The Final Few

On April 15, 2010, a part of gaming history died, or at least it was supposed to. Microsoft had planned to disband their Xbox Live service for the original Xbox. What they didn't count on was a group of faithful 14 fans of Halo 2. As of May 10th, only 2 remain. Part of me applauds them for keeping the dream of retro gaming alive. I've always been a fan of reverse compatibility because I don't want to have tons of wires hanging out the back of a TV with my entertainment system full of consoles.

But for all the hype surrounding the Final Few, it makes me wonder about them. Were these just people who couldn't let go of their Xboxes? I still bust out my SNES from time to time, but I'm not going to waste the electricity and everything else involved involved with keeping it running. This is really a big commitment to make. These guys are sacrificing internet speed and energy costs just so they can still play Halo 2 together. Al Gore must be pissed.

Why obsess over Halo 2? There's been 2 full games and a beta out now that have made a lot of improvements. It's like playing a Mega Man game after they gave you the slide. You can't go back and play Mega Man 1 again without wishing the Blue Bomber could do that crazy sideways slip. I can appreciate the simplistic fun of playing a less complicated game. That's why I have a DS, but I'm not going to organize a sit-in protest when they discontinue the hand held.

So why have these 14 die-hard gamers dwindled down to 2? For starters, apparently electronics are not meant to constantly run 24/7. I hope they realize the sacrifice they made for Halo 2 that now they'll never be able to play it again, offline or online. Some of them ended up with losing connection and others my always favorite: the internet going out. I can't even imagine how that service call went with some of the language I've heard playing games online. I only hope they had one of those automated "tell me the nature of your problem" systems. I wonder what response it has programmed for "You're a f**king f*ggot, you homos!"

Honestly, I think Microsoft should just pull the plug. Most people couldn't hold it against them with the service being available for years after the Xbox 360 came out. They did their duty and these guys just need to let go. The last 12 were already given Halo: Reach beta codes to get in on the next installment of the game. They've gotten their fame as hero outlaws among gamers. But when it's down to 2 and you're still holding on, it changes from inspirational rebellion to just sadness.

Personally, I wish Xbox Live was being held up by two guys refusing to forfeit a paused game of Madden NFL 2003.