“Halo 2” exceeds all expectations

Marlo Ting

“‘Halo 2’ is a lot like ‘Halo 1,'” Bungie Studios co-founder Jason Jones says, “only it’s ‘Halo 1’ on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas. And the ninjas are also on fire.”

“Halo 2” puts players in the role of Master Chief, a Spartansuper-soldier fighting against The Covenant, a group of aliens bent on wiping out mankind.

After 30 years of war, The Covenant has finally found Earth. Only Master Chief and the planet’s remaining defenses stand in the way of the extinction of the human race.

Sequel to Bungie Studios’ “Halo: Combat Evolved,” one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2001, “Halo 2” is a first-person shooter for the Xbox game console. It is now on sale with a suggested retail price of $49.99.

A Limited Collector’s Edition is also available for $54.99. Bonus materials include developer commentaries, featurettes on game design, deleted cinematics, art galleries and “The Making of Halo 2: Behind the Scenes of Bungie Studios.”

Over five million copies of “Halo” have been sold worldwide. Three weeks before release, pre-sales for “Halo 2” exceeded 1.5 million copies. “‘Halo 2’ is expected to be the biggest 24 hours for a video game title in retail history and is projected to bring in more revenue than any day-one box office blockbuster movie in the United States,” said Xbox corporate vice president of worldwide publishing and marketing Peter Moore in a news release.