- AwesomeBarlow
- |
- Exalted Member
XBL/Steam/NeoGAF/Waypoint: Awesome Barlow; PSN/XBC: Awesome_Barlow; Bungie.net: AwesomeBarlow
I intend to send the following letter, but I would appreciate any constructive criticism and editing ideas first. In addition I require the address to email it to. I know this is not Bungie's job, it would be the responsibility of 343/MS, yet I feel they should be aware as Halo 2 is THIER creation. If this gains enough attention our dream could be made into a reality. So please post a link to this thread on Halo, Xbox, and other gaming news sites/forums around the net. Send this to Kotaku, HBO, and any other news sites you can think of. Thank you. The letter is as follows:
Dear Microsoft/343 Industries/Bungie/whomever it may concern,
The Halo community has recently been made aware of the decision to end Xbox Live support for last generation Xbox titles. We all understand this decision and respect it. We are great full that you have continued to support our favorite games up until now. As you are aware, Halo 2, one of the most popular online games of all time, is among the Xbox titles what we will no longer be able to enjoy online after April 15. Now many of us Halo 2 players have moved on to Halo 3, Halo Wars, and ODST; games that we enjoy. However, we do sometimes enjoy playing the odd game of Halo 2. For many, Halo 2 was the first game they played on Xbox Live. It is hard to believe that was nearly 6 years ago. Nostalgia aside, Halo 2's online multiplayer component is still impressive today. In fact, Halo 2's multiplayer is even better than that of some games released today. We could play Halo 2 online via a tunneling service such as the popular Xbox Connect, but it is not as much fun, reliable, or open to the public as Xbox Live. When we do play Halo 2 on Xbox live we are deprived of the many great Xbox 360 features such as Party Chat, Private Chat, MSN messaging, and music.
In response to the end of support for Halo 2, a last day of online play was proposed. Many of us got on our 360s and attempted to download the downloadable content for Halo 2, but, much to our surprise we noticed that we could not download the bonus maps for our much beloved game. This rendered are attempts to play Halo 2 online futile. Many people, like me, paid for the maps previously. However I recently purchased a new 360 elite to replace my launch 360 console and I could not download the Halo 2 map packs for my new console. I am not alone; many of your loyal fans have purchased multiple 360s to replace their older failing 360s in order to enjoy the best games coupled with the best online service for any console. A Bungie employee has been made aware of our predicament and is working to find a solution. However we have also been made aware that a solution may not be available. We do not wish to see Halo 2's multiplayer come to an end, but we understand that support for last gen games needs to end in order to prepare for the future. Thus, we have a proposition: release an Xbox 360 version of Halo 2.
This may sound like a large request, but it is not as ridiculous as it may sound. The PC version of Halo2 could be ported to the Xbox 360. Hired Gun, a team assembled by Microsoft ported our much loved Halo 2 to the PC. Now this port received ridicule for being a "console-ized" PC game with the inclusion of matchmaking, auto aim, lack of modification tools, and support for the Xbox 360 controller. This however is not a problem for us as we are console gamers. The PC version of the game already supports achievements as it is a Games for Windows Live title. A small team of people could port this game to our favorite console, the Xbox 360 in relatively short period of time. The game would be relatively easy to port. If this were to be done many people would happily purchase it. The PC version of the game included two exclusive maps if included, they would add extra incentive for people to purchase the 360 version of the game. This Halo 2 port could be released on the Xbox Live Arcade or via Games on Demand, thus eliminating the need to press discs. If the game were to be released at an affordable price, say twenty dollars, you would be surprised at how many people would purchase the title. In fact if the ported game had extra features such as Forge, Saved Films, or Online Co-Op a higher price point would be justified and would add even more of a reason for people to buy the game. In addition, if the game included the original Halo 1 with online play people would pay sixty dollars easily for a retail disc copy. Sony did this with their God of War 1 and 2 collection, it is only fitting that the Xbox's flagship title get the same, if not better treatment. Halo 2 is still the most popular Original Xbox game played on Xbox Live. We are not asking for a miracle, nor are we asking for any of these extra features to be implemented, rather we are simply asking for our favorite game, Halo 2 with all of its downloadable maps, to be released as a downloadable Xbox 360 title.
You can read other people's response to our plea here:
(will add links to this thread and any other links that chose to recognize our request when I send the letter)
Signed,
The Halo Community and the rest of the 23 million Xbox Live Users
[Edited on 02.06.2010 3:24 PM PST]