August 20, 2004 - How do you make 15,000 German videogame fans scream "Wunderbar!" all at once? Treat them to the first public showing of Halo 2, of course. At this year's German Games Convention in Leipzig, lucky gamers had a chance to play the sequel to the hottest Xbox FPS…after waiting in line for a bit. Microsoft had eight Halo 2 stations complete with wide-screen plasma TVs in a guarded, roped-off section high atop their booth at this year's show, which is open to the masses. As you can imagine, this was one of the busiest areas of the entire show, with a long line of eager gamers patiently (or not so patiently…must you really push that much?) waiting for their chance to play one of the most anticipated games of this holiday season.

Amongst the elbow-throwing masses was li'l ol' me, eager to give these poor German bastards a good ol' American ass-whuppin'. Seeing as how the playable multiplayer level -- Zanzibar -- was the same as we press-types got to play at E3, I was pretty confident in my chances against the inexperienced public.

Playing as a red Covenant Elite, my team went on the attack first. We started on the beach, and I quickly made my way into the defending base to grab the flag. Like many of the multiplayer maps in Halo 2, Zanzibar offers up a variety of ways to get to the flag. Being the natural wuss that I am, I personally like to sneak around the side and not go straight in. Going for a frontal assault gets you to the flag a bit faster, but it also opens you up to fire from the stationary turrets perched high atop the base.

Coming from a heavy PC gaming background, I've never really taken to first-person shooters on the consoles because the control scheme just hasn't lived up to the mouse and keyboard combo that I'm most fond of. However, with that said, Halo has long been my favorite console FPS because the controls just feel right. It's the kind of game where you can just pick up the controller and every button does exactly what you think it should. Luckily, Bungie stuck to the adage "it if ain't broke, don't fix it," as Halo 2 controls pretty much just like the original. Even the addition of dual guns didn't change the control setup much, and the controls are very intuitive as the left trigger will squeeze off a few rounds of the weapon in your left hand.

While I liked the plasma rifle in the original, my new preferred setup is the SMG in one hand with a Needler in the other, at least on Zanzibar. Like I said, dual wielding just feels right in Halo 2, and even if you're not used to it you'll take to fighting with two guns easily in the sequel. Just pull the right trigger for the right gun and the left trigger for the left gun. It's simple and intuitive.

While I wasn't a big fan of it in the original game, the Needler is a bit more effective in Halo 2, and not only does it do more damage, but you can spit out more needles without having to reload now. It's also extremely satisfying (and a little sadistic) to look your prey in the eyes once they know they're stuck with dozens of explosive needles that are about to explode any second and they can't do anything about it, kind of like when you manage to stick a plasma grenade to their chest and you can't look away because you know the "boom" is coming.

While dual wielding is nice, I also have a soft spot in my heart for the new plasma sword. It's kind of tricky to get to in Zanzibar at first, but once you figure it out, it's not so tough. Just ride the rotating bridge in the middle of the base and drop down in the hole in the center of the ring. Once you drop, the plasma sword is there for the taking. While it's pretty damaging on its own if you just swing it wildly, if you stay targeted on your opponent for a while and you'll get a lock-on. Pull the right trigger and it's lights out for your foe, as he'll go flying and you'll have an easy one hit, one kill.

The rocket launcher is also a favorite weapon of mine, and it also sees a little upgrade in Halo 2. Zoom in and stay fixed on the target long enough and you'll get a lock, indicated by a red reticule, making it nearly impossible for your foe to shake your missile. Using the rocket launcher on Warthogs and Ghosts is even more satisfying than before since Halo 2 now features full vehicle damage. Hit a Warthog once and the glass windshield may break or a hubcap go flying off. Hit it with several rockets and it will explode in a rain of metal and tires. Even though I've played Zanzibar before, I'm still amazed by the visuals. Halo is still one of the prettiest games the Xbox has to offer, but it's amazing how much better Halo 2 looks when compared to the original. The character models look better, the textures look cleaner, the vehicles show damage, there are more particle and weapon effects, and everything just looks sharp and slick.

Even though Zanzibar is a relatively small map, I was still finding new ways to play it, even after a few play sessions. While playing in Leipzig, I found a new, faster way to return the flag than the route I was running at E3. After opening the gate and sneaking out the side of the flag room with flag in hand, instead of sneaking through the corridors that run through the front wall and down the stairs to get to the beach to return the flag, I made my way to the wall, went up to the top, and jumped over the battlements to the beach below. It was much faster and it seemed to confuse my pursuers as well as they couldn't figure out where I had gone.