Halo 2

Halo 2 - (PC)
Developer: Bungie
Format: PC
Genre: FPS

Master Chief finally makes another PC appearance - but is it a case of too little too late?

Bungie's got a major hurdle in its way and quite simply it's just that apart from the die-hard Halo addicts out there, what could they bring to this Windows Vista formatted release that a single one of us hasn't seen (and played) before Halo-wise? The answer - virtually nothing. Once you're over the fact that PC achievement points earned can be added to your Xbox 360 Live account and that PC and console owners can deathmatch to their hearts' content, there's little to get overly excited about.

It is a great game. No question. But you've seen the Covenant's attempts to unleash galactic Armageddon before and the Master Chief's Spartan attempts to prevent them. Short of waiting for the culmination of the Halo story this September with the Halo 3 release, this adds nothing to your Halo universe. Oh, you do get free headset voice option as a Vista owner. But you'll also get some quite major annoyances.

Over in multiplayer you'll have a subtle but important discrepancy between what type of control you choose. Mouse and keyboard up and you'll be spinning round quicker than gamepad wielding combatants who, in turn, will find a useful but ultimately slightly unfair semi-auto targeting when it comes to aiming.

Unable to overcome these basic differences leaves the multiplayer options with an inbuilt flaw despite the ability to challenge console owners through the 23 included maps. Picking hairs? Well, maybe but then you know the storyline, you've seen the graphics, and you've enjoyed the rocket launcher only multiplayer arenas so you'll be looking for other factors before you buy. Selecting online matches for your games has been modified with the PC server browser allowing you the opportunity to dive into a fair scrap but single player remains the same.

It's a great game, always has been, but there's the nagging suspicion that most are saving their energy and their cash for September.

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