Halo 2 Anniversary?!

Is Halo 2 Anniversary legit?

Boss Poster

Is it true that 343 will launch H2 Anniversary in late 2014? Halo 2 remastered would be tight for so many reasons.

First, it would look excellent. The new capabilities for graphics using XBOX One will give a greater image and better frames-per-second, giving much sharper quality. We have already seen this in the Halo for XBOX One trailer. The switch may or may not provide advantages, though. With the first Anniversary Edition, the original game engine was used to make the game, so they may be limited when it comes to visuals.

Second, the characters will be beast. I can't imagine what the Arbiter would look like! I hope they keep grunts looking like Halo 2 through Reach grunts and not the new Halo 4 Storm model.

SMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dual Wield would return, the trademark of Halo 2!!!!! I miss dual wield.

Halo 2 had tons of fun glitches, such as the Pelican glitch, and super-bounces. The jump height was crazy, and falling damage was gone. In Outskirts, you can wander the whole map on the rooftops.

Legendary in Halo Reach was like Heroic in Halo 2. Halo 2's Legendary difficulty was deserving of the title legendary.

Interesting Fact: Skulls actually exist in the original Halo 2.

Halo 2 had a feel to it that many Halo games could not top. It was a revolutionary game for 2004, held an epic, detailed story line, and should definitely be remastered like they did for Halo CE. I hope they keep the same gameplay engine and new/old graphics switches like the first Anniversary edition, if they decide to remake it.

Halo 2 was one of the best Halo games, and deserves to be enjoyed again on the newer systems.

Do you believe the rumor that Halo 2 Anniversary Edition is under development? There will be a poll.

The Best of Halo 2 - PART ZERO - INTRO

Halo 2 is great for several reasons:

-Gameplay (smooth play, fun, and stuff like dual-wield)
-Story (well-thought out story, great link to past events, and 2 stories that meet later in the game)
-Incredible moments (Funny, heroic, and surprising events unfold in Halo 2)
-Deleted content (It's amazing how much effort was put into Halo 2)
-Character personality (Even random marines and covenant have personalities)
-Humor (Some very funny things are said in Halo 2)

I will attempt to split these ideas into posts as I get the chance.

The Best of Halo 2 PART ONE - CAMPAIGN PART ONE

In my opinion, Halo 2 was the best of the original three Halo games, and possibly the best of Bungie's career. I will write multiple posts explaining why Halo 2 was, and still is, so great.

WARNING: CONTAINS SEVERAL SPOILERS

CAMPAIGN


Cairo Station

The campaign begins on a UNSC space installation called Cairo Station (also the name of the first level). After an armory officer informs the player of the Mk. VI armor, and a small ride with Johnson, the Chief, in body armor, walks out with Sergeant Johnson, dressed in a white uniform, into a room filled with camera drones and cheering marines. When the admiral is met, something funny happens between Chief, Johnson, and Cortana. The Admiral also awards Johnson a medal. I noticed that Johnson is currently wearing a purple heart medal, meaning that he was injured in previous combat. The Admiral has a purple heart medal as well, and a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is worth noting. The medal Miranda Keyes recieves is for her father Jacob Keyes, who was lost in a Flood attack. The beginning cutscene ends at 3:30.

The second part of the video is at the end. Cairo station was borded and Master Chief held off the Covenant forces. They get report of a bomb and eventually find it in a room full of Covenant troops, mainly elites. Watch what happens after Chief exterminates the Covies.

By the Way, the elite in the gold armor is Thel Vadam, the soon-to-be Arbiter. He is being punished for being a supposed heretic to the Covenant. The grunts can be heard screaming "heretic."

Outskirts

The mission Outskirts is one of my favorite. The beginning cutscene is great, and was originally supposed to be something different. The original opening cutscene follows.

The deleted cutscene (which I think Bungie should have used) fits in right after some familiar dialogue from the published scene.

The level outskirts is so great and so extensive, that I might make a whole post about it, so I might explain it another time.

I will get into more detail about Halo 2 when I can, and may update this post with more information.

Game Mode: Infection/Flood

Infection/Flood

Infection has been a largely loved game mode in Halo ever since its introduction in Halo 3 in 2007. It is, in my opinion, a mode that can bring hilariously fun moments, especially when the rules are tweaked.

In infection, or the new twist called flood (modeled after the franchise's parasitic outbreak from the original trilogy), the objective is simple. For the uninfected survivors, the objective is to fend off the onslaught of the infected until time expires. For the infected, the objective is to slay the survivors. 

The factor that makes the game different is that teams are not forced even. One player of the group is selected as the infected or flood. The rest of the players are uninfected. The zombie or flood is given only an energy sword  (or flood claw depending on the game) to use. In later installments, (Halo Reach and Halo 4), the infected also gets an armor ability. The uninfected get an armor ability as well, but it is usually different than those available to the infected. The survivors get a shotgun for close-ups and a magnum for long-distance head shots (an insta-kill on zombies).

The game becomes increasingly difficult for the survivors for every kill the infected gain, because those killed by the infected become infected. The best way to prevent the tables from being turned is to cooperate with teammates and protect fellow survivors. For infected, they should attack stragglers in the beginning. 

Bulltrue

The best thing about infection or flood is the intensity and fear that the infected bring. As the number of infected rises, the level of fun follows suit. 

Now. I mentioned rule tweaking. This is a game-changer. It is fun to give the infected super speed or super-bounce jump height. I played a custom infection mode with friends and was infected. I chased them in Halo 3 on the map Sandtrap (the one with the elephant vehicles). They were in a warthog and I was bouncing after them with cheetah speed.

Being the uninfected can be fun as well. Working with teammates and getting zombie killing sprees is great. The feeling of being chased by a sword-wielding enemy in Halo is unmatched by many zombie-oriented video games.

I would like to hear about any great infection or flood memories in the replies.

The UNSC Warthog

UNSC

The Warthog

The UNSC's primary vehicle is the "Warthog." It is a highly durable and reliable form of transport for troops and a great vehicle for defending or attacking a target. The Warthog takes skill to operate, as it is easy to roll over, but a skilled driver can carry out their mission with great efficiency.

The Warthog's most basic kill, but sometimes the hardest to execute, is the splatter, in which the driver runs down a pedestrian foe.

The Warthog can be outfitted differently, allowing it to perform various roles. These variants include:

Chain-gun/Machine-gun (default)

Gauss Cannon

Multiple Launch Rocket System (guided)

Troop Transport

Warthog Base (no mounted weapon system)

The following video shows an in-depth description of the Halo 4 Warthog, featured in Forza Motorsport 4.

Warthogs have been upgraded through the franchise.

Very hilarious occurrences never would have happened without the Warthog.

This is called boarding or hijacking a warthog.
Once on Metropolis in Halo 2, I had some fun with an elite. We continued to rip each other out of a Warthog. It was really funny.

Fun Facts:

• Warthog has a functional horn that can be used to get marines into your hog.
• Warthogs have the ability to power-slide, allowing more stable turns and less flipping/rolling.
• Warthogs can survive tremendous falls.
• In Halo Reach, the driver gets an award every time the gunner kills a foe.
• Warthogs can be carried underneath a Pelican.
• The Covenant can hijack and operate the Warthog's driving, passenger seat, and mounted weapon.
• In Halo CE, the person riding shotgun actually rides in the !st Person Point of View.

Warthogs can be armored using 2 barricades. I know this is a mongoose, but the video is really good.

This is a nice warthog one from Halo 3.

The warthog is able to provide many combat roles due to its durability and adaptability. It is extremely useful, accessible, and fun to drive. Personally, I feel that the driving can be difficult to work with at some points, but I really enjoy driving warthogs.

Glitch: Halo 2 Pelican Multiple Glitch

 This is probably the craziest glitch I have ever experienced, let alone heard of. 

The mission "Metropolis" from Halo 2 (one of the best Halo games), starts off normal, but holds a large surplus of insane glitches and intentional Easter eggs. Though, out of all glitches in the mission, this is the best. It is a chain glitch - it leads to other glitches. This is the glitch:

- Two Pelicans enter the game at a point after a large firefight with some wraiths. One pelican carries a tank,          while the other carries reinforcements.

- Climb the second overpass (closer to the objective building). The pelican with the Marine reinforcements

         will hover above it.

- Wait until the Marines begin to jump out. When this happens, jump up to the cargo hold door and hit the

         X button. GLITCH HINT: Sometimes placing a warthog under you makes the jump easier to pull off.

- When in, the pelican will leave. The Marines may or may not get back on.

----- This is a glitch within a glitch: If on 2-player split-screen co-op, one player will sit normally, while the 

         other stands on the seats with his head through the grated roof, arms spread. This is not a joke. 

- The Pelican will fly for a while, leave the combat area, then start a weird upside-down barrel roll and crash.

-The player will eventually be ejected from the Pelican to find another odd circumstance - invisible walls.

-The player will wind up, either standing above water or over ground (the location varies between the water 

         and land). The Pelican spins on what seems like an axis point, rotating and rolling randomly.

----- Yet another glitch! If the player walks up to the pelican, the action text reads: "Press X to flip 

         Banshee." Banshee?!

-As if things couldn't get any weirder, the pelican can eventually splatter the player if standing near its ballistic

         spinning action.

What is this? Is the pelican ride a glitch or an Easter egg? What about the other weird occurrences? Did they animate the pelican to a point where it leaves the field of vision and just forget about deleting the pelican later? I'm going to leave a poll up; I want to hear what you think about this charade.

By the Way: I have completed this glitch numerous times. It is easy, fun, and the player barely has to do anything. It may take a few tries with the jump, so don't pout if the pelican leaves; just restart the checkpoint.

This is a well made instructional video of the glitch. Enjoy the craziness of Halo 2's Pelican glitch.

Grunts: Main Infantry

This action media is courtesy of Gruntipedia

GRUNTS

 

 

Grunts are one of the funniest things about Halo. These plump little aliens run around bellowing at the combat zone in a frenzied panic, unsure of what to do next.

 

Grunts are known as Unggoy in the Covenant language. They are very strange and, though very simple, they are not so easily understood. Grunts are normally led by an elite in a squad, as seen in the next image, but if that elite leadership is eliminated, most grunts enter a psychotic state of mind where they do one of two things. The most common is running around screaming their lungs out and flailing their arms above their heads. The less common is when a grunt or group of grunts will arm two plasma grenades and charge toward the enemy party in the same awkward manner, hoping to blast away their adversary with them. A suicide-grunt can be seen in the second image following.



Individually, grunts are barely more threat to a fully healed Spartan than a bag of flour.

But a pack of well-trained grunts with an elite at command can be a huge threat.

The grunts just have to be sure they can protect their leader to avoid chaos.

Halo Grunts have evolved on a large scale over the course of Halo's twelve years of action. The most drastic change has to be between Halo Reach and Halo 4, shown in depth in the second image.

Grunts breath methane through a gas mask shown below.

Some grunts have been known to completely break down, violently shaking with their hands over their face, hoping that if they can't see the danger, it will go away. This is the cowering stage. This could possibly be the worst position for a grunt to be in: standing in place, hands over face, out in the open, during a firefight between the UNSC and their own Covenant forces.

Some grunts have been known throughout the series to sleep on duty. This has happened in almost every game.

Some of the things grunts say hilarious things during combat situations. This video, by Cazmoldy, shows some of the things.

 

A large amount of gut-busting media has been centered around grunts. Some of the grunt- focused comedy follows.

 

 

 

 

Some really cool things have been designed around grunts.

This is a deleted scene from Halo 2 emphasizing the cowardly traits of grunts and, in turn, how this affects how other Covenant warriors view them. Watch how the grunts run when they get startled and the way the elite treats a running grunt.

 

 

The skull "Grunt Birthday Party" can be enabled, allowing confetti to erupt from a grunt upon a headshot, while a cheerful "YAY" is heard.

 

 



 

Sometimes, a grunt's backpack gets knocked off during battle, and they go flying around the map like a balloon that was released before being tied. It looks hilarious. This happens in Halo: Reach. In Halo 3, the backpack just falls off.  Look at seconds 11 and 12 to see a flying grunt who lost its backpack.

 

 

Grunts are capable of few combat roles due to their physique and combat style. They can hold only small arms, such as plasma pistols, needlers, plasma rifles, spikers, and on occasion, fuel rod cannons. They are only capable of driving ghosts, but that is about it with vehicles, except for Wraith gunning. Grunts have always been the clowns of the Halo series in a good way, and I am almost

always happy to see them plodding around.



 

For a more in depth explanation about Unggoy, visit Halo Nation. http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Unggoy