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Until a really stable and easy to install patch comes out, this will only work with Vista, and a really good video card. (I’m sure that sometime this year we will see a true patch that will allow you to use it on XP, but then…)
According to the cover box and Microsoft website, your video card must be “NVIDIA 6100, ATI X700 or above.” That leaves a lot to interpretation, and nowhere does it state the minimum technical specs required to run the game. So, here it is:
Video memory: 128 Megabytes or higher required
Supported pixel shader version: 2 or higher required
Supported vertex shader version: 2 or higher required
Copied from the game install warning screen:
“Halo 2 for Windows Vista is designed for computers running Microsoft Windows Vista with an overall Windows Experience Index of 5 or higher.” Hmmmm, one would think that the requirement of a 5-rating would be in bold type somewhere on the box, especially since the majority of the mass-market computers sold off the shelf are well below 5.
I have the minimum requirements for the video card and 2Gig of RAM (in my Gateway MX6453 laptop)and it runs HORRIBLY, and, at times, not at all.
Make sure you have a really good video card, or else you will suffer.
Rating: 4 / 5
The PC adaptation of 2004′s phenomenally successful Xbox game, “Halo 2 for Windows Vista” comes 3 years later, right before the release of Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Despite this gap and apparent poor planning on the part of Microsoft’s release department, does Halo 2 for Vista stand up even with the test of time?
The first difference comes with the transition from the uniform, high-end console to the more variable PC, with regards to graphics and computing power. While even at “high” settings I did not notice a marked improvement from the Xbox’s graphics (though opinions tend to differ on this point), Halo 2 still commands a hefty “5.0 Recommended” rating on Vista’s new gaming rating system. To put that in perspective, my current system is a “5.3″, and newer games like Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, and Command and Conquer 3 top off at “4.1 Recommended”. Apart from its variability with regards to graphic quality, Halo 2′s only other new technical feature is the option for a widescreen Heads Up Display (instead of the stretched-out one used in the Xbox version).
Halo 2′s connectivity to Xbox Live is the other major new system added in the PC transition, and this is simultaneously well-done and irritating. It is well-done because, like a console, the live system integrates itself almost seamlessly into the game and adds features such as online play, unlockable achievements (the first “Games for Windows” title to feature them), and friend lists. However, there is also a step back from Halo 1 for the PC; while Halo 1 had free, no-strings-attached online multiplayer, Halo 2 requires at least a silver account to play even the single player game. Thus, as with Valve’s “Steam” software for Half Life 2, one must be online in order to play the game. However, unlike Steam, one need only log on to make an account and then transfer the account to one’s computer; after the first time, there is no requirement for online connectivity for single player. The free account also allows access to Halo 2′s online play, though many of the features (including matchmaking services and private rooms) are reserved for people with paid “Gold Accounts”. Finally, Halo 2 for Vista features 2 new official maps for multiplayer, as well as a map editor. However, said editor is mostly intended for hardcore designers, not casual fans. Despite this, it is a fairly welcome addition and allows for a community effort in creating new and exciting arenas.
Overall, this game is done reasonably well by itself. However, when counting in its status as a ported version of a 3-year-old game, and adding the further frustrations of “Live” play and its unusually high requirements, I would not recommend this game to anyone who has already played it. This game is a last resort, meant exclusively for people who only have a PC, and who have not played Halo 2 prior. I rate it a 3/5.
Rating: 3 / 5
My wife originally ordered two copies of Halo 2 from Amazon for me and my son for fathers day. However, while at Walmart I decided to get a copy of the game instead of that power washer I’ve been wanting. I got home and we (my son and I) started to install the game. First there is not option for custom install. You can only play the game while installing. I don’t really care for this as I like to install my games to one folder, not all over my hard drive. So okay, we waited a little, while it was doing it’s thing. I tried signing up for live using my account and had a hard time getting it to log me in… or even finding the place to log into live. The buttons on screen for navigating the menus are the A,B,X,Y buttons you’ll find on the XBox controller. Not very good if you ask me. I like PC games and steer away from consoles. This game definately has a console feel to it. So we move on…. Videos are good, graphics are pretty good… game play.. well it feels like a console. The aiming system has too much compensation built in. Here’s the short story, I was let down as this game feels like a console game and the menus are hard to navigate. Bungie and M$ didn’t do much in the way of making this a fun game for the PC. Rather just made the console game play on the PC. I will be returning my two copies already in shipping to Amazon for a refund and I’ll stick to playing the original Halo.
Rating: 3 / 5
From all the negative reviews I’ve heard, I was hesitant on picking this title up. I never played the original Xbox version as I still have not gotten used to first person shooters using a control pad; I still prefer a mouse and keyboard. It installed without a problem and plays flawlessly. I do have a rather high end system, running a Pentium D 3.0GHz, two ATI x1800 cards in Crossfire mode, and Vista x64. The mouse and keyboard controls work almost the same as the original Halo version for the PC; there are some differences for dual-wielding of weapons as expected. On-screen hints tell you which keyboard keys to hit in order to pick up weapons or perform actions as did the original Halo for PC so it’s not a direct console port just showing the handheld controller buttons as I may have feared. However, my two biggest complaints are:
1. The graphics are slightly worse than the original Halo for PC. They look a little more “cartoonish” and the colors are somewhat washed out in places. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be this way, or something with my video card drivers is causing this. But overall a step down in realistic quality from the original Halo for PC.
2. Screen resolution selection only has a few fixed modes to choose from. Again, the original Halo for PC allowed me to choose most any video mode my card would support, including several 16:10 widescreen modes. Halo 2 supports just a handful of standard modes, such as 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, and the only widescreen mode I have access to is a 16:9 resolution of 1280 x 720. On my 19″ widescreen monitor which supports a 16:10 resolution of 1440 x 900, this “blows up” the picture to fill the screen, causing some pixelation, and also leaves me with a “letterboxed” view, with black bars above and below the visible playing field.
Overall, it’s not a bad effort. I wouldn’t recommend it if you have an Xbox console to play the original version, but if all you have access to is a PC, or you still haven’t gotten used to handheld controllers like myself and prefer the mouse and keyboard, it’s worth taking a look at.
I bought Halo 2 for the PC excited about trying it on my brand-new Vista machine. I have had it for over a year now and have yet to be able to actually play the game all the way through.
I went through the agony of having to create a Live account, and then having the game not “see” the account (but not let me log in because I’m “already logged in”). I experienced the unfun joys of having Halo 2 randomly tell me my savegame file is corrupted and I have to start again. I had updates crash the game, my license key invalidate itself, and after unanswered support e-mails, it took me multiple calls and over 3 hours on the phone to get someone to fix the problem. They had to do this by removing my license key, issuing me a new one, and telling me I’d lose all my “achievements” and account info. That wasn’t a great loss, since the program would regularly log me into Live, then say, “You are not logged into Live. You will not be able to have any Achievements. Sorry about that.” A lot of the messages I get in Halo 2 say, “Sorry about that.” Sorry, indeed.
By the time I actually got the game to work (with shuddering framerate and random dropouts in sound), I was just angry. Angry at all the “Sorry” messages, angry at the hassle I have to click through just to load a saved game, and angry at the constant savegame level resets. I see new Microsoft Games for Windows titles, and I feel I’d be stupid to put risk putting myself through that again.
Rating: 1 / 5
May 15th, 2010 at 5:46 am
Until a really stable and easy to install patch comes out, this will only work with Vista, and a really good video card. (I’m sure that sometime this year we will see a true patch that will allow you to use it on XP, but then…)
According to the cover box and Microsoft website, your video card must be “NVIDIA 6100, ATI X700 or above.” That leaves a lot to interpretation, and nowhere does it state the minimum technical specs required to run the game. So, here it is:
Video memory: 128 Megabytes or higher required
Supported pixel shader version: 2 or higher required
Supported vertex shader version: 2 or higher required
Copied from the game install warning screen:
“Halo 2 for Windows Vista is designed for computers running Microsoft Windows Vista with an overall Windows Experience Index of 5 or higher.” Hmmmm, one would think that the requirement of a 5-rating would be in bold type somewhere on the box, especially since the majority of the mass-market computers sold off the shelf are well below 5.
I have the minimum requirements for the video card and 2Gig of RAM (in my Gateway MX6453 laptop)and it runs HORRIBLY, and, at times, not at all.
Make sure you have a really good video card, or else you will suffer.
Rating: 4 / 5
May 15th, 2010 at 7:43 am
The PC adaptation of 2004′s phenomenally successful Xbox game, “Halo 2 for Windows Vista” comes 3 years later, right before the release of Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Despite this gap and apparent poor planning on the part of Microsoft’s release department, does Halo 2 for Vista stand up even with the test of time?
The first difference comes with the transition from the uniform, high-end console to the more variable PC, with regards to graphics and computing power. While even at “high” settings I did not notice a marked improvement from the Xbox’s graphics (though opinions tend to differ on this point), Halo 2 still commands a hefty “5.0 Recommended” rating on Vista’s new gaming rating system. To put that in perspective, my current system is a “5.3″, and newer games like Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, and Command and Conquer 3 top off at “4.1 Recommended”. Apart from its variability with regards to graphic quality, Halo 2′s only other new technical feature is the option for a widescreen Heads Up Display (instead of the stretched-out one used in the Xbox version).
Halo 2′s connectivity to Xbox Live is the other major new system added in the PC transition, and this is simultaneously well-done and irritating. It is well-done because, like a console, the live system integrates itself almost seamlessly into the game and adds features such as online play, unlockable achievements (the first “Games for Windows” title to feature them), and friend lists. However, there is also a step back from Halo 1 for the PC; while Halo 1 had free, no-strings-attached online multiplayer, Halo 2 requires at least a silver account to play even the single player game. Thus, as with Valve’s “Steam” software for Half Life 2, one must be online in order to play the game. However, unlike Steam, one need only log on to make an account and then transfer the account to one’s computer; after the first time, there is no requirement for online connectivity for single player. The free account also allows access to Halo 2′s online play, though many of the features (including matchmaking services and private rooms) are reserved for people with paid “Gold Accounts”. Finally, Halo 2 for Vista features 2 new official maps for multiplayer, as well as a map editor. However, said editor is mostly intended for hardcore designers, not casual fans. Despite this, it is a fairly welcome addition and allows for a community effort in creating new and exciting arenas.
Overall, this game is done reasonably well by itself. However, when counting in its status as a ported version of a 3-year-old game, and adding the further frustrations of “Live” play and its unusually high requirements, I would not recommend this game to anyone who has already played it. This game is a last resort, meant exclusively for people who only have a PC, and who have not played Halo 2 prior. I rate it a 3/5.
Rating: 3 / 5
May 15th, 2010 at 9:22 am
My wife originally ordered two copies of Halo 2 from Amazon for me and my son for fathers day. However, while at Walmart I decided to get a copy of the game instead of that power washer I’ve been wanting.
I got home and we (my son and I) started to install the game. First there is not option for custom install. You can only play the game while installing. I don’t really care for this as I like to install my games to one folder, not all over my hard drive. So okay, we waited a little, while it was doing it’s thing. I tried signing up for live using my account and had a hard time getting it to log me in… or even finding the place to log into live. The buttons on screen for navigating the menus are the A,B,X,Y buttons you’ll find on the XBox controller. Not very good if you ask me. I like PC games and steer away from consoles. This game definately has a console feel to it. So we move on…. Videos are good, graphics are pretty good… game play.. well it feels like a console. The aiming system has too much compensation built in. Here’s the short story, I was let down as this game feels like a console game and the menus are hard to navigate. Bungie and M$ didn’t do much in the way of making this a fun game for the PC. Rather just made the console game play on the PC. I will be returning my two copies already in shipping to Amazon for a refund and I’ll stick to playing the original Halo.
Rating: 3 / 5
May 15th, 2010 at 10:18 am
From all the negative reviews I’ve heard, I was hesitant on picking this title up. I never played the original Xbox version as I still have not gotten used to first person shooters using a control pad; I still prefer a mouse and keyboard. It installed without a problem and plays flawlessly. I do have a rather high end system, running a Pentium D 3.0GHz, two ATI x1800 cards in Crossfire mode, and Vista x64. The mouse and keyboard controls work almost the same as the original Halo version for the PC; there are some differences for dual-wielding of weapons as expected. On-screen hints tell you which keyboard keys to hit in order to pick up weapons or perform actions as did the original Halo for PC so it’s not a direct console port just showing the handheld controller buttons as I may have feared. However, my two biggest complaints are:
1. The graphics are slightly worse than the original Halo for PC. They look a little more “cartoonish” and the colors are somewhat washed out in places. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be this way, or something with my video card drivers is causing this. But overall a step down in realistic quality from the original Halo for PC.
2. Screen resolution selection only has a few fixed modes to choose from. Again, the original Halo for PC allowed me to choose most any video mode my card would support, including several 16:10 widescreen modes. Halo 2 supports just a handful of standard modes, such as 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, and the only widescreen mode I have access to is a 16:9 resolution of 1280 x 720. On my 19″ widescreen monitor which supports a 16:10 resolution of 1440 x 900, this “blows up” the picture to fill the screen, causing some pixelation, and also leaves me with a “letterboxed” view, with black bars above and below the visible playing field.
Overall, it’s not a bad effort. I wouldn’t recommend it if you have an Xbox console to play the original version, but if all you have access to is a PC, or you still haven’t gotten used to handheld controllers like myself and prefer the mouse and keyboard, it’s worth taking a look at.
Rating: 4 / 5
May 15th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I bought Halo 2 for the PC excited about trying it on my brand-new Vista machine. I have had it for over a year now and have yet to be able to actually play the game all the way through.
I went through the agony of having to create a Live account, and then having the game not “see” the account (but not let me log in because I’m “already logged in”). I experienced the unfun joys of having Halo 2 randomly tell me my savegame file is corrupted and I have to start again. I had updates crash the game, my license key invalidate itself, and after unanswered support e-mails, it took me multiple calls and over 3 hours on the phone to get someone to fix the problem. They had to do this by removing my license key, issuing me a new one, and telling me I’d lose all my “achievements” and account info. That wasn’t a great loss, since the program would regularly log me into Live, then say, “You are not logged into Live. You will not be able to have any Achievements. Sorry about that.” A lot of the messages I get in Halo 2 say, “Sorry about that.” Sorry, indeed.
By the time I actually got the game to work (with shuddering framerate and random dropouts in sound), I was just angry. Angry at all the “Sorry” messages, angry at the hassle I have to click through just to load a saved game, and angry at the constant savegame level resets. I see new Microsoft Games for Windows titles, and I feel I’d be stupid to put risk putting myself through that again.
Rating: 1 / 5