*Though Halo 2 was the second most popular game of 2004, the vast majority of gamers had one major complaint–its ending. Without providing any spoilers, the Xbox shooter’s finale feels more than a little truncated, leaving the game’s two protagonists–the Master Chief and the Arbiter–in medias res.
In particular, Halo 2’s last shot also seemed to set up a sequel with about as much subtlety as the finale of Flash Gordon, prompting speculation that the next-gen Xbox would ship bundled with an expanded Halo 2.5. Another rumor had work on a next-gen Halo 3 well under way, with Microsoft planning to release it the same day the PlayStation 3 goes on sale, presumably in 2006.
Today, another theory emerged, courtesy of a release schedule on the Korean-language version of the official Xbox site (pictured). Under the March and April releases on the page is a more general “coming soon” category, which lists several games with more-fluid release dates, including Forza Motorsport and Red Ninja: End of Honor.
However, of considerably more interest to Halo fans is the entry for one “Halo 2 X-Pack (Expansion Pack).” The one-line listing had no other description or firm date. That said, its presence on an official Microsoft site added credence to the theory that Microsoft cut Halo 2 short so it could roll out a large expansion akin to the Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Pack at a later date via Xbox Live–for a price. Such a Halo 2 expansion could be a twofold boon for Microsoft, adding another incentive for gamers to join its online service and squeezing further dollars from the nearly 7 million gamers who already have Halo 2.
So is the Halo 2 X-Pack listing proof positive of the paid expansion-pack theory? Or could it be possible that the expansion will be free, like the Hurricane Pack was? It’s hard to say definitively, since Microsoft had not commented as of press time.*
Originally Posted by Jacob Singer I’m betting it’s just going to be maps that could otherwise be downloaded, for people who don’t have Live.
I think that’s exactly correct. And the Bungie.netWhat’s Update would also lead one to believe that.
The Update also has a lot of interesting information in it. I think the update should rejuvenate the online Halo community. I know I’m super pumped for it.
I have been pretty active along with Kyle, but yes the game sorely needs a shot in the arm.
New maps is what the doctor ordered, and that seems like the obvious choice for the millions of Halo owners who dont have Live and just lan party. As long as they dont plan on charging us LIVE users extra money for it, I am all for supporting the offline community…cheap bastards.
New maps will be nice. Anyone want to speculate on what the might be based on?
I would just not like to have the same map everytime I play a certain game. Last night I played slayer and got Ivory Tower thre eout of five towns. Gets boring after awhile. Of course Live is usually boring to me also when my friends aren’t on.
Nice to see they are also working on fixing the cheats.
Originally Posted by Kyle Corkum I think that’s exactly correct. And the Bungie.netWhat’s Update would also lead one to believe that. The Update also has a lot of interesting information in it. I think the update should rejuvenate the online Halo community. I know I’m super pumped for it.
Excellent. New maps and fixed cheating. I hope there are at least double the number of maps. I’ll be pissed if they only designed 3 or 4. But I’m kinda concerned with their described “fix” for the standby cheat. It doesn’t really sound like they got completely rid of it. Hope that doesn’t bite them in the ass, as that is a HUGE problem they need to get rid of.
I’m still half-hoping for some inherent gameplay changes myself. Some weapons, combos, and tactics are still either too good or too crappy.
I wonder if they are going to try and add in the four wheelers like they wanted to for the game? That would certainly be interesting.
Are there any weapons missing from Live that were in the game? I personally would love to see a heavy machine gun that is portable of some type.
Not sure what type of maps I would want to see. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is a Mogadishu map with streets and buildings to duck in and out of. Also, maybe another map similar to Coagulation, but taking advantage of Scorpion tanks (I am dreaming here of a heavy armor Big Team Battle with multiple tanks and Warthogs running around).
Originally Posted by Casey Moore I wonder if they are going to try and add in the four wheelers like they wanted to for the game? That would certainly be interesting. Are there any weapons missing from Live that were in the game? I personally would love to see a heavy machine gun that is portable of some type.
Fuel Rod Gun (shoulder-fired and Banshee-fired) and I think the Sentinel Beam wasn’t in Live. Sentinel Beam I could live without, but FRGs might be fun. Better placed Brute Shots spawn points wouldn’t hurt either.
And there’s always the Scarab gun. Heh heh.
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Not sure what type of maps I would want to see. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is a Mogadishu map with streets and buildings to duck in and out of. Also, maybe another map similar to Coagulation, but taking advantage of Scorpion tanks (I am dreaming here of a heavy armor Big Team Battle with multiple tanks and Warthogs running around). Any other ideas for maps yall would like to see?
Scorpions and Spectres need to be incorporated in Matchmaking. I still don’t know why they were never put in.
I’d like the big snowy map from Halo 1 to be put in. What was that called? Sidewinder? It was more than big enough to allow for tanks.
I forgot about the Sentinel beam which was one of my favorite weapons in the game. The Scarab gun would make quick work in a Slayer match.
I thought a bridge map might be fun, but I am not sure how you would do it (thinking A Bridge Too Far). Maybe make it territories based and incorporate tanks, infantry, Ghosts, and Banshees into it.
Bored today until the State vs Duke game, so yeah, I am spending my Sunday thinking of Halo maps I would like to see.
I’ve said it before…Bungie should have a option where you can trade custom game types with others!
New maps would be welcome, of course it’d still be the same…you matchmake, and then your teammates bitch and moan about how they hate __________ and how they never win on it.
Hope the new stuff revitalizes the Halo 2 Community around here.
I’m almost completely sure that there will not be more than 3 or 4 new maps. Hang 'em High will almost definitely be one, and I think Sidewinder will be one too. I think any others will be completely new.
Standby is impossible to stop. You cannot stop someone from pushing the standby button. I believe what they are doing is making it so that the standbyer’s screen goes blue also, so they won’t be able to see what they are doing. That’s what I’ve heard from the folks I play with online. I believe the reason they don’t want to reveal too much information about that is so that it will take the cheaters longer to figure out how to get around it. Even after this people are probably going to figure out new ways to cheat. It’s unfortunate, but cheating is really impossible to completely stop.
The Fuel Rod Cannon is ridiculously overpowered and will never show up in multiplayer. The Scorpion is also overpowered, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked it in. I personally believe they should take off the machine gun so it only shoots the super powerful missile thing, kind of like how the wraith is. I love the shit out of the Specters, but they are pretty awful. If you’ve ever used one in a custom game you know this.
What are the Hang 'Em High and Sidewinder maps like? I never played the first Halo, so I have no clue.
Scorpions can work on Coagulation. It is a pretty big map. Of course all it takes is someone with a rocket launcher and you are pretty screwed out there in the open.
I would at least like the option of the other weapons in Cutom games. I play with friends every Friday and Saturday night, so it would be fun to add those to the mix.
Originally Posted by Casey Moore What are the Hang 'Em High and Sidewinder maps like? I never played the first Halo, so I have no clue.
The two best maps in the game, IMO. I tried to attach my picture of Hang 'em High, but it was too big. It’s pretty hard to tell what’s going on in the picture anyway, if you’ve never played. Hang 'em High is a pretty large and open indoor map with two bases on opposite corners of the stage and multiple thin bridges across the map from one base to the other. There is also a little trench in the middle. By far the most played Halo map among my friends and I.
I’m going to attach a picture of Sidewinder, so you can take a look. Sidewinder is about the size of Blood Gulch/Coagulation. It’s snowy, as you can tell, and the warthogs don’t get very good traction on the ice parts. The bases are the matching structures seen at the bottom. There are multiple ways to get from one base to the other, including the teleporters in the top of the base that lead to the land areas near the top, which is where the rockets are. However, you can’t warp back to the base from there. I really love that map and really hope they do bring that map back.
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Scorpions can work on Coagulation. It is a pretty big map. Of course all it takes is someone with a rocket launcher and you are pretty screwed out there in the open.
The problem is that there is only one set of rockets. Putting Scorpions on the map just further imbalances the map toward the team that manages to get the rockets. It’s not the worst thing ever, but it’s awful if you are the team getting destroyed by the tank, without any real defense against it.
Originally Posted by Kyle Corkum The Fuel Rod Cannon is ridiculously overpowered and will never show up in multiplayer. The Scorpion is also overpowered, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked it in. I personally believe they should take off the machine gun so it only shoots the super powerful missile thing, kind of like how the wraith is. I love the shit out of the Specters, but they are pretty awful. If you’ve ever used one in a custom game you know this.
I don’t think the FRG was that bad. It had a pretty slow reload and rate of fire, plus the splash damage isn’t nearly as powerful (instant kill) as the Rocket Launcher. Though, I’m talking about the FRC from the game and not the one in HaloPC (which I never played).
I don’t think the Scorpion isn’t that really that bad either. Any damage and it’s sniper bait. And, considering the maps that it can only spawn on are sniper-fests as is, it’s not just a race of what team gets the rocket launcher but also if the team can keep sniping successfully.
Spectres kinda blow, but hey, this game could use variety.
Originally Posted by Fazer they can’t/won’t do new weapons and vehicles. The console architecture of the game will not allow them to do a PC style expansion like that. Maps yes…gameplay changes of any kind (weapon tweaks, hit damage, etc etc) will not be changed.
Not that I have my hopes up much, but is that really true? Ninja Gaiden made several big gameplay changes in its expansion packs, including changing the fighting system and adding a new weapon. And I’ve only seen the energy gun turrets selectable in Matchmaking games.
*Product page on EBgames.com briefly lists a $19.99, nine-level multiplayer add-on as coming May 24; Bungie says announcement due by week’s end; Microsoft stays mum.
Last Friday, word spread like wildfire that Microsoft was planning to release an expansion pack for Halo 2. The news sprouted from a release schedule on the official Korean-language Xbox Web site, which listed a “Halo 2 X-Pack (Expansion Pack)” as “coming soon.” No other details were available at the time, leading many who were disappointed by the sci-fi shooter’s abrupt ending to believe that the expansion would feature a more extended and satisfying conclusion.
However, it now appears that those hoping for an alternate denouement to Halo 2’s single-player campaign will have to wait. According to a product page for a “Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack” that was briefly listed on EBgames.com this morning, the expansion is only “a collection of nine multiplayer maps, as well as non-playable video content (a cinematic and a mini-documentary). Delivered on a standard Xbox DVD disc, the multiplayer content can be used by gamers on Xbox Live as well as those who play multiplayer via System Link or via Split-screen (on one Xbox).”
Before it disappeared from the site this morning, the page listed the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack as costing $19.99 and shipping on May 24. As of press time, the page still displayed the name “Halo 2 Expansion Pack” as its page title in Internet browsers and HTML code.
Some official word on Halo 2 expansion plans did come at the end of last week in developer Bungie’s official What’s Update newsletter. In it, Bungie.net content manager Frank O’Connor said a “major announcement about the details of our new maps” is coming later this week. He also said that Bungie plans to “make new content available for everybody, [to] those with Xbox Live and those without Xbox Live,” adding further credence to the EB listing’s contention that the Halo 2 update would be available on a DVD and not solely through Xbox Live.*
