Microsoft Corp. is looking forward to the launch of Halo 3 and is confident that its success will surpass that of the Halo 2 launch. The third installment of the mega-popular Halo franchise is also expected to spur sales of the Xbox 360 console and strengthen Microsoft's fight against Nintendo and Sony in the console war. "There's a significant number of people just waiting for that one game," Craig Davison, Microsoft's director of marketing said, "and this is the game."
The company gave a sneak peak at Halo 3 on Friday to 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 City and San Francisco on Friday, ahead of the beta of Halo 3 which goes live on Wednesday. Bungie Studios has tried to improve realism in the game by implementing the laws of real world physics more thoroughly. A grenade thrown against snow will stick in place while the same grenade will bounce and roll off a hard surface, bullets ricochet off walls and players can get maimed by the shrapnel effect when standing too close to an exploding grenade.
Of course, at this early stage, the improvements shown in Halo 3 will be followed by much more treats when the game is released. "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." Halo 2 joined the ranks of the world's biggest games, generating $125 million in sales in 24 hours and boosting the uptake of Xbox Live subscriptions.
Source:
Reuters
Microsoft staged previews in New York City and San Francisco on Friday, ahead of the beta of Halo 3 which goes live on Wednesday. Bungie Studios has tried to improve realism in the game by implementing the laws of real world physics more thoroughly. A grenade thrown against snow will stick in place while the same grenade will bounce and roll off a hard surface, bullets ricochet off walls and players can get maimed by the shrapnel effect when standing too close to an exploding grenade.
Of course, at this early stage, the improvements shown in Halo 3 will be followed by much more treats when the game is released. "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." Halo 2 joined the ranks of the world's biggest games, generating $125 million in sales in 24 hours and boosting the uptake of Xbox Live subscriptions.
Source:
Reuters
