Dear Halo 2, 
I did not know thee that well.   You see, I purchased you in May of '06 and only played you for fifteen months, off and on.  The only reason I bought you was due to a glamorous E3 trailer showcasing your successor, coincidentally the same reason I purchased an Xbox 360.  Do you feel used?  If you do, I'm sorry. 
 
Because the truth is I didn't like you that much.  I was late to the party, coming onto the scene years after other people had embraced you.  I was not that... should I say... experienced with you.  It's quite embarrassing, but true.  I was too aggressive, making my endurance dwindle to very short bursts.  You probably laughed at me behind my back, and I deserved it.  I was awful and never used protection, leaving me at the mercy of your more experienced friends who liked to show off their superiority by crouching repeatedly over my limp body (I never understood that, btw). 
 
And then September of '07 rolled around, and there was talk that you were going to get replaced.  I personally did not mind it, as you only brought me pain and anguish.  So much so that we only messed around 188 times, FAR less than many of your other owners.  So I felt it was necessary to retire you.  I had conveniently purchased a "cat helmet" for a grand bargain of $120 (WHAT A DEAL) in support of your successor.  I placed you in it, said goodbye, and never looked back. 
 
Until last night, that is. 
 
Apparently, people still cared about you after all these years.  If they weren't playing you, they were reminded of all the good times they had with you.  Times of laughter.  Times of sadness.  It was indeed sad because, like you or not, the higher ups decided to castrate you for good.  No more Live.  No more matchmaking.  Too many people enjoyed the "newer" you, it seems.  But did I?  Did I like the newer you better?  They always say you never forget your first love and, while we didn't know each other that well, there were some good times (especially Team SWAT on Beaver Creek... tear). 
 
So I told 3, my lover of 1288 outings, that I was going to cheat on her for one night.  For one night, I was going to go back to you, as a more mature person, and see if I had made the right decision.  So  after two and a half years, I took you out, dusted you off, put you in, and turned you on. 
 
And then I realized something... 
 
I DID NOT MISS YOU AT ALL!
 
Holy crapoly, Halo 2.  You aged.  You look awful.  You gave me an SMG to play with, for crying out loud?  I mean, where's the assault rifle?  Ugh.  I'm sorry toots, but after giving you 9 chances to prove yourself, I couldn't take it any longer.  I'm going back to 3.  I hope you understand.  I hear she is getting replaced soon as well, so I have to give her as much time as possible before she becomes... you... in my mind.  It's been fun 2, but it is time to let go for good.   
 
Goodbye, my dear. 
 
(And Bungie, in all seriousness, thank you for making the best multiplayer experience of all time.  It has been an awesome ride.)

Dear Halo 2, 
I did not know thee that well.   You see, I purchased you in May of '06 and only played you for fifteen months, off and on.  The only reason I bought you was due to a glamorous E3 trailer showcasing your successor, coincidentally the same reason I purchased an Xbox 360.  Do you feel used?  If you do, I'm sorry. 
 
Because the truth is I didn't like you that much.  I was late to the party, coming onto the scene years after other people had embraced you.  I was not that... should I say... experienced with you.  It's quite embarrassing, but true.  I was too aggressive, making my endurance dwindle to very short bursts.  You probably laughed at me behind my back, and I deserved it.  I was awful and never used protection, leaving me at the mercy of your more experienced friends who liked to show off their superiority by crouching repeatedly over my limp body (I never understood that, btw). 
 
And then September of '07 rolled around, and there was talk that you were going to get replaced.  I personally did not mind it, as you only brought me pain and anguish.  So much so that we only messed around 188 times, FAR less than many of your other owners.  So I felt it was necessary to retire you.  I had conveniently purchased a "cat helmet" for a grand bargain of $120 (WHAT A DEAL) in support of your successor.  I placed you in it, said goodbye, and never looked back. 
 
Until last night, that is. 
 
Apparently, people still cared about you after all these years.  If they weren't playing you, they were reminded of all the good times they had with you.  Times of laughter.  Times of sadness.  It was indeed sad because, like you or not, the higher ups decided to castrate you for good.  No more Live.  No more matchmaking.  Too many people enjoyed the "newer" you, it seems.  But did I?  Did I like the newer you better?  They always say you never forget your first love and, while we didn't know each other that well, there were some good times (especially Team SWAT on Beaver Creek... tear). 
 
So I told 3, my lover of 1288 outings, that I was going to cheat on her for one night.  For one night, I was going to go back to you, as a more mature person, and see if I had made the right decision.  So  after two and a half years, I took you out, dusted you off, put you in, and turned you on. 
 
And then I realized something... 
 
I DID NOT MISS YOU AT ALL!
 
Holy crapoly, Halo 2.  You aged.  You look awful.  You gave me an SMG to play with, for crying out loud?  I mean, where's the assault rifle?  Ugh.  I'm sorry toots, but after giving you 9 chances to prove yourself, I couldn't take it any longer.  I'm going back to 3.  I hope you understand.  I hear she is getting replaced soon as well, so I have to give her as much time as possible before she becomes... you... in my mind.  It's been fun 2, but it is time to let go for good.   
 
Goodbye, my dear. 
 
(And Bungie, in all seriousness, thank you for making the best multiplayer experience of all time.  It has been an awesome ride.)

Great first post, i think. 
 
Welcome to the forums, and goodbye H2 !

I've only played the third game. The whole series needs to burn in hell. If 2 is anything 3 then I can say its boring as hell and good fucking riddance.

When Halo 2 came out, me and 3 of my friends would play it every second night or so (hey, with your analogy this sounds kinda dirty).
Thank god for the ability to play with splitscreen guests online.
It was the same crowd of people I played Goldeneye with, and we felt like living in the future. Screaming at each other while not playing each other, but the entire world was a grand experience. Also- believe it or not- we actually met a few really cool gamers while playing Halo 2 online, some of which are still on my friends list.
 
Thanks for the memories (even the shitty smg-related ones)

" I've only played the third game. The whole series needs to burn in hell. If 2 is anything 3 then I can say its boring as hell and good fucking riddance. "

great post i teared up reading that i have abt 4000 outings with 3 and quite a few halo 2 pc but that's not going anywhere.

" I've only played the third game. The whole series needs to burn in hell. If 2 is anything 3 then I can say its boring as hell and good fucking riddance. "