Halo 3 launch: New York City

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 25th 2007 at 4:25PM }

Twisted are the hearts of gamers. Outside a passer-by purses her lips. "Eww, video games," she says with disgust. Inside, drunk off shots of Game Fuel, Halo Nation is shopping late.

On Monday, Microsoft, Bungie, Spike TV, and G4 descended on Best Buy in Midtown Manhattan to launch Halo 3. Master Chief was there, and his double, along with Ludacris and his DTP clique -- even the King popped in for a photo op. A few short blocks of Fifth Avenue traffic was diverted to make way for a pack of Mongooses and a Halo 3-branded Hummer transporting a UNSC squad and a crate of games -- not to worry, there were plenty more copies stacked inside. The crowd erupted.

They came to show support, to cop free swag, maybe get on TV. They came for Halo 3. And it was delivered.

Gallery: Halo 3 NYC launch

Tags: bungie, halo-3, halo3, nyc

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Pikachief @ Sep 25th 2007 4:28PM

i want to play but UPS wont come to my house todya for some reason :(

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Sep 25th 2007 4:31PM

A launch party with Ludacris and Burger King. This sums up Halo so perfectly.

zwarrior @ Sep 25th 2007 4:34PM

Toss in My chemical Romance and the demographic would be well represented

colin @ Sep 25th 2007 4:41PM

weak sauce. go play some minigames, haters.

Shagittarius @ Sep 25th 2007 4:45PM

Leave the Wiiterosexuals alone! =)

Exo @ Sep 25th 2007 5:02PM

shouldnt you 2 be somewhere yelling at 12 year olds because they T-bagged you after you got killed?

Aberu @ Sep 25th 2007 5:31PM

It's more like an example of what it has become. You can thank all the frat brothers that play for that.

colin @ Sep 25th 2007 7:12PM

haha i got voted down, i guess mr. nimblewick and kye tag-teamed me.

Foetoid @ Sep 26th 2007 5:20AM

Lol Colin. I love when people use the Minigames argument for the Wii. From memory, the minigame games on Wii consist of Mario Party 8, WiiPlay and Rayman Raving Rabbids....If i've missed 1 or 2, the 360 would still have more. I got 8 Wii games currently, 2 more i am buying soon and 8 more A+ titles within 8 months...and none are Minigame compilations.

FM @ Sep 25th 2007 4:45PM

Wonder what that game fuel tastes like...looks like Fanta.

halobreaker @ Sep 25th 2007 4:46PM

I'm gonna play Marathon Infinity... close enough right?

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 26th 2007 12:29AM

Actually after I finish Halo 3 campaing I might buy Marathon:Durandal since I'm enjoying Bungie stuff Big time :D

Kristof @ Sep 25th 2007 4:49PM

I like how people waited so long in line to get this game. Like it was a console that takes time to manufacture. Pretty much as fast as you can count a game is printed.

I walked into a line at 11:45 and left at 12:45. And then walked past the videogames store a block down where people were still waiting outside for their "pre-orders".

wako @ Sep 25th 2007 4:52PM

Ill get in line to wait for consoles, for black friday, and maybe for tickets. But for a GAME? Hell no...

Its not like games will sell out and be dried out for months at a time. By next week, if it is sold out (which is most definitely probably is), I can just walk into a my local game store and just grab it. Each shipment, unlike consoles can be hundreds at a time. Why wait in line?

I guess im not hardcore enough...

Jerk Face @ Sep 25th 2007 4:56PM

That picture scares the living shit out of me.

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 26th 2007 12:58AM

Yeah I could make a good Screamer in youtube out of that picture,Hey I can do a screamer with that pic!

Go go Gadget Windows Movie Maker!!!.

TwEE @ Sep 25th 2007 5:05PM

Theres not enough Halo posts on Joystiq.. We need more.

Branewalker @ Sep 25th 2007 5:56PM

Isn't the plural of "mongoose" "mongeese?"

Tom @ Sep 25th 2007 5:12PM

I'm doing everything I can to avoid multiplayer for now. I was up til 7:30am last night/this morning playing the effing campaign! Ahhhhhrrrrdddd!!! Tonight I'm gonna check out the map editor... maybe recreate the cover system of Gears using lots of crates and strong gravity and slow running speed... if only Master Chief could roadie run...

StrangeBum @ Sep 25th 2007 5:11PM

Dammit....dammit..dammit...

My 360 decided to RROD today of all days. I didn't even get a chance to put the disc in, I'm still at work...

sheppy2.0 @ Sep 25th 2007 7:19PM

I've been ringed since Thursday. Ironically, I was playing through Halo 2 for the first time so I could be caught up on the story in time to PLAY Halo 3. As soon as that replacement arrives, provided it last longer than 10 minutes, it will officially be the sixth 360 to hit my shelf....

Thank the gods for extended warranties.

Mr Khan @ Sep 25th 2007 9:16PM

I've had 2 friends whose 360's recently bit the big one

strangely I, who don't own one, know more about what exactly is wrong with theirs, and why

Negat1veZero @ Sep 25th 2007 5:31PM

I was at this launch for sx hours, luckily I was taking a picture and was pulled in to play halo 3 against the Burger King "KING" and came in 2nd , I won a Halo edition Zune (plust lots of other free stuff), which someone told me I can get $300 for on ebay. Preordering my legendary and getting there at 6pm was entirely worth it.

Starsmore @ Sep 25th 2007 5:53PM

I just think it's amusing how the fanmade armor is leaps and bounds better than the official one Microsoft uses.

aristokrat @ Sep 25th 2007 5:54PM

That "official" Master Chief looks pretty lame. That loose black silky nylon shirt looks ridiculous. The only gel armor-lining he's got is his bulging gut. You'd think with all the money they invested in this, they would've gotten someone more imposing and put him in a realistic outfit (like the awesome that sold on ebay for $21K). That's pretty second rate.

And on a side note, imagine if this trilogy had been released on Mac like it was originally intended. I wonder how big the launch for that would've been...

Pikachief @ Sep 25th 2007 6:54PM

Wow this sux.... i waited till about 2 PM my time for my mail to arrive, it came and now my disc will only play one level and on multiplayer too.

I payed $70+(payed for 1 day shipping) for 1 multiplayer level -_-

well this sux :/

JJ Rooster @ Sep 25th 2007 7:07PM

Please don't take this as racist, but was that an all-blacks Best Buy? Looks like the only honky was in the Halo suit. And WTF is the real story with that gimp-handed guy? No way he pwns noobs with that claw. I think I saw that shit before on the cab driver in Total Recall!

the_game_master @ Sep 25th 2007 7:32PM

I'm black and I find your use of the word "honky" offensive. You could have said white or caucasian but just had to go there and make yourself look ignorant on the internet. *Sighs*

Neebs @ Sep 25th 2007 7:18PM

Master Chav: Noconform 117.

sheppy2.0 @ Sep 25th 2007 7:24PM

Wow, that "official" Master Chief looks like they tried to shove David Jaffe into Will Wright sized clothing.

playwhutyalike @ Sep 25th 2007 7:35PM

A friend of mine at work is loving lovin' the Halo. I don't like what I'm seeing with the "it's cool to like Halo" thing going on. It really takes away from the true fans of the franchise who waited so long for this game. Oh look, Zac Efron is here, yay. F all of that. This goes out to all the true Halo fans, old and new.

Oh, Shag and Colin, notice how this "wiitrosexual" didn't hate? Grow up.

colin @ Sep 25th 2007 9:03PM

i just called that guy a hater, because he basically summed up halo fans as teenage boys who worship my chemical romance, eat BK b/c MC tells them too, and had high school musical 2 parties. play what you like, i agree. just don't try to impose your feelings of inadequacy (in whatever way/shape/form) on me. let me enjoy my release day and stop trying to piss in my pot. ("you" and "you understood" as in collective audience, not "you" directly)

Exo @ Sep 25th 2007 9:12PM

Sorry, but no dice. I don't hate Halo, but The people who play it are what ruins it. The vast majority are idiots that do fall into those categories. Yes there are some that aren't bad, but with how many of the assholes that are constantly on, its almost impossible to get a match that doesn't have people that are stupid.

and how is anyone ruining your release day, cause if it was so important to you, you'd be playing instead of here posting.

colin @ Sep 25th 2007 10:39PM

yes, dice. you are entitled to your opinion, but it doesn't make mine any less valid. it didn't ruin release day (and wouldn't have), and i would be playing but i'm at work for 1.75 more hours and was in class all day. i digress ... my point is, why be a hater? why? its only negative energy, man. and it doesn't bother me to hate on halo necessarily, just don't hate on me for liking it.

and these halo players that ruin halo for you ... two words: friends list. and no, however correct you believe your stereotype of halo players to be, it doesn't make it true. you will have ridiculous people in ANY online game.

playwhutyalike @ Sep 26th 2007 7:47PM

@colin

You talk about negative energy, right after you give me a back handed compliment (feelings of inadequacy).

Hmmmmmmmm. Weird.

Brymo @ Sep 25th 2007 8:17PM

haha, WTF is with these launch parties?

All huge mainstream people are there.

Halo sure brings out the best of everyone.

Glad everyone bought into the hype, enjoy playing your Halo.

ToRo @ Sep 25th 2007 11:34PM

lol those guys are idiots. I bought it on monday at my local gaming store without even looking at a town.

Mr Khan @ Sep 25th 2007 9:20PM

Strangely enough, only 1 of my friends skipped school for H3, and he's more of a Nintendo/Capcom fan than anything (he doesn't own systems though, he just mooches off friends)

All my school's known Halo-heads were all there today, although one got out early for a "doctors appointment"

Its odd that they didn't take the opportunity, especially considering there actually is a wave of disease at my school right now

LAZoftheTamarinds @ Sep 25th 2007 10:04PM

After seeing that picture....

I won't be able to sleep tonight. Oh well.

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 25th 2007 10:13PM

everyone forgot what else came out today

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=78318

Ian Cowell @ Sep 25th 2007 11:12PM

I'm a fan of the series, but come on, some of this stuff is getting ridiculous...Being a GameStop employee I have to deal with more of it than most people as well...Everyone at work acts like it's the second coming of Christ, hell there's a kid who works with me who bought the Legendary Edition and he doesn't even own a 360! Is it fun? Yes. Is this whole deal overrated? You bet your sweet ass it is. I'm gonna hit up some Blue Dragon...

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 26th 2007 12:27AM

Talking about halo I finally get to play it in fact I was the last guy to get the legendary edition according to Samborns and one guy before me wanted to buy my Legendary edition for 500$,Yeah I'm Lucky(Pre-orders FTW).

I have to say that Halo 3 is one of the best games I have played or at least the one with the best replay value I have played so far.

My only complains is that the campaign is too short, I mean maybe in Legendary with all the skulls it will be a hell lot harder to complete(Well actually I started act 5 or 6) but I think I'm finishing it too fast. It took me a whole weekend to finish Gears of war my first time.

Forge is crazy fun and the additional bonus is great basically yeah you get a run for your money.