: This I don't get. Does the fact that Lucas, before he sold Star Wars to
: disney, went nuts with toys and shit for the original trilogy diminish the
: original films at all? Does all the Harry Potter shit make the books less
: good? My friend has a Snape GPS voice. You missed your turn. 10 Points
: from Gryffindor.

As I said to Arithmomaniac, I wasn't very clear - the marketing isn't ruining the original product, it's that when those waves of crap start to land everywhere, I personally find there's often a correlation between that and the quality and purity (for lack of a better word) of the ongoing series.

The original Halo games aren't worse because you can buy Halo boxers, but the fact that there ARE Halo boxers now MIGHT mean there's a growing pressure to make Halo more profitable and licensable, which could mean bad things for future games. And I personally observe that might be happening now... and possibly have already happened.

The sale of Star Was to Disney might not have effects on the original trilogy, but it can definitely affect the ongoing future of it (which may cloud the memory of the originals), especially in its expanded universe. Lucasarts is gone and Dark Horse's long guard of often-excellent Star Wars comics has been yanked away and deposited in Disney's Marvel, which is not known for its quality in licensed tie-in works. This could all turn out fine, but I tend to be pessimistic about corporate franchises, especially when they are at a high level of popularity (not because the popularity itself, but that to ensure the continued growth with such a large audience, the work might be diminished to reach a lower common denominator).

: I think you would benefit to take a step back, and realize that it's just a
: piece of entertainment. You don't have to be heartbroken or mourn when it
: 'dies'. Live life and create instead of concerning yourself too greatly
: with the fiction of others.

Just because I concern myself with the fiction of others does not mean I am also not living and creating. In fact, I'd say I'm doing a lot of that right now.

: I mean, I sympathize. Bungie was a part of my 'identity' all the way to 1994.
: But it really wasn't, and I realize that now. I'm not who I am because of
: the developers whose game I enjoyed. 'Losing' Bungie with Destiny doesn't
: mean I'm not whole. It just means I won't play new Bungie games anymore.

: It's great that you're passionate about something that it can lead to
: 'heartbreak', but why not take that passion and focus on something real ?
: Entertainment and art are meant to enhance your life after all, not make
: you sad…

: We're all on the train man, but it stops, and we can get off whenever we
: want.

I'm pretty much off the 343i train, but regardless I believe entertainment and art are a part of life, and just as real anything else I spend my time on, and so its possible benefits (and losses) are greatly increased when you pour your passion into them, as with anything in life. My gloom is meaningful because it shows just how much fun I've had with Halo, and with friends playing it, in addition to all the daydreams and creative inspirations it provided. It channeled my energy into something positive, and gave me great practice with world-designing and storytelling, which I'm now using in part to create my own world and story.

I may stop following all Halo news entirely in the future, and may stop coming here if it bothers me that much, but right now, I still have all that legacy of positive energy the original Halos gave me to keep me coming here, as well as hoping future Halo works might resonate with me again.