September 02, 2004 - Editor's Note: The build of Halo 2 shown at Game Stars Live, an event aimed at consumers and not media, is of the E3 build. The E3 build was designed specifically for Capture the Flag so many of the issues in this article have been addressed. As you will read in an upcoming article on IGN.com, Slayer and other modes of Halo 2 are greatly improved over what our beloved Mr. Mustang Sallee played. So chill out. Yes, these impressions are valid for the build played, but it is an old build, one not meant for Slayer Mode. We promise, Halo 2 will rock your socks off. We'd tell you more, but then Master Chief would have us killed.

We already brought you new details on Halo 2 after playing the team slayer demo at this year's Game Stars Live event in London. Having queued up a couple more times to play the game, I've come away with more reason to love Halo 2, along with a few reasons why Bungie's baby's not quite yet perfect.

Easily my largest complaint about the Game Stars Live Halo 2 experience isn't exactly the fault of Halo 2, but is an inherent problem when playing games with unfamiliar people; other people are idiots, and playing Halo 2 with random folks doesn't quite stack up to a good round of slayer with friends. And while it'd be unfair to knock Halo 2 for this unfortunate truth of gaming, the version of the game playable at the show had a few flaws that exacerbated the pangs of team slayer with strangers.

The most glaring problems are fortunately ones that will, without a doubt, be repaired well before the game releases this November. Presently, Halo 2 has some trouble with marking teammates as enemies—the slight auto-aim of weapons tracks after friendlies instead of foes, and the motion tracking radar displays buddies as red dots, the mark of an enemy in the first Halo. These hitches lead to much accidental team killing while playing at Game Stars Live, but, to reiterate, these problems are so obvious that there is zero chance of them showing up in the final build of the game.

Another noticeable detractor to the Halo 2 slayer experience is one that was (to a lesser degree) also a problem in the first Halo. Generating fair spawn points has always been a challenge for Halo in slayer modes, and this early build of Halo 2 shows that Bungie hasn't yet developed a sound fix. Spawning alone in the heart of an enemy squad isn't the best of situations, and unfortunately was quite common in the Game Stars Live Halo 2 playing. The situation surely won't be as bad as it is now once the game releases, though it remains a valid point of concern for Halo 2 since unfair spawning is the biggest problem of the original Halo.

As we draw nearer to Halo 2's November release date, everyone in the office is anxiously anticipating the game. In spite of these problems explained, the game is already a blast to play, and as Bungie inevitably irons out these kinks Halo 2 will get closer and closer to perfection.