Halo: Reach launch festivities detailed by Microsoft

by Ben Gilbert on Sep 7th 2010 4:30PM

Next week's release of Halo: Reach carries with it some dire consequences for one New York City Best Buy-owned location -- the Times Square Best Buy theater will be taken over by thousands of rabid Halo fans, patiently waiting for their copy of Reach at 12:01am Tuesday on the dot. Additionally, the theater will feature a "surprise musical performance" and a chance to meet the creators of Reach.

Seattle will also be holding a major launch event. The Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame will host folks from both Bungie and 343 Industries, as well as a chance to compete in tournaments and win "coveted Halo prizes." Will you finally get that real-life plasma sword? We certainly hope not. That's dangerous!

As expected, US game retailers (from GameStop to Walmart) will be holding midnight launch events across the country, though we suggest you check with your local retail outlet before lining up next Monday night. A week's worth of Xbox Live-based activities -- named "Invasion Week" -- are also planned, which you can find detailed after the break.

[Thanks, p01nt.]

Invasion Week Activities & Programs:

Connect to Xbox Live and receive a free Halo: Reach Invasion Week theme
Game with Developer: Bungie will play with fans on Thursday, September 16 from 5–7PM ET in the US; and Friday, September 17 from 8–10PM BST in the UK
Play & Win: Play Halo: Reach any time during Invasion Week and you will be entered to win tickets to the upcoming UFC 122 Fight
Community Events: Themed nights hosted by the community team to play Halo: Reach, including Co-op Night, Xbox All Nighter and Community Playdate

Source: Gamerscore blog

Tags: 343-industries, best-buy, bungie, bungie-studios, experience-music-project, gamestop, halo, Halo-Reach, invasion-week, launch-event, microsoft, new-york-city, science-fiction-museum-and-hall-of-fame, seattle, walmart, xbox, xbox-live

Reader Comments (42)

@honkyjesuseternal Not Halo 4, troll...

i live in NYC, but im avoiding this like a plague. I went to a GTA4 release thing and it was way to many gamers in one place, even for me.

@PR0F3TA I assume the term "unwashed masses" is an apt descriptor?

@PR0F3TA
Yeah, in college once I went to a SSMB tournament just for fun (I barely ever played it) and immediately choked on the air due to so many people there who clearly didn't know what a shower was.

@Faceless Troll: Unwashed is correct. Ugh.

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my

You can melee people back, you know. And if you shoot with the assault rifle then melee, you'll overcome the double melee. Also, you can mute douchebags. As for the rest, I find Halo a HELL of a lot more balanced than COD in all those aspects.

Not trying to be a buzzkill.

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my except halo's melee is fun and satisfying. you can't leap 20 feet and stab a guy in the face, and it's only a 1 hit kill if you get them from behind which is really hard to do. and about the assault rifle, 2 words: battle rifle (or dmr now i guess). although I have not had any trouble killing with 1 AR clip. I think you just suck at halo.

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my If you won a freaking tourdament why didn't you mention that in the first place? Were we supposed to go "Oh, he's complaining about something in Halo, he must have been in a tourdament." We're not psychic.

Also, I don't believe you.

Eff yeah. Next tuesday can't come soon enough.

"surprise musical performance"

I'm calling it right here and right now: Rick Astley.

Do it, Bungie. Go out in a blaze of glorious trolling.

@Mach2

Alternately, instead of having him sing, do this: http://xkcd.com/524/

@Mach2

Either would be absolutely epic.

>Play Halo: Reach any time during Invasion Week and you will be entered to win tickets to the upcoming UFC 122 Fight

Kind of a bizarre prize, but alright.

Dude you realise the end of Halo Reach apparently "ties very well" into the start of Halo CE - ie. npt the end of Halo 3, ie. the fate of MC is still left wide open.

This game is technically Halo 0.5

I haven't bought any avatar items, picture packs, or themes and I promised myself I never would, but I'm starting to crack. This theme looks sooo go-NOOO! I CAN'T DO IT! ARGH!

@Uncle Jesse
Succumb to the Dark side of the Force... We have Cookies (and to a lesser extent beer)

@killer rin

Cookies AND beer?

HAVE MERCY!

@Uncle Jesse

There's the theme that just came out (today?) that'll cost you points, but if I'm correct there's also a free theme available next week.

@343 Guilty Fart

I haven't seen the free theme, but the premium Reach theme (the one that costs money) looks sexy.

@Uncle Jesse; the ONLY theme/picture pack/avatar item I've picked up was a Halo 3 premium theme. It was worth the MS points to spiff things on my xbox up a bit just that once, and it was all I ever needed.

My xbox just red ringed last weekend. :((((((

@Joeybeast BREAK OUT THE TOWELS AND FIND SOME PENNIES SIR!!!!!!! GET THAT XBOX BACK IN THE FIGHT!

@Joeybeast

There could be no better time for such a tragic end to your 360.

It's perfect justification for picking up the Reach Edition, now with more slim sexiness.

@Joeybeast

aw dude I feel for ya, my Xbox crapped out a week before Halo 3 (wasn't rrod so no warranty) ended up buying the Halo 3 edition 360 just to play the bloody game.

@Joeybeast YAY!! =D

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my

Considering that a defect saying that teabagging wasn't working properly was actually entered into their internal bug tracking system and fixed to make sure teabagging would work, I'm guessing they wouldn't be too put off by it.

Huh..... I'm surprised the didn't mention the part where they bathe in all that moola. Still halo reach looks freaking awesome

@Mr Esc is the namesarcasm is my
I'm a firm believer in the Marathon theory. http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=13879867

Ok wheres this free theme?
Today on the countdown tab for day 6 its a reach theme bt its 240pts.
Is a free one coming later?

@fallensoul83
Sorry just saw on Bungie's site that on the 14th they will be releasing a Firefight Reach Premium theme for free.
So for anyone else wondering now you know,
And knowing is half the battle.

Slight correction. It's not the Best Buy Store. It's the Best Buy Theater, previously the Nokia Theater. Usually, I wouldn't care, but there is a Best Buy on 5th Ave where the Halo 3 launch took place.

They are two wholly separate locations that are within walking distance from one another.

I wouldn't want potential attendees to get confused.

I live in NYC and there is no Best Buy located in Times Square. There is a Toys R Us in Times Square but no Best Buy.

@GhettoSithlord Right. There's a Best Buy Theater on 44th and 7th right off of Broadway. It was previously the Nokia Theater but was bought out by Best Buy...their first foray into having a Best Buy branded concert/Broadway venue.

Like I said, not to be confused with the Best Buy on 5th and 44th.

@VoodooHack Ohh. Thanks for the clarification

I think I should be able to purchase my copy at 9:01pm on Monday. Hey, it's the same time the New Yorkers will be getting theirs, and I even live closer to Bungie/Microsoft than them!

@Mouthsmasher

I can purchase mine a whole 17 hours a head.

Aussie Aussie Aussie.

I wish that the halo reach theme was free like when the other games came out they gave the themes away .

Any news about the gift to owners of Halo: CE for PC yet?

Is the free theme the one that shows 240msp for me?

Cmooon Frreeee Stuufffff.....shit I dont care I aint no broke chump!!

@51O Andy

"I aint no broke chump!!"

Who doesn't want free stuff, and being broke doesn't make you a chump. It's called being a college student.

I think the "surprise musical guest" is Linkin Park. The radio station that I listen to all the time keeps giving away tickets to a show they are having at the Best Buy Theater on Sept 14th....

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Halo: Reach

Halo: Reach launch festivities detailed by Microsoft

Reader Comments (42)

Posted: Sep 7th 2010 4:40PM YimYimYimi said

Posted: Sep 7th 2010 4:43PM PR0F3TA said

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