Next Monday, Halo 2 developer Bungie will release a brand new update for the super-popular FPS title via Xbox Live - as well as addressing the ongoing battle with bugs and glitches, the update will also continue the gameplay balancing and tweaking Bungie have deemed appropriate. In the biggest of the three Halo 2 updates to-date, this patch is said to overhaul the multiplayer weapons balancing in a bid to make play more entertaining.

"The scale of the auto-update gave us a unique opportunity - a chance to implement balance changes on certain weapons to smooth out the Xbox Live and System Link experience, and in a couple of cases, we feel, subtly improving the overall feel of the game," Bungie's Frank O'Connor stated.

"Now if someone charges too closely with dual SMGs, you can melee them and actually kill them faster than they can kill you," added designer Jaime Griesemer. "You have viable options again."

The fuses on grenades has also been made shorter, in the hope that last ditch attacks have a greater chance of proving effective. Generally the power of various weapons has also been tweaked. Griesemer commented: "With these changes, the stories get a lot more interesting and varied. Now, sometimes it's 'He came up behind me and started shooting. So I ducked around the corner and dropped a grenade, and he ran right into it!' or 'He jumped down at me just as I was reloading, but he got in too close, and I beat him to death with my battle rifle.' The fights last longer, and each player has several options."

Gamers without the Live service will be able to get this upgrade on June 28th, with additional new multiplayer maps, whilst everyone else can address the balance of play to Bungie's satisfaction from Monday April 18th.

By Luke Guttridge

Comments

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  1. duremot_sony Unregistered 4 years ago

    Heh, maybe this time people will actually buy that horrible game.
    Oh wait!
    Killzone already killed Halo!
    :-)

  2. Rankin Unregistered 4 years ago

    kill zone is freaking overrated!

    Halo forever!

  3. Markusdragon Unregistered 4 years ago

    "Killzone already killed Halo!"

    I seem to recall Killzone getting 7/10 reviews then dropping out of the general public conciousness...

  4. killzone_sucks Unregistered 4 years ago

    kill zone sucks and it did not kill halo.
    kill zone is only good enough to maybe compete a little bit with
    halo 1

  5. . Unregistered 4 years ago

    halo 2 rulkes!!!

  6. AWaveOfBabies" Unregistered 4 years ago

    This new update is awful, that pretty much says it all. Now, to add to the excitement, when your about to kill someone(most likely a newb, all due respect)

  7. "AWaveOfBabies" Unregistered 4 years ago

    he just chucks a gernade and you get screwed over, thanks a lot for the excitement!!! It just helps the newbs(no offense), but this update just takes away all the strategy :-(

  8. "AWaveOfBabies" Unregistered 4 years ago

    One last comment to vent my anger and frustration. THEY TOOK AWAY ALL THE GOOD WEAPON COMBOS! SMG are now complete crap. They made the game cater to the NEWBS, it should be difficult to get a triple kill with plasma grenades!!!

  9. "AWaveOfBabies" Unregistered 4 years ago

    I would rather have the standby cheats back, than have to put up with this!

  10. body bag Unregistered 4 years ago

    Halo is the bomb. halo2 is even better and maore when
    the multie player map pack.
    bonging

  11. i luv halo 2 Unregistered 4 years ago

    i really really want xbox live iv played the campaighn 40 times on all respectable difficulties(cram it easy!) for all of u that luve halo 2 campaighn press2 for all who luv live press 3 if you luv both press 1

  12. ^^Jordanware^^ Unregistered 4 years ago

    Yo! HALO 2 ROCKS and Killzone SUCKS!
    sony....ha!

  13. xbox_forever Unregistered 4 years ago

    Killzone sucks ass. Killzone is a horrible game and can ever be as good as halo or halo 2. i heard all kinds of reviews about killzone and they said it will ever be a halo killer.

  14. tyler Unregistered 3 years ago

    do u know any thing about the glitch on coagulation where people say that if u shoot at the cave wall with a gausse whart hog a hunter will come out get back to me a tyboo5@comcast.net

  15. tyler Unregistered 3 years ago

    do u know any thing about the glitch on coagulation where people say that if u shoot at the cave wall with a gausse whart hog a hunter will come out get back to me a tyboo5@comcast.net

  16. 360 Unregistered 3 years ago

    xbox360 is tight
    :-D

  17. pooky Unregistered 2 years ago

    killzone sucks and a SMG is great with combos also halo 2 is better when u do cheats and glitches like sumperjump also convertable wraith :)

  18. pooky Unregistered 2 years ago

    Halo 2 players I LIKE PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    :) :D :p

  19. pooky Unregistered 2 years ago

    :)

  20. pooky Unregistered 2 years ago

    :D

  21. pooky :D Unregistered 2 years ago

    :p

  22. pooky :D Unregistered 2 years ago

    If u like pie message me at pooky115@comcast.net

  23. halo 2 top sniper on xbox live Unregistered 2 years ago

    i think that halo 3 should be the bomb because there is loads of new stuff includin the flamthrower which is cool:-D

  24. halo 2 top sniper on xbox live Unregistered 2 years ago

    if anyone wants help on halo 1 or 2 just sne d a message on here ill be checkin this bit all the time so ask me anything

  25. halo 2 unbeatable sniper Unregistered 2 years ago

    u goin to get halo 3

  26. halo 4life Unregistered 2 years ago

    killzone sucks, halo2 for life!!!!!

  27. DEATH Unregistered 2 years ago

    halo is the BEST!

  28. xboxmarshall Unregistered 1 year ago

    killzone is a bad game horrible controls bad voice acting and rubbish graphics the gamep0lays not to good as well.