Five reasons why Halo 2 is #1
Despite the introduction of an entirely new games console and games line-up nearly a month ago, the most played game on Xbox Live is still Halo 2. Since offline games such as Kameo and Hexic are included in the list, we have to assume this includes all titles which are Live Aware, so that's a whole lot of people who are playing Halo 2 and not much else.
However, the game's a year old now. Isn't it time people hung up their MJOLNIR
armour and moved on to a new FPS? Why exactly is an aged shooter top of the chart, with next-generation here to stay?
Addiction, or something else? Here are five possible reasons.
#1 — Familiarity breeds contempt (for other games)
The people playing Halo 2 online now are completely familiar with the game. Having played it for a year or more, they know all the maps off by heart (even the "new" ones), have mastered various combos and the art of the sniper rifle, and know the optimum flag routes for every situation. This makes it very easy to pick up Halo 2 for a quick game or six—and very hard to try other FPS games. Being a n00b again just isn't worth it, when you can sign into Halo and be a god.
#2 —
Critical mass
Halo 2 is a surprisingly social game. With its clan system and in-game messaging, people often get online to play because their friends are online, rather than to rank up their level. 360 owners receiving messages from Halo 2 can see that they have a Halo 2 message, but not what it is, so they all have to switch games to hear what their friends have to say—and why not have a quick game at the same time? A corollary, of course, is that having friends lists full of Halo 2 players means there are few people to play on new titles. If your Halo buddies won't join you in a new FPS, you're going to be feeling quite lonely for a while.
#3 — New content
Those crazy chaps at Bungie just won't let it rest—they keep coming up with new ideas, such as the hilarious new "fun" playlists. The devotion to new content drives some players to quote the Weekly Update religiously and to keep coming back for more.
#4
— Competition's where it's at
Nothing locks players into a game like competition—the number of Counter-Strike players is evidence enough of that. With game ladders and tournaments like MLG and CPL featuring Halo 2 as their console shooter of choice, people keep playing in the hope of doing so professionally, or perhaps just to be the best on a particular ladder.
#5
— Next generation? What's that?
Possibly the most obvious reason that Halo 2 is still top of Xbox Live is the simplest: numbers. The game has long since surpassed its original five million sales, while Microsoft hope to hit 3 million 360s in the first 90 days of launch—you do the math. Plenty of copies of Halo 2 are sitting neglected, but not every 360 has been taken online, so it boils down to this: not everyone on Xbox Live has a 360, and the number of people playing Halo 2 probably swamps the number of people playing every other Live title combined, even now.
Hopefully as the 360's distribution problems are solved, and more titles reach market, we'll see something else knock
Halo 2 off the top spot, although probably not a title on the market now. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter looks a possible candidate, but there's an obvious title that should take Halo 2's crown for good.
What is it? Halo 3, of course.