Dedicated Halo 2 Fans Keep Multiplayer Alive 239
On April 15th, Microsoft terminated Xbox Live support for the original Xbox console, marking the end of online multiplayer for many older games. However, a group of Halo 2 players have refused to give up online play by leaving their consoles on and connected since then. Overheating consoles and dropped connections have taken their toll, but at present, 13 players are still going strong.
MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
really be required to legally release server side software for the PC to enable people to play their Xbox games. Quite frankly I really hate this bullshit service where companies have control over games people paid for in a "forced obsolescence" model of attempting to control the lifespan of a product and when to torch it to force people to upgrade.
It's unfortunate that the copyright and software licensing nazi's got control of the law due to the ignorance of the people.
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
"We're talking about a *game*, not your oxygen supply"
We are talking about money paid, and the principle of having companies take away our ability to use what we have legally paid for, just because they have us by the balls.
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
No, what CONSUMERS "should" do is to QUIT buying software that's subject to such prone-obsolescence systems. If consumers are too stupid or unable to resist buying the latest and greatest despite such issues, then companies will continue to find it in their financial best interests to do so.
At least with a PC, there are methods to hack around this (even WoW has private servers, illegal but they're there), but now you see part of the actual total-cost-of-ownership for that console.
Re:MS should... (Score:1, Insightful)
Companies have to stop supporting old products at some point. It's not because they're trying to screw you over, but because it costs to keep those up. If there was a lot of people still playing the games, I'm sure they would keep the servers up. You don't get firmware updates, OS updates or the likes forever either.
I agree that they should probably release something that allows users to run their own servers, but it's my understanding that such tools exist, no?
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
More than likely the Halo 2 servers are running on a PC, be it virtualized or other. Microsoft is completely rewriting the Halo codebase from the ground up for Halo 4 or whatever it is they're calling it. Considering most people bought the game for the multiplayer releasing the source code for the servers is a small concession to make. Usually I could care less, but unless MS offers Halo 2 on the 360 live arcade for free to existing owners, Microsoft is kind of screwing over their customer base.
I bought counter strike back in 1998, but I still pull it out and play it from time to time. Hell, it's Valve's most popular game to date [steampowered.com]*, even today. To top that off, Valve upgraded me to the Valve Platinum Pack for using the HL CD key that came with the copy of HL I bought just for Counter-Strike. The only thing Microsoft supports beyond the scheduled lifespan of the product is old Windows and Office updates as near as I can tell, never games.
Valve actively supports their games and player base, Microsoft turns their back on them. Which one do you want to support?
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*Actually right now it's COD4, but that's because they just had a $15 steam sale on it.
Re:MS should... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:One of the ley reasons I don't like online game (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
"No, what CONSUMERS "should" do is to QUIT buying software that's subject to such prone-obsolescence systems"
Reality is people are too stupid to do this because the do not understand their rights, the informed minority is outnumbered by the ignorant majority. In theory the free market is supposed to work this way, in practice it absolutely does not as we've seen again and again.
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not trying to be a douche here, but the game is almost 6 years old and runs on an outdated service that was generally limited to an outdated console. The last original Xbox's were sold in 2006, and have not been supported by Microsoft for almost a year (seriously any original Xboxes that need service and are somehow still under warranty are simply replaced by an Xbox 360). People that buy multiplayer intensive video games have to enter into that knowing that the game will not be supported indefinitely. I can understand your criticism if it were directed at the mass of sports games that are re-released every year, but not this.
Plus, the game still runs fine in single player and over system link. The only thing that is being discontinued is XBLive support, which Microsoft never promised would be maintained in perpetuity. Its not like MS is sending people out to repossess the disks.
Re:MS should... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:One of the ley reasons I don't like online game (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:MS should... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This is why I love PC (Score:3, Insightful)
So buy a different game.
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
Every once in a while I pull out my diablo ii cd's and play
certian movies put me in mood to play a turn based strategy game that came out in 1997 to the point I will install windows to play it.
Good games hold their replay value. Companies that limit that value undermine future game sales.
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
It makes me feel like I moved from US to Soviet Russia and gave up all my freedoms.
I completely agree. Not being able to play a game online is just like the massacres, disappearances, and political oppression visited upon people by the Soviet Russian government.
Re:MS should... (Score:3, Insightful)
Not sure how this is a failure of the free market, there are plenty of other choices out there besides Xbox Live and lots of people select them. Heck, Halo 2 is available on Windows if you want to play multiplayer, or you can even use third-party online services to still play on the Xbox. There are solutions out there to those who still want to play.
Re:MS should... (Score:5, Insightful)
Reality is people are too stupid to do this because the do not understand their rights, the informed minority is outnumbered by the ignorant majority. In theory the free market is supposed to work this way, in practice it absolutely does not as we've seen again and again.
You call them too stupid. I call them people who do not care if they can play these games on Xbox Live six years later. The game still has LAN support. The fact that only a couple dozen people cared enough to try to do something about it is proof that nobody really cares. I just bought Halo 3 ODST because it finally had a major price drop at Costco ($25.) I don't care that one day, the only way I'll be able to do multiplayer is on a LAN. I'm sure I'll get $25 of enjoyment out of it, and I don't even have Live Gold. To some people it was worth $60 to get it when everyone else got it so they could play online, I'm not that guy.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)