This one is old news for those in the nerdiest circles of the Internet -- but that said, with the release of Halo Reach this week, we figured it was as good a time as any to show this off again. Halo 2600 is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Halo devolved. It looks like a 2600 game, it's as ruthlessly challenging as a 2600 game, and aside from being available in your browser, it's also literally a 2600 game and can be purchased.
What you'll find when you boot it up is an adorably pixilated Master Chief running across screens of the simplified Halo universe. There are 64 rooms to battle your way through -- and word to the wise: You need to find a gun before you can start shooting things, so don't go telling your IT department your space bar is broken when you load up the game.
The game is designed by Ed Fries, who used to be a head honcho at Microsoft Game Studios. It was originally just an exercise in screwing around, but eventually Fries completed the game and released it -- as an Atari 2600 title. Thankfully, he gave us the Flash version so those of us that don't have an Atari lying around can still experience it.
If you've already picked up Halo Reach and you need to get your fix while you're at work, we wholeheartedly recommend checking out Halo 2600. That is, if you're one of the rare Halo players who have actually played a 2600.
Play it here.