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

Halo 2 improves on the first game in many ways and contains arguably the best story in the series, but in my opinion is held back from really surpassing its predecessor due to balance issues and level design that strips the game of the freedom and openness of the original. Positives: -This game greatly expands the scope of its story, following two protagonists in Master Chief and The Arbiter, two characters on opposite sides of the war. It turns the simple, straightforward sci-fi story of the originaal into a complex space opera that gives a glimpse into the culture and politics of the covenant, giving them depth and motivation. The human cast is also fleshed out, with returning Master Chief getting to show off a little more personality, Johnson playing a larger role, and the introduction of Miranda Keyes. -Particularly in the remastered edition, the cutscenes are flashier, more cinematic, larger in scale, and lend a grandiose, larger than life feeling to the game. -The addition of weapon dual-wielding and a few new weapons adds an extra dimension to the combat and allows you to experiment with different combinations and combat styles to suit your playstyle. -The OST retains all the great composition and iconic themes as the original, but with an added metal twist as electric guitars dominate the soundtrack, including that of legendary guitarist Steve Vai. -While not entirely gone, the game reuses fewer assets and sees less repetitive, copy-paste level layouts than the first. Negatives: -The level design in Halo 2 focuses in and is much more linear. Gone are the pseudo-open world environments from CE, replaced with tight corridors and more indoor segments. -While his inclusion is interesting from a story and character perspective, the Arbiter's missions are typically weaker than Chief's, and his weapon selection I generally find to be less fun to mess around with. -The game suffers from difficulty and balance issues. Brutes are bullet sponges that are a nuisance to fight rather than a real challenge, the Jackal Snipers are infamously OP, and the flood continue to be an annoyance. While the new weapons and dual weilding make the combat fresh and interesting, the new enemies you fight bog down the experience a bit.