You need a WEI of 5 to run it! (Plus, the technical specs that are missing...)
Until a really stable and easy to install patch comes out, this will only work with Vista, and a really good video card. (I'm sure that sometime this year we will see a true patch that will allow you to use it on XP, but then...)
According to the cover box and Microsoft website, your video card must be "NVIDIA 6100, ATI X700 or above." That leaves a lot to interpretation, and nowhere does it state the minimum technical specs required to run the game. So, here it is:
Video memory: 128 Megabytes or higher required
Supported pixel shader version: 2 or higher required
Supported vertex shader version: 2 or higher required
Copied from the game install warning screen:
"Halo 2 for Windows Vista is designed for computers running Microsoft Windows Vista with an overall Windows Experience Index of 5 or higher." Hmmmm, one would think that the requirement of a 5-rating would be in bold type somewhere on the box, especially since the majority of...
Better than I expected...
From all the negative reviews I've heard, I was hesitant on picking this title up. I never played the original Xbox version as I still have not gotten used to first person shooters using a control pad; I still prefer a mouse and keyboard. It installed without a problem and plays flawlessly. I do have a rather high end system, running a Pentium D 3.0GHz, two ATI x1800 cards in Crossfire mode, and Vista x64. The mouse and keyboard controls work almost the same as the original Halo version for the PC; there are some differences for dual-wielding of weapons as expected. On-screen hints tell you which keyboard keys to hit in order to pick up weapons or perform actions as did the original Halo for PC so it's not a direct console port just showing the handheld controller buttons as I may have feared. However, my two biggest complaints are:
1. The graphics are slightly worse than the original Halo for PC. They look a little more "cartoonish" and the colors are somewhat...
Unusually High Requirements
The PC adaptation of 2004's phenomenally successful Xbox game, "Halo 2 for Windows Vista" comes 3 years later, right before the release of Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Despite this gap and apparent poor planning on the part of Microsoft's release department, does Halo 2 for Vista stand up even with the test of time?
The first difference comes with the transition from the uniform, high-end console to the more variable PC, with regards to graphics and computing power. While even at "high" settings I did not notice a marked improvement from the Xbox's graphics (though opinions tend to differ on this point), Halo 2 still commands a hefty "5.0 Recommended" rating on Vista's new gaming rating system. To put that in perspective, my current system is a "5.3", and newer games like Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, and Command and Conquer 3 top off at "4.1 Recommended". Apart from its variability with regards to graphic quality, Halo 2's only other new technical feature is the option...
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