Halo 2
Xbox
£39.99 Bungie/Microsoft
*****
The original Halo was a massive success on Xbox, helping launch the system. It was also highly overrated: a highly competent first person shooter that was let down by repetition and poor pacing. However, the sequel now rights these wrongs to produce an absorbing experience.
Halo 2 is, literally, a blast. It never lets up; chances are you will be red-eyed and shaking after a serious session. The action is relentless and gripping, with enemies, especially on the higher difficulty levels, displaying tenacious skills. Luckily, players can wield two guns at once, while new weaponry is widely available.
As in the original, though, Halo 2 is not always about going in all-guns blazing. Tactical use of cover and ammunition is essential. While the intensive, full-on combat experience is not a surprise, the deep and twisty plot is. Far more than just an excuse for a breather, the cut-scenes and storyline are valid in their own right. Combined with the excellent audio, the plot brings a real sense of gravitas and meaning to the slaughter.
But the single player mode is only half the story. Online play is integral to the Halo 2 experience, with a wealth of Xbox Live options. An inability to play with a friend online, rather than against them, is the only disappointment. The relentless blasting occasionally leaves you wanting something different.
But this is all about the purity of combat and, with the new vehicles, weapons and plot twists, Halo 2 lives up to the hype.
Greg Howson
Football Manager 2005
PC, Macintosh
£29.99 Sports Interactive/Sega
****
For gamers, the football season in recent years has started when Eidos released its yearly version of the all-conquering Championship Manager (CM). But things have changed this year: Eidos parted company with Championship Manager developer Sports Interactive, and the new developer, Beautiful Game Studios, which has a decent pedigree, has been unable to get the next version of CM ready in time for Christmas.
But that really does not matter, because Sega snapped up Sports Interactive and resurrected the old Football Manager franchise.
The result is as stunning as one would expect from Sports Interactive, which retained the rights to use Championship Manager's biggest strength: its database.
Happily, it also took the opportunity to smarten up the interface, which was not the strongest point of CM games of yore. It is still menu-based but friendlier, thanks to canny tweaks such as the web browser-style forward and back buttons. It has not been so savagely altered that CM fans will find it disorientating.
The fine control over tactics, substitutions, training and transfers is just as detailed, and this time, you can play mind games with rival managers by picking stock phrases from lists, as well as motivate your players by praising or criticising them.
The incredible detail in the database throws up unexpected but fascinating situations during a season, making Football Manager 2005 almost painfully addictive. As a Tottenham Hotspur fan, I have already proved that I can do a better job of managing the club than the now-departed Jacques Santini, and have the added joy of bossing around and giving a humiliating nickname to new boss Martin Jol.
And therein lies the irresistible allure of Football Manager 2005 - it provides an accurate simulation of the joys and heartache of football management. If you love CM, you will find Football Manager 2005 at least as satisfying, if not more so.
Steve Boxer
· Keep up with the latest from the gaming world with our Gamesblog at blogs.theguardian.com/games
Six of the best
Football Manager 2005
GTA: San Andreas
www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/
Half-Life 2
www.planethalflife.com/half-life2/
Halo 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
The Sims 2
Top 5 games for GameCube
1 Donkey Konga
2 Fifa 2005
3 Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
4 Sonic Heroes
5 Sonic Mega Collection
· Source: Elspa, compiled by ChartTrack
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