Microsoft Shutting Down Halo 2 PC Multiplayer Servers in Feb
Multiplayer servers for Halo 2 PC will close on February 15.
I hate to say it, but I had no idea Halo 2 PC multiplayer servers were still up and running, but apparently that's coming to an end next month. Even more, the multiplayer Achievements for the game will be unobtainable once the Microsoft shooter goes offline.
"We’re sad to report that the service end-date for Halo 2 PC Multiplayer will be February 15, 2013," reports Halo Waypoint's Jessica Shea. "We’ve been monitoring the population for months, and it’s been peaking consistently at approximately 20 players or less. Those that own this game can continue to enjoy Multiplayer over LAN after that date; however our network services will be turned off at that time. We love you, Halo 2 PC, and you will live forever in our hearts."
Halo 2 launched for Windows Vista on May 31, 2007 nearly two-and-a-half years after it launched on the original Xbox console. It was exclusive to Vista in order to boost the platform's sales, but Windows XP gamers were able to bypass that limitation by using a third-party crack. Halo 2 PC was also one of the launch titles for the Games for Windows platform, and offered features and maps not available in the console version.
Halo 2 PC was originally slated for a May 8, 2008 release, but the game was stalled after partial nudity was discovered in the map editor. According to Edge Magazine, a photo of a man mooning the camera was displayed as part of the ".ass" error. Microsoft had to update the packaging to warn customers about the partial nudity, and provided a patch that removed the offending buns from the game.
"We have been advised by Microsoft that future runs of the game will be produced without the content in question, thus negating the need for the descriptor to be displayed on those versions," the ESRB stated. "ESRB’s job is to ensure that games are appropriately labeled, and that is precisely what we did in this case. We greatly appreciate Microsoft’s cooperation in this matter."
Too funny. Now all of a sudden I want to play Halo 2 on my laptop, and naked butt cheeks have nothing to do with it. Have you played Halo 2 on the PC?
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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spartanmk2 I totally forgot that halo 2 was on pc... when it came out i had XP and saw the requirement for Vista and said forget it... needless to say, i did not know about the xp hack back then :(Reply -
tipoo Wait, even Halo 1 still has servers for it going, I just checked and I still find matches for it...Will 1 be shut down too, or will 2 be shut down before 1?Reply -
memadmax Just stick the server software in a virtual machine along with other games that get little traffic and call it good. That way people can still get a game or two in once in a while when the "nostalgia" bug kicks in lolReply
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InvalidError Gotta love centralized multi-player servers as DRM or kill-switch as a method to force players to either migrate to newer versions of a given game or buy/play something else. Also somewhat like the ultimate way of killing the 2nd-hand market since your old games become unplayable and worthless.Reply -
samwelaye InvalidErrorGotta love centralized multi-player servers as DRM or kill-switch as a method to force players to either migrate to newer versions of a given game or buy/play something else. Also somewhat like the ultimate way of killing the 2nd-hand market since your old games become unplayable and worthless.Reply
People will host their own games, not microsoft/343 industries. you can still play it online... game is just hosted locally instead of on a different server so however is hosting theoretically has an advantage. guess thats the price to pay when only TWENTY people want to play anyways
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azurehobo samwelayePeople will host their own games, not microsoft/343 industries. you can still play it online... game is just hosted locally instead of on a different server so however is hosting theoretically has an advantage. guess thats the price to pay when only TWENTY people want to play anywaysReply
Actually you can run the server software off your owning machine to create your own server for online play. What is happening here is that the master server will be shit down, so you won't be able to populate the server browser list through normal means. XBC, XKAI, or any VPN will allow players to host internet LAN games forever.
Also for those wondering, Halo 2 Vista's master server is run by MS, while the Halo 1 PC master sever is run by GameSpy (or their new owner who plans on shutting the servers down soon). -
calmstateofmind At least the PC servers lasted a lot longer than the Xbox Live servers.Reply
I played Halo 2 the day it came out for Xbox, and I played the day they shutdown its Live servers. I don't think I'll be able to say the same for PC though, having only played while in my computer class, back in high school, along with everyone else who wasn't doing their work... -
anxiousinfusion tipooWait, even Halo 1 still has servers for it going, I just checked and I still find matches for it...Will 1 be shut down too, or will 2 be shut down before 1?Reply
IIRC Gamyspy was planning on shutting down the Halo 1 server along with several other older titles.