The gaming world braced Monday for the release of "Halo 3," expected to be a blockbuster for Microsoft and its struggling XBox 360 game console. Microsoft releases the game in the United States at 12:01 am Tuesday (0401 GMT) and in 37 countries by the end of the week, in what is billed as one of the biggest launches of the gaming industry, and comparing it to the scale of "Harry Potter" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
"With nary a pirate, a spider or a wand in sight, day-one sales of the highly anticipated video game are expected to shatter entertainment sales records and top the biggest entertainment launches of all time," Microsoft said in a statement Monday. "By the end of the week, fans in 37 countries will be playing the game Wired magazine recently called 'a cultural touchstone, a Star Wars for the thumb stick generation.'"
Microsoft said it has received a record 1.5 million pre-orders for the game, and will sponsor midnight launch events at 10,000 retailers across the United States featuring contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes. The game developed by Microsoft and its partner Bungie Studios is the third game in the action Halo Trilogy.
The gaming review site MetaCritic gave the game a 96 rating out of 100 and says it provides "the thrilling conclusion" to the events begun in the original Halo. "The Master Chief is returning to Earth to finish the fight. The Covenant occupation of Earth has uncovered a massive and ancient object beneath the African sands - an object whose secrets have yet to be revealed," MetaCritic said.
"Earth's forces are battered and beaten. The Master Chief's AI companion Cortana is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind - a horrifying Flood intelligence, and a civil war is raging in the heart of the Covenant. This is how the world ends."
Analyst Michael Gartenberg at Jupiter Research said Halo 3 "will likely be a killer app" or application for XBox 360, which has been struggling against the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii.
"I've had a chance to play with a review copy for a bit and now the embargo is lifted it's safe for me to say, this is going to be a monster hit for Microsoft and it's the type of game that will sell systems, probably a lot of them," Gartenberg said.
"Halo 3 has been one of the most anticipated titles in the history of gaming and Microsoft and Bungie delivered well. I believe they've met expectations and the result is it's likely to also become one of the best selling titles in the history of gaming as well."