It was released all over the world on November 9 , 2004 . It is the second game in the Halo series the first being Halo : Combat Evolved and the third being Halo 3 . Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9 , 2004 , the game is the second video game title in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001 's critically acclaimed Halo : Combat Evolved .