Four Million Halo 3 Preorders In North America

Halo 3 won't be released until this fall, but the obsession associated with Microsoft's game is going in only one direction and that is straight up. The most recent piece of information related to the third Halo game is rather stunning: over 4 million preorders have already been made.

Xbox Evolved has the word:

“According to Gamestop officials, over four million preorders have been made for Halo 3 on Xbox 360. Xbox Evolved has verified this information at five different Greater Cincinnati Gamestop locations, including Gamestop stores, EB Games stores, and Funcoland stores, all under the same umbrella. This information was verified at all locations, however company a document showing this information was not revealed.”

The figures are quite impressive, given the fact that Gears of War found it very hard to pass the 4 million milestone. As you may recall, Gears of War is currently the best-selling title on Xbox 360.

On the other hand, it would be interesting to know which Halo 3 version was the preorder favorite. According to a Microsoft's announcement, Halo 3 will be available in three different editions: Standard, Limited and Legendary:

Standard Edition ($59.99)
- standalone disc
- game manual

Limited Edition (($69.99):
- the first bonus disc from the Legendary Edition
- Halo fiction and art book

Legendary Edition ($129.99):
- two bonus disks full of supplemental content

- the first disc will include behind-the-scenes footage and videos (a high-definition "Making of "Halo 3" documentary among other things),early game concepts and an audio-visual calibration tool which will allow players to enjoy high definition footage and optimised audio.

- the second disc will feature will include remastered cinematic material from Halo 2 and Halo: Combat Evolved, developer commentaries, a featurette documenting a day in the life at Bungie and exclusive content from the creative minds behind Machinima artists ?Red vs. Blue? and ?This Spartan Life?

- a collectible Spartan helmet case

- Halo 3 storyboard art

Microsoft lifts shroud off Halo 3

By Justin Grant
2 hours, 50 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft gave a sneak peak at its "Halo 3" game on Friday, presumably the final chapter of the fast-paced shooter trilogy that the software giant is banking on to help it fend off competition from Sony (6758.T) and Nintendo (7974.OS).

Gamers at the invitation-only preview gave mixed reviews.

"The graphics can use some work ... They're not much different than the previous Halo," said Nicholas Puleo, editor of gaming news Web site Evilavatar.com.

"They've got five, six months until release, so they'll add some polish ... When I compare it to other things in the platform, it's not standout."

Microsoft staged previews in New York and San Francisco on Friday in advance of the public test, or "beta," of the game, which goes live next Wednesday.

A public beta is unusual for a console game, and the "Halo 3" one for Microsoft's Xbox 360 is being closely watched by gamers eager to know how the title looks and plays, and whether it will live up to the buzz.

The game once again puts players in control of "Master Chief," a futuristic soldier trying to save humanity from an alien coalition known as the Covenant.

To make things more realistic, game maker Bungie Studios made the movements in "Halo 3" more closely follow the laws of real-world physics.

"When you're playing with physics, you want to draw a balance between fantasy and reality," Halo franchise writer Frank O'Connor told Reuters.

Dead bodies float. Grenades tossed in snow stay in place, while those thrown on harder surfaces skip and roll. Bullets ricochet off walls. And gamers' characters straying too close to grenades will be maimed by their shrapnel effect.

"To get me as a player -- to be vested in real-time game-play -- the realism is critical," said Christopher Peragine. "Once it gets past the Beta, it's going to be a fantastic game."

The first "Halo" helped the original Microsoft Xbox gain a foothold in the highly competitive video-game market, while its successor became one of the most successful games ever, with sales of $125 million -- roughly 2.5 million copies -- in its first 24 hours of availability.

The games have also driven adoption of the Xbox Live online gaming service, which offers some basic features for free but charges users about $50 a year for being able to play against other gamers.

In addition to being one of the year's hottest-selling games, the publicity surrounding "Halo 3" should also spur some consumers to run out and buy an Xbox 360, said Craig Davison, Microsoft's director of marketing.

"There's a significant number of people just waiting for that one game," he said, "and this is the game."