- Halo 2
- Available on: Xbox - PC
- Backwards Compatible with Xbox 360: YES
- More information: wikipedia
- Cover scans: mobygames - covergalaxy
- FAQ's/cheats: Xbox - PC
- Press reviews: ign - gamespot - gamespy - teamxbox
Content review for this game:
Pertaining to content listed in the upper left corner of this site.
Blood and gore: When you shoot or hit an enemy, its blood will hit the ground in wide, thin puddles, and lightly stain walls. Blood also does splatter--well, more like trickle. Most of the enemies in the game shed neon blue, purple or green blood, which isn't too offensive or graphic. However, there are two races in this game that shed red blood: the humans, and the aliens known as the Brutes. It sheds the same as listed above, and again, it really isn't too graphic for an "M" for Mature rating. Also worth mentioning is that blood and bodies linger, and throughout the game you see many injured or dead soldiers lying on the ground. Most are visibly bloodied. There is no option to turn blood off.
Specific scene of blood & gore:
The beginning of the game shows the enemy aliens disciplining one of their own for failing to protect the previous halo ring. You see him hung by his arms, as they brand him like an animal, while he screams in pain, with smoke searing from his skin. Later, while being dragged by the prison guards, they talk about how they would like to eat him. As they place him in view of the alien leaders, they tell him the council decided to hang him by his entrails and parade him through the streets. However, they instead want him to act as their warrior servant.
Violence: Halo 2's story takes place a short time after Halo's ending, and involves the aftermath of Master Chief (main playable character) destroying what the humans thought to be the only Halo (a huge ring-shaped artificial planet that can destroy galaxies) in existence. The Covenant, an extremist (and alien) religious group, who worship the Halo rings, are outraged, and blame the Elite (a race which serve and guard the Covenant), who was charged with guarding the ring. They strip him of his title, and put him on a suicide mission to destroy Master Chief, who they call the Demon. The humans soon find out there is a second Halo ring, and in fact there may be thousands. Not only this, but the Flood (an enemy to both Humans and the Covenant, who take over and mutate organic bodies) have made a reappearance. Time to save the galaxy again...
The overall gameplay is heart-pumping, sometimes stressful and intense, with your character being put in almost insurmountable and impossible situations throughout. But as I will explain a little lower in this review, it's usually not too graphic or offensive, especially for a "M" for Mature game. The main character has a variety of weapons at his disposal, from grenades and pistols to submachine guns and rocket launchers. You also have access to the aliens' weapons, and can knock enemies with the butt of your firearm. Many vehicles are granted to you throughout the game, and you are able to shoot and run over enemies with them. Also, you can shoot, hit, run over, and kill your fellow human soldiers, if you choose to do so, that is.
The enemy consist solely of aliens, ranging from "grunts," who are small and have squeaky, almost comedic voices, to "Elites," who are over 8 feet tall, and wear full body armor, and "Brutes," who resemble that of an oversized ape. As mentioned above, it's hard to say how offensive the violence in this game is because, honestly, it's all a bit over the top, and even cartoony. Though an enemy I am about to explain might change the "not too offensive issue" I was talking about.
They are called the "Flood," and are enemies both to the main character and the aliens. The Flood give the game an overall light horror feel; screaming and howling in spooky tones, and giving the whole area a feeling of despair and hopelessness. They are a symbiotic creature, which means they take over the human and alien bodies as hosts. In their default form they resemble a shrimp-like creature that latches onto the bodies of it's victims, and quickly takes over their DNA, resulting in a large and hideous mass forming from the remaining body. In their new form they have yellowish colored skin, and you can still see whatever remains of the human or alien body here and there. When you hit them they surprisingly break apart into dry, flaky chunks, and not bloody chunks like you would imagine. They are predominantly present in 3 of the 15 levels.
There is also a type of enemy from the Flood that resembles a huge piece of mutated popcorn with legs. They carry the shrimp-like creatures I mentioned above in their bodies. They will run at your character, drop and then explode, leaving the smaller enemies to attack you.
