halo+2+Information

//**Halo 2**// is a [|first-person shooter] [|video game] developed by [|Bungie Studios]. Released for the [|Xbox] [|video game console] on November 9, 2004,[|[][|3][|]] the game is the second video game title in the [|//Halo// franchise] and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed //[|Halo: Combat Evolved]//. A [|Windows] version of the game was released on May 31, 2007,[|[][|4][|]] developed by an internal team at [|Microsoft Game Studios] referred to as "Hired Gun". The game features a new [|game engine], as well as using the [|Havok] [|physics engine]; added weapons and vehicles, and new multiplayer maps. The player alternately assumes the roles of the human [|Master Chief] and the alien [|Arbiter] in a 26th century conflict between the human [|United Nations Space Command] and genocidal [|Covenant]. Players fight enemies on foot, or with a collection of alien and human vehicles.[|[][|5][|]] After the success of //Combat Evolved//, a sequel was expected and highly anticipated. Bungie found inspiration in plot points and gameplay elements that had been left out of their first game, including multiplayer over the internet through [|Xbox Live]. Time constraints forced a series of cutbacks in the size and scope of the game, including a [|cliffhanger] ending to the game's campaign mode that left many in the studio dissatisfied. Among //Halo 2//'s marketing efforts was an [|alternate reality game] called "[|I Love Bees]" that involved players solving real-world puzzles. On release, //Halo 2// was the most popular video game on Xbox Live,[|[][|6][|]] holding that rank until the release of //[|Gears of War]// for the [|Xbox 360] nearly two years later.[|[][|7][|]][|[][|8][|]] By June 20, 2006, more than 500 million games of //Halo 2// had been played and more than 710 million hours have been spent playing it on Xbox Live;[|[][|9][|]] by May 9, 2007, this number had risen to more than five million unique players.[|[][|10][|]] //Halo 2// is the [|best-selling first-generation Xbox game][|[][|11][|]] with at least 6.3 million copies sold in the United States alone.[|[][|12][|]] Critical reception of the game was generally positive, with most publications lauding the strong multiplayer component. The campaign was the focus of criticism for its [|cliffhanger] ending.