Halo Nation, reassemble! Combat operations in the Halo 3 Beta theatre of battle have reached a state of cessation. The armistice has been signed. The sound of gunfire among the creek beds of Valhalla has fallen silent. Move along… Move along… There is nothing to see here.
Able bodied troops are needed back on the ground in the sentimental warzone that is Halo 2. Those who have been left behind during our recon mission are anxiously awaiting our triumphant return. Beware of the Left Behind, however. They have a score to settle with our cheating hearts, and they will not pause while we fumble to relearn the crucial function of the blue skittle.
It’s time to remove from your lapel those gold chevrons and silver bars – or even those stars if you are truly among the hardcore. Get to padding that good old numeric rank back up to a level of respectability. There you sit, inactive, a rank of 1 in your favorite gametype for Halo 2. Everyone is laughing at you! They are calling you a Poser for reading a Halo blog with a rank of 1 on your tag.
Are you gonna have that? Are you really gonna have that? Look deep into those big, bright numbers, and allow your inner rank hound to run wild.
The War of the Halo Nation is far from over, friends. We are far from that. It is months before the beginning of the end. For many stalwart clans that occupy territories in Halo 2, there is still life in the game that has occupied us for so long. Some of us are itching to get our fingers back on the triggers that have bound us together for so long. Wayward souls who have traveled paths in ChromeHounds or Gears of War have found The Beta to rekindle their Halo fire. Some of us have seen the light of Valhalla, however, and will have a hard time venturing back home to Coagulation. This will be their long, hot summer.
‘Tied the Leader’ invites you back to our table for some custom games. In The Beta, a custom game was tantamount to contraband – maybe even court martial. Nevertheless, countless gamers abandoned the proving grounds to monkey around with munitions that were not yet cleared for inspection. In Halo 2, on the other hand, custom games are tantamount to challenges – the finest and surest means of finding a good game. We are, therefore, calling you out.
From Praetorians to Helljumpers. From Panic Attackers to Laban Swordsmen. From 8 Bit Brigaders to 2old2players. To the people we have fought and to these we have not, we say: Do not allow yourselves to grow soft and go out with a low number. A guitar is no distraction for a true hero. Fall in from shore leave and prepare for muster! We got some gaming left to do.
This is your challenge. The Gunslingers await. A refreshed staff of Challenge Captains is standing by… and they are bored. Approach bored gamers carefully, and do not make direct eye contact.
I beg of you, give them something to do before something called OGame abducts all of them. I can’t talk about that now. I have already said too much.
Haha! BRING IT!
Thanks Bungie for the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the fraction of nirvana known as Halo 3!!! I cannot wait for the final product!! I hope you were able to get some good data from the thousands of players who partook in the BETA. Halo 2 will have to do for now, and that aint 1/2 bad!
Let’s not forget O7AH.
Sadly, my 360 is being sent back for repair… I hope it makes it another 5 months without breaking. :(
I will be prepared to storm the beaches. I will take names and rank. I will remember he fallen friends and foes on Valhala, and I will return.
Returning to H2 MLG feels sooooo good, god bless Bungie!
I really would, but my last venture into Halo 2 went somewhat less than swimmingly, and I can’t bear the thought of not spawning with the Assault Rifle anyway
Is it me, or am I the only one who hardly ever gets any of his blogs?
After the beta, I tried playing Halo 2 last night, and having now seen what’s coming, I’m afraid I completely agree with Halo technical lead Chris Butcher when he says “I fucking cannot play Halo 2 multiplayer. I cannot do it.”
I got right back into it last night with no difficulty. Found a room of Gunslingers and proceeded to collect scalps. Few can stand before us and those who say they cannot play the game anymore are just realizing their own weaknesses and surrendering before the fight has begun. I take every person who says they can’t play Halo 2 anymore as a compliment to how badly we can kick their butts.
But who knows. Maybe you are selling yourself short. Maybe you will surprise yourself. Don’t wuss out. Bring it, and you will be served in kind.
After days and days ok knowing the blue skitle in such a different way it is strange to back to his origins. Non the less, it is a warm and cozy feeling, after repetedly dieing, off course. Lets lean up the beaces of Zanzibar one more before we go again to Valhalla, and leave Halo 2 in a fighting glory. Make us proud of what e have become, and give us the strenght to move forward our destuny.
Thanks Bungie, we love you back!
I’m going to finish out 2 knowing that I gave it all I got from the day the game came out to the day the game gets retired.
I hope we have some good challenges between now and then.
Ogame…ooogame…oooooogaaaaame.
Who gotta wake up and smell the cordite. Bring on the challenges.. Halo3 I will miss thee greatly till next we meet.
Who is up for some gamin??
I want my…I want my…I want my Bub-ble Shield.
Out with the new, in with the old. I wish I could say its a triumphant return, but while I am re-adjusting my hand to button map the timmies are making tea. As Sept 25 draws ever closer, I am also revisiting campaign at the heroic and legendary levels.
We never stopped playing Halo 2. During the Beta, the Over 50 gang kept showing up on schedule and our 2old2pwn Clan continued it’s well populated Clan nights.
Those of us in the Beta, of which there were many, had a riot switching back and forth between the two control schemes. It made great conversation …. I.E. “WTF”
Going back to Halo 2 was sort of like going back to reading a comic book after finishing an issue of National Geographic.
I know I commented on this blog item previously – guess it didn’t register.
I too want to sincerely Thank You Bungie for iving us the preview that was Halo 3 Beta. Though i will miss it dearly, I will finish Halo 2’s reign strong. Heck, i still play/enjoy Halo CE/PC. In this case, 3 is not a crowd.
Thanks for this blog! I posted it in our 8BitBrigade forums to liven up the crowd. We have a few who have backslidden into the abyss of other “Less than Worthy” games. With our challenge looming, I only hope it is enough…
Until the battlefield,
Shlug