Halo 3 Comes to NY, Fans line up by the masses to get their hands on Halo 3

Sep. 28, 2007
Chad Chamberlain

Shane Kim (Alberto Araya/CBS)

(CBS) This week has been full of major political events. From the U.N. General Assembly being in session (irrevocably causing serious traffic congestion in Manhattan) to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's debate at Columbia University, the media frenzy in NYC was in full bloom.

But it wasn't all about politics late Monday evening. In fact, politics were no where to be found among the hundreds of people lined up outside of the BestBuy store on 5th Avenue and 44th Street.

If you were locked away for weeks in a cave somewhere and found yourself in that area after 6 p.m. Monday evening you'd have thought there was a movie premiere going on. Spotlights lit up the Manhattan sky illuminating the loud yet well controlled crowd of fans patiently waiting for their chance to buy a video game.

It wasn't the magic cure for the common cold, which by the way I'm currently suffering from, or some miracle drug that made you smarter than a fifth grader, or even high-end consumer technology being offered at an alarmingly low price. These hundred's of fans from all over the tri-state area were there for one thing: The midnight release of "Halo 3" and, more importantly, a chance to purchase their copy at midnight.

"Halo 3" was said to be one of the most highly anticipated triple-A title release on a game platform in quite some time. I guess the Master Chief (the "Halo" franchise's protagonist), has quite a fan club. In 2002, "Halo" (the first in the trilogy) received the Game of the Year and Console Game of the Year awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, making "Halo" a bestseller for many years running. The introduction of "Halo 2" was no worse, making around $125 million in sales on release day. "Halo 3," however, toped all of that with projected preorders worth more than $1.5 million on release day. None of this would've happened if not for the fans that have rallied in support of Bungie and their "Halo" trilogy, and they definitely showed up in masses to get their copy of the game.

A Quote

"Halo 3" was said to be one of the most highly anticipated triple-A title release on a game platform in quite some time.

However the fans weren't the only ones on site. Developer Bungie Studios, now apart of Microsoft Game Studios (MGS) since 2000, along with MGS president Shane Kim were some of the corporate VIP's that made an appearance. We got a chance to speak with Mr. Kim who was definitely feeling the excitement from the New York fans gathered outside. He reassured us that though this might very well be the last of the "Halo" franchise, the Master Chief will most likely be seen again in some other capacity, perhaps in a movie. I'm a bit skeptical when it comes to game-to-movie adaptations since they usual suck. Hopefully, if this does happen, they'll do it justice, but IMHO, that's not very likely.

Gamecore's Jeremiah Wallace got a chance to speak with Frank O'Connor (aka: Frankie), Bungie's content manager and thus the architect behind all information concerning the "Halo" franchise. This was only made possible by the extreme solo efforts of James Masopust, one of the PR reps, who was kind enough to score us some free time with the extremely busy "Halo" information guru. We learned that that one of "Halo 3's" big changes is the inclusion of game modes to support more user generated in-game content. New game modes like Forge and enhanced multiplayer online features are just a few of the noted features to support this type of content.

But if you're not into big team battles or slayer modes, to name a few, then you can sit back in the solitude of your living room and play through the story mode either alone or with a friend in co-op mode.

And if you thought the celebrities aren't into games you're dead wrong. Chingy, Ludacris, and Bobby Valentino, to name a few, were on hand at BestBuy comfortably seated getting some burn time on "Halo 3." We got a chance to speak with Chingy and Bobby Valentino about their gaming experience and their love of "Halo." However, Ludacris denied us an opportunity to speak with him. Maybe all the press and the hype around the game put him off a bit to the idea of an interview with us. Oh well, maybe next time. The jaw-dropping Morgan Webb from G4Tech TV commentated on the fierce celeb battles taking place inside as the gawking fans watched on the televised battles on the big screens outside of the store.

As midnight inched closer, I took a moment to speak with Mike Jones, store manager for BestBuy, 5th avenue branch. We were informed during our brief conversation that BestBuy was well stocked and he was confident that all pre-orders made at the store would be fulfilled without a problem. Thanks to Mike and his team of employees, fans were able to purchase "Halo 3" without too much hassle.

With sounds of jubilation and utter satisfaction, fans were lead into the store, cheering and chanting, the last words you'd expect to hear: HALO 3. Even the Master Chief himself was moved and showed his appreciation by not only joining the line (to purchase his copy) but also raising his red flag in triumph.