On a seemingly ordinary day in late November of 2001, a lot changed for me.

Here I was, walking knee-deep into a teen-ridden mall that was buried in suburbia. My intent at the time was quite simple: acquire a Nintendo GameCube. I had been an unapologetic Nintendo fanboy for over a decade. While I may have dabbled in other consoles, I was always convinced that Nintendo’s software was the bar by which all games should be set. Even with the tide toward Sony shifting aggressively, I had held my ground and stuck it out with Nintendo.

Nothing from Sony’s stable had convinced me to do otherwise.

As I was walking through the throngs of adolescents, well on my way to Sam Goody where I would plunk down several hundred dollars for the purple little box and some E rated games, I passed an Electronic Boutique. Out of the furthest corner of my eye, something caught my attention.

Huddled in front of this new machine called the Xbox, a group of kids were gawking at a first-person space shooter where this cybernetic protagonist moved from corridor to corridor, clearing out the rooms of a massive battleship – rooms which were being threatened by a diverse group of alien enemies. At first glance, this seemed to be the typical fare of any first-person space shooter on PC, but as I took the controller into my own hands I began to see things with new eyes. The game’s visuals were incredible for a console, the levels were massive, sprawling works of art, the story was instantly captivating, the enemies were remarkably strategic and this character – this Master Chief – was one helluva bad ass.

After an hour of this game to myself and a queue forming behind me, I left the Warthog and the vast and verdant hills of a ringworld for Sam Goody. Needless to say, I did not buy a Nintendo that fateful day. When I left the mall with Microsoft’s console in hand, although it’s safe to say that I became an Xbox fan starting that day, I had become, first and foremost, a Halo fan.

For the next few weeks, my life was swallowed by the game. For the next few years, my life would be swallowed by the franchise that this game eventually became. I speak for all of Ascendant Justice’s staff when I say that Bungie’s work in the Halo franchise and their dedication to the Halo community is unprecedented and unparalleled. And while we know that their future endeavors won’t be completely dedicated to the Halo franchise, we are constantly reminded of the quality of their work and we eagerly await the fruits of their labor, with or without a Halo ring.

So on this Bungie Day, we’d like to offer our gratitude to the studio and all of its faculty for doing such an amazing job designing one of the greatest video game trilogies of all time, breaking the mold of existing gaming conventions and, in the end, creating a culture and community which rivals all those which came before. Halo is no longer just a series of games measured in textures and geometry, it’s a historic phenomenon which has forged friendships and molded communities.

Bungie, we love you guys. You’re the reason many of us ever refuse to put the controller down and you’ll be the reason our kids will pick the controller up right where we left off. Thank you for making us proud to be part of the history you’ve made and continue to make – and don’t ever stop making that history.

Love,
Ascendant Justice

P.S. / As a special treat to the readers of this site and anyone who appreciates the beauty of Bungie’s work made manifest, take a look at a new feature of the Ascendant Justice blog – The Gallery.