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On November 9th, 2004, Microsoft made entertainment history with the launch of Halo 2. In a single day of sales the eagerly anticipated title brought in $125 million, and was quickly coveted as one of the best titles in recent history.
With the launch of the Games for Windows Live platform on Windows Vista, Halo 2 was selected as one of the first Vista OS only titles. Does a nearly three-year-old title launching on the platform help or hurt the argument that Vista is the next generation of PC gaming?
 The biggest draw to Halo 2 upon it's initial release was the addition of online multi-player over Xbox Live which it's predecessor lacked. It's single-player campaign continued the story of Master Chief, the last remaining Spartan soldier stuck in the middle of a battle with the collective alien race called, The Covenant. The story in Halo 2 takes the lore of the universe in a new direction and even though the title ends with an infamous cliff-hanger, there was something truly remarkable about the entire package when it first hit store shelves in 2004.
PC game players have very high expectations for their marquee titles and with titles in the queue for release later this year it's a difficult proposition to get them to make the necessary, and costly, changes to play a game that was state-of-the-art back in 2004.
Halo 2 does run at higher resolutions than the original release but looks outdated by today's standards for a game with such high system requirements.
The release of the game adds virtually no additional content to the experience making it feel like an even bigger cash-grab and a Vista switch lure. The original Halo for PC shipped with an online experience, it also shipped with new weapons (flamethrower and Covenant fuel-rod cannon), new maps and tweaks to the multi-player experience (adding Banshee to the competitive game).
In fact, Halo 2 is missing content found on the Xbox version of the game. Halo 2 was revolutionary with its online modes because of the tight meshing of Xbox Live features via Bungie's official website. Players could login to Bungie's site and review summaries of played games over Live with detailed breakdowns of the game's action. That feature is completely removed from the PC release. Xbox users were also treated with one of the most refined matchmaking systems found in a game that would track your progress and pit you against opponents the system deemed to be a good challenge for you. Halo 2 on the PC however muddles that system with a server browser found in typical PC FPS games that doesn't rate the challenge at all. Also, it's notable that the recent release of the maps Desolation and Tombstone are no where to be found but are replaces by two PC exclusive maps Uplift and District (which, while totally different, play very well).
Halo 2, like the original on the PC, ships with a map editor that will allow players to create their own custom content in the community which now standard, but still a strong addition to a game that will no doubt be played mostly for it's online experience.
In order for a game to carry the Games for Windows marquee it is required to allow the standard use of the Xbox 360 controller, which this title obviously allows. The game play translates well as Halo 2 refined the flawless controls of its predecessor, save for an awkward online flaw. The game ships with auto aim as a feature which, when paired against an opponent online, during close-quarter combat gives players using the Xbox 360 controller an unfair advantage. Keyboard and mouse support is also available and while it allows for quicker aiming and turning control it is broken apart when standing face-to-face with an enemy. This problem really takes away from the fact that the in-game weapons are so balanced. The framerate however, in the game also slowed to a crawl during transition scenes from game play to in-game cinematics, greatly taking away from the experience.
With it's transition to Windows Vista Halo 2 brings some new behind-the-scenes features into the presentation of the game. The game allows you to connect to your existing Xbox Live GamerTag or create a new online identity. Gamers with Live Gold status (which allows you to play multiplayer games over Xbox Live) automatically have Windows Live Gold Status as the service is considered the game. Silver members are also able to attach their GamerCards to Halo 2 for the PC.
Gold and Silver are two different beasts on the Xbox, as Silver does not allow online play. On PC however this system would not work. Gold members can use the Quick Match button to find a game as well as use the server browser. Silver members are limited to the browser. The Quick Match button seems to be broken however, as it virtually always throws players into an empty server. The differences are arbitrary.
The most noteworthy addition of linking or creating a GamerCard is the game's Achievement Points. Achievements are a system created on Xbox 360 that gives out points that add to your Live GamerCard Score (think, baseball card stats) when you complete tasks within the game. Their function is purely for show. Halo 2 deals points out for beating each of the games missions and a host of the points are for multiplayer achievements. The addition of the guide is more of an afterthought as it actually offers very little in the way of features versus it's Xbox counterpart.
Halo 2 is still a fun experience. The online modes of the game are solid and let players customize the game play for up-to 16 players on over 20 maps with various modes at their disposal. Even though the single-player leaves much to be desired, it still continues the story of our favorite Spartan tasked with saving all of humanity.
The game is solid, if still very outdated. The problem is if players have played through the game on the Xbox it's hard to recommend Halo 2 for the PC, let alone upgrade to Windows Vista.
Multi-player Better Than: Halo: Combat Evolved (PC)
Wait for it: Crysis (PC) or Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
Requires Vista: No, not kidding.
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