Dear Bungie,

My name is Deacon and I am a Halo fan.  I have recently seen the latest video of your upcoming game, Halo 3.  After seeing it, I was pretty excited about the things to come but I can’t help saying that my excitement centered on the multiplayer aspect of the game.  That’s what you intended you say?  Well, to some that is great but there are a few who prefer an engaging single player campaign story to that of multiplayer fun.  I am one of those few.  So I write this letter to you to plead with you not to forget about what made Halo so great.  Let me tell you a story.

Back during the launch of the original Xbox, there was a game called Halo: Combat Evolved.  I knew little about this game and in fact I purchased the original Xbox for NFL Fever.  Halo: Combat Evolved was included in the nice little bundle I bought along with NFL Fever and Dead or Alive.  I played through the games and soon found out that the gem in that bundle was Halo.

As you may remember, there was no Xbox Live at this time.  Multiplayer across a huge network of friends did not exist.  The game as it turns out did pretty well for itself before Xbox Live was around.  Do you know what captivated the likes of people like me?  Yes, that’s right.  The campaign and story was that damn good.  I still play Combat Evolved because the story sucked me in and spit me out like some old chewing gum and I loved it.  In fact, I find myself playing Combat Evolved much more than I’ve played the sequel, Halo 2.  Why is that?  Keep reading.

Halo 2 came along after Xbox Live was introduced.  Xbox Live became a very important aspect of development for publishers and developers alike.  However, this created a phobia.  A phobia is a fear of certain situations, objects etc.  I like to call what happened after Xbox Live was launched, multiplayphobia; the fear that your multiplayer component might suck.  Multiplayphobia spread so quickly that soon the focus of games was multiplayer, multiplayer, multiplayer.  No one cared to make an engaging story anymore or so it seemed.  I believe this spread to the very franchise that had once captivated me with its campaign.  Enter Halo 2 to validate my claim.  The multiplayer aspect of it clearly outshined the campaign and single player experience. 

Not once was I at the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens in Halo 2.  To be honest, I simply played it and enjoyed it.  I didn’t “experience” it the way that I experienced Combat Evolved.  I found myself not even itching to play it all over again.  The story, as I’m sure many others agree, just didn’t captivate me.  I didn’t seem involved at all.  Multiplayphobia struck.  The excitement about Halo 2 centers on its magnificent multiplayer experience.  No one can refute that.  To this day, millions of hours of Halo 2 are being logged on Xbox Live by both Xbox and Xbox 360 owners.  Let’s face it, Halo 2 and its multiplayer is superb.  But how many of those people have given even a thought to its story? 

Call me old school but I prefer a good story in my games…hell I need a good story in my games especially this one!  If this is to be the end, I can’t imagine another Halo 2 experience that leaves me only enjoying the multiplayer aspect over and over.  I want to relive the story over and over as I did with Combat Evolved.  Now that my trip down memory lane is over, let me get back to Halo 3.  After seeing the recent video and hearing all the rage about Halo 3 and its multiplayer, I can’t help but think multiplayphobia is striking again.  I haven’t touched Halo 2 much because I don’t care to repeat the story again.  Halo: Combat Evolved, having been released pre-Xbox Live, didn’t suffer that same fate.  Its campaign was brilliant and still one I enjoy. 

What I’m challenging you guys to do is create that experience for me again.  Hear me Bungie!  I shall travel to thy office and layeth the smack down on you if you guys let multiplayphobia ruin Halo 3 for me!  In fact, I’m willing to fly out and test the campaign story out.  Can you create the Yoda of experiences with both a great story and a great multiplayer?  Will you fight against the multiplayphobia that has been sweeping the industry these past few years?  Finish the fight right.  You’ve seen Adam Sandler movies right?  Well…”You can do it!”

Thanks for reading and don’t let me down.