly a professional. He didnt just phone it in. You can tell he knew the story and put in a tremendous effort to sell his character.
I've Never Owned an Xbox in my life until 2017, but I remember how epic Halo 2 was in Middle School! Every Weekend at my Friends Houses playing that Epic Campaign and Multi-Player. Good Times.......
Anew-Wiseman Nice
I wish I had those experiences too but I was 5 years old at the time Halo 2 released.
Oscar The Sage I was 3. But I still got to play it a few years later.
I got into gaming in early 2017. The first game I ever played was Halo CE and Halo 2 ( og versions as well, no remaster. ) . A year later they are still my favorite games, and I can understand all the fuss that would arise after their release in 2001 and 2003
I've felt some nostalgia kinda hoping I was around for that time but great experiences will come from great games regardless.
Imagine not even mentioning the best line in the game, “oh I know what the ladies like”
"He never gets me anything.."
“Marine, did I give you permission to bitch?”
"For a brick, he flew PrEtTy GoOd!"
Playing that on the big screen downstairs on thanksgiving is one of my favorite memories
No matter how many games that come out this will forever be my favorite game
32:35 Important note here is that with subtitles on, the Shipmaster makes an _appreciative grunt_ , as opposed to Tartarus at the trial who gave a smug response. This subtle interaction set up a kinship for life and a mortal rivalry.
Keefe Murphy I think you misunderstood the Arbiter’s line, he’s saying his own life doesn’t matter to himself either as he is so ashamed of his heresy, he was never meant to square up to Shipmaster.
Keefe Murphy “Even on my knees, I do not belong in their presence,” “Nothing ever will,” Yeah, Arbiter is most definitely ashamed of himself after he was marked, and Arbiter was never the highest rank in Elite society, ever. During the Covenant war it is even a mark of shame and treason, sometimes so much that the marked do not ever become true arbiters and are simply killed, and because of this, the Arbiter would never talk in this manner to, maybe not his commanding officer, but his elite “brother,”
"If I had to narrow down a list of quotes" Were it so easy
That was a Halo 3 thing. I think.
Nice
Best line in the series
The Empire Strikes Back of the Halo series. Still holds up even 20 years later.