4/5 ★ – Matt_TooFast4U's review of Halo 2: Anniversary.

Knock half a star off for the non-anniversary edition, for the sole reason of those cutscenes. The cutscenes in Halo 2 Anniversary are a work of art, even if they do create a divide between the cutscene graphics and the gameplay graphics. As for the game itself, it's a good follow up to 1, but not a perfect sequel. The core gameplay is the best part, and has been greatly improved from Combat Evolved. There's a significantly larger variety of guns to find and shoot, vehicles handle much better and have some cool, visible destruction as various parts get shot up - it's hard to believe that this was on the same system as Combat Evolved. Dual wielding was a big, new hyped feature, and it's fun, but a bit clumsy; doing literally anything other than moving or shooting makes you drop the weapon, which makes sense but can be awkward during an intense firefight. Another thing that's downgraded is melee. There's a new system that increases melee damage based on player speed - makes sense, but it's made almost redundant due to the fact that the Covenant Elites now have an instakill melee attack, so melee attacking them (without an energy sword) is suicide. The levels themselves are...well, a bit more ambitious than the first game, for better and for worse. It's visually more exciting, going from urban areas to lush grasslands, to desolate wastelands and foreboding fortresses. Unfortunately, it's easy to get lost in the more open and confusing ones, and towards the second half of the game, the design just gets boring, repetitive and even cheap. Easily the game's biggest detractor. The story is...well, this is Halo, don't expect much. The tale of the Arbiter is a decent way to flip things on it's head, but him and the Chief don't get to interact nearly enough, and the twist regarding the Brutes feels nonsensical; it's just there for dramatic effect. The main side of the story is just the first game again with extra bits strapped on, with a legendarily abrupt ending. Halo 2 is recommended to fans of the first, but it's lacking a little and the anniversary edition obviously could only add a fresh coat of paint. Obviously, if you're buying the Master Chief Collection, you're getting 1,2,3,4,ODST and Reach in one go anyway, so why not, eh?