IMO, Halo 2 did have awesome graphics that were hindered by the Xbox hardware (texture popups, low-res textures, etc). It even had some self-shadowing in the cutscenes and some of the lights in the level "the Arbiter" (specifically in the hallway before you enter a lab area where you jump down and def the area for awhile) actually cast self-shadows while others don't. Still, the after-effects are some of the best I've seen from that time (including HL2) (depth of field, bloom lighting, etc.)