- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Hello, marines!
I figured it was once again time to reveal myself to the forum, and tell you the true story of how I became exposed to the awesome universe of Halo. If you have the time and would like to hear my story, take a moment to read through it. If you have a story of your own that you’d like to tell, I would love to hear it. Otherwise no worries, and I’ll see you on Xbox Live when Halo 2 releases!
It was 4:00 am on a cold, dark November morning. A buddy and I had just wrapped up a project we’d been working on for the past couple months. All too often, late-nights were something we had gotten used to in our line or work, but this time things were going to be a bit different. Our night wasn’t ending as it normally did. In fact, even though we’d gone with out sleep, our night was just beginning. It was time to head up to our local Fred Meyer and attempt to be one of the first in line to purchase the brand new Xbox game system. We chose a new store that had just opened a week or two prior, and many people were not even aware that it was in business yet. That was our plan; go to the unfamiliar newbie and out think our adversaries. Our chances looked good for being one of the lucky few to get our hands on an Xbox. We called ahead when the store first opened and learned that only nine systems would be available by the release date of November 15th, 2001. While most of the city slept, we made our way uptown to the new Fred Meyer. To our delight, only one other person appeared to be waiting ahead of us, and for the moment our plan was working and the Xbox to people ratio looked to be in our favor. Sitting on the cold cement outside the store, the three of us shivered as we shared some of the exciting news and information we had heard about the new system. Our excitement and anticipation grew until finally, after several long hours and many more want-to-be-Xbox-owners arrived, the store opened its doors. It was a mad dash through the empty store to the electronics department where our eyes met a mini-tower of neatly stacked boxes. Instincts took over as we each snatched up a system, and with the blink of an eye, the tower that had been assembled of Xbox system boxes had vanished. With the excitement of a kid on Christmas, we turned to the newly created section of Xbox video games. Although the number of games released was few, Halo was the only game I desired. I knew going into the store that it would be my first choice. Plastic was swiped, bags were stuffed, and at last we were off to my house just a few blocks away! We turned on the giant 72" T.V., made sure the receiver was cranking through all 5.1 channels, turned off all the lights, and then fired up the Xbox. After drooling over the OS for a few moments, it was time to put in Halo. Before the end of the opening credits my friend and I were already high-five'n fools. The next thing I remember was this monkish chant and a mysterious Halo artifact orbiting some gas giant. What followed was only the beginning of a night that never ended. Even though we were running on no sleep and should have been back to work hours before, we kicked covenant @$$ all day. It was a good day, a great day, and I even got to use my AK....well it wasn't actually an AK it was a MA5B Assault Rifle, but that's a story for a different time. :)
-T.F.