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Ian Lamont's picture
Ian Lamont

The Digital Media Machine

The Halo 3 hype wave finally crests, and Microsoft loves every minute of it

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Rated -1
189 Votes

Legions of crazed fans camping on the sidewalk to get a good place in line. People skipping work and school. Near-riots to get a hold of prized merchandise.

What could it be? The arrival of iPhone 2.0? Red Sox playoff tickets going on sale? A new generation of Cabbage Patch Dolls?

No, it's all about a video game.

Correction: Not just *a* video game. it's *the* video game of the year, for many people.

I'm talking about Halo 3, a first-person shooter for the XBox 360 that already has a huge built-in following, owing to the fanatical dedication of players who own Halo and Halo 2 on older consoles. This constituency has been whipped into a frenzy by the prospect of the latest installment appearing in all its high-resolution glory (or, should I say, gory) on the Xbox 360. The fact that Microsoft has been stoking the Halo 3 hype machine for well over a year hasn't hurt either. You can see a short video about the Halo 3 release below:


Of course, Microsoft is loving it. The company hasn't seen anything quite like this since the Windows 95 launch, and they're using the Halo 3 release -- and any other ammunition they can get their hands on -- to twist Sony's tail over the continued PS3 slump.

Enjoy it while you can, Microsoft. You sure won't see crowds lining up to buy the next-generation Zune this Christmas ...

What People Are Saying

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Rated +2
186 Votes

I just have to wonder what

I just have to wonder what someone does with 3 ipods and a zune and is now out buying another ipod. Is there some logical reason I am missing to have 4 devices to listen to music and watch video while you are wandering about? The electronics industry need more people like this. He should be in their hall of fame.

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Rated +21
165 Votes

And the market for mp3

And the market for mp3 players is not worth billions of dollars?

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Rated +19
173 Votes

"No, it's all about a video

"No, it's all about a video game."

Correction. Is all about a successful video game franchise in a market that is BILLIONS of dollars. Do not compare it to the mp3 player market.

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Rated +11
187 Votes

The game is amazing and on

The game is amazing and on the zune comment, sure they will not be lining up for it but I have 3 ipods and one zune and quite frankly I love my zune more than I like my ipods (although the new ipod touch may take that love for the zune away when I buy one today)

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Rated +5
181 Votes

You know, I didn't see

You know, I didn't see crowds lining up for the new iPods either

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Rated +7
171 Votes

Zelda, Mario,

Zelda, Mario, PacMan....whatever.

The entire Halo franchise is the standard by which all other video games are measured.

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Rated +15
179 Votes

Halo 3 may be the most

Halo 3 may be the most popular game ever made, but I'm afraid that the title "Best Ever Made" is still held by "The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time"

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Rated +7
159 Votes

Yes, Halo3 is finally out.

Yes, Halo3 is finally out. Is it the best video game of all time? Hmm... I don't know. What about Super Mario, Zelda, Space Invaders, Pac Man, Tetris, Halo?
Vote today at http://www.pollicious.com

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Rated +27
179 Votes

It's not the first video

It's not the first video game to cause mass hysteria. When Dragon Quest III was released in Japan in 1988, the publisher "had to change its previous policy of releasing new editions on weekdays, after complaints of mass absenteeism from schools and places of work" (Gamasutra).