"Halo 2 is a lot like Halo, only it's Halo on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas," explained Jason Jones, head of Bungie Studios. "And the ninjas are all on fire, too."

Halo 2 continues the story of the Master Chief, the genetically enhanced super-soldier who is the only human ever to successfully defy the Covenant--a coalition of alien races on a murderous march toward Earth. Their defeat at the ancient Halo artifact was only temporary, and they are pursuing their goal--the complete obliteration of humankind--with renewed zeal. Human military forces are exhausted and unable to stave off the Covenant's rapid advance toward Earth. Even with the Master Chief back in action, the situation looks dire--and this is at the beginning of the game, before things get even worse. In true Bungie tradition, the solo campaign in Halo 2 deepens and expands upon the story that began in the first game: old questions will be answered, new mysteries will unfold, and the truly epic nature of the story will finally be revealed.

The Master Chief and his space-marine allies return to battle the full complement of Covenant forces, as well as not yet revealed foes. Halo 2 expands the Master Chief's already substantial arsenal with powerful new weapons, many pried from the twitching claws of his defeated enemies. There will also be yet more drivable vehicles, giving players new ways to speed into battle or explore the game's vast landscapes.

Halo 2 surpasses its predecessor in graphical beauty and combat intensity, thanks to a completely new graphics engine designed specifically for the Xbox. "Our code squeezes every drop of power out of the Xbox," said Chris Butcher, one of the sequel's engineering leads. "We're doing dynamic lighting and shadows, per-pixel everything, rendering gigantic, lush environments. The graphical features we're using are so advanced we don't even have buzzwords for them yet."

In addition to an epic single-player campaign, Halo 2 allows multiplayer via split-screen play, System Link, and Xbox Live.

"We still have the multiplayer game types that people loved in Halo, but we're planning something special for Halo 2," hinted Jaime Griesemer, lead designer of Halo 2. "I don't want to ruin the surprise, but imagine the essential Halo single-player experience: pitched battles between the humans and the Covenant, massive vehicle and infantry engagements. Now imagine that every combatant is an actual person playing over Xbox Live!" The Halo 2 online multiplayer experience will feature squad-oriented team play, real-time voice chat, and extensive community support.