The Master Chief Collection is imminent, and it's still a bit difficult to believe how much 343i over-delivered with it. Matchmaking for Halo 1, 2, and 3. Every map ever. To be sure, this is what I and my friends have been wishing for for years. In some ways a return to how things once were, and in the case of Halo 1 matchmaking, a journey into how old things were meant to be.

... wait a second. My friends. Where are my friends?

A sudden sadness washes over me. All my friends are dead. The people with whom I most want to share this experience are gone, taken from us by the inexorable march of time, maturity, and real-life concerns.

retsamolah: dead
hellmitre: dead
Hexudus: dead
Ghost Faction: dead
NartFOpc: asleep
Reconcilliation: dead
akba: dead

We used to be a crew. We used to be warriors. We used to be a force. But we are a force no more. They're dead now. They're all dead.

It's not 343i's fault. They did what they could. They gave me all the games and all the maps I could ever want. But they couldn't give me the people to enjoy them with.

It's not fair. It's not fair!