Cha-Ching - Much to absolutely no one's surprise, Halo 3 is well on its way to being the best selling game (dramatic pause)...of...all...time. A press release from Microsoft yesterday estimates Halo 3's game sales at around $170 million dollars in its first 24 hours of availability, blowing the doors off of the last Spider-Man movie and this years highly anticipated Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows.
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Sure the game was hyped to death, but over the last few days its lived up to its billing. A proper analogy for the effect Halo 3 has on gaming is almost impossible to comprehend, but we can start with a number - $170 million. That's absurd! How can a game possibly be so huge? Because it actually delivers on what gamers want. I know there are some haters out there that are just plain Halo 3'd out. Long time gamers are fed up with the hype, and because its been non-stop, will view any flaw bigger than it really is and therefore believe it to be a disappoinment. This is what the media has turned people into, pessimists.
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While I love the game and think its all that and a bag of Funyons, Halo 3 does have some issues. The graphics, while solid, don't really look like a next-gen leap. The game play has only been given minimal changes. The multi-player has been surprsingly laggy. To all that I say - who cares? Why screw with something that's so great to begin with? Bungie did exactly what gamers wanted, they gave us more Halo and improved on what already was a brilliant series.
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Name another game that does for gaming what Halo 3 does. Name another console title that brings this many gamers together. And now that I think of it, why the hell am I defending this game?!? This is Halo! See what the media has done to you? I blame Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. Damn that three headed harpie and its over publicized sexual escapades and poor parenting! Don't let The Man keep you from owning this game. You should be playing Halo 3 and embracing it. Don't miss out on the gaming event of the year. (Today's rambling rant was sponsored by Microsoft)
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7 comments:
"Delivers what gamers want". Indeed that appears to be true as it seems there are a TON of gamers that wanted nothing more than Halo 2 updated to current gen console technology. Well there you go. Enjoy.
You also mentioned that Halo 3 made more money than Spider man 3. Well...Halo 3 costs from 59.99 to, what...129.99? 139.99? My Spider-Man 3 ticket cost me 4 bux. I'd still venture to say that more people saw Spider-Man 3 than bought Halo 3.
Now I question which costs more? Making a movie or making a game?
Mmm...I'm sensing you don't care for Halo 3. That's cool its not for everybody... I would like to know what movie theater sells $4 tix. The cheapest theater I know of is the Carmike off of Fountain and Academy where tickets are $5.50...I'm sure more people saw Spider-Man 3 but as a life long Spidey fan I can say that from my expert opinion, it sucked...Which costs more to make, a movie or a game? Definetly a movie and not even close.
I know it costs more to make a movie. That's my point. 4 dollar tickets for a movie that costs more to make and 59.99 for a game that costs less. Some people might argue about packaging costs. Well still, a DVD costs alot less than a game. As far as entertainment value, well that could definitely be argued. Watch a movie for a couple hours. Play some games indefinitely. Keyword "some". I don't blame the companies for selling the games for what people agree to pay for them. It's all about the benjamins. 4 dollar tickets at the Matinee times is what I was talking about and yes, at the Carmike 10. I live right around the corner. Ritzy part of town, I know :P I'm not sure what the current prices are, but I do believe it was 4 dollars to see Spider man 3. I paid 8 and took my GF's son. I'm a nice guy like that.
I need extra money because I'm trying to buy a house elsewhere. If you know anyone who wants to give me free money, lemme know.
Actually, I do enjoy Halo 3. I'm just saying it's not all that different from Halo 2. Just updated to the 360 with a few new maps (not enough), and a few cool weapons and items. For us PC gamers, we would classify that as a "mod". It's a GOOD mod. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure you've seen me playing Halo 3 on your friend's list a few times. But honestly, it's just to fill up the void until CoD 4 comes out.
In PC gaming news, the Cod 4 single player demo comes out today. I like tuna fish sandwiches. I also enjoy changing subject at random. Manson isn't to blame or the shooting in Ohio. Thanks for reading.
I forgot...don't forget the Picture Show in the Citadel Crossing. Tickets are like 50 cents on Tuesdays. Or they used to be. I haven't been there in like 2 years. If you can wait a month or two to see a movie, that's the spot. They also got the best popcorn in town. W3rd...
Not necessary to post this to the blog. Just wanted to give you the info if you didn't already know ;)
Mmmm...you make some valid points, I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter. To be honest, now that I've put a ton of time into the game, some of the flaws start to show and I get the angle that people take that its a Halo 2 mod. The new game smell has worn off just a bit. But if PC gamers want to call it a mod, its a mod of an incredible game and brings new life into the series much like the WoW expansions do.
The big question to me is - Could Halo 3 stand on its own if the other Halo's never existed? My answer is a resounding yes. The story certainly isn't as engrossing as the first Halo and the multiplayer may not be as fresh as Halo 2 but when you compare it to the competition...well, it really doesn't have any, thanks mostly to the overwhelming number of players that are online. Halo 3 has staying power that only Super Mario can brag about.
Just like you, I'm dying to get my hands on CoD4. I saw it at E3 and I couldn't wait to get it in my house. But will it have the longevity of Halo 3? Not likely. Does it have the name recognition from non-gamers that Halo 3 has? No way. This isn't to say that its not a great game, or that it won't be better than Halo 3, it just might. It just means that there is something about the Halo series that a majority of gamers get something out of.
Personally I think most gamers are just sick and tired of all the Halo hype. Gamers just aren't used to that kind of attention, we like to be an exclusive club. When our club suddenly gets opened up to everybody and their grandma, the appeal is lost and that's why I think Halo 3 (while getting rave reviews) is going to have some back biting from hardcore gamers.
One other note, I completely agree with you that games are over priced. I'm sure that just like cars, it costs about 5% of what they charge you to make the actual discs and packaging. But unlike movie tickets, you can at least get some trade value out of a game you've spent 20 hours with.
"Actually, I do enjoy Halo 3. I'm just saying it's not all that different from Halo 2. Just updated to the 360 with a few new maps (not enough), and a few cool weapons and items. For us PC gamers, we would classify that as a "mod". It's a GOOD mod. Don't get me wrong." -ub3n00b
Of course it's not all that different from Halo 2. It was such a massive success, could you imagine the fallout if Bungie strayed from the formula and provided a different game. Their huge, loyal following would have been livid and just went back to playing Halo 2. To me, they had no choice but to update the graphics, add some new weapons and maps and do a "mod" of the game. I liked Halo 2, so I'm fine with it.
As for the story being not as compelling as Halo 1 I disagree. Only because it's basically the exact same story as the previous 2- stop the covenent and flood (they just added the save cortona bit).
The backlash gamers have with Halo 3 is mostly from gamers who didn't fall in love with Halo 1 or 2 and are upset that this game is "stealing" attention from other game's they find more interesting. And to be honest I don't blame them too much, as it is a valid point. Personally I love the game- so I don't mind.
Hey yo. Im a real hardcore gamer. I just setup a new blog (thetalkingshack.blogspot.com) and i was wondering if you could drop by and leave a comment/question or two so i can start things off. Or even better maybe some topics, some suggestions. Anyways i just like to say that you posting up anything about games is awesome. Thanks for respecting the gaming world. P.S your blog rox about Halo 3.
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