Longtime Bungie fans will need no introduction or explanation as to the meaning of the letters above, but in case you've come in to this warm hovel from out in the cold, dark wasteland of the "other" game communities, I offer the following.
(NOTE: UPDATED 04-03-2006)
The comments are now locked, because 343 is a good number and this post needs to be cleaned up and started again at a later date. Check this post for a new start on the acronyms.
As far back as Marathon, Bungie has been putting an acronym on the boxes of their released products (games, soundtracks, etc.). The acronym is made up of the first letters of some phrase that was popular and/or otherwise notable within the Bungie offices during the development of whatever game/soundtrack it's on. You can read about the past acronyms here. The most up-to-date list of the acronyms and their Bungie-verified solutions is as follows.
| Acronym | Game | Solution |
| DMUKYA | Marathon | Don't Make Us Kick Your Ass |
| MBIBTYB | Marathon 2 | My Bob Is Bigger Than Your Bob |
| TBWSAF | Marathon ∞ and Trilogy | Trick Bitch Whore Slut Ass Fucker |
| WACCSMD | Myth | Warcraft And Command & Conquer, Suck My Dick |
| MRTEFCFY | Myth Soundtrack | |
| TATRTSTS | Myth II | |
| WUBNMH | Myth II Soundtrack | What's Up, Bitch? Not Much, Holmes |
| SPMLOAS | Myth Total Codex | |
| YYMMDBATC | Myth TC Soundtrack | Yummy, Yummy, Munchy, Munchy, Dwarven Bones Are Tasty Crunchy |
| ABTFIPASO5 | Halo (GotY) | |
| SABABWL | Halo Soundtrack | |
| ILWNL | Halo PC | |
| JNAMSFTFY | Halo 2 | |
| EGATFIBGBCSIMAW | Halo 2 Soundtrack Vol 1 | |
| MNNGSBTFS | Halo 2 Soundtrack Vol 1 | |
| IOHBOY | Halo 2 In-game map (Metropolis) | |
| SIOHBOY | Halo 2 In-game credits | |
| TOFTMTWCLMB | Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack |
(WACCSMD and WUBNMH have never been publicly acknowledged as correctly solved, but perhaps we can get some input here and finally nail those down ;-))
So, the one in the title of this post is from (you guessed it) the Limited Collectors Edition Halo 2 box. The ones that have been solved over the years have a certain 'Bungie' feel to them, so think a bit and take a guess. First one right gets automatic street cred and bragging rights, which ain't half bad. ;-)
Update: According to an official source, WUBNMH is correct except for one word.
Update 2: Max Hoberman, dashing Multiplayer Lead at Bungie, checks in with the following:
"I got your official confirmation right here. WACCSMD has been translated correctly. Foul mouthed Bungie!TATRTSTS. Ah, that's a good guess, very much in the spirit of things. But it's wrong :-)
And yes, Mr. Sharumpe's suggestion is correct about EGATFIBGBCSIMAW being an acronym on the soundtrack.
MRTEFCFY is damn tough to crack. But I'll give you a clue. It came up in a conversation recently due to a certain completely unexpected relationship between Myth: TFL and Halo 2."
He also goes on to mention:
"The 15 letter one is a clue to a puzzle of sorts."
As mentioned over at sister site HBO, I was one of the fortunate folks that got picked to play Halo 2 MP over in Times Sq today, at the ESPNZone during one of ESPN's morning shows, Cold Pizza. I heard that over 2000 folks entered the raffle, of which 50 were chosen and a handful of alternates. Maybe it was the requirement that you show up at 7AM during a work day, but astoundingly way less than 50 folks total showed up! Maybe more like 30 or so.
Read more of my experiences there, as well as how it segues into my next visit to Times Square in NYC... for the ToysRUs Midnite Madness event!!!
Folks that were watching the show on cable thought it sucked, which it did for those folks if they were expecting some new stuff revealed. It wasn't like that at all, it was a complete PR type thing... they just wanted Halo 2 there since it's such a hot item right now. But for those of us that were IN the studio, they just let us play from 7-10am. So no complaints from any of us IN the event. :) Only MP btw, no campaign. For the lucky guys that made it in, they were completely thrilled. It was good to see some of these guys, from all walks of life in the city, play the game for the first time and have a blast.
For me, I had a blast as well, but I was also trying to note any changes from the E3 build... thus explaining my sucky scores. :) One thing I definitely noticed is that they reduced the speed of the needler... like almost back to regular Halo 1 speeds. Which was frustrating because I wanted to own folks with that weapon since most of them were busy looking for the pistol (ha!). But the joke was on me. Until I discovered: DUAL wielding needlers! Never heard a nicer sound than the rapid staccato shots of unloading pink death on an opponent. Crap that was cool. Still, the weapon of choice is going to be the SMG and Battle Rifle.
Got to see Ryan and CJ from Bungie. Gracious as always, and a pleasure to personally shake their hands again and thank them for doing such a great job. Dolbex and the rest of the MLG gang was there as well. Awesome!
Gametypes played? All slayer matches, which was also sucky for me, I was hoping for some assault or plain ctf matches. But the real bonus was getting to see a map that wasn't shown before: BEAVER CREEK. This is an updated Battle Creek. And it *PERFECTLY* shows the difference between Halo 1 and 2. It's AMAZING. When you turn the corner in your base and see the exit door, the *sunlight* is shining through the doorway. It's gorgeous. And they got rid of the sniper perch ladders, instead there are soft rock ramps leading up.
One last thing... One of the folks in the MS PR consulting group was looking... for me! We chatted for a bit and when I mentioned I was coming to the ToysRUs midnite madness she was curious what I was up to. So I mentioned some ideas and she seemed really eager to see me pull it off. Since I was in Times Sq. after the ESPN thing finished, I walked over to ToysRUs with Jynx and Fuhrman and checked out the place. It's huge, and I did my little smooth-talking deal with some of the folks there and got them ready for us taking over the event. I think at this point, we're going to bring a tent, some lawn-chairs, a 100ft heavy-duty extension cord, portable heater, my projector, some large white setpaper sheets, gaffers tape, Xbox and Halo1, and basically have a mini-lan fest while we wait in the street online until midnite Monday. There are going to be news crews and they expect a seriously huge turnout. I'm pretty excited getting involved in this!
Joseph Staten mentions in a recent interview over at Gamespy (thanks HBO) the particular challenge he faced when writing lines for distinguished actors who lent their voice talents to the game. He reveals that the alien named "Prophet of Truth", was an especially interesting character to write lines for, knowing the particular nuances the actor would bring to the table.
I have a hunch we see this prophet speaking in Halo 2's first TV commercial. And my pop-culture-saturated brain also tells me that the actor that can deliver a line "There are those that said this day would never come" as deliciously as he did is in fact John Hurt. Quite the skilled actor, I certainly concur.
NOTE I've been put in my place... It's not John Hurt, but damn it sure sounds like him!
So I wonder what other mystery actors have lent their skills to the game? And looking at that bit of the commercial when coupled with such talented voice actors, the stirrings of a Halo Movie resurface in my thoughts... but not as a live-action movie but indeed an all-CG version. Hell, an all-CG version using the Halo Engine!