The release of Halo 3 on Tuesday, Sept. 25 set loose the anticipation that had been building up for fans of the series.
The halo series is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. It was released on Nov. 15, 2001, as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system. In the game, the player assumes the role of the Master Chief, a “spartan” super-soldier. The player battles various aliens on foot or in vehicles as they attempt to uncover the secrets of the Halo.
Stores such as Wal-Mart and Gamestop had customers lining up to purchase the game as soon as it went on sell officially at midnight.
“We had customers start to come by at 8:30 p.m.,” Brandon Miller, an employee of Gamestop, said. “We had about 300 people stop by for the cookout we had which included music and TVs set up to play Halo 2.”
The long hours waiting for the game to be released did not detour dedicated fans, senior Justin Fields said he waited in line at Gamestop for three hours.
With all the promotion for the game, one has to wonder, does the game live up to the hype? According to some, it does. “I was really excited about the new graphics and online capabilities,” Fields said. “I honestly can’t think of anything I don’t like about Halo 3.”
Nursing major Justin Farrey also agreed that game was an overall upgrade up from the Halo 2. “I really enjoy it,” Farrey said. “The sound effects are better, and even the reloads sound more crisp. More so than anything, I think people like to get wrapped up in the story.”
Unlike any other game before it, Halo 3 provides an online file-sharing program that allows the player to save a game to the hard drive and then send it to bungie.net. You can save film from any game, from your own viewpoint or your opponents.
There are also events on campus so that players can come together to enjoy the game. The EDGE club is sponsoring a Halo 3 Release Party on Friday, Sept. 28, located in the Digital Media Center. There is a $2 charge and playing starts at 7 p.m. and ends at midnight.
The next is the Halo 3 party sponsored by ETSU’s ACM and Microsoft representative Adam Oglea. There will be prizes such as Halo 3 and other XBOX 360 games raffled off. The party will take in room 110 in Nicks Hall on Friday, Oct. 5 from 6- 7:30 p.m.
For more information on the Halo 3 you can check out Web sites www.bungie.net or www. halo3.com.

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