What Classic Halo Means to Me
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I wasn't quite sure what to title this post. How Bungie-Era Halo Cured My Depression, Catharsis in Classic Halo, etc. So I guess I'll just stick with the title you see above.
When I was about 4-5 years old circa 2004, I went to my Grandma and Uncle's house. My uncle had recently bought an Original XBOX, and with it, Halo 2. Now, you're probably thinking "Jeez, letting a 5 year old play a rated M game seems a bit irresponsible", and you're right, and it was awesome.
My little barely-developed brain was hooked the minute this came onto my screen. I played the campaign endlessly, running from Cairo Station all the way to the end of Delta Halo. At this time, my uncle at least had the good sense to not let me play multiplayer and get bombarded with every obscenity and slur one could think of (that time would come when I turned 8).
I grew older, and since we didn't have an XBOX (we were a PS2 family) I largely only got to play Halo 2 when I went over to my Grandma/Uncle's. My parents had a bit of a falling out with my Grandma, and I wasn't able to go over anymore. So, I largely forgot about Halo 2.
However, at the end of 2007, my favorite game of all time was released, Halo 3. Now, I didn't know Halo 3 had came out, none of my friends were big into games and you really only heard these things via word of mouth or if you managed to see an ad on TV, or YouTube (oh, the simpler times). My parents had since reconciled with my Grandma, and I was able to go over again. My uncle had an Xbox 360 and with it a few games Fallout 3, one other game I can't remember, and Halo 3. It was as if my brain just got slingshot back 3 years when I was playing Halo 2. I instantly wanted to play it.
I booted up the game and was greeted with this beautiful interface
I popped in Halo 3, and started playing.
It was the single greatest game I had ever played. The main menu to this day makes me feel some time of way. Now, I didn't really know much about Halo at the time, being a 4 year old I could barely grasp what was actually happening on screen plot-wise. I spent all day playing Halo 3, I slept over at my Grandma's and woke up at 4:30 in the morning to go play.
I was obsessed. My dad had bought an Xbox 360 (best decision he ever made) and while I played some other games, I yearned for Halo 3. I remember begging my dad to rent Halo 3 when we went to blockbuster, and he did! I almost cleared the whole campaign in a single sitting (the level Cortana had me stumped). We returned the game, and I told my dad I wanted Halo 3 for my birthday. And that is exactly what he bought me for my birthday. I still have the copy to this day.
I played this game like it was my full-time job, from the moment I got home from school to the moment I went to bed. I would routinely wake up super early in the morning to go play on the weekends. I would bring the manual to restaurants and read it to my mom like it was the Bible.
I'm telling you this because I want to illustrate how important Halo is to me. I'm 26 now, and my love for the Bungie-era Halo games (CE,2,3,ODST, Reach) continues to this day.
In the year of our lord 2021, Microsoft shut down the official Halo servers. An end of an era. I was sad, and tried to move on. I played other games, but I missed the feeling of playing Matchmaking and Custom Games with my friends.
2024 rolls around and I started learning about Insignia and the Halo 3/Reach sunrise. This essentially revives the defunct servers for online on both the OG Xbox for Halo 2 and Halo 3/Reach on the 360. I joined this community that does weekly game nights and it has been amazing hanging out with like-minded people.
Halo means a lot to me, and the 343-era games just don't appeal to me. The fact that I can play Halo 2 multiplayer on my Halo Edition XBOX with my CRT fills me with unbridled glee.
Halo has always been an important aspect of my life. It's a shame what the series has come to these days, but I'm happy that I get to relive the glory days of the game even if its just for a few hours a week.