Microsoft needed Halo 2 to do well on Tuesday, not just for the profit it will bring but rather for the prestige it would bring to a console that needs exclusive games. Never before have a console and a game depended on each other as much.
Leave it to the Master Chief to come through for its green buddy in style. Monday night's launch events across the U.S. were a resounding success, confirming that Halo 2 is set to make XBox sales history while GTA:SA will have already begun to feel the Chief's hot breath on its back. So what if some gamers have already started complaining about the cartoony feel of the game, the quality of the weapon sounds, texture glitches or the use of the online matchmaking feature, they are clearly the minority.
Across the U.S. approximately 7,000 midnight madness events were packed to capacity with fans of the game hoping to get their hands on the USD 50 game. Microsoft's USD 100 million estimate for first day sales seems very realistic as gamers begun gathering from as early as 5 pm in order to ensure they got their copy of Halo 2 first. Some had set-up XBox console's and projection systems in order to play the original Halo while queuing.
It is widely expected that a strange case of the green fever may grip the U.S. causing many employees to call in sick for the rest of this week; strangely enough the only company not too worried about this is Microsoft itself. The apparent success of the Halo sequel guarantees that its new system (XBox 2), when it arrives, will have at least one big name title to launch with it, while the recent success of Fable will also help Microsoft's push for console dominance.
For further, on the spot, coverage of Halo 2 launch night, read what Palo Alto High School's online journalists had to report by following the download tab.
Halo 2 The Facts and Figures