Just hearing news about Halo 2 gets me worked up...read on, and post your thoughts.

As the countdown to armageddon continues, the hype for Halo 2 is now bigger than the hype for the US Olympic Basketball team. Unlike the " Dream Team" , Halo 2 is going to produce the goods... We Hope... Games Domain sat down with Pete Parsons from Bungie to ask some pretty good questions regarding Halo 2...

Source GameDaily

GD: What was your goal for this much-anticipated sequel?
PP: Halo 2 was all about telling a great story in the single-player game and then creating a multiplayer game that' s really fun. It' s essentially two games in one. We really developed the story in this game, picking up where we left off in the original. The online experience is fundamentally different than the single-player game.

GD: What do you think of Halo' s place in the entertainment world, as the game has become part of popular culture?
PP: I' d like to think games are the best form of entertainment available. I love movies and books, but I also love games. I hope people will one day look at great games as they currently look at great books and great movies. Games should occupy that space as a form of entertainment.

GD: There are a lot of games out there that have been moved up or pushed back because of Halo 2' s November 9 release date. Do you think games should be year-round?
PP: I love watching summer flicks, holiday flicks and spring flicks at the movies. I think people want to see great entertainment year-round. So there' s no reason games shouldn' t be available year-round.

GD: How do you walk the development line between satisfying both the casual gamer who played the first Halo and the veteran gamers who' ve played through the first Halo 20 times?
PP: We think a lot about not just satisfying the Halo fans with options like persistent stat tracking and clans, but also making sure that if you' ve never played Halo before, you can get into this game. My Dad is 63 years old and he' s played through Halo three times. I think that' s exciting. We want people to experience the full story and have a good time.

GD: Can you talk about the Xbox Live experience?
PP: We' ve made the multiplayer easy to get into with a ranking system, which doesn' t allow veterans to pick off new players in unfair matches. You can play against people all over the world that are on the same skill level, which makes this game fun no matter what level of player you are.

GD: Why have you been so secretive about the single-player Halo 2 game?
PP: I want everyone to play Halo 2 and enjoy it unadulterated. We' ve really emphasized a great story in this game and there are a lot of plot twists and turns that should be enjoyed by everyone.