Chronique:BWU 05/11/2004

This really is the last Halo 2 Weekly Update ever. Starting next week, three important things will happen. One, Halo 2 will come out. Two, the former weekly updates will become something quite different. But still weekly. And three, there will be a lot of interesting stuff on this website that might even distract you from reading the updates. You can see some of it right now by clicking on our all-new stats page.

Now, the stats you're seeing right now are kinda placeholder. The games you're seeing and Gamertags are largely test cases, but we've been playing at home against other Bungie folks, so a lot of the games are legit. Come next week, however, we're going to add a whole new layer to this that will literally make your face fly off and stick to the ceiling.

The stats that ARE there are pretty cool though. Feel free to explore them, and don't worry too much if they disappear from time to time this weekend. We're going to reset them before the real games start on the 9th (Yes Kiwis, that means your stats will be counted early).

Remember to go pick a Clan on the 9th. Lots of them will be taken very quickly. We've picked a couple early, but most everything will be available. And you can only have one Clan, so take care of it and make it a thing of awesome power and beauty.

The reviews are all coming out, and some of you have seen the scores, so you know we're pretty stoked. We worked incredibly hard on the game and we think we got it right. We finally got our own retail builds of the game (long after French pirates!) and we've been playing at home every night – ostensibly to gather test data – but really to kick ass and get our asses kicked. We are, at the end of the day, fanboys.

Next week, you're going to have a LOT of questions. We are expecting literally DOZENS of people to be online playing Halo 2. We're sure all 24-ish of them will have questions. We're going to be updating a lot of the site content – as well as adding aforementioned surprises and try to keep Halo 2 an organic, growing experience. If you don't normally visit Bungie.net, but you are planning to play on Live, you would do well to sign up and join Bungie.net – since it don't cost nothin' and there will be some very specific benefits regarding your Xbox Live functionality. You'll be able to see your stats, track friends, build a Clan, all that kind of stuff. But you can't do that unless you sign in. So do it.

It's been a long time. I've been here to witness just a fraction of it. These men and women have always done everything they could to make Halo 2 the best game it could be. They have worked incredible hours and made huge sacrifices. Their families too have shared all that burden and to them and theirs I say thank you. The game is a wonderful achievement and a thing to be proud of.

On the street last night, as rain started to fall on a crisp fall evening, a surly businessman looked at my Halo 2 T-Shirt and suddenly brightened. "Taking the day off on Tuesday, buddy?" he winked.

Well, I actually won't be taking the day off, but maybe I'll see some of you on Monday at the launch FanFest event. And if I don't, I'll see you online. Probably in Lockout. You'll know me by the constant stabbing. STAB! Anyway, it's been an amazing year, and a privilege talking to you all. Thanks for your support and your kindness throughout.

And here's Mister Chief, frozen in Carbonite. Who knows what will become of him...