The Dedicated Few are Still Playing Halo 2

Regardless of the fact that Microsoft shut down the original Xbox Live servers on the 15^th of this month, there are a still some people that have found a way to keep the game running since then.  Of the man people who originally took up the cause, only twelve remain.  The key to keeping Halo 2 alive? Until you disconnect, you can keep playing until manually removed. But once you lose your connection, it’s over.

A member of the remaining twelve, Joe Campbell, says that they will keep playing until they are forced to stop.  Campbell says,

“We will keep playing until we are all forcibly removed.  It could be by Microsoft, Bungie, our Xbox’s overheating, or just lagging out. Not for competition, not for a prize, but for the love, and memory of Halo 2.”

When Microsoft found out, they released this statement:

“A small band of a committed few, engaged in a battle against insurmountable odds. It’s not Noble team from Halo: Reach, it’s the final, passionate few who are still playing Halo 2. We wish them the best in their battle against time. Their tremendous exhibition of courage and commitment makes them ideal candidates for Noble team and therefore we are working to ensure they have everything necessary to participate in the Halo: Reach beta.”

Some think that letting them play Beta is only an attempt to get the few off of Halo 2 so that they can shut it down forever.  What they are doing might be extreme, but today these twelve people are fighting a real battle to keep the game they love running.  The Reach Beta will last a few weeks, and once the retail game comes out, they’ll have a few years to play it, but Halo 2′s life is quickly running out.