My Halo 2 Live Story

My Halo 2 LIVE Story takes us back over one full year:

October 2005

SDtektiv is not interested in Halo 2 because of the shootingness. He attends a Halo 2 Partay, has lots of fun.

November 2005

One month later SD has a Halo 2 partay of his own at his own house, it's a blast!

Dec 05-Jan 06

• SD saves his money and considers getting Xbox LIVE with the intention of playing Halo 2 with his friends from school from his own couch.

February 06

• SD purchases Xbox LIVE Starter Kit containing Communicator, Project Gotham Racing 2, and 12-Month Subscription Card.

Late February 06

• SD questions to himself the racy pictures in the packaging, cuts them out and throws them away. SD gets on LIVE and finds non-friendly environment, he considers applying the 30 day refund policy due to slight buyer's remorse.

March 06

• SD joins a Christian Group on Bungie dot net called Ickthus in hopes of finding people to play with. He attends a tournament with this group, visits site, writes down every member's gamertag and sends out friend requests.

Spring 06

• Group slowly begins to fizzle, SD is now in charge of holding Tournaments on LIVE with Ickthus
• SD becomes friends with CRIM50NA55A55IN, together they start Ickthus LIVE clan.
• SD becomes friends with Geechy Yuy, joins clan Risen Phoenix temporarily.
• SD discovers Halo 2 Podcast, named "Podtacular." He listens to the show and takes note of the incredible amount of unprocessable tips and advice for Halo 2. He joins forums, finds friendliness, no cussing, etc. He requests a Clan Invite for a "Rec" clan. He recieves a Clan invite from Da L0C, arguably the actual Overlord at heart, though the nomial Overlord is nowhere to be found at this point.

Summer 06

• Podtacular Podcast becomes raunchier, forum signatures contain more sexy pictures, SD tries to chip away at these things through Private Messages and it is initially accepted with no hard feelings. The raunchiness and sexy pics die down only to resurge in fragments later on.
• Crazed Penguin suggests to Foomojive that as leader of Podtacular he should visit all the Rec Clans instead of staying in one. Foomojive accepts and moves to Rec B. Rec C and Rec D (well maybe just SD) get into an argument about who will accept Foomo with the openest arms. Stealth Zealot jokingly hints a Clan Challenge.
• SD presents an original rap at this event, which based on good feedback will lead SD to prepare raps for a few Podtacular LIVE events including a few that aren't even his own events! (thanks guys!)
• Rec D challenges Rec C and wins, this challenge spawned a season of Rec Clans in Podtacular Challenging each other which is still going to this day.
• SD acquires "Staff" status and the general approval of Podtacular, a few tips were read on the Podcast.
• The bad jokes and signatures resurge, SD questions if it's the right place for him though feels emotionally attached to Podtacular.
• SD slowly gets more vocal about it, members slowly get more disliking of SD.

Early Fall 2006

• SD gets as vocal as he possibly can, realizes that he's not strong enough to stay.
• SDtektiv leaves Podtacular, surprised at the amount of people who say they'll miss him.
• Begins search for new Halo 2 Community. Considers Clan of Bobs but doesn't agree with all their policies. Considers Lambclan but doesn't want to change his emblem. Searches and searches and lands in a new group called "Christian Video Gaming."
• Leads a "Free-For-All Fun night."

Late Fall 2006

• Attends a "Wacky Gametypes Night." Branches out and visits various Christian group forums, finds friends. Still plays with folks from Podtacular and asks about how Rec D is doing (you gotta represent).
• Watches "Major League Gaming" Halo 2 TV show on USA, is impressed with the show but turned off by overly sexualized commercials that air during the show (the boose mobile ones)
• Sends email to them about it and expects them to take the commercials off because SD thinks that they'll get lots of complaints about this. Commericials continue. Emails continue. No response.
• SD decides to make a blog post about it and go around to various Halo 2 communities and ask for those who've stopped watching the show to let MLG know about it. A few agreed, a few questioned, most gently disagreed, but Podtacular reacted differently and tore SD up, then locked the thread.
• SD moves on and forgives Podtacular on the inside, but never reaches out to another group at the same level again.

December 2006

• SD associates himself at a distance from various groups, fearing similar reactions, and is only truly open in Christian Halo 2 groups.
• Developes an interest in the Nintendo Wii after trying it at a GameStop, aspires to start his own Podcast, and aspires to be a good Blogger. Considers cancelling his LIVE account in February, as he is no longer interested in an Xbox 360. (see other posts)

If I'm going to be playing a Nintendo Wii and not the Xbox, the extra $50 from not paying for another 12 months of LIVE will help pay for a Wii. Microsoft seems to be the sort of company that might do something dumb like not let original Xbox owners play Halo 2 on LIVE since they are coming out with new 360-only maps.

• SD spills his Halo 2 Story, and appreciates it for what it has been. Hats off to my LIVE friends.

It's been a good run. I got my money's worth, and I had no idea that there was so much to this "Halo 2 on Xbox LIVE thing." Thanks guys for all the good times, and I'll play with you until February 2007. Some of you I might not hear your voices again until the next life, but until then, it's SD, signing off.