Greetings to "the other" HBO.

I had the great fortune to attend the Halo Launch Party this past Saturday and would also like to throw my hat in the ring to relay what a great experience it was. There were no less than 17 or 18 XBoxes set up, 8 of them devoted to two multiplayer games with the 16-player hookup established, 2 with 3-player games in session, and the remainder devoted to the single-player experience across two banquet rooms of the hotel.

The Xboxes performed as advertised, with only the occasional minor glitch in network sync (only once during the two hours I was able to stay), and Halo (of course) had jaws dropping with muted thuds into the richly carpeted floor.

I also had the good luck to meet Matt Soell and David Candland (sp?) from Bungie personally, and both were friendlier than we had any right expecting them to be, given how much work I'm sure they've been putting in lately. Marty O'Donnell was also in attendance and freely videotaping any females who graced the Monaco, including both the good friend who accompanied me and the leading candidate for Mother of the Year who flew in with her son from Philadelphia to be there. And I thought driving from Minneapolis was going to count for something!

As a side note, I owe Marty a debt of gratitude for heroically expediting our entry into the event. I knew bringing a gorgeous woman along would help. Oh, yeah -- the sound rocks, too.

There was much food and beverage, many people meeting for the first time, and non-stop Halo for hours on end. As my friend and I departed the hotel with a genuine thanks to Matt and every other Buingie rep we could see, we passed on the order of fifty eager Spartans still waiting patiently to get in on the sidewalk out front.

Anybody who brought a significant other to this shindig -- you owe them dinner at least. Troopers to the last, I saw many women patiently waiting and chatting outside the doors to the banquet area. Hats off to all the saintly women who suffer for our addiction.

Bungie has proven that the people who play the game still matter to somebody in the industry, and have probably cemented their fan base for a good number of years to come.

I also met Mark from H.B.O, and he was also very friendly and engaging and very happy to be there.

I consider myself very lucky to have been able to participate, and will do my best to wait patiently for the PC port.

Thanks for all the info, and keep us posted.

Brian from Minneapolis
AKA the Mad Sentinel