halo 2

Last Halo 2 player finally leaves Xbox Live

And then there were none.

After weeks of showing the world just how much playing Halo 2 on Xbox Live meant to them, a group of hard-core Master Chief devotees who just couldn't let go of the multiplayer version of their beloved game has given up the ghost.

On April 15, Microsoft turned off access to Xbox Live to anyone using an original Xbox. But those who had managed to not log out of Halo 2 were able to continue playing--and won the respect of Xbox Live management, and the attention of the world.

By April 30, there were … Read more

Halo 2 continues to live on

A small group of hard-core Halo 2 players is still unwilling to let go of its beloved game.

On April 15, Microsoft turned off access to its popular Xbox Live service to anyone using an original Xbox. But for this small group of Halo 2 devotees--said by IGN to be 12 people--losing the ability to play the game online isn't an option.

That's why each member of the group has kept his or her Xbox continually logged into Xbox Live and Halo 2 (as my colleague Don Reisinger wrote about earlier this week.) According to IGN, "The … Read more

Halo 2 lives on with the help of 14 gamers

When Microsoft finally discontinued Xbox Live support for Halo 2 on April 15, it was the end of an era. Gamers from around the world who spent inordinate amounts of time fragging each other in Halo 2's many levels were forced to say goodbye.

However, as most left for newer alternatives, some refused to let go just yet.

"Throughout the past week, a small group of dedicated Halo 2 players kept their Xbox's on so that they could enjoy the game for a while longer," Bungie Community member "Joe Campbell" wrote in a forum. He said even though Microsoft has turned off support for Halo 2, the players have been able to keep playing the game because they haven't turned their consoles off and maintained a constant connection to Xbox Live since April 15.

"As long as we don't turn off our Xbox's, or lose connection, we can stay online," Campbell wrote. "Our Xboxes have been on for nearly 12 days straight."

Staying online for 12 days has been difficult.… Read more

Bungie plans 'one last hoorah' for Halo 2

When Microsoft announced last week that it would stop supporting original Xbox games on Xbox Live, some called it an end of an era.

Bungie, the developer behind the Halo series, agrees. And it wants to ensure that Halo 2 doesn't go down without a fight--or at least a proper farewell.

Writing on the Bungie blog, the company expressed regret that Microsoft has decided to discontinue support for Xbox games on its online-gaming platform.

Bungie pointed out that Halo 2, which was originally designed for the first Xbox, "has been at or near the top of the Xbox … Read more

'Halo 3' to launch September 25

Microsoft said on Tuesday evening, just hours before the Halo 3 beta was about to open, that the much-anticipated game will launch publicly on September 25.

This is the follow-up to Halo and Halo 2, which have been huge hits for the Xbox platform. Microsoft has been hoping it would be the monster hit it has been missing for the Xbox 360.

But reviews from a press event last week were mixed. Still, the fan base is huge and the game is almost certain to generate tremendous amounts of buzz, especially in the early going.

Microsoft also announced that next … Read more