Mythical Musings.
Daniel Morris is no stranger to our digital domain - we've highlighted his
Mythic Walkthroughs before.
But in the spirit of exploration, we wanted to delve a little bit deeper into the man, the myth, the legend to see if we could figure out what makes him tick. And we figured we'd go ahead and let you in on our findings. If you ever wanted to learn what goes on in the mind of a man who has completed Halo 3, solo, with every skull on and in full effect, put your index finger on the mouse wheel and give it a good spin.
Q. Who are you and what do you do?
A. HBO has dubbed me as Daniel “Tyrant” Morris. Its got a ring to it. Full time I work at a law firm in Washington DC as their “tech guy”. I love building and fixing computers and have been doing it for years, but my true passion is in writing. That I’ve been doing since I was 7. Coincidence? Hmm…
Q. An IT guy for a law firm in DC? That does sound quite tyrannical. Where did you pick up such a relevant nickname?
A. In high school, I was able to use the school’s studio and resources to pull together a film I had written. The Tyrant, an alien cyborg, was the villain. I played the part. Let’s face it. Being the bad guy is just plain fun, lol. With a cast of over 200 (both students & teachers), they started calling me “Tyrant” even off the set. The name has stuck with me ever since.
Q. Cybernetics help explain the Mythic Walkthrough. When you're not systematically dissecting Halo 3 at its most difficult, where can we find you hanging out online?
A. Mainly the Halo 3 Forum. While I’m a huge fan of the PC variants of Halo, the Halo 3 forum has a very unique community attached to it. It’s awesome to be able to visit a place on a daily basis that is overwhelmed with a plethora of members who share the same passion. Despite what some may say, I’ve found the community to be very open, supportive, and full of ideas. That’s what keeps me coming back for more.
Q. And what keeps you coming back for more gaming?
A. While I do place a high value in a game’s plot, replay-factor is the trait I hold most high. Very few game titles can keep me interested for very long. While there aren’t a lot of local people I game with, my brother more than makes up for it. After seven years of hardcore training, he still kicks my butt in customs. What can I say? I like a challenge.
Q. What was the first Bungie title you took on?
A. Halo Combat Evolved was not only the first Bungie title I played, but was the whole reason I bought and Xbox and ultimately a 360. My brother turned me onto it, and the moment I set foot on the ring-world for the first time, I was hooked. The battles were totally unpredictable and gave the game so much replay value that I still play it today on the PC. The immense environments, the comical yet useful allies, and the menacing enemies all played a major role in what has come to be an addiction. I became glued to the campaign experience long before multiplayer. To this day I still believe that campaign is the true heart of Halo. Since the close of the trilogy, I’ve been dying to play Marathon. Now I just need an Apple computer.
[Editor's Note: Apple or otherwise, check the link -
http://marathon.sourceforge.net/]
Q. Are you surprised by your level of community involvement?
A. To be honest, a year ago I didn’t think I’d be this involved, nor did I believe that the Mythic challenge would ever go this far. It started out as a personal challenge, just like playing the original game and its sequel on Legendary, but the feeling obtained from completing it was priceless. It surprised me that so few had actually taken the initiative to try, and I wanted others to experience it too. Sounds sappy, I know, but the only thing more fun than doing something like this is doing it with friends.
Q. Does that same sense of initiate drive you to get involved with any other online communities?
A. Since I fear the wrath of the slingshot, I’m just going to say no.
Q. Only our enemies need to be frightened, Daniel. Anything you would like to add? Wanna make a shout-out?
A. A special shout out goes to all my friends and supporters in the community who have gone vastly out of their way to make the Mythic experience better for everyone. Louis Wu, VincentKurayama, Pahat Pojat, Ur Television, SonicJohn, DarkDEVASTAT10N, Shadowstrike, KrypticKiller, Gazas, and my brother K@os stand out in particular for making the Mythic experience better for everyone. Thank you guys for all your continuous help and support. And thank you, Bungie!
Ah, making the experience better for everyone. That's why you're here, Daniel. Thanks for taking time out to answer our round of questions. For those looking for a little more challenge out of their Halo 3 campaign experience, we suggest you hit the link at the top of the article and test your mettle. Or, if you're looking from a monthly challenge and the chance to win cash and prizes (okay, there's no cash at stake, only Microsoft Points), check out The Tyrant's
Monthly Mythic Challenge.