Seated next to my beautiful wife and close friends under the iconic Rotunda at the Palace of Fine Arts, I listened to a stirring, string-quartet rendition of music from Halo: Combat Evolved. With a beautiful day in San Francisco as the backdrop, along with that accompaniment, I witnessed two amazing people come together under the promise of spending their lives playing co-op.
The marriage of Travis “Tieguy” Northup and Deanna “Tiegirl” Pe launched on August 6th, 2024. After spending the next 24 hours with them, and then a few days with post-launch content, I came away happy, impressed, and hopeful for the future of the franchise.
Trap for Initiative
The ceremony featured family, friends, and, of course, unique vows. Given that you’re reading a review of a wedding on an enthusiast gaming site, it should come as no surprise that the ceremony featured references to gaming and a healthy dose of humor. Sharing their relationship history with the audience, we learned that Dee was actually the first one to reach out to Travis on account of being in gaming PR. And like any independent gaming site that receives thousands of emails yet doesn’t have the resources to respond, he ignored her entirely.
The irony of this wouldn’t come to light until much later, well after Dee was looking for a roommate and accidentally made that fateful decision to respond to Travis’s ad. Little did she know what she was in for. Before she knew it, she was at the mercy of a roommate who wore a tie daily (for some odd reason) while presenting her with options on Powerpoint slides about why dating him formally was in her best interest…while he had her trapped in his house. Are you consciously aware of the look on your face right now? I don’t blame you. After all, you were reading about a wedding, but then it took a hard turn to a AA horror movie.
But good developers and publishers know what the fans want, and this approach to the ceremony was joyous, funny, and made everyone feel involved. That’s not easy to pull off, and yet this development team did so flawlessly.
Drinks, Dancing, and Dicks…Oh My
Later that evening, we headed to the fantastic Wayfare Tavern. The work of the environmental artists and directors was on full display here as we were presented with an incredible setting for the bulk of the experience. Sitting with other gaming community legends and friends in Lord Cognito, Destin Legarie, Tom Marks, Teddy, and more, we shared delightful drinks, food, and laughs which were then emphasized by speeches from the wedding party’s NPCs.
While jokes were levied primarily at the main protagonist, what I witnessed was an evolution of the prologue: two people happy to be together and surrounded by others who were happy for them. This was evidenced no better than by the chapter that followed.
Proceeding upstairs, the party continued with drinks and dancing. Seeing everyone, including the two families and their friends, coming together to let loose was a pleasure. I met countless people for the first time, and it continued to be clear that the core of the couple and their families were very supportive of one another. But most importantly, it was fun to see the new Tiecouple in their element. The protagonists even prepared by taking dancing classes together before launch.
The evening was rounded off with a variety of events on-site, including tabletop and video gaming, tarot card readings, prizes, and more. It was truly a delightful event, and I was happy to be part of it. Being honest, I debated deducting a point for not having a full, Halo C.E. LAN setup on-site, but it’s always good to remember when you’re not the sole targeted audience.
It’s worth noting that there was reportedly an additional, secret-level featuring an afterparty bar run. But being the old fucks who had just flown in and were already drunk, we stayed on the mainline path and headed back to the hotel.
Expansion Pack
The next morning, we met up with the wedding party and a few close friends for brunch at Blackwood. Reflecting on the evening and simply spending time together with people from out of town was certainly welcome. And for me and my wife, it was the beginning of our foray into the wedding’s expansion pack. I’m happy to say there was good value packed into the extra hours. Exploring my home town of San Francisco and visiting places that I hadn’t been to in decades was a joy.
It also meant time to really get to know the Tieguy himself, who, despite spending years now recording together, I had never met in person. While he likely won’t want me to say it out loud, he’s a genuinely good guy. Funny as always, but down to earth and genuine once you get him to let his guard down. Similarly, Dee is a delight and has a way about her that simply puts a smile on your face by just being around her.
And that’s all that really needs to be said in the end. As I become more seasoned, I find myself reflecting on experiences more often and what really matters in life. And the truth is, very little matters more than the experiences you have with the ones you are close to. It’s what binds us all together.
After a few days together, it’s clear that Travis and Dee were lucky to stumble upon one another in the way that they did. Not only is it a funny story to continue to share, but it’s exceedingly obvious that they are going to do well together. I’m happy to call them friends, and it was my honor to be included in their special week and the official launch of their IP post early-access.
Co-Op PvE for Life
From a string quartet playing classic video game music and tabletop games, to specialty cocktails and erotic cake pops, the Tieguy and Tiegirl wedding demonstrated just how powerful Powerpoint can be. With co-op multiplayer underway and a long-term, live-service roadmap in place, the future of the franchise is bright.
My name is Commander Shepard and this is my favorite review on the Citadel.
Never thought I’d ever read a wedding review, but here we are. That was a fun read.