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College is supposed to be about learning, hard work and a social life. But if you are a gamer, you probably set aside some time this week to check out two new mega-blockbuster video games – “Halo 2” and “Half-Life 2.” But as long as you didn’t sleep through your mid-terms or forget to call your friends back, that’s OK.

Like most things, video games are fine in moderation, especially when they are good video games. And for those of you who don’t keep up with games, “Halo 2” and “Half-Life 2” are about as highly anticipated as they get.

“Halo 2” debuted Nov. 10 for Xbox to the tune of $125 million dollars on the first day – that’s more than any movie in history. Then, just eight days later, “Half-Life 2” arrived for the PC after five years of promises and delays.

But as big as these games are, both of them are only evolutionary steps forward – and they have the same pros and cons as their respective predecessors, the original “Halo” and “Half-Life.”

Considering that these games are expensive – over $50 each – their creators haven’t made many ground-breaking improvements. Still, both games are entertaining, and the millions of copies sold indicate gamers are willing to pay the price.

Just don’t try to pirate these games – they include sophisticated “phone-home” anti-piracy measures.

I haven’t played much of the single-player campaigns of either game, but I will comment on what I’ve observed so far, including the online multi-player mode.

Between the two games, the single-player campaign of “Halo 2” has changed more. There are several new guns, the ability to dual-wield weapons and the opportunity to play as an alien Covenant officer.

The new guns include a rapid-firing sub-machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and an energy beam weapon.

But despite all these differences, the single-player mode is not radically different from the original. You fight in familiar locations and environments, alternating between indoor mazes where you hack through caverns and outdoor landscapes dotted with random elements of cover.

The multi-player mode is a more dramatic improvement. The new online version allows up to four people on a single Xbox to connect to games with two to 16 players. There are also a lot of different multi-player modes available, including Capture the Flag, Slayer and Racing. New for “Halo 2” are a capture-and-hold “territory mode” and an assault mode, where the aim is to destroy a specific target.

There are only three real problems I had with the new multi-player mode, and two of them are really a matter of preference. First, Microsoft allows only one Xbox Live account to be used on a given Xbox.

Second, the combat shielding system has changed. Unlike the in the original “Halo,” a character in “Halo 2” does not have “armor” underneath the energy shield. This means that a person who is not killed outright can simply regenerate back to 100 percent strength.

Finally, the Xbox controls work the same way as they did in the original “Halo.” That means gamers who prefer a computer mouse and keyboard will continue to find the Xbox controls unwieldy and imprecise. (I know some people prefer to use a controller, but I’m not one of them.)

For those who find Xbox controls to be a dealbreaker – or for anyone who liked the original “Half-Life” – there is “Half-Life 2.” Like the Xbox title, “Half-Life 2” is very similar to its predecessor. You play the character Gordon Freeman, a scientist-turned-commando who has to save the world from a mysterious alien invasion.

The single-player game looks stunning and, aside from “Doom 3,” is the most photo-realistic game I have ever seen.

The gameplay itself is remarkably similar to the original “Half-Life.” You spend your time blasting face-hugger crabs, zombies and soldiers who want to stop you from saving the world.

Some might find it too similar to the original game because not much of it feels “new.” But the game focuses on the fundamentals, and does it well. If you liked the original, you’ll like the replay.

When it comes to the multi-player mode, the creators of “Half-Life” decided to drop their own multi-player mode and rely completely on an updated version of the wildly popular “Counter-Strike.”

“Counter-Strike” is a modification of the “Half-Life 2” game where dozens of players fight against each other simultaneously, assuming the role of either a terrorist or a counter-terrorist.

But here’s the catch – “Counter-Strike 2” is almost identical to the original. The graphics have been updated, but the maps, weapons and gameplay are exactly the same.

This makes for a perfectly balanced game, with intense fights between terrorists and soldiers, which I found entertaining. But the lack of anything novel to explore means I probably won’t play the game for long.

Considering how busy college students are, and that these games are over $50 each, not everyone will be enticed to buy them. While visually stunning and generally fun, they do not change any gaming genres.

Lazzaro is a fourth-year political science and psychology student and editorial development director for the Daily Bruin. E-mail him at dlazzaro@media.ucla.edu.