Multiplayer
We have to test the graphics on bad televisions, too, you know,” says a Bungie representative, noting our disappointed looks when we entered the room to check out a new multiplayer demo of Halo 2—on blurry 15-inch sets that must’ve come from some Service Merchandise clearance sale three decades ago. No matter. This is Halo 2 we’re talking about, and within seconds of playing, we’ve forgotten all about our tiny boob tubes.
Working on a cover story and playing an intensely fun multiplayer match at the same time is like simultaneously patting your head, rubbing your stomach, reciting the alphabet backwards, and chewing gum, all while skydiving—it ain’t easy. Who can concentrate on interviewing the developers when the red team’s about to capture your flag? But during the skirmishes, we were able to learn more about the game that practically every Xbox gamer will be playing come November 9.
If you’ve been following Halo 2’s multiplayer coverage over the last year, you already know about dual-wielding guns, playing as Covenant aliens, boarding vehicles, etc. But before you can even get to all of that, you’ll need people to play with. Halo 2 supports system link and four-player splitscreen again, but of course, everyone’s excited about online Xbox Live play, and there, you’ll have a ton of options. “You can have four players on one Xbox [playing online],” says Content Manager Frank O’Connor, “split however you want between individual gamertags [XBL accounts] or guest accounts.” Once online, you can play in public or private unranked matches. If you’re looking for a bit of prestige, however, you can enter ranked games, which are hosted and controlled by Bungie—who will only match up players of similar levels, so there’s no chance of jackasses abusing the ranking system.
Halo 2 will let you organize proper teams, too, with its clan system. “A single clan can have up to 100 members,” says Bungie Multiplayer Lead Max Hoberman. “But each player can only belong to one clan because we want it to be part of your identity.” Your gang of space thugs can challenge other groups to small (three to four players per team) or large matches (up to eight) to increase your clan ranking, which is independent of your personal one. Of course, you can play unranked clan matches, but you’re not going to gain a lot of cyberspace street cred that way.
Halo 2 clans have an internal hierarchy, similar to the system used in Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow. The overlord is the founder, and he can recruit staff, members, or peons (all tentative names). Different titles allow different privileges, like the ability to challenge other clans, send voice or text messages to the group, recruit new members, or boot out troublemakers and/or not-so-sharp-shooters who aren’t contributing to the bottom line (that is, the team score). The best part is, you can keep track of clan activities on Bungie.net. “Every clan gets a private homepage, private forums, all sorts of fun stuff,” says Hoberman. “All clan stats will be listed right there.” In-game, members can all wear the same emblem, but forget about designing your own. “We [tried letting users] create their own emblems,” says O’Connor, “but even the people here started drawing penises. The user experience may turn porno online. [Laughs]”
Not that you’ll need any more reasons (X-rated or not) to play multiplayer Halo 2 this November. The new modes, features, maps, and massive number of options will keep you busy for months…possibly years. Even if you are playing on a 1970 SpectraVISION Picturebox.
Up Yours
This ugly motherf***er is looking to skewer some multiplayer Spartan meat with his energy sword, which does massive damage, or if locked on to a victim, a lunging one-hit kill. Your only choice here is to jump out of the way—and pray.
On top of returning modes like oddball (seen here on the new Burial Mounds stage), king of the hill, and several deathmatch and capture-the-flag variants, you’ll get a few new ones, like assault (make the enemy base go boom by planting a bomb in it) and territories (“…multiple hills in king of the hill—it’s really crazy,” says Bungie’s Frank O’Connor). All come with a multitude of customization options.
Boarding Action
This mountaintop level’s called Ascension. It’s full of catwalks, narrow paths, sniping positions, and several spots for jumpy players to fall to their embarrassing dooms. If you find the Banshee aircraft seen here, you can cause a lot of havoc from above with lasers and plasma mortars (you can barrel roll and loop-de-loop in it as well). But as with other vehicles in Halo 2, some green-with-envy (or just plain green) players are bound to hop on board, kick you off, and steal your ride.