X180: Halo 2 players still playing XBox Live

As XBox gamers will be all too aware, the original XBox Live servers shut down on 15 April. Anyone logged off after this date would have been blocked from the service, but the shutdown hasn’t stopped a couple of dozen Halo 2 players staying online, leaving their XBoxes running around the clock and promising to keep playing until they’re booted. This is daft.

It’s not a virtual picket line, this is a small group of anally retentive Halo 2 players refusing to move on out of pure spite and delusions of grandeur. What can they possibly achieve out of this, apart from a bigger carbon footprint, a multimedia games console sadly dedicated to one online experience and an ephemeral notoriety for the final player? Just let go. Halo 2 online was top, but you’ll feel much better once you switch the XBox off and make your peace with Microsoft: you’ll discover Left 4 Dead 2 online, people will like you more and bowel motions will become more regular.