Halo 2 Announced! (Screens inside)

Bond · 08-08-2002, 10:25 AM

After Halo shipped, a lot of people assumed they knew what Bungie would do next. "Of course they'll do a sequel to Halo," went the prevailing wisdom. "They'd be stupid not to capitalize on the success of the first game. And there are so many loose ends to tie up. Yeah, there's definitely a sequel in the works." So it may not come as a surprise to you, dear readers, that we formally announced Halo 2 at X02 in New York City this morning.

I think I can assume that anyone reading about Halo 2 on Bungie's own Halo site probably knows the basics already. You already know Halo 2 is the sequel to Halo. You already know Halo walked off with a ton of rave reviews and Game-of-the-Year awards. You already know the bar has been raised and expectations for a sequel are high. You already know Bungie has no intention of disappointing anyone.

What you really want to know is: "What does it look like? What's new? What's the solo campaign all about? What about multiplayer?" And of course the all-important "When can I get my hands on it?"

The game itself is everything you loved about the original Halo, but with all the knobs turned up to 11 this time round. This is not a quickie "Halo 1.5" follow-up using the same engine. We are using a completely rewritten graphics engine which allows our artists to work in previously unimaginable complexity and detail. Anyone who thinks the original Halo stretched the Xbox's graphical abilities to the limit is mistaken. There are gorgeous new realms to be explored, and Halo 2 will take you there. There will be several new weapons in addition to the reliable old standards from the first game. Not to mention the new vehicles you'll ride into battle. Or the many new enemies you'll face. If you had a hard time with the handful of Covenant races you met in the first game, you may wish to start practicing now; you'll need it when they unleash the rest of their army.

Halo 2 returns you to the role of the Master Chief - still humanity's best weapon against the Covenant. Their defeat at Halo was only temporary, and they are pursuing their goal - the complete obliteration of humankind - with renewed zeal. Human military forces are exhausted and unable to stave off the Covenant's rapid advance toward Earth. Even with the Master Chief back in action, the situation looks dire - and this is at the beginning of the game, before things get a lot worse. In true Bungie tradition, the solo campaign in Halo 2 deepens and expands upon the story that began in the first game: old questions will be answered, new mysteries will unfold, and the truly epic nature of the story will finally be revealed.

Multiplayer is an entirely different kettle of fish. Halo 2 is designed from the ground up to support internet multiplayer games over Xbox Live™. You're no longer limited to playing LAN games against friends who live nearby. What's more, the multiplayer experience is being completely redesigned. The first Halo offered just a glimpse of what we originally had in mind; now, in Halo 2, our designers' vision will come to glorious, explosive fruition.

First Screen Shots:

Bungie has also made some very nice desktops for Halo 2 here:
http://www.bungie.net/perlbin/blam.p...sktops04.html&

Professor S · 08-08-2002, 11:25 AM

This is probably a stupid question, but any word on a release date?

Crono · 08-08-2002, 11:30 AM

Games like these make me want an Xbox.

Too bad I can't afford it. I'll have to wait until I get a job...

gekko · 08-08-2002, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Strangler
This is probably a stupid question, but any word on a release date?

I heard late 2003.

Bond · 08-08-2002, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Strangler
This is probably a stupid question, but any word on a release date?

2003 holiday season seems to be the release date going around.

gekko · 08-08-2002, 12:23 PM

BUNGIE ANNOUNCES "HALO 2" FOR XBOX

NEW YORK — Aug. 8, 2002 — Bungie Studios, Microsoft Game Studios' premiere 1st party game-development studio, today ended rampant speculation by officially announcing "Halo 2" for the Xbox™ video game system. Members of the press were treated to their first look at this sequel to Bungie's award-winning "Halo: Combat Evolved™", Electronic Gaming Magazine's "Game of the Year", game during "X02", a Microsoft press event held in New York City.

"Halo 2" continues the story of the Master Chief, a genetically enhanced super-soldier who is the only human ever to successfully defy the Covenant—a coalition of alien races on a murderous march toward Earth. To the mysterious leaders of the Covenant, the human victory at the ancient ring structure known as Halo was an unacceptable failure. They will not fail again.

"Halo 2" surpasses its predecessor in graphical beauty and combat intensity. "'Halo 2' is a lot like 'Halo', only it's 'Halo' on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas," explained Jason Jones, the head of Bungie Studios, "and the ninjas are all on fire, too." The Master Chief and his marine allies return to battle the full complement of Covenant forces, as well as as-of-yet-unrevealed foes.

"Halo 2" expands the Master Chief's already substantial arsenal with powerful new weapons, many pried from the twitching claws of his defeated enemies. This sequel also increases Halo's number of drivable vehicles giving players many more ways to speed into battle or explore the game's vast landscapes.

"Halo 2" is powered by a completely new graphics engine designed specifically for the Xbox hardware. "Our code squeezes every drop of power out of the Xbox," said Chris Butcher, one of "Halo 2's" engineering leads. "We're doing dynamic lighting and shadows, per-pixel everything, rendering gigantic, lush environments. The graphical features we're using are so advanced we don't even have buzzwords for them yet."

In addition to an epic single-player campaign, "Halo 2" has support for multiplayer action via split-screen, Xbox "System-Link" and online through Microsoft's "Xbox Live™" service. "We still have the multiplayer game-types that people loved in 'Halo', but we're planning something special for multiplayer in 'Halo 2,'" hinted Jaime Griesemer, "Halo 2's" lead designer. "I don't want to ruin the surprise, but imagine the essential 'Halo' single-player experience: pitched battles between the humans and the Covenant, massive vehicle and infantry engagements. Now imagine that every combatant is an actual person playing over Xbox Live!" "Halo 2's" online multiplayer will feature squad-oriented team-play, real-time voice chat and extensive community support when it ships at the end of next year.

An official, downloadable version of the "Halo 2" announcement trailer will be available soon. This is the same trailer shown to the press at Microsoft's X02 event, and features two-and-a-half minutes of in-engine footage as well as an original musical score by Bungie's award-winning composer, Martin O'Donnell. For now, please head to http://www.bungie.net or click the links on the left for exclusive screenshots from the trailer.

About Bungie Studios

Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve the real goal of total world domination. Over the last 10 years it produced games like the Marathon Trilogy and the first two Myth games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. "Halo: Combat Evolved," its latest game, has achieved phenomenal success on the Microsoft Xbox video game system. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net.

About Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the PC, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios for the PC (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as "Age of Empires®," "Flight Simulator" and "Zoo Tycoon™"; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as "Halo™," "Project Gotham Racing™" and "NFL Fever"; and Zone.com (http://zone.msn.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "OutSmart the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "OutSmart".

gekko · 08-08-2002, 12:28 PM

Adding this to the threads about both games...

Hail to the Master Chief! "Halo 2" Is Coming to an Xbox Near You
Microsoft Game Studios Announces "Halo 2" and "Project Gotham Racing 2," Highly Anticipated Sequels to Top-Selling Xbox Games

NEW YORK — Aug. 8, 2002 — It's time again for gamers to assume the role of Master Chief, protecting humanity with a powerful armory of guns and grenades as they battle the relentless Covenant scourge. It's also time for gamers to be among the first to grab the steering wheel of a shiny new Enzo Ferrari and race through the streets of some of the world's most exotic cities.

Microsoft Corp. today announced at the X02 North America event that "Halo™ 2" and "Project Gotham Racing™ 2," sequels to best-selling Xbox™ games from Microsoft Game Studios, are in development for the Xbox video game system. "Halo 2," developed by Bungie Studios, is expected to arrive on store shelves for the 2003 holiday season, and "Project Gotham Racing 2," developed by Bizarre Creations, is due in early 2004.

"Halo 2," a sci-fi action/first-person shooter game, is a full sequel to the best-selling original and will continue the story of the Master Chief, a genetically enhanced supersoldier who is the only man that has successfully defied the Covenant, a coalition of alien races on a murderous march toward Earth. "Halo 2" surpasses its predecessor both in graphical beauty and combat intensity. The Master Chief and his marine allies return to battle the full complement of Covenant forces, as well as new enemies who have not yet revealed themselves. "Halo 2" also expands the Master Chief's already substantial arsenal with powerful new weapons, many pried from the twitching claws of defeated enemies, as well as more than twice as many drivable vehicles for exploring vast landscapes or speeding into battle. In addition to its epic single-player campaign, "Halo 2" will be playable online through Xbox Live.

"Project Gotham Racing 2" returns to city streets with new fully licensed vehicles from major car manufacturers including Ferrari and Porsche. This engaging racing game sequel includes more than 50 vehicles as well as new cities, including Edinburgh, Scotland, and Hong Kong. More ways to earn Kudos will be available, as well as a new rating system, a more accurate way to rank players rather than just by the number of Kudos they have earned. "Project Gotham Racing 2" also enables gamers to play online through the Xbox Live service.

"There's only one thing better than announcing a sequel to a million-seller," said Ed Fries, vice president of Xbox Game Content at Microsoft Game Studios. "And that's announcing sequels to two 1-million-unit-selling games. Our 'Halo' and 'Project Gotham Racing' franchises have redefined the shooter and racing categories around the world with innovation, great gameplay and pure fun. 'Halo 2' and 'Project Gotham Racing 2' will build on these legacies with awesome new features and the thrill of playing anyone anywhere using Xbox Live."

"Halo: Combat Evolved" reached the 1-million-units-sold mark faster than any other Xbox game in North America and was named Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, Electronic Gaming Monthly and IGN.com. "Project Gotham Racing" was nominated for Console Racing Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. It joined the select million-seller club during the past month.

At the X02 North America event, third-party publishers such as Electronic Arts™, Sega® of America Inc. and Capcom® showed off their holiday titles, and Bose Corp. is helping Xbox showcase the power of the console's unique Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound capabilities through the use of the new Bose Freestyle audio system.

Gamers don't have to wait until 2003; they can get their fix of great Xbox games this holiday season with "Blinx™: The Time Sweeper," "Brute Force™," "Kakuto Chojin™," "MechAssault™," "NBA Inside Drive 2003," "NFL Fever 2003" (available now), "Quantum Redshift™," "Sega Sports™ NFL 2K3" (Sega® of America), "Panzer Dragoon™ Orta" (Sega® of America), "Shenmue II," "Sneakers™," "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell™" (Ubi Soft® Entertainment), "Unreal Championship" (Infogrames), and "Whacked!™."

About Bungie Studios

Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve the real goal of total world domination. Over the last 10 years it produced games like the Marathon Trilogy and the first two Myth games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. "Halo: Combat Evolved," its latest game, has achieved phenomenal success on the Microsoft Xbox video game system. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net/.

About Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the PC, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios for the PC (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as "Age of Empires®," "Flight Simulator" and "Zoo Tycoon™"; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as "Halo™," "Project Gotham Racing™" and "NFL Fever"; and Zone.com (http://zone.msn.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "OutSmart™."

About Xbox

Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft's future-generation video game system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever. Xbox empowers game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Xbox is now available in North America, Japan, Europe and Australia.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Old Skool · 08-08-2002, 12:51 PM

WoW ..................................................................WoW ..............................

We love you Xbox!

Shadow_Link · 08-08-2002, 01:21 PM

This is definately only one of the few games I'll be getting for my Xbox. I wonder if this game will support the keypbard and mouse?

Joeiss · 08-08-2002, 01:49 PM

This game looks sweet.... I can't wait to try it out. Halo was amazing, I expect nothing less from Halo 2.

Perfect Stu · 08-08-2002, 03:05 PM

Sweet! Halo 2! W0000000!

*passes out*

gekko · 08-08-2002, 03:25 PM

MS has released some Halo media. Screens that have been posted, and then Masterchief art.

http://homepage.mac.com/behlert/Halo2/0screenshot00.tif

http://homepage.mac.com/behlert/Halo2/1screenshot00.tif

DarkDemonic726 · 08-08-2002, 04:30 PM

THE GRAPHICS ROCK!!! ANYWORD OF THE STORY OF HALO 2?

Professor S · 08-09-2002, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shadow_Link
This is definately only one of the few games I'll be getting for my Xbox. I wonder if this game will support the keypbard and mouse?

Wow, Shadow Link ws actually able to cram in a shot against ther XBox while talking about actually purchasing a game for it. That there is some good verbal gymnastics.

Bond · 08-09-2002, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Strangler

Wow, Shadow Link ws actually able to cram in a shot against ther XBox while talking about actually purchasing a game for it. That there is some good verbal gymnastics.

Yeah, well, he may have been serious. Normally he adds the 'rolls eyes' smilie into any of his sarcastic posts, so you never know.

But if you were serious it will most likely not support a keyboard and mouse.