Halo 3 Preorders Top 1 Million, Marketing Begins

Gamespot reports that Halo 3 has broken the all-time record for videogame preorders in North America. There are now more than 1 million copies of the title reserved across the continent. "The figure means that the Halo 3 launch could potentially be bigger than that of Halo 2. The then-Xbox-exclusive sold 2.38 million units in the US and Canada in the 24 hours after went on sale on November 16, 2004, generating an estimated $125 million. Halo 3 preorder customers' passion for the game is such that cost is apparently no object. As part of today's announcement, Microsoft warned that, despite its premium price point, the collectible Halo 3: Legendary Edition is on track to sell out before the game launches. The bundle, which includes a miniaturized version of the Master Chief's helmet, retails for $129.99 in the US, but is already sold out at several online retailers in the UK."

Understatement?

Marketing Begins?

I think with a million preorders, the marketing is pretty much done.

Re:Understatement?

I think with a million preorders, the marketing is pretty much done.

Heh, you haven't seen anything yet.

Impressive

Holy Moly! Thats pretty impressive. If that was a music album it would already be considered "platinum". All that without any hardcore marketing. I guess it's true that the game industry is going to surpass the music industry, if it hasnt already.

huh?

Didn't it already start with that RPG thing that uses the real world similar to I love bees?

Ultra Diamond Uber Edition Plus

I'm holding out for the version that comes with the working Mjolnir armor.

$129.99 for a Game?

You can buy 2 PS3 games and breakfast for 2 with that cash.

Re:$129.99 for a Game?

You can buy 2 PS3 games and breakfast for 2 with that cash.

A PS3 fan(atic) complaining about price. Now that's ironic.

Re:$129.99 for a Game?

You can also buy 2 and a third normal Halo 3 games for that price.

The premium version isn't the only one, you know. Sheesh.

Halo 3

HAlo 3 and mass effect are the only two things that might tempt me to get a 360. I susupect they may eventually get PC editions.

Pre-ordering is genius...

From a company's standpoint. Toward the end of development, you're already probably over budget and short a few developers... and god knows when the soda/redbull/bawls machine was last stocked.

You use the last bit of cash to:

1. Pay off some bloggers to generate grass roots hype,

2. Pay a few key "journalists" to write a OMFG this game is going to MF rock \m/ > \m/

And begin accepting pre-order sales. Poof, instant PR budget so you can nail main stream media with everything you can now afford.

And maybe restock drink machine. (Don't worry about hiring more devs, you're just going to lay them all off anyway).

Multiplayer

I enjoyed the games, but I really got in to the multi-player, as I feel like most people do these days. The thing I like about the Halo series though, is that they don't skimp (as much as other studios do) on the single player story line. I feel like some other games are rushed out to hit the multi-player markets and the story line suffers.

Not to nitpick, but...

Halo 2 was released on the 9th. I still have the orange sticker on my box stating that it not be sold until 11/09/04.

Re: Flash Flood

Hopefully those little freaks aren't back in Halo 3

Why preorder

In the highly unlikely event of the game selling out, MS could push a button and produce 100,000 more in a single day. I really don't understand why anyone pre-orders so far in advance. The game will available everywhere with no difficulty at all. Preorder is a total and utter waste of time.

1 million units sold

Does that mean it qualifies as a "greatest hit"?

In that case, everyone that hasn't pre-ordered it would be able to pick up a copy for $20 the day it releases.

Hooray for fantasy logic!

Halo CE

I just wish I could play co-op mode over the internet with original Halo for the PC.

I need to know

Why is this game so popular? In which ways did it revolutionize the genre?

I never had a Xbox and didn't batter to get the PC edition. From what I understand, this is a fairly typical FPS just very very polished one. Much like Blizzard games which are not really revolutionary but are simply well done with a lot of attention to detail.

If Halo lived...

...it would say "Moo."

Apparently...

...those 1 million people who pre-ordered didn't think Halo 2 was overrated. I trust Bungie to provide a game that will be worth $50-60 dollars. I don't think it will be the world's best game, but it will certainly be worth the money, for multiplayer anyway. People seem to think that it's all-or-nothing for the Halo series these days, and that's just not true. Get down from your thrones made out of Valve games, people. I'm pretty sure it's legal to buy a shooter for a console that isn't the worlds best game and NOT get struck down by lighting (or an AWP).

Re:Halo - When Marketing Substitutes Worth

While I agree with Mr. Shill here about Halo not being as much of a mind-blowing game that many people see it as (in my opinion, of course), I still think it's a good game. It had a good aiming system, the controls were tight, the graphics were decently pretty, the length was perfect, and the story line was interesting.

As far as the Halo 3 Beta graphics go...any self-respecting gamer should know that you NEVER judge a game based soley on the beta. Console folks just aren't used to the idea of a beta and as such they took it to mean that this is what the game will be like.

Re:Halo - When Marketing Substitutes Worth

But it will be saddening to see the bought and paid for reviews pour in for the game as gamers where most of us still like to believe that the games market is a place where you live or die on actual game worth and not how many millions a company has to throw at reviews and the press.

And it's utterly impossible that opinions may vary, and that some people might actually like the Halo series of games without being bribed? I've played a hell of a lot of FPS games, going back to Marathon, Doom, System Shock 2, Unreal Tourney, etc. The fact of the matter is that I think Halo 2 is a really, really fun game, and that's all I care about. Then again, I'm not a snob with the whole "oh games without a mouse all suck!" crap that you see around here so often.

Re:Halo - When Marketing Substitutes Worth

I'm glad to see that you have somehow completely eliminated the possibility that anyone else in the world genuinely likes Halo, Mr. AC. Please let me in on your secrets!

(Hint: just because you don't like a game, doesn't have any bearing on what anyone else in the world thinks. If the one person in the world who liked "Game X" gave it a glowing review, that wouldn't be a paid-for review, even if he did disagree with the rest of the world. Everyone has a different opinion.)

Re:Halo - When Marketing Substitutes Worth

Do I re-moderate this guy back to informative or reply?

Seriously - a little conspiracy theoried but on the money no less, Halo is NOT a bad game but it is, without a doubt one of the most over-rated games in history, good lord is it over rated.

I finished the first one it had some kind of half decent story, kind of, fairly fun gameplay I won't deny and not shabby graphics, the second one wasn't worth finishing and I quit about 5 hours into it.

So SOOOooooo overrated, it boggles my mind every time the topic comes up.

Re:master chief makes your head like a hole

wow, and I thought the incessant 13-year old Halo 2 players made the world's dumbest comments. Congratulations, Sir!