Spotlight: November 19, 2024
Welcome back to the Spotlight!
Halo 2 turned twenty years old (and the Halo franchise itself turned twenty-three) earlier this month, so we've rounded up a selection of the stunning community content that you've been creating to celebrate the occasion.
We wanted to first kick things off with this wonderful video by Logan Dodson celebrating 23 years of Halo and guaranteed to emotionally hit home. This stuff is our history! <3
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HALO 2
#H2MEMORIES
On November 9, we published a blog where folks here at Halo Studios shared some of their memories of Halo 2. We asked you to do the same with #H2Memories, and we've rounded up a selection of what you sent our way.
FROM: magpieleon
"I've probably spoken about this so many times now but Halo 2 was one of the first games I'd ever played and one of the main things I remember was playing the level 'The Arbiter,' standing on the conveyor belts with my uncle until we'd fall off the map. It was great."
FROM: MandoBaby28
"Playing Xbox Live on Halo 2 for the first time with my brother. We thought we’d be amazing since we beat the campaign multiple times. We got our asses handed to us but still one of my favorite Halo 2 memories."
FROM: Kiu_8
"Halo 2 is my all-time favorite game, playing it as a kid, it shaped many of my present-day interests (e.g. art, music, writing, etc.), alongside that, it helped me become fluent in English much faster (my mother tongue is Spanish but I played the game in English)."
FROM: xJAM0x
"Happy 20th H2. This game is special on its own but something that makes it even more special to me is my mom taking me out of school early without telling me why and tossing a package at me when we got in the car. It was a surprise copy of H2. I'll never forget that."
FROM: Drax122
"Halo 2 is where I had my first real interaction with the larger Halo community. The introduction of XBL and the rise of MLG really solidified my passion for this franchise. Although I'm a far more casual player these days, my competitive side still burns bright."
FROM: KC7EQO
"The day before release is my birthday, so we had a Halo LAN party then waited in line till midnight came back to my place and played Halo 2 until 6AM! It was epic, best birthday party ever—still talk about it to this day. Thank you for an awesome game!"
FROM: wort_wort_wort
"H2 documentary from the limited collector edition. A source of inspiration about commitment and resilience. Watched it countless times and will watch it again."
FROM: matawann_kun
"Every day after school, I’d go to my friend's house and play Halo 2 campaign together. Every time we played a mission, there was always something new to find. New dialogue, a skull hidden, the Scarab gun, etc. We thought we were the only ones to find them lol."
FROM: arsalansyed11
"I’m new to the Halo series and recently finished MCC. Halo 2 is easily my favorite. I loved the deeper Covenant story, playing as the Arbiter, and the soundtrack, it was amazing. It helped me stay focused during tough times and I'll always be grateful for that."
VALIANT VIDEOS
For Halo 2's twentieth, Frosted_Talents has created an awesome animated version of an iconic piece of concept art.
Hydro_Films has brought Halo: CE to life in pixelated form. Welcome back to the Library!
venturepictures has collaborated with Hartwell Design to recreate a scene reminiscent of Halo: CE's box art, now with more explosions!
There won't be a home if we don't stop the Banished, so thank the Mantle that GibsonSlayer4 is making all the gains necessary to finish the fight.
Halloween may be a few weeks behind us, but Primis_Ghost is here to freak you out!
A GATHERING OF GREATNESS
That's all for this month. Thank you for sending in your memories of Halo 2 as we marked its twentieth birthday, and—as always—your fan art and creations are absolutely incredible!
All of you who had something featured in this installment should be sure to fill out the submission form so we can grant you your Unicorn of Fire rewards!