[quote]***************************2019 edit***************************
[url=http://halo.bungie.net/forums/posts.aspx?postID=43235214]C̶l̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶v̶i̶e̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶r̶i̶g̶i̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶a̶t̶[/url] This link no longer works because, unfortunately, the b.net web team decided to delete the archived forums on halo.bungie.net in 2018.
[url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623111755/http://halo.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=43235214&postRepeater1-p=1]Click here to view this thread in its original format on archive.org.[/url] Thank you to shadowkiller168 for archiving this thread. Every page in this thread is archived. By reading the comments in order, you can see how this story unfolded on a day-by-day basis.
This thread is completely dead now. But for historical purposes, I wanted to give one last update in order to post the archive. Thank you.[/quote]
[b]12/24/2014-Final Update:[/b] Wow, I can't believe it's been nearly 5 years since the original Halo 2 servers were shut down (and over 10 years since Halo 2 came out!). It's amazing how much has changed since then. With the release of Destiny, bungie.net is a completely different entity than it was when this thread was created. We are in a whole new generation of gaming, so it's not surprising to see how different the community is here now. I know some of you have stuck around since before the darkness; this thread is mostly for you guys. This thread was originally meant to be sort of a protest to the discontinuation of Halo 2 XBL matchmaking, but now this is no longer necessary. The Master Chief Collection has given Halo fans what we have been wanting since the servers were shut down. Halo 2 really set the standard for what competitive online gaming should be like, and I'm so glad that the current generation of gamers will be able experience what made the previous generations so great. I wanted to personally thank all of the people who have kept this thread somewhat alive over the years. You guys have proven that Halo is more than just a game. Not many things in this world can create such a deeply shared passion by so many people across the globe, but Halo proved to be one of those things. So many unlikely friendships were formed, so many memories were made, and so much fun was had. Refusing to let Halo 2 die was my way of thanking the community and thanking Bungie for the good times you have given me. The nostalgia I have of the early Halo days will never go away, but the MCC will allow us to relive those memories once again. So, once again, I wanted to thank Bungie and 343 Industries for making this possible. And I wanted to thank the Halo and Bungie community for sharing this passion with me.
(If you guys ever want to play some swords and snipes on lockout, add me on XBL: Agent Windex. Hopefully, I'll have an Xbox One sometime next year)
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[quote][b]The original thread is posted below. I hope it brings back some good memories and lots of nostalgia. Thanks guys![/b][/quote]
As all of you know, the Xbox Live servers were shut down for all Xbox original games on April 14, 2010. A small, dedicated group of Halo 2 players didn't agree with this, and did everything they could to not let the game die. As long as we didn't shut off our Xboxes, or lose connection in any way, we would still be able to play Halo 2 online. At first there were over 500 people that had kept their Xboxes on after the servers were shut down, but that quickly decreased to less than 100. Many players had lagged out, and some players Xboxes actually overheated. In the end, were able to keep Halo 2 alive for nearly 1 month longer than it should have been.
You may ask why we did this. Everyone has their own reason, but mostly it was for the love, and memory, of Halo 2. For some, it was to show their disapproval to Microsoft for shutting off Halo 2 so we could have more friends on our friends list. (Which is apparently why they shut down the servers, and that update still hasn't happened!)
A lot of us became really good friends.
For a while, we had 'T0 Be Continued' live streaming all of our games, until her xbox regrettably froze while playing custom games. Then, 'Mr7ankjump' did a live stream, but he lagged out only 4 hours later. 'Z0mbie Stench' was doing a live stream every day after those 2 lagged out, but sadly she was kicked off because of connection trouble. XXBooker DXX was the final live streamer.
I would like to thank everyone who followed our story, all of your support really inspired us to stay on as long as possible. Also, I would like to thank all of the Final Few, you guys are awesome and it was an honor playing with you. Also, I would like to thank [url=http://www.GamesRadar.com/]GamesRadar.com[/url] for giving out F&F beta codes for the final 12.
There are no longer any Halo 2 players online. Here are the names of the Final 52, in order of not being kicked offline.
1.APACHE N4SIR
2.Agent Windex
3.Lord Odysseus11
4.xxMAKDADYxx
5.DirtyCajun
6.Aforeignobject
7.XXBooker DXX
8.HiredN00bs
9.Rob2D
10.Z0mbie Stench
11.H20 Shoagie
12.Sherlok 1
13.SieferSword
14.Detenn
15.WGL Gonzo
16.MangledRex
17.XYOX
18.Anelf3
19.DeadlyChippy
20.Bond WM
21.Lockepyker
22.BillFromChicago
23.Mr7ankJump
24.NoName Nomad
25.T0 Be Continued
26.Family Fry
27.Hal0 HuLk
28.slater ohm
29.Dustyn1001
30.Milhouse06
31.Se7enUpMustang
32.TS Smokz
33.HummpaDummp
34.Crazy Kai
35.Wopsle
36.RomeoDude
37.xxxPuNiiSheRxxx
38.A Snoopkat
39.Keneken
40.xzzy
41.Nedge
42.TubbyKarma304
43.Lucky v1
44.Dragonslayer91
45.vxv frosty vxv
46.coppertop101
47.Osgray
48.MazeltovKoktail
49.Envoyyy JG
50.ssr14
51.Trent4now 05
52.One Eyed Monky
53. bLiGhTy (bligh7y)
27-53 are complete guesses, I just wanted to make sure their names were listed. Feel free to correct anything on this list.
Our message was heard throughout all of the internet. There were many articles written about what we did, on almost every gaming website. Here are some of the articles:
[url=http://www.slashgear.com/dedicated-halo-2-players-keep-online-gaming-going-2783371/]Slash Gear's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.gamestooge.com/2010/04/26/never-say-die-halo-2-fans/]Game Stooge's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/042310-halo-2-players-keep-original.html]Network World's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/100219-Halo-2-Players-Refuse-to-Leave-Xbox-Live]Escapist Magazine's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/214933/dozens-of-halo-2-players-keep-original-xbox-online-gaming-alive/]Game Pro's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.games-inet.com/news-dozens-of-halo-2-players-keep-original-xbox-online-gaming-alive_369.html]Games Inet's Article[/url]
[url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20003533-17.html]Cnet's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/people-still-playing-halo-2-somehow]Eurogamer's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.maxconsole.net/content.php?39820-LOL-Halo-2-players-refuse-to-quit-Xbox-LIVE-keep-playing-until-consoles-freeze]Max Console's Article[/url]
[url=http://kotaku.com/5525837/fourteen-halo-2-fans-refuse-to-let-it-die]Kotaku's Article[/url]
[url=http://thegamingliberty.com/index.php/2010/04/28/halo-2-fans-refuse-to-let-halo-die/]The Gaming Liberty's Article[/url]
[url=http://slashdot.org/story/10/04/28/0754207/Dedicated-emHalo-2em-Fans-Keep-Multiplayer-Alive]Slashdot's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.videogamer.com/news/halo_2_players_keep_game_alive.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter]VideoGamer.com's Article[/url]
[url=http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/704188/halo-2-refuses-to-die-gamers-still-playing-over-xbox-live.html]G4 TV's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3179031]1up's Article[/url]
[url=http://gizmodo.com/5526334/halo-2-superfans-refuse-to-let-the-dream-die]Gizmodo's Article[/url]
[url=http://tweakers.net/nieuws/67039/fans-houden-xbox-game-halo-2-online-in-leven.html]Tweaker's Article (Dutch)[/url]
[url=http://www.switched.com/2010/04/27/gamers-refuse-to-turn-off-xboxes-keep-playing-halo-2-online/]Switched's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.freexboxcheats.com/halo-2-lives-on-with-the-help-of-14-gamers]Free Xbox Cheats' Article[/url]
[url=http://www.onenewspage.com/news/Technology/20100427/10444016/Gamers-Refuse-to-Turn-Off-Xboxes-Keep-Playing.htm]One News Page's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6260513.html]Gamespot's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.gamereactor.de/Blogs/christian+gaca/279]Game Reactor's Article (German)[/url]
[url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/halo-2-still-kinda-alive-thanks-to-some-fans/]Joystiq's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.xbox-news.com/e9490.html]XNews' Article (Japenese)[/url]
[url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/204921.asp]Seattlepi's Article[/url]
[url=http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/108/1086645p1.html]IGN's Article[/url]
[url=http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/stay-in-the-fight-halo-2-superfans-keep-game-alive/1397830]Yahoo's Article[/url]
[url=http://www.gamesradar.com/f/exclusive-interview-halo-2s-final-players-share-their-stories/a-2010051415103021070]GamesRadar Interview[/url]
Halo 2: Final Few Montages: (Thanks to Slater Ohm) Amazing videos, some of the last Halo 2 montages ever made.
[url=http://youtu.be/BYthxCUE7dw]Episode 1[/url]
[url=http://youtu.be/Zb6Q6ZbB5HE]Episode 2 (no audio)[/url]
[url=http://youtu.be/2Hegzh2gS5s]Episode 3[/url]
[url=http://youtu.be/gp9qOMTfAMU]Episode 4[/url]
[Edited on 02.04.2012 11:25 PM PST] [b][/b] [b][/b] [url=http://www.bungie.net]link[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net]link[/url]
Edit: This thread was moved to the OffTopic forum because #Gaming was removed from Bungie.net.
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Apache, you using Bell or Videotron? Representing montreal, nice.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] APACHE N4SIR [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] joe campbell Good new everyone, we didn't lose anyone today![/quote] I have my fingers crossed... There is a storm going through the Montreal Canada area which is leaving alot of neighborhood's are going dark/black. I'm surprised I haven't lost power yet or had my ISP fail (like they normally do). POWER TO THE PEOPLE!! Hey Joe... I'm interested where we "The Final 14" live... I'll start: APACHE N4SIR - Montreal Canada [/quote] Good luck! I had the same problem a few days ago when a storm hit Ohio, missed my town though. :)
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] joe campbell Good new everyone, we didn't lose anyone today![/quote] I have my fingers crossed... There is a storm going through the Montreal Canada area which is leaving alot of neighborhood's are going dark/black. I'm surprised I haven't lost power yet or had my ISP fail (like they normally do). POWER TO THE PEOPLE!! Hey Joe... I'm interested where we "The Final 14" live... I'll start: APACHE N4SIR - Montreal Canada
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Just found out about this today. Awesome guys, just awesome. Keep it alive as long as you can!
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This totally makes me sad. >; Keep it going guys
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If anyone want's to see the articles we were featured in, here are a list of some of the ones I found: [url=http://www.slashgear.com/dedicated-halo-2-players-keep-online-gaming-going-2783371/]Slash Gear's Article[/url] [url=http://www.gamestooge.com/2010/04/26/never-say-die-halo-2-fans/]Game Stooge's Article[/url] [url=http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/042310-halo-2-players-keep-original.html]Network World's Article[/url] [url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/100219-Halo-2-Players-Refuse-to-Leave-Xbox-Live]Escapist Magazine's Article[/url] [url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/214933/dozens-of-halo-2-players-keep-original-xbox-online-gaming-alive/]Game Pro's Article[/url] [url=http://www.games-inet.com/news-dozens-of-halo-2-players-keep-original-xbox-online-gaming-alive_369.html]Games Inet's Article[/url] [url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20003533-17.html]Cnet's Article[/url] [url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/people-still-playing-halo-2-somehow]Eurogamer's Article[/url] [url=http://www.maxconsole.net/content.php?39820-LOL-Halo-2-players-refuse-to-quit-Xbox-LIVE-keep-playing-until-consoles-freeze]Max Console's Article[/url] [url=http://kotaku.com/5525837/fourteen-halo-2-fans-refuse-to-let-it-die]Kotaku's Article[/url] [url=http://thegamingliberty.com/index.php/2010/04/28/halo-2-fans-refuse-to-let-halo-die/]The Gaming Liberty's Article[/url] [url=http://slashdot.org/story/10/04/28/0754207/Dedicated-emHalo-2em-Fans-Keep-Multiplayer-Alive]Slashdot's Article[/url] [url=http://www.videogamer.com/news/halo_2_players_keep_game_alive.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter]VideoGamer.com's Article[/url] [url=http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/704188/halo-2-refuses-to-die-gamers-still-playing-over-xbox-live.html]G4 TV's Article[/url] [url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3179031]1up's Article[/url] [url=http://gizmodo.com/5526334/halo-2-superfans-refuse-to-let-the-dream-die]Gizmodo's Article[/url] [url=http://tweakers.net/nieuws/67039/fans-houden-xbox-game-halo-2-online-in-leven.html]Tweaker's Article (Dutch)[/url] [url=http://www.switched.com/2010/04/27/gamers-refuse-to-turn-off-xboxes-keep-playing-halo-2-online/]Switched's Article[/url] [url=http://www.freexboxcheats.com/halo-2-lives-on-with-the-help-of-14-gamers]Free Xbox Cheats' Article[/url] [url=http://www.onenewspage.com/news/Technology/20100427/10444016/Gamers-Refuse-to-Turn-Off-Xboxes-Keep-Playing.htm]One News Page's Article[/url] [url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6260513.html]Gamespot's Article[/url] [url=http://www.gamereactor.de/Blogs/christian+gaca/279]Game Reactor's Article (German)[/url] [url=http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/29/halo-2-still-kinda-alive-thanks-to-some-fans/]Joystiq's Article[/url] [url=http://www.xbox-news.com/e9490.html]XNews' Article (Japenese)[/url] [url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/204921.asp]Seattlepi's Article[/url] [url=http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/108/1086645p1.html]IGN's Article[/url] [url=http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/stay-in-the-fig ht-halo-2-superfans-keep-game-alive/1397830]Yahoo's Article[/url] [Edited on 05.07.2010 7:47 PM PDT]
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Good luck guys!
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The power went out in my neighborhood on the 2nd day after they took it down. I wish you guy's luck, stay strong.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Neanderthal 487 Saw the Kotaku article. The word is gettin' around.[/quote] Yeah, I've seen something about us on like 10 different websites now! This is getting crazy, I didn't think that so many people would actually respect/care about what we're doing, it's awesome. :) [Edited on 04.27.2010 7:30 PM PDT]
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Saw the Kotaku article. The word is gettin' around.
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Wow I just heard about this today. Great job guys, I wish I could've helped you. I don't have Halo 2 right now because I lost it about 2 years ago. Unfortunately I was never able to play it online and I couldn't get a copy of it before the last day of servers went down. Anyways I digress, congratulations to you guys and what you're doing is awesome.
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god you guys are insane if i had the usage to down load all those map packs again i probably would have played halo 2 on the last day but my 343 games were fun and all the old memory's of the games simple awesomeness in SWAT are enough and did halo 2 vista get taken offline because weren't the servers mixed?
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This is awesome!
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Anelf3 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Rob2D Sorry to hear it Anelf3. We played some good games.[/quote] [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] joe campbell It was fun playing with you though![/quote] Yes, it was good playing with all you guys (and girls) too these last 10 days. Those were fun times. I'll cherish them for as long as I remem -- oh hey look, pie![/quote] Good to know that Marty Army was there until the very end! Is someone from it still in the game? I have been busy with university stuff, so I havent had much time to play halo nor to say Hello to our leader! Kudos for the last 14!
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a commenter on Kotaku did say it best though... "a Halo 2 player never dies, they are just missing in action"
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Just randomly, after reading through some of the comments from the pricks who reply to Kotaku stories, it's hilarious to see 2 things: 1, they've no clue that you can leave a console on whilst you go to work/college etc. 2, 90% of those saying Halo 2 is rubbish have 'anime' as their choice of avatar. Says it all in my opinion. Keep it up guys, good job. :)
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"As much as i admire your dedication, there surely must be a limit to all things. I think its time to let the old girl go,i miss H2 as much as the next person, but your only going to kill your xbox at double time doing this, and probably yourselves!" Exactly this. Heck, I think you're using nothing but Peer to Peer now - so I don't think anything actually can remove you - from Bungie or Microsoft's end...
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game on guys! godspeed to yall! hope they don't forcibly remove you guys! thats pretty awesome you are all in still...I tried gwtting on when it was about 11pm on the day they cut it off because i thought it would cut off at 1201pm here in hawaii, but i guess they thought of that and cut it off at the PST timing...junk, oh wells
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Your tenacity, and love for an era in gaming (and the nostalgic association with Halo2) brings tears of joy to my eyes. You are truly wonderful gamers/people imho. Thank you for your dedication to such an amazing game! I hope you go down in History for your [Heroic] deeds of continuing the fight :-).
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This is pathetic, yet hilarious.
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[url=http://kotaku.com/5525837/fourteen-halo-2-fans-refuse-to-let-it-die]Kotaku article[/url] makes me rage even more after getting disconnected yesterday :(
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Mad props to all of you. The fight begins again soon enough. 'nuff said...
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As much as i admire your dedication, there surely must be a limit to all things. I think its time to let the old girl go,i miss H2 as much as the next person, but your only going to kill your xbox at double time doing this, and probably yourselves!
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] JAY132 Just saw this thread referenced in a Eurogamer article. Well done guys, and I hope Urk/Bungie reward you all with something. :)[/quote] what was the article... whats the URL? woops... it was on the next post... DOH! Thanks [Edited on 04.26.2010 10:23 PM PDT]
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] iRec7ifY so i heard u guis kinda liek that halo 2 game...[/quote] I've played it once or twice... I don't know what all the fuss is all about!
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] BENGAL DUDE 32 npt to be rude but ehy would you keep your xbox on for this long without giving a break and not playing anyother game????yes i understand halo 2 online is awesome but its not worth loosing your xbox for[/quote] Very true BENGAL DUDE 32... But while I was waiting for my XBOX360 to be returned to me for the 3rd RRoD issue... the UPS truck wasn't arriving anytime soon... and I had to be there for H2's departure, so on April 13th I went out and bought a ELITE... It's going strong, and hasn't failed yet. I have 30 days if it does fail to get a full refund. I did receive my "refurbished" xbox back but it was broken, (I sent it back). I look at this Halo 2 plight as: I WILL HAVE TO BE FORCIBLY REMOVED!! Great games, No cheating, no Sheep-Poop... playing the game with the extended family online the way Halo 2 was meant to be played....
. Hey Bungie... We the few are preforming the last Halo 2 "Stress Test" & "Soak Test" for you. Good idea having the REACH Beta come out when it will.... I'll be "Stress & Soak Testing" that one for you free of charge! Regarding playing another game: I play games at work all day long, when I come home I want to play the game I WANT, and Halo 2 is WHAT I WANT!!! Yours in Gaming... APACHE N4SIR - (The Final Few Forcefully Removed) Its pronounced APACHE ENFORCER not Nasir... lol *get it right*!! - Its been over 6 years. lol ;) We will meet again in REACH Beta... mouhahaha!!! :) [Edited on 04.26.2010 10:11 PM PDT]