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Halo 3's Chief  (Source: Bungie Studios)
The craze for Halo 3 continues to grow

Microsoft today proudly announced that its highly anticipated Halo 3 video game exceeded one million pre-orders.

The video game is the "fastest selling pre-ordered video game in history," according to Microsoft.  Stores such as Amazon, GameStop, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy accepting pre-orders for Halo 3 are reporting an extremely high level of pre-orders.

"What we've experienced is nothing short of phenomenal," said Bob McKenzie, GameStop senior vice president of merchandising.  "'Halo 3' has eclipsed many previous records and will prove to one of the must-have items of 2007."

To help promote the game, Microsoft and other retailers are offering a number of different products to help coincide with the launch of Halo 3. 

Microsoft is offering the typical collector editions of the video game along with a special edition Halo 3 Zune for military members.  A Halo 3 headset and controller will also be available to users in the future.

The pricey Halo 3: Legendary Editionversion of the game is likely to sell out before the Halo 3 launch.

Pepsi, Doritos and Burger King all have special edition Halo 3 labels and wrappers to commemorate the game's launch. Pontiac and 7-Eleven also plan to use Halo 3 as a marketing tool for a limited time.

Halo 3 is expected to be released on September 25.


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I know I'm not the only one...
By SirLucius on 8/10/2007 3:59:27 AM , Rating: 4
that thinks the Halo series is extremely over-rated. I'll admit, Halo 1 was entertaining, but not nearly the holy grail of games that so many people make it out to be (and severly gimped from it's original concept - see the original E3 demo). Halo 2 was so rushed that any potential it had went out the window. And as much as people praise Halo's multiplayer, I honestly think that's the least appealing aspect of the game. While I would love to be proven wrong, my expectations for Halo 3 are very low, and I honestly don't expect Bungie to deliver. Am I glad to see record sales being broken? Sure. Am I upset that it's Halo causing it? A little.




RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By NotAok on 8/10/07, Rating: 0
RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By Fenixgoon on 8/10/2007 8:22:43 AM , Rating: 4
halo is good, but it's not that good, especially when compared to the plethora of PC FPS games. doing the same level twice (assault on the control room + shutting down reactors) and making long, repeating hallways (library) is *very* annoying.

let me start the list of PC fps games that are better in either SP, MP, or both:

HL, HL2, quake, quake2, quake3, SOF, SOF 2, deus ex, far cry, HL: the specialists, HL: natural selection, HL: TFC, FEAR.

and that's just the tip of the iceberg...


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By NotAok on 8/10/07, Rating: -1
RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By Fenixgoon on 8/10/2007 9:47:45 AM , Rating: 3
i notice you didn't give any reasons ;)

please feel free to explain how/why halo is in fact superior =P


By GhandiInstinct on 8/10/2007 10:22:03 AM , Rating: 2
Fenixgoon wins.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By DingieM on 8/10/07, Rating: -1
By 3kliksphilip on 8/10/2007 2:35:22 PM , Rating: 3
I love Half Life 1. I first played it LONG after games like Soldier of Fortune 2 came out, in fact I believe it was just before Half Life 2 came out in 2004. The atmosphere is incredible in my opinion. Those low res sounds, such as the electricity and 'Warning' samples, simply add to the depressing atmosphere. There are some fantastic set pieces, the enemies are varied and original and each gun has its own feel to it. I loved the house filled with booby traps and explosives... classic. Some parts of the game were genuinely scary, in my opinion. The head crabs jumping out of places made me jump, but that bit with that massive alien with those firey hand things made me hide away in that control room, and when you realize that you have to run right past it and get pursued down that corridor towards that electrical room to finish it off, I held down the W button and closed my eyes (Always a useful tactic if you know that something bad's about to happen).

As for Halo, I've never played any of the full games. On the demo I found it okay, the graphics and scale were impressive and the vehicles fun and the replenishing armour was greatly implemented, but I found it frustrating that your vision was zoomed in. It's hard to describe, but it's like walking about with a 45 degrees field of vision. You're constantly trying to find the zoom out button. I'm sure there's something about this game that's great- besides, a million people can't be wrong.

By the way,, what's wrong with 'still using a mouse and keyboard' ? I can't think of a better aiming device. And how are you sure that Halo 3 will be a must have if you've never played the original?


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By NotAok on 8/10/07, Rating: 0
By rushfan2006 on 8/10/2007 3:44:22 PM , Rating: 5
First there's one fatal flaw in logic here guys.....how is anyone "right" when the topic at hand being debated is purely opinion?

How is one guy's list of what games are the best , the "correct" or "right" list of games versus another?

Maybe I think Far Cry blows Halo out of the water -- for *ME* that may be correct,, for *YOU* it may be ....well a joke.

To debate over opinion is in a word -- pointless.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By Fenixgoon on 8/10/2007 11:17:03 AM , Rating: 2
in response to DingieM and NotAok:

i believe you will find that old games are some of the best around - certainly not because of their graphics, but their incredible gameplay. Starcraft, Baldur's Gate 1/2, Planescape:Torment, Tie Fighter, HL1.

Consoles are caught up in the graphics whore war right now, but when it comes down to it, gameplay makes things last. There's a reason why no RTS has been able to displace Starcraft in its 10 years of life. There's a reason why people look to PS:T and BG for "most influential RPG's". And yes, mouse and keyboard is a better setup for FPS and RTS games.

I don't doubt that Halo3 will sell systems - the first two did, and no doubt the third will as well.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By NotAok on 8/10/2007 11:27:21 AM , Rating: 1
I'm certainly not going to argue with the fact that gameplay > graphics, it's completely true... but that's exactly why halo is so great. (even though it does in fact feature some awesome visuals) The production values and gameplay are so solid it's nuts and, like I said, certainly ranks up there with the best.


By omnicronx on 8/10/2007 11:43:57 AM , Rating: 2
I totally agree with you man, old games have much better gameplay.
First off before is start i am only talking about shooters here;

Unlike games such as quake, quake2, quake3, half-life etc.. one could dispute no halo series game has ever been considered 'the best game out there' compared to other games released at the same time with comparable graphics, technology etc.. The original quake remained unchallenged by any other game for a long time, same as quake2. Half-life 1 was undisputed tops for a while also. The same could be said for half-life 2, although many people would dispute this.

Halo to me started essentially as a niche market, being the best graphics possible on a console, with really fun multiplayer capabilities, but other games had better graphics, and better gameplay on the PC.

But for the average gamer, who cant afford/doesnt want to constantly upgrade their PC, Halo was a hit, being an affordable, fun, and addictive alternative to PC games.

Best shooter game for its time though? i think not.
I was a former PC gamer, but i have become annoyed with having to upgrade yearly to play the latest and greatest, and i find sports, and some 3rd person shooter games fantastic on consoles, but to compare an industry changing 1st person shooters like the quake and halflife to halo is just nonesense.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By Locutus465 on 8/10/2007 3:09:34 PM , Rating: 2
I've played and love many of the games you list (FEAR, HL2 for example)... But for me I like the halo serise a bit more based on the story, mixed between game play and the 4 books. What can I say, I love a good story about the best of the best fighting impossible odds.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By omnicronx on 8/10/2007 3:59:23 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
What can I say, I love a good story about the best of the best fighting impossible odds.


And that differs from almost any shooter game out there how?
I like a hero as much as the next guy, but thats the premise of most shooter games.


By Locutus465 on 8/10/2007 4:43:05 PM , Rating: 2
That is true on the individual level I suppose, but in this case it's the whole of humanity fighting a losing war, and in 3 earth is apparently lost. Factor in all the references to sci-fi movies I love (soldier, aleiens), and there ya go... A story which is, at least to me much more compelling that the others.

Then there's the books, they let you explore much more of the story, and create a whole back story you would otherwise be unaware of.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By BioRebel on 8/10/2007 11:34:55 AM , Rating: 3
Are you kidding? You better be, there are far better shooter games out there than Halo, Half-Life series is one, and then you also have the Unreal series, and even when it comes to console specific titles, Metroid PRime is a far better series than halo.


RE: I know I'm not the only one...
By blurredvision on 8/10/2007 8:20:23 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
I'll admit, Halo 1 was entertaining, but not nearly the holy grail of games that so many people make it out to be

You have to remember though that the first Halo was released way back in 2001. The only other FPS to offer the kind of atmosphere at that time was Half-Life on the PC (my opinion). Also, the enemy AI was the best anyone had every seen, and add to that near-perfect console controls (and before somebody says it, yes, auto-aim as well), and you had a bonafide hit. Don't forget that it's the first game (that I know of) on consoles that allowed 16-player multiplayer, which enticed a lot of people as well. Many gamers still hold the original Halo in high regards because they remember the great times they had with it.

It's my opinion that most people who don't "get" Halo and hate it either didn't play the original back in "the day", didn't give it enough time because they loved their PS2 and didn't want anything to do with the new XBOX, or they just don't like FPS games to begin with. It's the same kind of stuff I'd say about people who do not hold the original Half-Life in the same regard (minus the PS2/XBOX stuff, of course).
quote:
Halo 2 was so rushed that any potential it had went out the window. And as much as people praise Halo's multiplayer, I honestly think that's the least appealing aspect of the game.

Agreed on it being rushed. Bungie even said they were rushed, and weren't happy with the final product. The multiplayer was successful because of the system, though. I remember people absolutely hating it at first, because nobody had played a multiplayer game where you couldn't go through and choose servers and such. But that was before anyone really understood the party system, and once they got used to it, it's a fantastic way to do things. It's much simpler to find the games you want to play instead of filtering servers and such.

I'll give you one thing SirLucius, you are one of the more relaxed Halo haters out there :). I appreciate the opportunity for discussion instead of the immediate start cursing and saying the words "Halo sucks" over and over.


By encryptkeeper on 8/10/2007 10:07:50 AM , Rating: 2
I know I'm guilty of shaking my head when I see someone squeal with delight over Halo. Half of the problem is the control scheme. I (and probably a good portion of the people who don't like it either) just can't play it. FPS with dual analog sticks? I'm terrible at it. I admit it, that's the main reason why I hate Halo. I went over to a buddy's house for poker, and when we were tired of playing cards, we started on some Halo 2. I admit, I was definitely curious at playing. And I sucked. I'm so used to a keyboard and mouse that I was just gimping it out there. At the same time, even if I had been good at the game, it wouldn't have stood out in my mind simply for the fact that I don't think the multiplayer is as good as something like UT.