E3 2004 Bungie Fan Fest 

By Peter Orullian

May 13, 2004, Los Angeles, Calif.—The Los Angeles Convention Center was quiet and dark, with the throngs packing this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo gone for the day. Few of them knew that the most important event to grace the South Hall had yet to take place.

Drum roll, please. Prelude to the demo.

In small groups, 90 die-hard Halo fans were escorted through the complex of exhibitor booths to the Microsoft exhibit to participate in this year's Bungie Fan Fest. To be honest, the folks at Bungie could have done nothing more than offer a chance to play Halo 2 multiplayer to make this shindig a success. But, they did more.

To begin, pizza, chips, and cookies were served. Then the evening got into full swing with a demo of Halo 2 multiplayer on a giant screen. Here, we learned that vehicles in Halo 2 are all subject to damage and have secondary explosions, the rocket launcher has a tracking feature, uniforms can be customized with icons, and now, when you look down, you can see your feet. After the demo, a new installment of Red vs. Blue was shown—yet another hysterical episode from the Blood Gulch Chronicles.

Playing Halo … while waiting to play Halo 2.

Soon after, small groups began their Halo 2 multiplayer experience in a darkened, circular room set with posh chairs and great sound. Outside this haven of game excellence, others waited for their turn by playing some original Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer as well as some of the other Xbox titles on display in the Microsoft booth.

The excitement builds as they near "the curtain."

When the gaming was done, the party just rolled on. Brian Jarrard, Bungie Studios' community guy, had arranged a special treat for these lucky Halo fans: a Q&A session with some of the voice talent from the game as well as key Bungie staff. David Scully (the voice of Sergeant Johnson) was there along with Tim Dadabo (343 Guilty Spark). Joining them was Marty O'Donnel, known as "Bungie Maestro" for his oversight of music and audio, as well as Jay Weiland, one of Marty's colleagues in that department. Plenty of questions went round, with the voice actors sometimes responding in character.

A chat with the voice actors and music guys.

Finally, prizes were given in a raffle to round out an evening that was a prize in itself. Everyone seemed to have a great time, but really, this was a sure hit. For those of you who missed it, there's always next year …