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Having been ported to the PC after three years I would have expected dramatic improvements in graphics and audio if not a longer single player campaign and many extra multiplayer maps. Unfortunately the only expectation which came to fruition is the hope for more multiplayer maps. With the same tools Bungie used to create the original levels, mods can be made upping the count of possible multiplayer levels to nearly infinite.

Unfortunately most gamers who would be interested in playing Halo 2 have already been doing so for the past three years. For those of you who have not played before the story is both simple and complex. You play as Master Chief a Die-Hard style space marine with an experimental shielding system (or the Arbiter, an alien elite soldier brought to humiliation for political views, in some levels). You are to defend Earth from the Covenant which is the alien society, defend Earth and the Covenant from the Flood which is a massively malignant parasitic race bent on reproduction and destruction of all intelligent life, and eventually defend the entire universe from a super weapon which could destroy all life in the universe.

Players use weapons and vehicles both exotic and mundane in their quest to defend an ever-expanding universe. One thing that Halo 2 did three years ago was allow for dual wielding of all single-handed weapons. This allowed for a large variety of firepower options when confronting the onslaught of alien enemies. Halo 2 for the PC still has the signature dual wield but since other games including Halo 3 have come along with the same ability the amazement has certainly worn off. Despite a three year delay in release Halo 2 has not ported quite perfectly over to the PC. Menus still ask players to press the Green A and Red B buttons on the Xbox Controller. If not using the PC-adapted Xbox controller this means the A and B keys on the keyboard which are nowhere near each other and therefore cause some difficulty if not modified in the options. This brings me to the primary concern I have with Halo 2, balance issues between controller and keyboard/mouse play. The mouse allows for much faster turning unless the sensitivity of the thumb pad on the controller is turned all the way up. Using the controller, whether on the Xbox or PC automatically enforces an unbelievably liberal auto aim feature. When coupled with the thumb stick sensitivity maxed out it makes missing a target nearly impossible.

The graphics in Halo 2 for the PC were only lightly upgraded from the Xbox version released three years ago, really only adding antialiasing to the mix. This makes the visuals seem in the lower end of the recently released gaming spectrum. While especially the sights, or “Vistas,” are considerably breathtaking when compared with other titles released in 2004, released in 2007 the awe has waned dramatically. The Arbiter and Master Chief are both rendered quite well, but the other characters are blocky and unrealistic when placed side by side with titles such as Bioshock and Halo 3. Sound is wonderful as it was in the Xbox version. Voice acting, background noises, weapons fire, and especially the musical score all brought the title to the forefront of the gaming community in 2004.

This brings up another issue, releasing a three year old title with dated graphics built solely for Windows Vista seems unnecessary and frankly ridiculous. Halo 2 obviously does not need to be a Vista only game. There is nothing in the game which suggests that older computers would not be able to handle the load. While this could increase the sales of Windows Vista, I doubt the dated title brought sales up enough to warrant the lack of Halo 2 sales because of the necessity of an upgrade.

Although the single player campaign can be completed in under ten hours the difficulty differences are enough to warrant an attempt at the highest difficulty even after defeating it on the normal difficulty. The addition of multiplayer maps and mod tools for making new maps and rules brings Halo 2 for the PC out of the trash heap and into the playable pile in my opinion. Allowing players to edit their own maps with the same tools Bungie developers used in creating the original title increases the longevity of Halo 2 from minimal to nearly infinite.

In conclusion I found Halo 2 for the PC to be just as enjoyable as playing it for the Xbox now. The story, graphics, and “unique” perks of the game are dated and have been replicated numerous times by now. While this does not make Halo 2 a bad game which I wouldn't suggest to anyone I must admit upgrading to Vista for at least $50.00 and shelling out the $45.00 for the game seems ridiculous and extremely overpriced. If you already have Vista and enjoyed previous Halo games I would suggest picking the game up simply for playing and creating custom maps.