In just two and a half months, the Xbox Live experience will no longer be available for original Xbox games.

Hmmmm…. I see what you did there, Microsoft.

And I think it’s BRILLIANT!

Seriously, I haven’t had the slightest urge to pop in any of my old, dusty Xbox games since my PC version of KOTOR disappeared in a tragic occurrence of me misplacing it. But as soon as I saw the news that the original Xbox Live service was being shut down, I knew what had to be done.

I cracked open my Halo 2 case, plugged in my trusty headset, and grimaced as I turned my settings down to 480p. Oh yeah. It was game time.

Some of the greatest moments I’ve had in multiplayer gaming came from the original Xbox Live. I sunk hundreds of hours into MechAssault, for the sole purpose that it came free with my one-year Live subscription. When Halo 2 came out, I literally forgot what my friends’ faces looked like…our Halo: Combat Evolved LANs nothing but ancient memories of the past…

Hell, half of the people now on my Xbox Live friend’s list are people I’ve met from games like MechAssault and Crimson Skies. They never even bought 360s…their little avatar is just a tiny, sad green “X”. I’ve never gotten around to deleting them. Maybe I’m just hopeful they will buy a 360 one day… or maybe I’m just lonely.

The point is, Microsoft has proved the old saying “you don’t miss things until they’re gone” true. A few of my friends have already went out to buy old Xbox games to play on Live one last time, and one of my buddies even renewed his Live subscription just for Halo 2. So listen here MSoft… you can tell everyone that you’re doing this to “make way for the future,” but I know the truth: that all you’re doing is trying to squeeze a few more bucks outta people like me who are just too damned nostalgic for their own good.

Well, at least they didn’t add achievement points to the old games… if they did, I don’t think I’d ever have time to play a 360 game again.