Am I alone in being astonished by how much Max H was responsible for the design of Halo 2's multiplayer? between these last 2 panels it sure seems like he along with his single artist (Carney IRC) had essentially made all the calls and decisions regarding the way multiplayer was put together with the exception of some help around the final crunch. We did learn that this was not the intent since there were larger scale ambitions that didn't make the cut, but thank goodness Max stuck to what he believed in because it sure paid off.

Maybe this is why so many of the maps are so likeable, or at least those who did like Halo 2's mp liked the majority of the maps - they were crafted from the same two minds. Perhaps a smaller team could benefit the map design so things do not get overcomplicated. I'm especially surprised Zanzibar was put together so quickly because that e3 demo was iconic in my mind. Not as popular as the infamous campaign demo, but still one of the better showings i can remember.

Whatever the precise reason for the success and popularity of H2 mp is irrelevant to the point i'm trying to make though. My mind is blown that 1 designer and 1 artist were able to craft something that kept me (and plenty others) thoroughly engaged in xbox live up through the launch of H3.

Awesome work guys!