Video Games: The Man in the Mask

How the Master Chief, centerpiece of the Halo series, became a new kind of star for a new millennium

Microsoft Game Studios & Bungie Studios

Unknown soldier: A space marine from the far future, the Master Chief never removes his helmet.

Correction Appended: Sept. 5, 2007

Kirkland, Wash., is a leafy suburb of Seattle, on the shore of Lake Washington. A banner hangs over the main drag reminding visitors that Kirkland is the home of the 2007 Junior Softball World Series. Not far away stands a large unmarked building. It's oddly shaped, with a domed roof; it used to house batting cages, and before that, it was a hardware store. A security guard sits at the front desk, but he doesn't have a lot to do, because nobody ever comes in--though if there were a sign outside, the place would be...

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