Nobody could have expected this one, but it turns out that Halo 3 has actually become quite a popular release. I know, I couldn't quite believe it myself, but our news contributor Joe Burling and regular tipster TheGoldenDonut wiped the haughty smirk off my face with the power of evidence. Come with me as we look at all of today's announced successes in the Halo 3 camp.
It should come as no surprise that Halo 3 has stormed onto Xbox Live like a hungry Nazi, claiming the number one spot from Gears of War. As a side note, if you're anything like me, you'll now find that it's the perfect time to play Gears. Most of the ones left playing it are awful (or the dangerous hardcore that need to be avoided), so I'm actually only substandard at it these days, not a total laughing stock.
In terms of sales, Halo 3 has quite obviously become the fastest moving 360 game of all time. One in three Xbox 360 owners have purchased the game already, and Halo 3 currently sits just below GTA: San Andreas as the second fastest selling game in history. Naturally, the game's success has a knock-on effect, as sales of the 360 console have doubled, outselling the Wii for the first time in half a year. Maybe Nintendo needs to sell more ... oh wait.
Among all the other holiday titles on the way, Halo 3 has contributed to an analyst raising GameStop's forecasts. If you're not convinced yet that the game is doing well, perhaps its number one position in the UK charts will make a believer of you. I know, for a game with such little coverage and gamer interest, it's difficult to grasp, but Halo 3 has actually become the sleeper hit we never expected it to be. Accept the truth.
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21 comments + 95764 views
Hmm who would have guess... whats a Halos again?
ZERO COMMENT BITCHES!
What's electrolemon doing on the front page?
To quote someone i know...
"In the states, Halo 3 sold over 2.4 million copies on its first day of release. These are the same people who elected President Bush. Twice. I rest my case."
h3lios would not say something like that if Killzone did those numbers, I'd wager.
@ Jim:
Trust me, i would. If not say something epicly worse.
I'll hold you to that ;-)
It's hard to believe Halo 3 would actually be popular but the data doesn't lie. Why do I have the sudden urge to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (the Niki French version)?
zomg, teh sleeperz hitz! Bout to go pwn sum n00bz in teh halos 3.
Just goes to show what word of mouth can do.
I'm with h3lios.
LOL thats one bootleg chief cosplay, no way needles/smg/rockets could pierce a wrinkly t-shirt.
Oh shit, the dude on the right is hardcore about winnin teh haloes
Wow, Halo 3 didn't beat San Andreas? That actually is a little bit surprising.
I guess Microsoft should have given Jack Thompson more money than "Takestar" did, so that he would have plugged teh haloes more instead of Grand Theft Auto all the time.
I just found it really amusing seeing on launch day the XBL map of the world and how over the past week it's progressively gotten brighter as if a luminescent virus was sweeping the country. Oh..wait...that's right.
Let us not kid ourselves, all the people that are going to buy Halo 3 in it's lifespan, bought it on day one.
GTA 4 will sell more overall by 3 times than Halo 3 just because the fan base is so huge and growing.
I am a prophet.
"Let us not kid ourselves, all the people that are going to buy Halo 3 in it's lifespan, bought it on day one."
I am going to buy it eventually. I have not bought it yet.
I'm renting my (brand new) copy of halo3 from Gamefly. I'm going to do the keep it now when the price drops another notch. Currently it's at $45.
And I'm not buying it, ever - Hah!
What you trendy douche bag lemmings have failed to learn, is that just because money is spent, doesn't mean the product is good.
Case in point - every copy of windows 98 ever sold, or every movie made starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker - you pick.
If you judge something buy how much it sells - you're a tool.
Wow that picture is hardcore!
wait....when did halo 3 come out. Why wasn't there any advertising for it?
That picture is funny. Why is there two black dudes, like if they never played it b4 so now Halo is reaching people.
@Promagnum,
And what you have failed to learn is that just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's not good.
@promagnum
I think everyone here understands the difference between quality amd commercial success. Spider man 3 was a huge success, but it was a piece of shit. Halo 3 is a very well engineered piece of software and it is a high quality multi-player game. As a single player experience it is more of a fanservice experience targeted to those obsessed novel readers.
Omg, is it 2008? I fell asleep at my desk and no one woke me.
Numbers prove everything- I mean look at the wii. It must be the best gaming system available because its sold so many right? Halo Fanboys lament and exclaim \" Halo, I mean Halo 2, oops I mean Halo 3 are so completely different. You must play them all. I hear the 3rd one has bubble shields and throwable gravlifts-Its completely different...I cant wait for Halo 4. Did I mention Rocky XII is coming out soon in 2010 along with Halo 7-that one has electric frisbees you can throw. Its completely different. Rocky XII has a bubble shield-its called his belly....\"
@promagnum:
Nowhere in your rembling, incoherent, childish statement did you come close to making a rational point. We're all dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.
"Nowhere in your rembling, incoherent, childish statement did you come close to making a rational point. We're all dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul."
Billy Madison FTW!
proudly one of the 2 out of 3 that doesn't own halo 3
I'll be honest, when I saw that black mans face, I thought to myself "I can't wait to read the caption on the picture"
when I did read it, I was thoroughly disappointed.
I'll be borrowing my friends copy of H3 this weekend and beating it, then waiting for a copy for $30 before I buy it.
Yeah Halo 3, Spidey 3, and The Wiiiiiiiiiiii are better than everything. Why, the young boy questioned. Because, the proud marketer declared, people thought they would be good because we told them they were good. Ohhhhhhhh......
@gamesronlygames
I think you got lost somewhere on the intertubes. You're looking for joystiq, it's idiot fanboy paradise.
Okay game journalists, we get it. Halo 3 is big. Can we move on now?
gamesronlygames attempted to make a witty comment....EPIC FAIL.
I unfortunately fall into the category of picking up Halo 3 on release. I also think I made the right descision it is (imo) the best multiplayer game on the 360 and is probably (excluding pro evo with mates!!) the best multiplayer experience I've had on 360 to date. Here's hoping Bungie's new IP will keep me as addictive and fun as Halo 3 is.
I am one of the 2/3 Xbox 360 owners not pwning noobs nightly on teh Haloz. I'm holding out for a multiplayer game with strategy, aka TF2. After that I'm purchasing CoD4 and never looking back. Mmm, I smile just thinking about it. I may rent this one day off GameFly, but all those damn commercials made me not wanna play the story more than anything else.
All the people who don't like Halo 3 are probably also the people who don't like iPods just because "everyone else has one." They're too alternative to realize what a good product is.
And the winner goes to Jim Sterling for "Most Sarcasm In One Article"
But in all seriousness, it seems Sleeper Hits are becoming quite the popular amongst gamers. Next thing you know GTA IV will be selling like hot cakes.
Life is so unpredictable.
@h3lios
Halo 3 players don't vote.
I LOLed at the pic.
amusing, but completely unnecessary - can we have some more sarcasm about something that we dont know, jim? its even better that way.
I won't believe because I'm a rebel.
lol
The people who hate halo 3 are trying to be "rebels" of the mainstream by refusing to like it because it's popular. They're the same people who listen to obscure bands that nobody has ever heard of just to try and be cool.
I stumbled into the game store, after a weekend drinking binge. Saw one copy on the shelf, and bought it out of pity. "Can't have this unheard of game get all depressed and lonely," I said to myself-- so I nabbed it.
Now I look at this Destructoid site, only to find out that everyone and their brother did the same thing? I feel so used. I thougth I alone was making a difference.
Lmao at the pic.
Halo 3! Woot!
Buuuhhh, jus cuz teh haloz made lotsa money dun mean that piecea crap's any good, burble.
Wull, dur hurrrrr, if ya don't likes teh haloz then you're obviously just an elitist snob tryin' to be edgy or sum shit, amirite? Harflbargle robble robble.
Team Fortress 2 and Unreal Tournament will crush Halo 3 in terms of gameplay. Halo is the fratboy's FPS.
Frankly, I think the people who get on here and post comments calling us "lemmings" and saying how H3 isn't a good product - they're the ones who are lemmings. Seriously, how fucking stupid do you think - that is, IF you think - we are? I'm not going to like a game just because it's popular and heavily marketed. Go dig up some frat boys, if you want that shit.
I enjoy the Halo series because they're fun shooters. End of story. If you don't like Halo, then fine. Don't be a twat about it. If you don't like me because I like Halo and you feel the need to insult me because of it... Just fuck off and die, please. You have nothing to say. Go read Joystiq.
I second Sharpless' awesome notion.
@Arcanum: "The people who hate halo 3 are trying to be "rebels" of the mainstream by refusing to like it because it's popular. They're the same people who listen to obscure bands that nobody has ever heard of just to try and be cool."
Oh I see, opinion has nothing to do with it? What if someone just happened to not like FPSs? So, you are saying that 2 out of 3 (the majority of) 360 owners are rebelling against the undeniable cocaine game that is so good that Jesus is afraid of it.
Fucking moron.
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