Multi-version installation hit stores at midnight
After almost six years of playing and waiting, the time has finally come to finish the fight.
The final installment of the Halo series, Halo 3, hit stores Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.
Fans lined up Tuesday morning to pick up one of the three versions of Halo 3 available: the standard edition, limited edition or the legendary edition. Each version contains a copy of the game and different special features.
Over a million copies were reserved nationwide before Tuesday’s release.
“We have over 500 reserved,” said Cody Hawkins, the assistant manager at Game Stop in Flatirons Mall. “We’ll have enough, guaranteed, and about 50 extra, but then that’s it.”
Depending on how sales go Tuesday, Microsoft said there is a likely chance Halo 3 will beat sales revenue records for any type of media – ever.
That means Halo 3 needs to bring in more money, for example, than any Harry Potter book or any of the three Spider-Man movies.
As the game currently flies off the shelves, it is worth taking a look at what makes the Halo series so popular.
“Halo redefined first-person shooters because it successfully created a wholly engrossing gaming experience with a great story,” said Sean Forrest, 20, a junior film studies major. “This is why Halo 2’s release was so enormous and why the anticipation for Halo 3 is through the roof.”
The original game, “Halo: Combat Evolved,” was one of the first games released for Microsoft’s Xbox by Bungie in Nov. 2001.
Halo took the gaming world by storm with high reviews from critics and gamers.
With such high reviews and popularity, Microsoft and Bungie made Halo 2, which contained better graphics, a reworked multiplayer and a new storyline.
According to Bungie, more than 4 billion games of Halo 2 have been played, amounting to more than 650 million hours of play since its release in Nov. 2004.
With the success of the first two Halo games, that of the third installment seems all but inevitable.
The third installment contains the end of the ongoing battle between humans, led by Master Chief Spartan-117, and aliens known as the Covenant.
There are plenty of new features in Halo 3 which previous installments lacked.
“I’m really looking forward to checking out the multiplayer in the new Halo,” said Cameron Rosen, 20, a junior mechanical engineering major. “It’s going to surpass the previous two, or any other multi-player game currently out.”
IGN.com gives an idea of what to expect in the new game. Here’s a breakdown of the new features included in Halo 3:
The Story
Bungie has kept the storyline well under wraps, and it will be a few more hours before players can beat the game and finally see how the trilogy ends.
The game continues the ongoing battle between the humans and aliens, and the battle fully engulfs Earth.
The story surrounds the Master Chief, the human hero, as well as the Arbiter, the unlikely alien who allies with the humans.
Bungie said this game wraps up the storyline so expect some sort of conclusion.
New Weapons
Many of the old weapons return in this installment with new tweaks to keep them interesting yet familiar.
Some new weapons include a flamethrower, spike grenade, a completely redesigned assault rifle and a variety of new brute weapons.
New Vehicles
In this game, many of the old favorites return as well as some new versions of the Warthog, a two-manned motorcycle called a Mongoose and a Brute Chopper.
Equipment
Unseen in any previous Halo game, Halo 3 offers equipment to further enhance game play.
There is a personal gravity lift that launches players to the sky, a bubble shield that temporarily protects the player from incoming weapon blasts and a power drainer that shuts off all shields in a certain area.
Multiplayer
With the new weapons, vehicles, equipment and a variety of new maps, Halo 3 should have a strong multiplayer.
Time customization has greatly advanced since the other Halo versions. Players can choose between different designs and armor ranging from a classic look to the look of a ninja. Combined with new colors and emblems, there is a much higher level of creativity with a player’s look and style.
The multiplayer also offers players the ability to record their matches and post them online on Xbox Live. This will allow people to watch their favorite Halo moments over and over, as well as share their favorite moments with friends.
With all the new additions, Halo 3 will probably keep millions glued to the television this week.
And professors — don’t be surprised to see an increased number of absences in class over the next few days.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Cameron Naish at cameron.naish@colorado.edu
