Fond Memories: Bungie Vs. The World

Games Other Halo
1

July 7th, 2009… that’s a day in Halo history I’ll never forget. I’d only been playing Halo 3 multiplayer online for six months, but I’d already made it Rank 45 Brigadier General and unlocked all the armor by then, found all the skulls, and beaten the game on Legendary. i had everything except the game’s most valuable prize…

Recon.

The Bungie announces their grand celebration for Bungie Day 2009. The seventh day of the seventh month would host the ultimate Halo 3 multiplayer experience; Bungie Vs. The World. Dozens of community Forged map variants on Foundry and Sandbox. A chance to play against Bungie employees (or otherwise complete one of their secret challenges) to unlock Recon armor. I was so obsessed with Halo 3 back then, I absolutely had to have Recon…

So I played. I played as much as I could possibly could. I never saw hide nor hair of Bungie. I remembered there would be hidden challenges, so I tried to guess as to what one of them might be… I remember I kept getting in the Chopper, trying to get 7 Splatter Sprees, hoping that might be one of the hidden challenges that would get me Recon.

I played well into the morning, right up until the playlist was finally closed down… and I waited. A week later, Bungie revealed the winners and the hidden challenges. Not sure what criteria I met… but I did it. I got Recon. I spent the next week mostly in custom games, showing it off to my friends and deleting rude messages from people who did not have Recon that I met in matchmaking.

I remember this one guy challenged me to a 1v1 on Guardian, and I thoroughly kicked his -Yoink-. The idiot came charging at me with the Assault Rifle and Shotgun while I took advantage of every tool at my disposal; Sniper Rifles, dual Spikers, a Battle Rifle, Active Camo and Overshields, and the Shotguns he dropped when I killed him. I think I still have the saved film of that game on my Xbox 360… I wish I could share it. They would need to make Halo 3 backwards-compatible for that.

After the guy loses hard 7 to 26, he gives me his BS analysis of my “skills”, calling me trash for dual-wielding and using power-ups. Just a jealous, elitist -Yoink-. It only made my victory all the more satisfying.

Who else remembers that day? Did you play Bungie Vs. The World? How much did you play? Who else was lucky enough to earn their Recon that day? Share your stories.

2

> 2533274834952794;1:
> July 7th, 2009… that’s a day in Halo history I’ll never forget. I’d only been playing Halo 3 multiplayer online for six months, but I’d already made it Rank 45 Brigadier General and unlocked all the armor by then, found all the skulls, and beaten the game on Legendary. i had everything except the game’s most valuable prize…
>
> _Recon._The Bungie announces their grand celebration for Bungie Day 2009. The seventh day of the seventh month would host the ultimate Halo 3 multiplayer experience; Bungie Vs. The World. Dozens of community Forged map variants on Foundry and Sandbox. A chance to play against Bungie employees (or otherwise complete one of their secret challenges) to unlock Recon armor. I was so obsessed with Halo 3 back then, I absolutely had to have Recon…
>
> So I played. I played as much as I could possibly could. I never saw hide nor hair of Bungie. I remembered there would be hidden challenges, so I tried to guess as to what one of them might be… I remember I kept getting in the Chopper, trying to get 7 Splatter Sprees, hoping that might be one of the hidden challenges that would get me Recon.
>
> I played well into the morning, right up until the playlist was finally closed down… and I waited. A week later, Bungie revealed the winners and the hidden challenges. Not sure what criteria I met… but I did it. I got Recon. I spent the next week mostly in custom games, showing it off to my friends and deleting rude messages from people who did not have Recon that I met in matchmaking.
>
> I remember this one guy challenged me to a 1v1 on Guardian, and I thoroughly kicked his -Yoink-. The idiot came charging at me with the Assault Rifle and Shotgun while I took advantage of every tool at my disposal; Sniper Rifles, dual Spikers, a Battle Rifle, Active Camo and Overshields, and the Shotguns he dropped when I killed him. I think I still have the saved film of that game on my Xbox 360… I wish I could share it. They would need to make Halo 3 backwards-compatible for that.
>
> After the guy loses hard 9 to 24, he gives me his BS analysis of my “skills”, calling me trash for dual-wielding and using power-ups. Just a jealous, elitist -Yoink-. It only made my victory all the more satisfying.
>
> Who else remembers that day? Did you play Bungie Vs. The World? How much did you play? Who else was lucky enough to earn their Recon that day? Share your stories.

That sounds awesome! It would be cool to see 343 try something like this.

3

> 2535412357303746;2:
> > 2533274834952794;1:
> > July 7th, 2009… that’s a day in Halo history I’ll never forget. I’d only been playing Halo 3 multiplayer online for six months, but I’d already made it Rank 45 Brigadier General and unlocked all the armor by then, found all the skulls, and beaten the game on Legendary. i had everything except the game’s most valuable prize…
> >
> > _Recon._The Bungie announces their grand celebration for Bungie Day 2009. The seventh day of the seventh month would host the ultimate Halo 3 multiplayer experience; Bungie Vs. The World. Dozens of community Forged map variants on Foundry and Sandbox. A chance to play against Bungie employees (or otherwise complete one of their secret challenges) to unlock Recon armor. I was so obsessed with Halo 3 back then, I absolutely had to have Recon…
> >
> > So I played. I played as much as I could possibly could. I never saw hide nor hair of Bungie. I remembered there would be hidden challenges, so I tried to guess as to what one of them might be… I remember I kept getting in the Chopper, trying to get 7 Splatter Sprees, hoping that might be one of the hidden challenges that would get me Recon.
> >
> > I played well into the morning, right up until the playlist was finally closed down… and I waited. A week later, Bungie revealed the winners and the hidden challenges. Not sure what criteria I met… but I did it. I got Recon. I spent the next week mostly in custom games, showing it off to my friends and deleting rude messages from people who did not have Recon that I met in matchmaking.
> >
> > I remember this one guy challenged me to a 1v1 on Guardian, and I thoroughly kicked his -Yoink-. The idiot came charging at me with the Assault Rifle and Shotgun while I took advantage of every tool at my disposal; Sniper Rifles, dual Spikers, a Battle Rifle, Active Camo and Overshields, and the Shotguns he dropped when I killed him. I think I still have the saved film of that game on my Xbox 360… I wish I could share it. They would need to make Halo 3 backwards-compatible for that.
> >
> > After the guy loses hard 9 to 24, he gives me his BS analysis of my “skills”, calling me trash for dual-wielding and using power-ups. Just a jealous, elitist -Yoink-. It only made my victory all the more satisfying.
> >
> > Who else remembers that day? Did you play Bungie Vs. The World? How much did you play? Who else was lucky enough to earn their Recon that day? Share your stories.
>
> That sounds awesome! It would be cool to see 343 try something like this.

I wouldn’t count on it. 343 Industries seems more… distant from the community than Bungie ever was. Bungie had a certain spark of eccentricity, and the willingness to roll around in the dirt with the rest of us that 343i lacks.

4

Oh wow OP that sounds like a fun experience.

5

> 2533274972430429;4:
> Oh wow OP that sounds like a fun experience.

It was. Playing Halo 3 multiplayer on an entirely new selection of community-made Forge maps, staying up all night, gunning for a chance to battle with Bungie for the ultimate prize… it was awesome.

6

I played in the Bungie Vs The World! I played all day and while I didn’t win all that much, I cracked Top 5 for most deaths in the playlist! LOL! That was back when “Halo Charts” was still around too

7

> 2546678360738636;6:
> I played in the Bungie Vs The World! I played all day and while I didn’t win all that much, I cracked Top 5 for most deaths in the playlist! LOL! That was back when “Halo Charts” was still around too

Did you win Recon?

8

> 2533274834952794;7:
> > 2546678360738636;6:
> > I played in the Bungie Vs The World! I played all day and while I didn’t win all that much, I cracked Top 5 for most deaths in the playlist! LOL! That was back when “Halo Charts” was still around too
>
> Did you win Recon?

I already had Recon at the time

9

I remember bungie day. Me and a friend from school spent all weekend trying to match them. If only i knew all the different ways to secretly get it. I remember one was getting 77 exp in the playist. I remember so many kids quiting out just to search again lol. Me and my friend were tempted but a rumor was going around that quitting would drastically lower your chances. We never matched any employees nor did we get the recon until ODST came out. That night we got the firefight and the rest of the annoying odst vids as fast as possible. I remember going into matchmaking right away and still people who didnt know it was obtainable sent messges going nuts. Lots of amazing memories from h3.bungie did have a way of making the community feel specialnl yoink it was a community full of different groups from HLG guys who would spend time practicing hiding spots to guys who forged all day. Some of my fondest memories were on halo 3 and some of us old school guys wont forget how well made in every aspect it was.

10

> 2533274933541564;9:
> I remember bungie day. Me and a friend from school spent all weekend trying to match them. If only i knew all the different ways to secretly get it. I remember one was getting 77 exp in the playist. I remember so many kids quiting out just to search again lol. Me and my friend were tempted but a rumor was going around that quitting would drastically lower your chances. We never matched any employees nor did we get the recon until ODST came out. That night we got the firefight and the rest of the annoying odst vids as fast as possible. I remember going into matchmaking right away and still people who didnt know it was obtainable sent messges going nuts. Lots of amazing memories from h3.bungie did have a way of making the community feel specialnl yoink it was a community full of different groups from HLG guys who would spend time practicing hiding spots to guys who forged all day. Some of my fondest memories were on halo 3 and some of us old school guys wont forget how well made in every aspect it was.

Yeah… Bungie still has that talent for making the community feel special, even though it’s more with Destiny nowadays.

11

Sadly, those days are forever gone. They only exist in our memories. Nowadays, 343i would urinate on the fans for the sake of calling it rain.