Halo 2 PC Servers Shutting Down

Over these past 365 days we have lost many treasured items in the video game world, from G4 to Nintendo Power, and unfortunately we have yet another "loss" to add to the list — although it won't impact all that many gamers. Announced today as part of a larger Halo Waypoint update it has been revealed that the Halo 2 PC servers will be going offline on February 15, 2013.

This will more or less close the door completely on the Halo 2 multiplayer experience, except for those willing to set up a good old-fashioned LAN party. The Xbox Live servers for Halo 2 were taken offline in April of 2010, although a select group of players were able to remain online and connected to each other for several hours after that.

While we don't imagine as epic a gathering to take place as Halo 2 for the PC goes offline — Microsoft revealed the servers peak at about 20 players — it's still sad to see one of the quintessential online multiplayer experiences, especially for Xbox gamers, be put to pasture. Nevertheless it's been a good run for Halo 2 (released in 2007) and its impact on Xbox Live will never be forgotten.

The Halo Waypoint address also reminded Halo 4 fans that the next chapter of Spartan Ops (chapter 6) releases this coming Monday. Two new Specializations will also hit the multiplayer — the Pioneer and Pathfinder specializations — that are actually quite useful.

The Pioneer's Fast Track armor mod for example allows the player to rank up quicker, while the Pathfinder's Gunner armor mod decreases turret cool down times and allows the player to move faster while carrying a detached turret.

So while gamers mourn the loss of Halo 2 on the PC, they have some exciting content too look forward to as well, including the Majestic Map Pack, which releases this February. And there's still time to get some matches in on Ascension or Beaver Creek in the mean time.

What is your fondest memory of Halo 2? Where are you hoping the story in Spartan Ops will go in the back half of season 1?

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Source: Halo Waypoint

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