Only for Windows Vista, Halo 2 will offer gamers both the single-player campaign and multiplayer experience of the original, as well as the additional maps offered in the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack. Gamers will also have the opportunity to build, create and customize their own multiplayer levels.

Halo: Combat Evolved and its sequel, Halo 2, have achieved phenomenal success on the Xbox video game platform as gamers around the world follow the saga of Master Chief in his battle against the Covenant forces. In 2003, the original Halo roared onto Windows PCs. In Halo 2 for Windows Vista, the action picks up where the first game ended. Master Chief, with the help of a small group of marines, has destroyed the religious artifact and artificial world known as Halo, and is making his way back to Earth. There, he and the last surviving Earth forces will mount a titanic struggle against the marauding Covenant enemy. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 14.5 million games worldwide with over 600 million hours of multiplayer action logged across Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service.

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To ensure the end result is well-rounded and refined, 343 have been shipping testing “flights” intermittently before release. The second weekend of the phase 2 test has finished, meaning the second flight is now over. Until you can get your hands on Halo Infinite again, here’s five more mods to keep you hyped. In case you missed our first editorial, you can read it here:

The Silent Cartographer: Evolved

By Siliconmaster


The Silent Cartographer is a fan-favourite level from Combat Evolved’s iconic campaign, and marks one of the most creative setpieces in the game. Coming at a small moment of triumph, the level is a high note in the story and a fond memory for CE fans. This mod takes the time-worn foundation set in 2001 and enhances it with new weaponry, mechanics, enemies, and an expanded level that greatly extends the sandbox present. New strategies will have to be employed to complete this level, and even veteran CE players will find new challenges ahead thanks to totally original weaponry and mechanics. It’s a great vertical slice of what a full overhaul of Halo’s campaign could look like - which we’ll be touching on more soon.

Halo: Covenant Edition

By KasperZERO

Playing as a Covenant Jackal


The concept of “you play the bad guys” is a classic and successful formula for mod projects, and Covenant Edition is a great imagining of what it’d be like to be on the other side of the conflict. Playing as all manner of species from the alien Covenant, there’s a variety of play styles introduced by this mod, and new ways to employ the weapon sandbox to achieve victory. It’s especially satisfying to crush enemies as a mighty Hunter for the first time, and much like The Flood: Virulence as covered last week, a good time for any returning CE fan to get a fresh new take on the campaign.

Firefight Against UNSC

By matthewtoo5

Marines


Firefight, first introduced in Halo 3: ODST, is the multiplayer co-op survival mode of Halo. From ODST onwards, this mode allowed players to face increasingly difficult waves alongside friends. This mode has featured solely the Covenant so far (though recent MCC updates feature the Flood and other factions for the first time), but this modder has enabled you to face UNSC assets as a Covenant elite instead! The UNSC make surprisingly formidable enemies and it’s a fun twist on the firefight mode. Play, but be sure you and your friends are up to the challenge!

Halo 2: MJOLNIR Edition

By BioGoji1989

halo2 2020 07 16 22 13 19


Where the previous Halo 2 mod focused on parity improvements between console and PC ports of the game, this mod instead focuses on overhauling the balance in the gameplay sandbox. On Legendary especially, Halo 2 is notorious for its balance being all over the place, from certain weapons being useless to other enemies being deadlier than damn near anything else (look at you, beam snipers). This mod hopes to rebalance the entire game, provide a fairer challenge on Legendary, and give a little bit of improved functionality to weaponry, all in the aim of restoring the slightly more considered sandbox of Combat Evolved. Halo 2 is still amongst the toughest Halo games, but this mod makes the campaign a little bit more accessible when put alongside its contemporaries.

SPV3

By halo-spv3


SPV3 is one of the be-all end-all Halo mods, overhauling Combat Evolved’s entire campaign in ways untouched before. Many features from later Halo games like weaponry, enemies like the brute, and more help bring CE into closer parity with the rest of the series, and meanwhile, wholly original additions to the tools players utilise in the richer and more in-depth combat encounters give SPV3 its own spice of originality. It’s still one of the best pieces of Halo custom content to date, and still enjoying some level of active support, it’s a solid experience for any Halo fan, new or old alike.


Feet First

Last week, I wrote an editorial going over the first weekend for Halo Infinite’s phase 2 flight, which was focused on smaller team engagements with a little bit of vehicle action right at the end of the weekend. As a brief aside for anyone who missed the first, Halo Infinite is the next big release from 343, following up from Halo 5. It’s the first mainline Halo game to come to PC at launch for years, and to make sure it’s as refined as can be, 343 have been running testing periods - Flights - to iron out issues ahead of time.

Halo Infinite Phase 2 Flighting: Part 2

Grapple hooking vehicles for a quick and easy hijack is one of the most effective
ways to utilise the already-iconic new powerup

My thoughts on the last flight were that, broadly, I enjoyed the weapons and pickups, though some like the Commando definitely need to be reconsidered in terms of their place in the sandbox, and other weapons like the Heatwave were satisfying but difficult to master. Where Infinite’s weaponry gets it right, it gets it really right; but weapons like the needler and plasma pistol show that the opposite is also true. The weakest parts of the sandbox are really weak.

Halo Infinite Phase 2 Flighting: Part 2

The classic Warthog makes its return, having featured right at the end of the previous weekend
and playing a big part in the newest BtB mode in this part of the flight


Two Sticks and a Rock

Whilst last weekend’s flight had me of the opinion that Halo Infinite’s multiplayer might end up being one of the most formidable and enjoyable to date, this weekend’s flight solidified that opinion in my mind. Whilst I’m mostly a campaign player, I’ve played a healthy dose of the multiplayer of every Halo since Combat Evolved. It’s no secret Halo 5’s singleplayer campaign didn’t go down well with fans, but the multiplayer itself was still excellent. Nowhere did I feel so strongly that Infinite’s competitive modes would be some of the most fun in the franchise’s history than in the Big Team Battles mode introduced this weekend.

Halo Infinite Phase 2 Flighting: Part 2

The map featured in this weekend’s Big Team Battles test had all the usual hallmarks of Halo’s vehicle sandbox with the mongoose, ghost, warthog, and scorpion all appearing. Meanwhile, depending on the gamemode, the Wasp (a new addition in Halo 5 as a UNSC air vehicle) and the Banshee are also up for grabs

Every vehicle is hitting just about the right notes. Some of my fondest memories in Halo multiplayer have been belting a Warthog around tight passages and challenging enemies in any vehicle to follow, and all the wheelman kills that follow from competent driving. Nothing feels better than flipping from a cliff in Infinite and crushing an enemy mongoose, then grappling to a nearby Ghost for a quick hijack. All of this frenetic action is enhanced by what feels like a speed boost for all vehicles over previous Halo games. The Warthog takes off, as do the Mongoose and Ghost, and whilst I didn’t get an opportunity to pilot it myself, the Scorpion also seemed to be doing remarkably fast manoeuvres that will be reminiscent of its almost ridiculous speed in Combat Evolved.

Halo Infinite Phase 2 Flighting: Part 2

Getting the hang of other equipment like the repulsor gauntlet is essential to getting on with the sandbox and making the most of the tools given to you

Finishing the Flight

It’s no certainty if I’ll be in the next flight, but if I’m not, this one convinced me that at least the multiplayer will be a brilliant offering of Infinite’s. I feel given the trailers seen so far, the campaign could benefit from the same stress testing, as lots of remarkably helpful feedback has seen implementation during the multiplayer flights already. The campaign, however, remains an unknown quantity.

Check out more Master Chief Collection mods here!

(You can also check out more Halo: Combat Evolved mods here)

In any case, we’ll possibly see one more testing period before Infinite’s projected release in about a month - a last-minute round-up of any other bugs that can be solved. Infinite’s repeated delays so far could also mean another one is on the horizon, if the rest of Infinite’s flighting so far indicates further improvements are needed. For the most part, however, I’m positive about the new release - and we’ll be sure to cover any more news about Infinite closer to the finish line.

Halo Infinite's Phase 2 Flight 1st Weekend; 5 Halo Mods To Play Before You Finish The Flight

Halo Infinite's Phase 2 Flight 1st Weekend; 5 Halo Mods To Play Before You Finish The Flight

Feature

With the first weekend of Halo Infinite’s phase 2 flight concluded, here’s five mods to keep your skills honed in prep for next weekend!

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halo2 wmp skin

halo2 wmp skin

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This is the archived copy of the Halo 2 skin for Windows Media Player10\12 by Microsoft\Bungie

Halo 2: Spartan Edition (featuring Halo 2: Cortana)

Halo 2: Spartan Edition (featuring Halo 2: Cortana)

Full Version 5 comments

Defeat the Covenant one last time and become fate.

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals + Gameplay Map Files [H2X60]

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals + Gameplay Map Files [H2X60]

Halo 2 Reclaimed Full Version

The main, and recommended, package of Halo 2 Reclaimed with all fixes. Ready made .map files if you don't want to go through the patcher.

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals Only Map Files [H2X30]

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals Only Map Files [H2X30]

Halo 2 Reclaimed Full Version

VISUAL/AUDIO ONLY FIXES. Ready made .map files if you don't want to go through the patcher. For use with 30 tick rate.

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals + Gameplay Patcher [H2X60]

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals + Gameplay Patcher [H2X60]

Halo 2 Reclaimed Patch 1 comment

The main, and recommended, package of Halo 2 Reclaimed with all fixes (VISUALS and GAMEPLAY). Quickly swap between H2V’s and H2X60 maps by patching...

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals Only Patcher [H2X30]

Halo 2 Reclaimed R2 Visuals Only Patcher [H2X30]

Halo 2 Reclaimed Patch

VISUAL/AUDIO ONLY FIXES. Quickly swap between H2V’s and H2X30 maps by patching and unpatching all maps with the push of a button. For use with 30 tick...

Post comment Comments  (50 - 60 of 71)
bobwashere
bobwashere - - 274 comments

I love Halo, but c'mon, did Microsoft really need to hold the PC versionof Halo 2 until Vista came out and then only release it for the Vista? They did the same thing for Halo 1 and XP.

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UTUmbrellaSTARS
UTUmbrellaSTARS - - 322 comments

Well they should of made 2 types of the game, one for XP and one for vista!! Having it only on vista lets down all the people who have xp! Unreal 2 far better game than halo 2 anyway.

Anyway my mate bought halo 2 for his vista only, did not even work at all, shows u how good vista is when one of its own games does not even work on it own system. His computer had all of the specifcations and more and still did'nt work, wasted £25.00 for nothing X) nice.


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xHPxHybrid
xHPxHybrid - - 10 comments

about the patch for shadowrun, you have to have a cracked (illegal) version for it to work...and if theres a patch for halo2 to run on XP will the installer even let you install it since its not Vista??probly not...

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SirMordred
SirMordred - - 133 comments

I recall that many were disappointed with Halo 2's cliffhangar ending...however, I like to see it as a bridge between two fantastic games -- in fact, they're not games. Games are just entertainment -- Halo is more, much, much more...

HALO 2 is a fantastic achievement and a milestone in human history...100/10

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Orthuberra
Orthuberra - - 23 comments

Some guys just made a patch modifying Halo 2 to work with Windows XP and directX 9.0c. They also made one for Shaodowrun as well! Flips off Bill Gates... :P

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bobwashere
bobwashere - - 274 comments

The only reason Halo runs only for Vista is so Microsoft can promote Vista. I HATE THEM! :devil: I mean, Vista is nothing but a glorified XP with dx 10 that can barely run anything. :P

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Gespenst
Gespenst - - 96 comments

Hope I can play this O.o

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--ares--
--ares-- - - 44 comments

I'm not so much interested in halo as I am DX10. IS there some kine of upgrade so I can keep xp but have dx10 because I already have spare computer with vista and its the pits.

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rossmum
rossmum - - 124 comments

"will the gfx be any better? "

Yep. Much better, as is evident from the screenshots that have been released. Compared to H2X it looks beautiful.

"I heard a rumor that Halo 2 for Vista will have a Level Editor... is this true?"

Not a level editor as such, but it will use the same tools as the Halo Editing Kit, allowing players to create their own maps, weapons, vehicles, bipeds, etc.

"*flips off Vista* I would Vista but the are monturing you so closely that is you go to new grounds they cut off your internet"

Uh, no. That was probably some sort of block put up by the network admin (were you at school?) or your internet was playing up. MS would'nt bother blocking you from going to Newgrounds...

"Actually, no - DirectX9.0L is for Vista only (the L stands for Longhorn). It allows Vista to run DX9 games.
Halo 2 will not run on Windows XP because Microsoft want your money for Vista.

To be honest, I don't see why anyone even cares about Halo 2 any more. It was an average game on release, and doesn't begin to compare with any half-decent PC shooter now.
It's two years late, and looking no better for it. Game over, methinks. "

That's pretty much the general consensus, that it's all a big marketing ploy. I don't entirely agree, though I don't particularly feel like arguing about it and you're entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. As for the second part, try telling that to all the people who haven't played H2 and don't have an Xbox... or all those people who do have it on Xbox, and want to create custom content from it. Halo Custom Edition is still chugging along merrily and it wasn't even a standalone release but rather a free addon, and it's been out for nearly 3 years. H2V will probably be thriving for some time considering the calibre of the Halo CE community's mappers (Neuro, Mothergoat, ejburke, Wave of Lag, SnaFuBAR and Tweek come to mind, and those are just the ones I could think of on the spot). With maps like No Remorse, Portent, and Immure 2 being considered for porting to H2V, I can see it really taking off once more people start getting Vista.

I know one of the testers through the Gearbox and H2vista.net forums, if any of you have heard of Nitrousoxide (of H2CE fame), that's him. He occasionally drops by to give us info that hasn't been publically released, so far things sound quite good though I won't be rushing out to buy a new OS and a PC that can handle it just for H2V. I'll be waiting until Vista's bugs are ironed out and I actually have some money...

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c4Menace
c4Menace - - 135 comments

will the gfx be any better?

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