Biggest Gaming Event in History: Halo 3 has arrived

[Asher]

<------ owns and plays them all.

I just don't like a lot of Wii and PS3 games. And I'm not alone, look at the atrocious reviews they get as well.

IIRC, you don't own any of the consoles, which makes your opinion less than relevant on them.

[DinoDoc]

I actually think Halo 3 sounds like a good game at least based on my experience with the original I don't see how it could be otherwise, Asher. I just don't feel the need to buy a console for 1 game or to own one just to ***** about how much it sucks.

[Asher]

I feel the need to buy consoles because eventually, a good game will come out for it.

The PS3 and Wii are still waiting for their days. So far the only genuinely AAA games are coming out on the 360. That's not my fault.

PS3 development is a nightmare, Wii software sales suck and it's woefully underpowered...there's really only one console to make big budget games on.

[Asher]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo3/launch/20070926halo3biggestday.htm

Halo 3 : Biggest Day in U.S. Entertainment History



Published September 26, 2007

Microsoft today announced that Halo® 3 has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360™ title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like Spider-Man 3 and novels such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Halo 3 is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where Halo 2 left off, answering questions around the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant. In addition to the rich storyline, Halo 3 continues the franchise's grand tradition of delivering innovative online multiplayer experiences via Xbox LIVE®, the world's largest social network on TV.

Pop Culture Phenomenon
"Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Not only is Halo 3 setting sales records, it's also redefining entertainment. Within the first 20 hours alone, we've seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3—that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history."

Retailers have also expressed their excitement about the launch of Halo 3.

Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for GameStop Corp commented that, "With consumer demand for Halo 3 and related products, we expect it to be the biggest video game title generator in GameStop's history."

"The initial demand we've seen for Halo 3 has been astounding, and the game is on track to become the number one gaming title of all time. Halo 3 is a genuine entertainment phenomenon and our customers have responded very enthusiastically to the release," said Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy.

Midnight Madness
More than 10,000 retailers hosted Midnight Madness events to celebrate the launch of this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise.

* Check out the action in Times Square as Master Chief arrives.
* Bill Gates hands out Halo 3 to excited gamers in Seattle.

In New York, Seattle, Miami, and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners hosted marquee launch events that featured contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the Halo franchise, including Ludacris and Zac Efron, and the New York Giants.

More than 1.7 million copies of Halo 3 were preordered in the United States before a single store opened its doors at midnight on September 25, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of Halo 2. Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of Halo 3 was a worldwide celebration that released in 37 countries and available in 17 languages.

[Wiglaf]

That said, Wiggie, you've wigged out a bit extreme here... SP Halo is not 'the best game ever lol' but I doubt it's a bad game, and as said, it's not a game generally bought just for the SP aspect

I know, I am just surprised that such a big budget game can be so blah in single player.

[Wiglaf]

Halo 3 : Biggest Day in U.S. Entertainment History

A by-the-numbers single player FPS with fun multiplayer (Assuming, that is , you don't mind getting cursed at by an army of twelve year olds) is suddenly the next best thing to the TV itself.

In other news, Spiderman 3 did well and it blew.

[Wiglaf]

Originally posted by Asher
That review makes a lot of sense.

It does

Halo 3 = Halo 2 with new graphics. The sales are absurd.

[Asher]

Considering how awesome Halo 2 was, I don't see why it's absurd.

And you're leaving out the multiplayer, which is kind of a big deal...

As I've said a million times now. Halo 3 is game 3 in a trilogy. It's singleplayer is a slightly tweaked version of Halo and Halo 2 with a new game engine, as it's intended to be. It's widely successful, people love it, and you seem to think this is a bad thing. That's your view...but you're obviously not in the target market.

[lord of the mark]

$170 million in the US at $60 a pop? so thats less than 3 million sold.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 8.3 million copies in the US in the first 24 hours. The difference being that books still sell for a lot less than video games.

[Asher]

Fortunately, LOTM, there is a standard currency that all share that we can compare.

Movie tickets are even cheaper, FWIW.

The difference is economic impact.

BTW, if we use your 3 million figure, that means that Halo 3 sold more copies in 24 hours than any Wii game has sold, ever, over the last 10 months.

Also, how would Metroid Prime 3's ~200,000 in the first week compare to Halo 3's 3 million in 24 hours on a bar graph?

[Wiglaf]

Keep in mind there are about 200,000 legendary editions which retail for $129.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
Keep in mind there are about 200,000 legendary editions which retail for $129.

You changed this in a stealth edit from 100,000 to 200,000 -- where's the source?

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Asher
BTW, if we use your 3 million figure, that means that Halo 3 sold more copies in 24 hours than any Wii game has sold, ever, over the last 10 months.

no

twilight princess and wii-play have both sold in excess of 3 million, I believe.



and, actually, there's a decent chance that over their lifetimes, wii play will outsell Halo 3.

yes, yes, not a real game.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Asher
Fortunately, LOTM, there is a standard currency that all share that we can compare.

Movie tickets are even cheaper, FWIW.

The difference is economic impact.

HP was heavily discounted from its suggested retail price. AFAICT, a not insignificant difference in the retail sales numbers of video games versus books is due to the different structures of the respective retail industries.

[Asher]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
no

twilight princess and wii-play have both sold in excess of 3 million, I believe.

No, Twilight Princess has sold only 1.95 million in the United States.

and, actually, there's a decent chance that over their lifetimes, wii play will outsell Halo 3.

yes, yes, not a real game.

People buy Wii Play for the remote...so no, it doesn't count.

Additionally, in the US it's only sold 1.7 million since launch.