I will never forget my first halo 2 game on xbox live. I bought halo 2 as soon as it came out, and for about 2 years a played splitscreen with my friends. I got to the point where i needed to turn on a severe handicap to keep it fair. I finally got a 100 foot Ethernet cable and xbox live for christmas. When i set it up and was ready to go i remember wanting to make a name for myself and wanting everyone to remember my name, so i was soo nervous playing cause i didnt want to ruin my non existing rep. SO, my first game was on the rumble training playlist, and it was a warlock free for all. I was shaking so hard from nervousness and excitement i coulnt land my BR shots. The entire game i was in agony because there was one player i could not get ahead and cept me in second the entire match. He was just running around the sides with a shotgun. I think i came in second my 3 or 5 kills, but it was the best online experience of my life. thanks bungie, there are no words That'll do h2, that'll do. [Edited on 04.17.2010 9:49 AM PDT]

Parting is such sweet sorrow. I never played it on this account, but I logged thousands of hours on my first XBL account.

My best memories of Halo 2 were at the beginning of 2007 when I first got Live. Even though I had owned Halo 2 since 2004, playing online had to be one of the best gaming moments ever. Having all my cousins coming around for some 4 player Xbox Live was pure awesome.

A terrific article. Very nostalgic, indeed. So long, Halo 2, and thanks for introducing me not only to online multiplayer, but also one hell of a community.

I remember rushing home in first year of uni with my flatmate with a copy of Halo 2 each and having to avoid talking to each other for 2 days to avoid spoilers. there was the disbelief in the last two levels as the cliffhanger ending became inevitable. There was the agony and ecstasy of playing online for the first time on something approaching dial-up. There was fun. Thank you Bungie :)

My eyes hurt (I swear It's from all the reading! I'm a man, men don't cry!)

Good Lord, where to begin? So many great Halo 2 memories. I could go on for pages listing all of them. It's been a really great ride. Having been into the game from the beginning, I got to see all the changes it went through from launch until now. I got to talk smack and plant bombs with total strangers. (To this day Halo 2 is the only game in which I friended and played custom games with strangers.) I got to make insane flag captures, then rant about them later with my friends. I got to LAN and play custom games with a regular group of friends. I got to I got to discover that the game had lots of little surprises, even after 5 years. I got to -blam!- about SMG starts and power weapons. And then I got to reminisce about SMG starts and power weapons. I got to meet people years later who [i]also[/i] played Halo 2 when it came out. So yeah. Basically the most important game of my childhood. I didn't grow up on Nintendo. I grew up on Halo 2.

My favorite memories of Halo 2 have got to come from Ascension, and Coagulation.those 2 maps rock! flying a banshee in Multi-player, using the BR for the first time, jacking my first vehicle, all the fun times spent with friends on LIVE and in System link, no game(even Halo 3) has come close to covering the awesome scope of what a game is capable of doing. Halo 2 was awesome first, and a game second. Growing up with Halo 2 made high school, and early college life easier, thinking about it brings back all the fun memories, all the laughs, all the trash talk, all the "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" moments, all come rushing back when i look back on that game, I'm tearing up in this nostalgic moment, it's that touching to see this game's passing, the end of a chapter, so to speak. losing Halo 2 is gonna be hard, like losing an old friend, I'm gonna miss it a lot, but I'll always have my memories, and i wouldn't trade those for world. Thanks Bungie, for such a wonderful game, i hope you keep 'em coming for a long time to come. [Edited on 04.16.2010 11:20 PM PDT]

It's hard to get my head around this, that this era has passed, officially marked with the end of original xbox live. So many hours at friend's houses running through campaign, racing to the end of the Maw for the umpteenth time, chugging mountain dew past midnight, or finally getting that smackdown on my best friend. That's what Halo was to me at least, and I'm tearing up. To think I spent a decade in this wonderful universe. If I could go back I wouldn't do anything differently, maybe just play more Halo. Thank you, Bungie.

How were the final 50 determined? I played the heart and soul out of Halo 2 for the past few months and I wish I could still play. :(

those were great stats, but how many people were on in the last 24 hrs or halo 2's life? oh and i want to say with out halo 2 i probably would not be addicted to xbl and with out xbl i would prob be a pot head or something so THANK YOU HALO [Edited on 04.16.2010 10:17 PM PDT]

I miss Halo 2 already.

By far, my favorite halo 2 times were the endless hours of Tower of Power, yelling switch sides after someone was infected and didnt switch on zombies, and all the games of Cat and Mouse we played.

I have so many fond memories, most will stay with me for the rest of my life. I will just say that Halo 2 is more than a video game, is like one of those things in the lifespan of a person that are simply Amazing and almost out of this world. As a Hardcore Halo Fan and Player, besides Day 1 buyer of each Halo (except Halo CE and Wars)...Here it goes again: Thank You Bungie So Much! Not just for being such great Developers but also for being the terrific Human Beings you are! Last but not least, the importance and transcendence of the Halo Community is an aspect few Game Franchises enjoy nowadays. Great Job Boys & Girls for Making Halo feel like a second Home! I really Hope that the future holds even better and greater experiences provided by the incredible Bungie Games, perhaps Reach has a great chance to do this...Let's See! All in all there is no Doubt Bungie will continue to develop Legendary titles, be it Halo-based or something completely New! [Edited on 04.16.2010 9:06 PM PDT]

Halo 2 got me into the franchise, its hard to believe its gone. I guess onwards and upwards (jetpack reference). My fondest memories were teaching my little brother to play. Five years later he owns me whenever we play. Thanks Bungie, for making great games. Can't wait for Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach!

oh ye powerful son he who has fought the good fight he who has been on a many a battle field he who has fought for honor and those who can not fight he who was born to fight trained to fight trained to kill we will miss thee's amazing head shot your wild and cunning nature the sleepless night and the caffeine filled morning afters the highs and lows the camaraderie and the vengeance you will not pass unto the night u will not smell the flowers of a funeral for you will live on in the hearts of men and women who have fought at your side tho we may never again fight on the battle fields of blood gulch or find Sanctuary again u will live on and who knows the bungie gods may see fit to bring you back to life on another battle field never the less we will miss you oh fateful son

first of all, i think it would be great if one of the prizes for playing was being one of the last 300 players(spartans) online. you could call it "warrior of Thermopylae" or "dining in hell" or something. anyway, wow. halo 2 was really important to me. i don't know where to start. i'll try to be as concise as possible. the maps. imo Halo 2 had the best maps of all the Halo games. my favorites: lockout, ascension, midship, ivory tower, beaver creek, zanzibar, relic, terminal. turf and sanctuary were my absolute favorites though. i can't stress how awesome i think santuary is... i think it's the best multiplayer map i've ever played on. i would've liked to see more of these maps in halo 3, but if that's not gonna happen, maybe Reach if they would work, or any future Halo game really. i remember: --tower of power. i don't even know what to say. but it was loads of fun, and i really miss it. --zombies. the first game where i played a zombie gametype, and it was tons of fun on Foundation. i remember how people would post up in the various rooms: the one where you could jump up to a high space at the back, and another where people moved crates to the entrance as a barrier. i remember playing as a zombie, desperately trying to get past; eventually, we managed to get in a bit and steal one of the crates, creating an opening. i remember playing on zanzibar, and several humans had posted up at camp froman. we didn't have enough zombies for a frontal assault, so we went to the big crate by the wheel and melee'd it over to and up the stairs at froman, using the crate as cover. it must've taken at least 10 minutes, but it worked. we jumped over the crate and killed a couple people. --a couple of my friends who i spent a huge part of my summer summer 06 playing team snipers with. in terminal we would camp the upper level of the garage, lol. --the people from my clan. a friend introduced me online. i never knew them in person, but they were hilarious and fun to play with. most of them were in their early 30's (i was in high school), two of them were even married and had a very young kid. often they would get drunk and play; the female of the couple would talk in a british accent when she was drunk. at one point someone was pretending to be a unicorn, but when they talked, someone else said "unicorns don't speak english, they only go neighghgh!" then there was Banana Phone, where we would join social team slayer with 5 people. when we got split up, the two on the other team would pretend to be total noobs: "what team are we on? do i shoot this red guy? oops, sorry. whoah! i just picked up a second gun! what? how'd you do that?" etc. --"what the f**k's a samIam?" except this guy in the pregame lobby said it as "sam-L-am" instead of "sam I am." still an inside joke for my friends to this day. --those awesome moments in multiplayer where you felt invincible. i remember one time on Sanctuary where i was heading to a ramp on the side of the map, and started getting shot by two people from behind. by the time i had turned around, my shields were pretty much gone. i jumped down the ramp and over thier heads, chucking a grenade or two. i don't remember the exact details of how i killed them, but i remember feeling like the ultimate badass, so untouchable. --sword jumping to the top of headlong. we used a banshee for a little bit of it, but i remember trying to get up to a higher ledge, we had one person stand on another and jump, a third person below had to sword jump at them when they hit the peak of their jump to fly up to the next level. eventually we made it ON TOP of one of the cranes in the level. --making my player model appear in the sky on burial mounds. --super bouncing. yeah, it was a sometimes a little annoying when people did it in matchmaking, but finding more of them in private games was awesome. --gathering all the fusion cores and vehicles in zanzibar to make a huge explosion. --this one time where i had a sniper and looked across coag and saw an enemy with a sniper rifle. we both fired a shot, both missed. right before i took my second shot however, i briefly saw a ghost shoot through my screen and splatter the hell out of my enemy. it was hilarious because since i was zoomed in the ghost came out of nowhere. --fun wow, i really failed at being concise. i had to get it out though. i could have written more, but i'll leave it at that. anyway, me and my friends will definitely be getting people together for halo 2 LAN parties. *sigh* it's the end of an era. R.I.P. Halo 2. you will be greatly missed. P.S. - please never change, Bungie. you guys are by far my favorite developer, everything i know about you guys screams "i want to work there." your sense of humor, your ability to have a lax work environment while still having an incredible drive to push out games even more incredible than anyone thought possible, your devotion to your community, and more. i'm still in college though, so it'll be a while before i send in my resume. but don't worry, it's coming. [Edited on 04.16.2010 9:07 PM PDT]

My God...Halo 2 matchmaking has come to a close. I'll never forget riding the hype train with all the magazines, articles, and Weekly Updates (hey Frankie!). I remember skipping a day of college on release and ran right home to play the campaign. It's amazing how swept up in the story and gameplay I got. Bungie turned Halo on its head once again with the story. So many amazing memories from the campaign, huge LAN parties at my house, and countless hours of Xbox LIVE play with friends. Halo 2 may have been born out of stress and turmoil, but damn....what a game. Props Bungie. ...mad props. Fare thee well sweet Halo 2 and sweet dreams. [Edited on 04.16.2010 8:35 PM PDT]

Marty's awesome. [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] urk There are those who said this day would never come... [url=/news/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=25650] click for full story [/url][/quote]...[i]What a day to say now...[/i]

man it was halo 2 one of the best of the halo and it gone from live. what a heart broken thing. well one final ho ra

We stuck by him til the end. Hard to believe he's gone.. were it so easy..

Halo 2. I will miss you so much. So many late nights at my brother in laws house when I was 12. trash talking everyone and playing big team till 6 a.m. custom games for hours doing super jumps. A lot of great times. Great memory's that I will never have in Halo 3. Thanks bungie for such a great game. I think I might have to buy the pc version now. I don't think I can cope with this loss.

The two things I remember most for Halo 2 are exploring every detail campaign, and hosting 16-player LAN parties. My rural internet connection was pretty terrible back then; matchmaking unfortunately just brings back memories of lag.

My favorite Halo 2 memory is the night I picked it up. My buddy and I went at midnight, in Grandville MI. We stood in a HUGE line that wrapped around the mini-mall. It was FREEZING cold. Our feet and hands were numb. But nothing was going to get us out of that line. Finally the line moved as the door opened at 12:01 A.M. and they started letting us in 15 people at time. When it was finally my turn, the door opened and I stepped in from the darkness outside. It was warm, it was bright, and I was greeted by the monks as the soundtrack for the game was playing loud over the store speakers. It was as if I stepped into Halo heaven. I will never forget that moment and many others I had playing Halo 2. Rest In Peace old friend. You will be missed...

Halo 2 will be missed, my first Xbox Live Gamertag sported [url=http://www.bungie.net/stats/playerstatshalo2.aspx?player=PissedAnt]my endeavors[/url] in Halo 2 MP. Good times. I was an addict foaming at the mouth for MP carnage years on end. I held the illustrious LAN party more than once and slightly less than twenty times. In fact, H2 LANs are the reason there are four standard def tvs taking up space in my garage (for sale btw.) Something I never noticed until now still eludes me. Urk, maybe you can find this one out. When you are searching for games/players in H2 Optimatch, the blue screen with data scrolling by caught my eye. It scrolls a little fast, half displayed and obscured by the UI but I definitely know it is in English. The part I keep catching over and over is "...DAVIDCANDLANDISTHEGREATEST...DESIGNER..." What other hilarious things might I be missing? Please tell me, for I will never see it again!