Well at long last there is an update coming for Halo 2 and it will be available on Xbox Live tomorrow. The update will fix a number of multiplayer exploits and that is welcome news for many of us that love the game. In addition to the multiplayer fixes, the developers are changing some of the characteristics of the weapons. One of the things I’ve had to really suppress in Halo 2 was the use of a melee attack (cracking a weapon over someone’s head). Melee attacks in Halo 1 were deadly but in Halo 2, it was like tapping someone on their shoulder and inviting them to unload a clip on you. Well, that is getting ready to change (for the better). There are a number of other weapon changes. I didn’t see anything mentioned about the battle rifle but I would not be surprised to see single shot mode, and more muzzle velocity and power. See the Bungie website story for more information.
The update precedes a number of new maps on the way. We’ll see two new free multiplayer map downloads before the end of the month thanks to Mountain Dew. Two additional maps will be available for purchase as premium downloads. All four maps will be available before the end of April. When June rolls around, we’ll release a DVD with a bunch of maps. See the details of the map releases at the Xbox.com Halo 2 area.
Man, this summer and fall is looking good. New Halo 2 stuff, the next generation Xbox details on MTV May 12th, and I presume we’ll have some new hardware to play with for Christmas. Yee Haw!!!