2008 Woodie Awards
Halo 3, suckaz!
Matthew Gomez & Kienan Parr
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
"If Kanye West is Jesus, then Master Chief is Buddha." These are the words of Humboldt State student Ryan Hall who was just one of over 200 people who waited in line for the midnight release of Halo 3, a first-person shooter video game for Microsoft's Xbox 360. This event took place outside of the Bayshore Mall, where the Gamestop, a video game retailer, hosted the midnight release of the game. The scene was one that rivaled a Star Wars release, with people sitting in lawn chairs, a set-up tent, junk food being eaten, and cigarettes being smoked. All for arguably the most anticipated video game in history.
Standing in line on a school night? That didn't stop the devout gamers. Suzanne Morrison of McKinnelyville, mother of 15-year old Matthew Morrison, drove her son to the event for their reserved copy of the game. She felt it was, "the computer design and animation that drove Matthew to want to be at the release. Matthew described the game as "pretty sick," noting its in-depth storyline as "like a movie."
To what extremes did people go to secure their copy so they could be amongst the first to hold the coveted title? Khon Thephavongsa of Eureka showed up at four in the afternoon and was the first was to enter Gamestop and receive his copy. Khon has been with the Halo franchise since 2001 when the first Halo released. The ability to save footage from game play in multiplayer was one aspect of Halo 3's new features Khon was looking forward to.
Standing in line wasn't all there was to do. Gamestop put on a free raffle to all those waiting in line. Prizes included T-shirts, Halo action figures, gamer fuel (a Halo 3-branded version of Mountain Dew), Gamestop gift certificates, and Microsoft points which are redeemable for online game content. In addition to the raffle, many people conversed about the previous two Halos and several people were skateboarding in the parking lot.
At about 10:30 p.m., there were about 120 people in line. The crowd grew steadily as the clock counted down to midnight and when the clock struck twelve, the crowd began chanting for Halo 3. Cheers rang out when the first line-sitters entered the mall, and again when they emerged hoisting copies of the game above their heads in celebration. Many came out with the Legendary Edition of the game which included, among other things, a replica helmet that Master Chief wears. Several people sprinted to their vehicles with their new copies anxious to get home and play. High engine revs and peeling rubber could be heard as they zoomed off.
To the knowledge of these writers this was the only midnight release in Eureka and in the surrounding cities. Similar events took place at thousands of retailers throughout the U.S. Those who couldn't make the midnight release will surely follow in the day light hours of September 24th. With the first two Halo titles selling over 14-million copies to date, the release of Halo 3 is sure to add to that figure with gamers worldwide like Ryan Milton from Humboldt State, who are,"Definitely ready to finish the fight."
Standing in line on a school night? That didn't stop the devout gamers. Suzanne Morrison of McKinnelyville, mother of 15-year old Matthew Morrison, drove her son to the event for their reserved copy of the game. She felt it was, "the computer design and animation that drove Matthew to want to be at the release. Matthew described the game as "pretty sick," noting its in-depth storyline as "like a movie."
To what extremes did people go to secure their copy so they could be amongst the first to hold the coveted title? Khon Thephavongsa of Eureka showed up at four in the afternoon and was the first was to enter Gamestop and receive his copy. Khon has been with the Halo franchise since 2001 when the first Halo released. The ability to save footage from game play in multiplayer was one aspect of Halo 3's new features Khon was looking forward to.
Standing in line wasn't all there was to do. Gamestop put on a free raffle to all those waiting in line. Prizes included T-shirts, Halo action figures, gamer fuel (a Halo 3-branded version of Mountain Dew), Gamestop gift certificates, and Microsoft points which are redeemable for online game content. In addition to the raffle, many people conversed about the previous two Halos and several people were skateboarding in the parking lot.
At about 10:30 p.m., there were about 120 people in line. The crowd grew steadily as the clock counted down to midnight and when the clock struck twelve, the crowd began chanting for Halo 3. Cheers rang out when the first line-sitters entered the mall, and again when they emerged hoisting copies of the game above their heads in celebration. Many came out with the Legendary Edition of the game which included, among other things, a replica helmet that Master Chief wears. Several people sprinted to their vehicles with their new copies anxious to get home and play. High engine revs and peeling rubber could be heard as they zoomed off.
To the knowledge of these writers this was the only midnight release in Eureka and in the surrounding cities. Similar events took place at thousands of retailers throughout the U.S. Those who couldn't make the midnight release will surely follow in the day light hours of September 24th. With the first two Halo titles selling over 14-million copies to date, the release of Halo 3 is sure to add to that figure with gamers worldwide like Ryan Milton from Humboldt State, who are,"Definitely ready to finish the fight."
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