User:ArcticGhostXCV

About Me
My name is Will MacDonald, and I am a 21 year old student. I live in the far north-west of Scotland on a series of islands known as the Outer Hebrides. Living in such a remote places, I have to deal with poopy weather, poopy shops and poopy internet, although this will soon change! I currently study at Lews Castle College in Stornoway, the closest thing to a city we have in the Hebrides (it is just a town, and not a very large one at that). I have just started the second year of my History and Archaeology degree and so am once again studying for that. In addition, I have also recently moved out of my parents house and into my own flat (apartment for those of you who are American). Hooray!!

Hobbies include reading, drawing, computing and Xboxing :P Seriously I'm a bit of an overly excessive gamer, and I am an achievement hunter, with over 70,000 gamerscore. I like to play a wide variety of games, with Fallout, Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto constituting most of my non-Halo gaming material. I always come back to Halo, however as it is my all-time favourite franchise.

2001-2004 - Halo: Combat Evolved
My love for Halo started a long time ago. Right at the beginning in fact! I begun playing all the way back in 2001 at the age of six, when my older brother brought an Xbox home with Halo: Combat Evolved. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked, and I would play the campaign time and time again. It possessed such a unique magic and was such a joy to play that I couldn't put it down. At such a young age, my skills were pretty much non-existent, and I would not dare to play above the Easy difficulty. With broadband still a dream in my neck of the woods, I didn't have anyone to play with except my brother, who is almost four years younger than me and in the years of 2001-2004 was a little too young to comprehend the awesomeness of Halo! I still remember the first time I experienced such mind-numbingly awesome moments such as stepping out of the crashed lifeboat and gazing upon the wondrous Halo ring for the first time, the beach assault in the Silent Cartographer and the massive ice chasms of Two Betrayals, with legions of warring Flood and Covenant forces battling for supremacy. It was unlike anything that I had ever seen, and even now nothing has quite hit me in such a unique way.

The Covenant were presented as an interesting conglomeration of alien races. Back before they spoke English (except everyone's favourite Grunts, which provided a nice bit of comic relief), the hegemony were shown as a brutal alliance whose sole purpose was the destruction of humanity. We did not know why they hated us so, but they obviously considered us to be vermin worthy only of extinction. As the Master Chief, I truly felt like humanity's last hope against an unyielding force hell-bent on our destruction. The races themselves were all unique and expertly presented by Bungie. We had the Grunts: small, stocky and cowardly when presented with a superior force, these aliens had the tendency to run away when their leader was killed or were otherwise suitably scared. The Grunts were funny little creatures; as the only Covenant race to speak English, their attempts to be intimidating and trying to 'tough-talk' in their distinctively squeaky voices were humorous and even now they still make me chuckle. Classic cannon fodder, Grunts were no match for any SPARTAN worth their salt, and are easily felled by most weapons. The Jackals: a physically frail species with avian traits, these guys always carried a large, round energy shield attached to their forearm. The Jackals were interesting combatants as you had to employ certain tactics to kill them a.k.a. grenades, or shooting the notches in the shield. The Elites: the Covenant leadership caste, the Elites were formidable combatants. Able to hold out against a disproportionate number of UNSC Marines thanks to their full body energy shields and intelligent battlefield tactics, these enemies were quick, resilient and ruthless in battle. And when you came face-to-face with the notorious 'Gold Elites', now known as Zealots, you ran like a mofo in the opposite direction. Finally we had the Hunters: rarely seen on the field, Hunters were the Covenants heaviest ground troops. Basically walking tanks, Hunters were nearly invincible to frontal attacks; nothing short of a rocket launcher blast could hope to drop these bad boys. That little patch of flesh on their back (later revealed to consist of Lekgolo worms) was their easiest weak point to hit, and once I knew that they could be felled by a single pistol shot to this bit, fighting them became significantly easier...

Later in the game, we encountered the Flood. One of the greatest moments in the franchise was that initial creep through the swamps of the 343 Guilty Spark level. The fear and unease I felt in that level was absolutely unreal thanks to the expert crafting of the environment by Bungie. The atmosphere and tension in that level has never been present in any video game that has come since. I soon discovered why the Flood was 'the only enemy the Covenant feared'. The stand-out cutscene where Keyes, Johnson and the squad were overwhelmed was chilling, and when it ended, and I tried to back out of the blood-drenched room, only to discover that the door had locked behind me instilled such a feeling of dread that I actually froze up, watching helplessly as a tide of small, tentacled creatures crashed though a nearby door and swarmed me. Back in the day I used to call infection forms 'onion guys' thanks to their shape, these foes were numerous but easily popped with any weapon. Later, the 'zombies' were introduced. Combat forms were fairly tough opponents, as they took a bit of firepower to slay, and even then, some didn't stay down, and would come at you again. Even at a young age, I was able to recognise that the combat forms were formerly humans and Elites that had been horribly mutated by the Flood infection forms. Later on, exploding Flood, or carrier forms were brought in. Admittedly, these bloated freaks used to make me laugh, but that was before I played on the higher difficulties.. The Flood stood out as a horrific parasitic lifeform that had been discovered by the Covenant on the ring, and their presence was explained well by Cortana and 343 Guilty Spark.

All in all, the first Halo represented my entry into video-gaming life, and started my life-long infatuation with the franchise.

2004 - Halo 2
When Halo 2 was revealed to me to be on the horizon, I became so excited that I could hardly control myself. A sequel to my very favourite game of all time?! I couldn't believe it! At the age of 9, I was slightly older and slightly more aware of the process of video game releases, and as such when I knew of the release date, I had it marked down on my calender and I spent many dreamless nights just anticipating how freakin' awesome this game was going to be. I begged and pleaded with my mother to buy it, and with her realising my undying love for the first game, which I had played thousands of times by that point, agreed to get it for me. So when November 2004 finally rolled around, the first thing I did was plead with my mother for the game, which I knew she had got, having watched her purchase it online. No sooner was it in my hands than my Xbox was on, and the sacred Halo 2 was started. Initially I was blown away. The first level felt a lot to me like Halo CE, and I was instantly at home. The new weapons, features such as dual-wielding and new enemies made for an unforgettable experience. I enjoyed fighting in defence for humanity's home planet, and was surprised when we were suddenly whipped away, only to be placed in the boots of the Arbiter, who would soon go on to be my all-time favourite Halo character. I really enjoyed seeing things from the Covenant's perspective, as it gave the alien conglomerate a real personal feel, shifting them from evil enemies I knew nothing about. We now had leaders for the Covenant Empire; this helped flesh out the alien alliance more, as we h=now had a face, as well as a target to aim for! I finally understood what the Covenant's goals were, and this made the war feel even more real to me. Both sides had a story.

Of course, Covenant Elites were now able to speak English, and they wasted no time in taunting their opponents on the field. I understand the reasons for this change: we needed to be able to understand them when we played as the Arbiter, and in-universe, UNSC translation software was improved, allowing for a greater understanding of what was being said. Their ranks were massively expanded from Halo: CE, with various types of field commanders, ceremonial guards and even councilors taking to the stage. The Grunts retained their comical mannerisms, and the Jackals and Hunters remained mystifying. Halo 2 also introduced some questionable new additions to the Covenant. The Brutes: rarely seen until late into the campaign, these large, hairy aliens had a pack mentality and their own unique weapons, including the iconic Brute Shot. They are criticised by many to be horribly unbalanced, due to their late addition in the Halo 2 development cycle, I nonetheless enjoyed the challenge. I felt the Brutes both looked and acted in the way I would expect heavily muscled, brutal and pack-oriented aliens to behave. Oh, and their berserker rage was something to fear. The Drones: winged insectoids, the Drones attacked in swarms, darting about and peppering hostiles from various directions. These guys were appropriately termed 'buggers': I hate Drones, in every Halo game since their introduction in Halo 2. Thank goodness they seem to be gone for the time being.

Jackal Snipers - the most ridiculously overpowered enemies ever to befall a Halo game. These pieces of sh*t served as nothing more than cheap kills on Bungie's part. Recent games have made them more bearable, thanks to slower reaction times and ocular equipment that gives off light, but in Halo 2 these bad boys were terrifying. I can understand Bungie wanting to make the Covenant more of a flexible force, adding mid-range weapons like the Covenant carbine as well as the long-range beam rifle. In Halo: CE the Covenant only had close-range weaponry, except from maybe the fuel rod gun. Still, I feel that the Jackal Snipers could have been balanced better. At least the anniversary addition gave them Halo 3-style headgear for easier identification but they still have their lightning-fast reflexes.

No more one-hit-kill pistol shots on Hunters, thanks to the puny Halo 2 magnum and the much larger and tougher Hunters. That first time Hunter fight on Outskirts was scary, thanks to the towering monstrosities that they were. They did lose their booming fuel rod guns, which was replaced by a beam-type weapon which, in my opinion, is a bit lame. Jackals got more avian-looking, and exposed their heads more often. The Flood were individually stronger in this game; infection forms did quite a bit more damage while combat forms packed one hell of a wallop and seemed to be far more resistant to damage. At least they were given an exploitable weak spot in their chest - the controlling infection form - although the target was small and some Elite combat forms had shields. Carrier forms were the same as they were in CE, save for a slower speed.

I still didn't possess the capabilities to play online yet, so I played mostly campaign as well as local multiplayer with a group of friends.

2005-2007 - Expanded Halo Universe, the books and beyond
Shortly after Halo 2's release, my friend came into possession of a box set containing three books. These were The Fall of Reach, The Flood and First Strike. These was completely unknown to me. I had no knowledge of these books existence and was absolutely hyped to get my hands on them. My friend agreed to lend me one book, while lending another book to another friend while he read the third one. Once we were done we would all swap books and so on. Being a complete weirdo, I wanted to read The Flood, as I could think of nothing better than reading a book recounting the events of the first Halo game. I blasted through the book in record speed, and soon read the other two. It was a uniquely gratifying experience. I soon got my mother to buy these books for me and over the years I read those books hundreds of times. By 2007 each one was tattered with use, one missing its cover and the pages all showed years of use. I read the books just as much, if not more than I played the games. Once Ghosts of Onyx came out, it too was subjugated to the same punishment, losing its cover and generally becoming a mess. Finally we had the Covenant names for each race! The Halo Graphic Novel also fell into my possession, and I spent much time drawing from it, especially enjoying the diverse assortment of Flood forms shown in the book.

2007 - Halo 3
I was 12 years old by the time Halo 3 rolled around, and had just started secondary school. By this point we finally got internet speeds that were somewhat decent, and pretty much all of my time in the months up until the games release was spent watching footage of the game on YouTube. Ever since the breathtaking E3 video in July, Halo 3 was all I thought about. I watched trailers, spoilers, leaked footage, you name it. I really, REALLY wanted it on release day, but my mother stubbornly refused to bow, proclaiming it, along with the Xbox 360 to be Christmas presents. I cringe now when I think back to the fuss I used to kick up demanding the game before Christmas. Once I got my 360 on Christmas Day, I started playing Halo 3, only to find that the console didn't have any kind of storage (the core console had nothing back then, just the box and its cables and controller.) I played through that campaign many times, reaching mission 4 or 5 before turning off my console, bemused as to why I had to start   my campaign over each time. Only later did I realise the lack of any built-in or external storage. Soon enough I got a memory card, and later a hard drive and I was set.

Halo 3 served as the spectacular end for the Halo trilogy. The Covenant had been crushed, thanks to the UNSC and their new Elite allies and the Flood seems to have been, for the moment, stopped. Grunts were still comical, even with their Eric Cartman voices and their newfound... ugliness. Jackals became easier to stagger. Drones became individually weaker, but came in larger numbers. Hunters were in some ways stronger; sniper rifles were less effective but they seemed to be for the most part easier to defeat than in Halo 2. Sticky grenades were MUCH more useful, their back plating was vulnerable and you could actually melee them to death as opposed to Halo 2 where they were completely impervious to any form of melee damage, even sword swings. Brutes were redesigned from the ground up. They had armour now, their ranks were massively upgraded and they were individually far weaker than the nigh-on bulletproof monsters from Halo 2, in order to fulfil their role as the new Elites. The Elites were now our allies, thanks to the Great Schism. I wish they had been implemented more into the game, as you only got to fight alongside them in two levels, and even then, for brief periods of time. They seemed somewhat less intelligent, more grenade happy and only three ranks appeared as opposed to the wide array of titles introduced in Halo 2, most of which seem to have been transferred over to the Brutes. The Flood were far weaker, with infection form retaining their Halo: CE traits of large numbers, less shield damage and greater chain reactions. Combat forms were drastically weaker, most crummbling with one melee strike and their embedded infection forms making a huge target in their chest. Brute forms were introduced which makes sense as they are the main Covenant commanders and Elites were now far more scarce. Carrier forms were far more durable and they carried a far greater payload than prior games. The new Flood pure forms were introduced, with the agile stalker form, the barbed, horribly annoying ranged form and the hulking juggernaut that was the tank form all able to transform interchangeably at will. They made for more unique encounters with the parasite.

Halo 3 was my first online Halo experience, and boy did it grab me and keep me hooked. I clocked so much time with Halo 3 online, playing matchmaking, custom games and forge constantly. Halo 3 is still my favourite Halo online experience (didn't play much Halo 2 online before it's closure and not enjoying Halo: Reach and Halo 4 so much).

2007-2009 - More Halo EU stuff
Following Halo 3's release, I soon got Halo: Contact Harvest and Halo: The Cole Protocol. I enjoyed both books, although I didn't read them as much as the first four novels, and they were overshadowed by my Halo 3 playtime. I also got the Halo: Uprising hardcover book when it came out in 2009, and as with the Halo Graphic Novel, I drew plenty of pictures based on the book's material.

2009 - Halo Wars
I got Halo Wars shortly after it's release. Now this was completely new to me. I had never been much of an RTS player. Besides the occasional game of Command & Conquer, the genre was mostly untouched by me. With my favourite game franchise entering it's territory, I was willing to place my unease aside and try my luck. I surprisingly enjoyed the game, probably just because it was Halo! My friends didn't like the game, not being very adventurous and Halo Wars was outside their comfort zone. I really wish that there was a Covenant campaign, and even a few Flood missions. It would have been great. They really opened up the Flood as an all-consuming race that infects everything, from plants, to wildlife, to even the surface of a planet. I have played many games of Skirmish with my younger brother and Halo Wars remained in my treasured collection of Halo games.

2009-2010 - Halo 3: ODST, Helljumper, the Encyclopedia and the concept of achievements
Halo 3: ODST was a blast. The setting and pace of the game was brilliant. I was eager to further explore the battleground of New Mombasa, after Halo 2's quick cut-off of that side of the story. The characters were brilliant, and I could sympathise with each and every one and the character-driven narrative of the game appealed to me. Finally we got to see the universe through the eyes of regular human soldiers (or ODSTs, whatever!) instead of through a super-soldier or an alien. The Covenant was much the same as it was in halo 3, as the engine was still the same, but with better lighting. Brutes had shields that shimmered brightly when struck by enemy fire, much like the shields of Elites from past Halo games. The Drone ranks were widely expanded, with a whole new plethora of buggers making life hard for the ODSTs. A new Hunter variant was introduced. Coloured gold, these guys had a fuel rod gun similar to the Halo: CE weapon as opposed to their regular blue cousins who retain the flowery beam weapon. And finally, the much-referenced but never before seen in a Halo game, Engineer race was shown. These unwilling slaves were clad in a suicide vest, to be used as bombs by the Brutes (b*stards) and when their patrol leader was killed or they took enough damage, they would explode in an awesome explosion. Very pretty in the twilight of the Mombasa streets. Oh, and they also gave overshields to any nearby Covenant, which gave incentive to kill them ASAP.

I also explored the Firefight mode, and with a group of friends I set out to play each map with the goal of getting the 200,000 point achievements in the game. It is here that I finally took notice of the achievement system on the Xbox 360. Suddenly I was hooked. I made it my goal to get as many achievements as I could, both in ODST, but also in previous titles i.e. Halo Wars and Halo 3. Even when I got a new profile later in 2011 or 2012 I still went back and got most of the achievements. I also got the Halo: Helljumper comics and the Halo Encyclopedia for Christmas of 2009, both of which were read many times, and as with the Graphic Novel and Uprising, both were the subject of many drawings.

2010 - Halo: Reach
Naturally I was excited for Halo: Reach. I was eager to witness the fall of the great planet for myself, having read about it countless times in the novel and hearing it referenced throughout other Halo media. The campaign was a joy to experience, despite it's contradictions of the previous novels (the sequence of battle, Dr. Halsey seeing SPARTAN III's before Onyx etc.) All of the games mechanics were masterfully implemented and the game makes a lasting impression.

I was delighted to see the Covenant back in all of its glory, with their trademark brutality and alien-ness restored - no more English speaking Elites. The Elites have retaken their role as battlefield commanders. Many older ranks were brought back and even a few new ones were added! They perform much the way they did back in Halo: CE. The Grunts were aesthetically much the same but their comical mannerisms were removed. They now speak alien, and in a a deeply mechanical voice now presumably due to their masks. Jackals were much the same, with the exclusion of the Jackal Snipers!! Hooray! Rejoice! And no.. the focus rifle IS NOT a sniper weapon. The new Jackal cousins, the Skirmishers were a pain. Kind of like earthbound Drones, they jump around the battlefield pecking away at your shields. Drones are still a pain in the behind, except now they explode into kibble with a successful headshot. Hunters are back and stronger than ever before! Finally fully transferring back to their Halo: CE-style cannons, these guys are absolute juggernauts. Able to shrug off multiple rockets, Spartan laser blasts and fuel rods, Hunters truly are epically difficult foes to defeat. They shield themselves well and even their vulnerable weak points have far more hit-points then before. Even Brutes make a comeback, but they are far different. With very little armor aside from the power-armoured Chieftains, Brutes can be felled in much the same way as they could in Halo 2: headshots, needlers and stickies. Oh yeah, andd they are ugly as f*ck. Seriously Bungie, the Brute models are horrible. What were they thinking?? Finally, the Engineers from Reach return, but they no longer wear suicide vests (I guess the Elites don't roll that way) and they are unshielded and far easier to take out. Their shielding was also far weaker than in ODST. The Covenant truly feel like an unstoppable force in Halo: Reach, and this picture is emphasised in the games plot, as no matter how hard we fought for Reach, the planet was still lost. I guess the absence of Flood or Sentinels also contributed to the newly bulked-up Covenant Empire.

I was happy to see Firefight back, with all of it's improvements and customisable features. For whatever reason, though, I never really got into the multiplayer side of things. Matchmaking didn't captivate me, aside from the occasional game of Invasion, and I have probably played a total of three custom games in Reach. I do not know why it didn't appeal to me, but alas.

2011 - Halo CE: Anniversary
I was absolutely thrilled to hear that the game that started it all was getting a full next-gen facelift. This was to be the first great undertaking of 343 Industries in their new management of the Halo franchise, and what a first choice. A better present to the fans I can't think of! The remaster was pulled off expertly, and I was able to experience the game that started the series, and my very first video-game in glorious next-gen fidelity. Everything was perfect. It was the same perfect game, only with a new paint job, soundtrack and it more than exceeded my expectations. It was a truly special experience, and I don't think any other company could have done a better job.

2011-2012 - Missed opportunities, growing up etc.
Regrettably, I didn't manage to acquire any of the Forerunner or Kilo-Five trilogies at the time of release, and I still haven't had the chance to read them as of now (summer 2015). I wasn't aware of their existence until far after Halo 4's release, and even then it was a while until I purchased them. I didn't read as much by that point, even less so now, so the urge to read these books has not been strong. As such, the concepts of the Didact and Jul 'Mdama and his faction were wholly unknown to me in Halo 4. I had only seen the Librarian and the Didact referenced in the Halo Encycolopedia, and knew next to nothing about them, other than that they were somewhat pivotal to the backstory of the universe in regards to the Halo Array. By this point I was in the latter half of secondary school. I had exams to focus on, as the work I did there was crucial if I was to eventually go into university. As well as this, I had to maintain something of a social life too. Less free time, growing up etc. It sucks, but is unfortunately part of life.

2012 - Halo 4
I was reasonably excited for Halo 4. After all it was the grand return of the Master Chief, icon of the franchise. I was thrilled to resume the Chief's story, if a little anxious knowing that the great Bungie Studios had passed the torch over to 343 Industries. They had done a bang-up job with Halo: Anniversary, but this was a completely original game, being developed from the ground-up. To my great relief, 343 had managed to pleasantly surprise me. The story of Halo 4 was excellent; the interaction between Chief and Cortana was deep and masterfully implemented. The ending actually evoked proper sadness in me, and was heart-wrenching to watch. It was the closest I had came to an emotional breakdown in a video game!

We are back to basics here in regards to the Covenant; the four species from Halo: CE returned, the rest were left out. The Grunts were redesigned, and are now horribly ugly (seriously, they can't be the same species as the rest, can they?) and they now speak with a more reptilian voice, but they are still unintelligible. Jackals are mostly unchanged, besides having some cool 'Zilla-style jaws. Best of all, there is actually a reason for the Jackals in Halo 4, unlike the Grunts. Elites are mostly the same, and as are Hunters. Actually, Hunters seem to be a bit easier than they were in Reach.

I (along with everyone else) wish that 343 had left out the QTEs, brought in Firefight (Spartan Ops was good and all but...) and damn, what did you guys do to the plasma pistol!?

2013-2014 - Spartan Assault, the Xbox One, Broken Circle and Master Chief Collection hype
For a while, I was content to just play the whole slew of Halo titles that were now available to me. By this point I had a lot of games to choose from. Being more of a campaign guy, I played through them all many times. Other games also occupied my time, Fallout and Skyrim primary among them. I also had to prepare myself for finishing with secondary school, getting my university applications sorted and fixing myself some summer work (we all need teh £££) I played through Spartan Assault a couple of times, first on my 360 and then on my laptop. It was a cool concept, top down shooter-style Halo, and the game impressed me more than I thought it would. In 2014 I finished school, and got accepted for a History and Archaeology Bachelor of Arts degree at Lews Castle College, Stornoway. For my 19th birthday in July 2014 I got an Xbox One. Up until this point I had been satisfied with my 360, as I had not heard the greatest things about the One. This all changed with E3 2014. Upon the announcement of a 'Master Chief Collection' containing Halo CE: Anniversary, a remastered Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4 - essentially the must-have Halo collection, my mind was set. I needed an Xbox One. With my birthday around the corner it was the perfect time. Starting university in September, a lot of my time was devoted to assignments, coursework and the like. As the Master Chief Collection neared release, I became more and more excited. With this, Halo 5: Guardians on the horizon and a multitude of other Halo stuff in the future, it was a good time to be a Halo fan! I bought Broken Circle, and managed to get it read before the MCC hit. Also, I finally managed to buy the Forerunner and Kilo-Five trilogies, but they haven't yet been looked at.

2014 - The Master Chief Collection!
November 11, 2014. The Master Chief Collection hit! The first thing I did was play though the entire four campaigns chronologically on Legendary difficulty (I usually play on Legendary). It was such a good experience. Blur totally outdid my expectations; Halo 2 Anniversary's cinematic's were absolutely beautiful. All four games ran perfectly for me, with the exception of several Halo CE terminals glitching and booting me back to the home screen. I didn't really run into most of the bugs that plagued many others around release day (and still do!) and contributed to the collections flawed release. Not being much of a multiplayer person, it was nevertheless great to be able to play some Halo 3 matchmaking again, even if I couldn't devote as much time as I would have wanted (not a kid anymore!) Halo MCC still stands out as the definitive Master Chief experience.

2015 - Spartan Strike, New Blood, Hunters in the Dark and E3 2015/Halo 5: Guardians!
After many long months of delay, Halo: Spartan Strike came out. Just like Spartan Assault, but improved (goodbye micro-transactions!) It was a blast. The digital novella Halo: New Blood was great. I read it on the go to and from college. Excellent backstory for Edward Buck, setting him up for Halo 5: Guardians. The announcement of four further Halo novels was excellent news for us Halo fans, and I have been able to read Broken Circle and Shadow of Intent so far. E3 2015 was phenomenal - it is a great time to be a gamer! Halo 5: Guardians looked fantastic. The actual game? Ehhhh... Campaign was pretty lacklustre but multiplayer is the best it's been since Halo 3. Sad to see that the whole Chief/Locke dynamic thing built up in Hunt the Truth didn't quite play out. Still, It was really cool to see Blue Team appear in-game, and even some older faces such as Buck from ODST. All in all, a great year to be a Halo fan!

2016 - Halo 5 multiplayer greatness and Halo Wars 2 HYPEEEEE!!!
SO, Halo 5 multiplayer has been getting many updates, and it finally feels like a complete Halo game. Have been steadily getting better and since joining a Spartan company (the Sellout Boys, headed by Halo speedrunner ProAceJoker), have been having more fun then ever - as evidenced by my daily logins. It is so good, and playing with coordinated teams is simply amazing. Plus, we have to grind for that Achilles! Very excited for pieces of Halo media such as Tales from Slipspace, Fractures and the Halo Mythos, which are all coming out later this year. Also, HALO WARS 2 BABY!! Can't wait to play this early next year, and even though I didn't get to play much of the beta, I am still horribly excited for this game. Interested to learn more about the new Banished faction, as well as how the crew of the ol' Spirit of Fire are doing. A lot to be excited for!

Games

 * Halo: Combat Evolved ✅
 * Halo PC ✅
 * Halo 2 ✅
 * Halo 2 Vista
 * Halo 3 ✅
 * Halo Wars ✅
 * Halo 3: ODST ✅
 * Halo: Reach ✅
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary ✅
 * Halo 4 ✅
 * Halo: Spartan Assault ✅
 * Halo: The Master Chief Collection ✅
 * Halo: Spartan Strike ✅
 * Halo Online
 * Halo 5: Guardians ✅

Individual novels

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach ✅
 * Halo: The Flood ✅
 * Halo: First Strike ✅
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx ✅
 * Halo: Contact Harvest ✅
 * Halo: The Cole Protocol ✅
 * Halo: Broken Circle ✅
 * Halo: New Blood ✅
 * Halo: Hunters in the Dark ✅
 * Halo: Saint's Testimony
 * Halo: Last Light
 * Halo: Shadow of Intent ✅

The Forerunner Saga

 * Halo: Cryptum
 * Halo: Primordium
 * Halo: Silentium

Kilo-Five Trilogy

 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata

Anthrology

 * Halo: Evolutions ✅

Comic series

 * Halo: Uprising ✅
 * Halo: Helljumper ✅
 * Halo: Blood Line ✅
 * Halo: Fall of Reach ✅
 * Halo: Initiation ✅
 * Halo: Escalation ✅

Reference books

 * The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World
 * The Art of Halo 3
 * Halo Encyclopedia ✅
 * Halo: The Essential Visual Guide ✅
 * Halo: The Great Journey: The Art of Building Worlds
 * Awakening: The Art of Halo 4 ✅
 * Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide ✅
 * The Art of Halo 5: Guardians

Official guides

 * Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
 * Halo: Combat Evolved: Sybex Official Strategies & Secrets
 * Halo 2: The Official Strategy Guide
 * Halo 3: The Official Strategy Guide ✅
 * Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide
 * Halo 3: ODST Official Strategy Guide ✅
 * Halo: Reach Official Strategy Guide ✅
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Official Strategy Guide
 * Halo 4: Official Game Guide ✅

My websites

 * Twitter
 * Facebook
 * Instagram
 * YouTube
 * Twitch
 * Fanfiction
 * Xbox Live
 * Bungie.net
 * Halo Waypoint

Today is Tuesday, August 27, 2024