The Fight was Fought

by Shaggy

Yes, tonight marked the very last night of XBOX LIVE for those who play the original XBOX, or any of it's LIVE enabled library on the X360.

After 8 years, Microsoft has now ended all online support for the old system, and knowing this was to be, I had to give the ol' HALO 2 one more go.


I've found in recent years, I've become distant from the Xbox Live community. Sure, in the early days of Halo 3 and Left 4 Dead, I played my share of matches, but I haven't put any online time into other titles, such the Call of Duty series, Gears of War, Team Fortress 2, or even sandbox games like Crackdown and GTA 4.

What happened exactly?

What turned me off from participating in what has proven to be one of the greatest examples of online console gaming?

Well, we're not here to talk about that. Instead, I'd like to reminisce about Halo 2 and the memories tonight's final online matches had brought back.

The anarchy of capturing multi-flags with 15 other strangers on Coagulation.

The thrill of keeping a warthog up and running n' gunning for more than 3 minutes amongst so much incoming fire on Zanzibar.The fear of poking your head around a corner for JUST a second on any level in SWAT mode.
And the calm, respective silence heard over all headsets during Team Snipers.

These were the things that made Halo 2 online a real treat. And I was able to relive them, for one last night.

Sure, similar experiences may exist on all the more recent titles, but Halo 2 holds one more memory none of these titles can hold a candle to.

Yes, it was during Halo 2, that I drank my very first Bacardi Strawberry Daiquiri.


So here's to you, Halo 2. I don't care what Halo 3's ad campaign slogan was, because you, have finished your fight.

GG everyone.