First off...I will not spoil this for anyone who has yet to purchase or play their Halo 2 copy...but I will give the general idea of the game.

I got to the store about 10:00 p.m., and there was only one other vehicle there waiting for the one-minute-past-midnight opening...and those 2 guys left to get something to eat!

I then became first in line! HAHAHA!!!

At 11:00 p.m., there were maybe 10 people waiting in line.

11:30 had 25 - 30 people waiting, and at 11:59 I saw 50+ people waiting outside for their copy(-ies). People from all walks of life had come together to share in this one event...for a moment, the world seemed to be in total unity.

Such an awesome sight.

I was the first one in, and I was what they called a VIP (already paid in full, basically).

The guy at the VIP counter opens with this line: " I now dub thee the first lucky ***!"

To which I replied: " Lucky I am...and will be more so, once I get home!"

The gentleman handed me my game and receipt. I headed for the door...

And head straight for home, I did!

At just after 12:15 a.m., I started up my XBOX - with Halo 2 inserted - and started to view the opening screens. All the usual here...

Then came the actual story-line video...this defintely tells what the Covenant are like...reminiscent of many sci-fi movies, and totally awesome just the same!

Playing as the Masterchief in the first Halo, I felt pretty much at home with the controls. However, there' s the dual-wielding, slight weapons variations, no more health bar, and tougher enemies (AI & number of shots to kill) that play into the gameplay.

The story-line is more involved, yet totally welcome. That' s because the videos usually come between major battles, so a rest is quite welcome.

The graphics are awesome!!! More detail for everything is a definite plus!

The music is similar to the original with few changes and definitely nothing that is noticeable or interferes with gameplay (as posted by some websites).

Dual-wielding is easy to accomplish, but does limit you to not having the ability to throw grenades. Also, I had knocked off most enemies quite easily with dual-wielding, but found myself either re-loading or waiting for the weapons to cool off right in the middle of a major skirmish...that is defintely not good!

However, that issue is with MY gameplay, not the game itself!

Once I learned to control myself a bit better, I had no problems switching from single to dual-wielding and making sure one weapon is ready at all times.

I have encountered a few new enemies and enemy craft, but I will not spoil it for those who have yet to play this game. Just know that they are there...

I finally stopped playing at about 2:30 a.m. I had to get up at 5:00 a.m. to get to work. I originally was going to call in. But, due to recently calling out to care for sick family members, I decided to save some of my paid leave for the upcoming holidays.

I enjoyed every minute of gameplay for those 2 and 3/4 hours!

Tired, yet completely satisfied...that' s what videogaming is all about.

All in all, I give Halo 2, upon my initial impressions, a solid 8.5*!!!

That would be...

Graphics: 9.0 - minor issues with the cutscene graphics only.
Sound: 8.5 - nothing really new here...
Gameplay: 8.5 - original Halo, but with additional levels.
Replay Value: 8.5 - a few times through and you' ll put this title aside for something newer and better. Only the online portion would entice one to continue playing this title beyond the single-player mode.

*UPDATE: Since the announcement that Halo 2 was rushed and incomplete (per Bungie), combined with the lack of much of the hyped content and somewhat abrupt ending, I have downgraded Halo 2 to a [questionable] " 8.5"