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?
