Microsoft and Bungie confirmed today that Halo 2 will be released on Microsoft's next generation operating system: Windows Vista. Details are sketchy right now, but we know that the port will be developed in-house by Microsoft Game Studios, as opposed to Microsoft soliciting a third party like they did with Halo (Gearbox Software developed Halo PC). It should be interesting to see people's reactions to this news, and see how the Xbox's top-selling game behaves on the PC (a mac version of Halo 2 has not been announced at this time). Below is the official press release, and you can read an additional article on bungie.net.

 

Master Chief Dual-Wields His Way to Windows Vista

“Halo 2,” the award-winning sequel to the instant classic “Halo: Combat Evolved” to make its PC debut on the Windows Vista platform

”Halo 2,” the game that redefined first-person combat and multiplayer action for millions of gamers worldwide, is set to explode onto PCs exclusively for Windows Vista. ”Halo 2” for Windows Vista will be developed by a dedicated Microsoft Game Studios team in partnership with Bungie Studios.

Only for Windows Vista, “Halo 2″ will offer gamers both the single-player campaign and multiplayer experience of the original, as well as the additional maps offered in the “Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack.” Gamers will also have the exciting opportunity to build, create and customize their own multiplayer levels.

“Halo: Combat Evolved” and its sequel, “Halo 2,” have achieved phenomenal success on the Xbox video game platform as gamers around the world follow the saga of Master Chief in his battle against the Covenant forces. In 2003, the original “Halo” roared onto Windows PCs. In “Halo 2” for Windows Vista, the action picks up where the first game ended. Master Chief, with the help of a small group of marines, has destroyed the religious artifact and artificial world known as “Halo,” and is making his way back to Earth. There, he and the last surviving Earth forces will mount a titanic struggle against the marauding Covenant enemy. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 14.5 million games worldwide with over 600 million hours of multiplayer action logged across Microsoft’s Xbox Live online gaming service.

Better late than never: Infinity Ward and Activision announced today that they have released a patch addressing the save game corruption issue that has occurred for some people while playing the single player game. (In case you haven't experienced it, the bug caused gamers to lose their progress, forcing them to restart from the beginning of the game)

 

Gamers should also be happy to hear that Infinity Ward is working on an update for the multiplayer portion of the game that will address various issues, including the lag problems.

 

It's good to see that IW and Activision are answering the community's calls and are working to improve their product.

 

Source: Developer post on the Xbox.com forums.