Halo 2 is a 2004
first-person shooter game developed by
Bungie and published by
Microsoft Game Studios for the
Xbox console.
Halo 2 is the second installment in the
Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed
Halo: Combat Evolved. The game features new weapons, enemies, and vehicles, another player character, and shipped with online multiplayer via Microsoft's
Xbox Live service. In
Halo 2's story mode, the player assumes the roles of the human
Master Chief and alien
Arbiter in a 26th-century conflict between the
United Nations Space Command, the genocidal
Covenant, and later, the parasitic
Flood.
After the success of
Halo: Combat Evolved, a sequel was expected and highly anticipated. Bungie found inspiration in plot points and gameplay elements that had been left out of their first game, including online multiplayer. A troubled development and time constraints forced cuts to the scope of the game, including the wholesale removal of a more ambitious multiplayer mode, and necessitated a
cliffhanger ending to the game's campaign mode. Among
Halo 2's marketing was an early
alternate reality game called "
I Love Bees" that involved players solving real-world puzzles. Bungie supported the game after release with new multiplayer maps and updates to address cheating and glitches. The game was followed by a sequel,
Halo 3, in September 2007.
Halo 2 was a commercial and critical success and is often listed as one of the
greatest video games of all time. The game became the most popular title on Xbox Live, holding that rank until the release of
Gears of War for the
Xbox 360 nearly two years later.
Halo 2 is the best-selling first-generation Xbox game, with more than 8 million copies sold worldwide. The game received critical acclaim, with the multiplayer lauded; in comparison, the campaign and its cliffhanger ending was divisive. The game's online component was highly influential and cemented many features as standard in future games and online services, including matchmaking, lobbies, and
clans.
Halo 2's marketing heralded the beginnings of video games as
blockbuster media. A port of the game for
Windows Vista was released in 2007, followed by a high-definition remake as part of
Halo: The Master Chief Collection in 2014. (
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