In this ongoing look at significant moments in the history of video game design, we have already taken a look at Bungie’s Halo, Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, Nintendo’s Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out and several others. The goal of this series is to go beyond simple gaming magazines and iPhone Game Reviews, and take a closer look at what defines memorability and quality in game design. In this ninth part of the series we will examine some more of those classic moments where video game designers undoubtedly got it right and delivered a memorable, enduring and progressive gaming experience.

Halo 2 – A launch title for the original Xbox, Halo:Combat Evolved not only ensured the success of the Xbox, but served as the launching point for what would go onto become one of the biggest franchises in all of video games. Its first sequel, Halo 2, had more than its share of hype to deliver on and seemed poised to yet again redefine the first-person-shooter (FPS) genre upon its release. Despite its warm critical reception and record breaking sales, a small but vocal contingent of Halo fans felt that Halo 2 fell short in many ways. Animations were lacking and stiff (melee animations in particular were of markedly lower quality than the original), draw-in and pop-up was abound, and a surprise playable character coupled with an undelivered upon – yet promised – story arc left enthusiasts feeling slighted. Regardless of these actual and perceived shortcomings, Halo 2 did many things exceedingly well. Its new vehicle mounting and dual wielding systems were implemented effectively, and the Arbiter character, though maligned, offered a refreshing change of gameplay pace and style.

In singling out a single aspect of Halo 2 for its lasting greatness, we can simply focus on the game’s refined enemy selection. While most players praised Halo 2 for its newly introduced online multiplayer element, the single player received a much needed shot in the arm in the form of new enemies – various Brutes, Drones and Prophets.

Much line in the original Halo, Halo 2 demands the player to be well rounded. Intricate and carefully planned battles among humans and the Covenant make way to the all out bullet storms that are interactions with the Flood. Tactical gunfights with the much more powerful Brutes were tempered by frantic wars with swarms of flying drones. The game demanded not only precision aiming and battlefield smarts (take a Brutes helmet out and the Brute will shortly follow), but stealthy assassinations performed under timed periods of invisibility (Arbiter levels). The introduction of boss battles with the Prophets serves as another example of a new character being seamlessly introduced into the narrative and gameplay. In playing Halo 2, players are forced to call upon skills that have been refined over many years of FPS gaming. Battlefield experience from games like Call of Duty helped the player overcome hordes of foot soldiers and entrenched enemies. The Dooms and Quakes of the world helped develop those fast twitch reactions required to beat enemies like the flood and the drones, while the original Halo primed the player for the vehicle battles that made up such a healthy portion of each game. It is because of its varied enemy selection and the demands it places on the skill-sets of even the most seasoned FPS players that Halo 2 will go down in history as a game that pushed the genre forward and truly tested all gamers who chose to rise to its challenge.

A few iPhone/iPod games i found interesting and want to share it: FAST, FIELDRUNNERS, NOVA, AVATAR, SPACE TREK, N4S SHIFT. Cheers!
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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