HALO MAGAZINES

Official XBOX Magazine, issue #32, 06/2004.

Read this here on Google Drive!

This magazine is pretty cool, and I like the look of the Halo pages, the blues and the black, the colors together are very 2000s Halo. This magazine also makes mention of the "Xbox 2"... which of course we know to later be released as the Xbox 360 and how Halo 3 (really? Halo 2 was a few months from releasing at the time of this magazine and we're talking about Halo 3 already?) wouldn't be ready in time to be a launch title for the next gen XBOX. This magazine jokes: "Deja Vu: This month marks our first Halo 2 cover story since... last June. We can pretty much promise you there won't be one next June, though (Halo 3, on the other hand...)". Hm, they also mention a "Morrowind 2" which is also funny to look back on, not a next generation Elder Scrolls game, just... Morrowind 2. Anyways, back to the Halo 2 review, open the first page to "VIVA LA EVOLUTION", which I love a lot. There's talk of the dual-wielding, two's company! And ride jacking, which was pretty well-loved at the reveal of the Halo 2 demo at E3 2003, really evolving combat and mixing FPS with GTA, now infantry had a chance! And even the Sangheili have seen GTA: Vice City, don't think they won't do the same to you. The close up of the interior of the Warthog on page 30 (page 4 in the PDF) is great to look at. They also mention how a vehicle in Halo 2 takes damage, "Armor rips off, tires flatten and woble..." really adding to that immersive feel. Their multiplayer section isn't grand, but there's other magazines that will cover that more in-depth. Overall, the look and feel of this magazine review is in my top favorites. Looking back at these magazines 22 years later, these sorts of things may seem... underwhelming, but when you think of it from a 2004 perspective, it must've been a marvel.