10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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The release of Halo 2 and the end of bees
Saturday, November 13, 2004

Since the release of Halo more than 3 years ago there has a been a base of super fans slowly growing beneath the surface. From easter eggs hidden within the game itself to an entire series of books devoted to fans who need to know more about the covenant's fight for galactic supremacy, there is much more to the Halo-verse than a mere game. The most interesting aspect of this following is an underground marketing campaign which puts every other attempt at advertising to shame.

I would love to detail this phenomenon for you, but I have neither the space nor the knowledge. What I do know is there is a website, ilovebees.com, that contains codes and puzzles for the avid fan to decipher. For the past few months, anxious gamers have been trying to dissect the inner workings of this website. One of the main tasks was trying to unlock various coordinates to pay phones around the country wher the privileged gamer would be able to hear bits and pieces of a story no one else even knew existed. I am not one of these people. However, by way of my fellow columnist Nick, I was able to attend the culmination of this event on November 4th.

We arrived at a movie theater in Woodfield, Illinois more than two hours before we were told to show up. Though we registered beforehand, we arrived two hours early anyway because we knew full well the type of fan this event is geared towards. We were not surprised to see more than 50 people already in front of us. We sat in line for more than 150 minutes, hearing various "I Love Bees" themed chants, mostly centered on the "Wort Wort Wort" battle cry of the coventant, and saw the line stretch all the way down the long theater hall.There, we were handed a disc containing the entire I Love Bees saga as well as a stylish lanyard and worthless raffle ticket. As we continued in, we were treated to a scene I have never before witnessed. More than 300 hysterical Halo fans were crammed into one theater. At the front, 5 TVs were hooked up - all with an Xbox with two controllers and an actual copy of Halo 2. Though the organizers might not have realized it, we were willing to do anything to play that game. Anything. Luckily, it didn't come to that.

Before they let us loose, we sat in awkward silence listening to the final I Love Bees transmission. Well, awkward for me at least. The other fans, the Bee Keepers, listened intently, absorbing every baffling word spoken. Afterwards, I look anxiously to Nick in the hopes that he could translate. He ignored me, pretending he didn't know the guy who had no clue. The crowd erupted for the first time that night.

With the silly story out of the way, we were able to get down to business. After much trouble finally gathering enough people up front to get a game started (they devised a horrible scheme where they would call out lottery numbers that no one seemed to be holding) we were finally able to sit back and see if all the hype had be worth it.

The method for playing was quite simple. 4 of the Xboxes were linked to allow an 8 player LAN match. The other Xbox was connected to the Internet, allowing for an 8 player online match with other I Love Bees nuts from theaters across the country. The online game was projected onto the big screen where everyone was able to see every move made, kill scored and, most importantly, mistake made.

As the first online match started, the crowd was in a fevered pitch. We watched the timer tick down, shouting the numbers as loud as we could and screaming fanatically when the game finally began. There was a mix up connecting to the other cities, so it was just a two player match. No one seemed to mind though. There was a continuous roar throughout the battle, with various peaks as new features were revealed. We shouted advise to the players, demanding they dual wield a Needler or commandeer that Banshee. We cheered until we were horse and then cheered some more.

After 8 or so matches, my name was finally called. The crowd cheered when they heard my ridiculous tag - Gigglepoo - and I skipped to the front of the theater to finally play the game I've been waiting all this time for. I took part in the LAN match so the crowd could not see what I was doing. Their lack of cheering didn't matter to me; I was so focused on the game I didn't hear anything.

In my first experience with Halo 2, I thought of nothing except the plasma sword. I had read about it. I had seen it being used. I needed to try it for myself. I ran around the arena, ignoring guns and enemies, as I searched frantically for it. When I finally found it, hidden behind a waterfall, an angelic light was shining down. Oh, the most mighty of weapons! I grabbed it with school girl glee and immediately thrust it into the back of a nearby player. How wonderful it felt. I quickly sprinted through the level, killing friend and foe alike, as I tried out this most awesome of weapons for the first time.

Eventually a teammate shot me down, waking me from my stupor. I had no regrets.

The experience was far too short, and my team ended up on the losing end, but it didn't matter. I finally got to play the game I had been waiting for. And though the strange customs of the Bees was foreign to me, I can't imagine playing Halo 2 for the first time with anyone else.

- Tom


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