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First Halo 3 Map Pack Download on Dec. 11

Beginning December 11, three new multiplayer maps will be available for Bungie’s Halo 3 (X360). The Heroic Map Pack will contain three new maps Foundry, Rat’s Nest, and Standoff each map presents a totally different play style. All will be downloadable from Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Points ($10).

• Standoff: symmetrical valley, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types.
• Rat’s Nest: vast, labyrinthine passages bring something new to the “Halo” multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, ideal for big team battles.
• Foundry: is the ultimate Forge map – players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, place stairways, walls, bridges and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map they can think of.

Halo 3 Pulls Down Over $170 Million in the First 24 Hours

Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like “Spider-man 3” and novels such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Within the first 20 hours alone, we’ve seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3 – that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history.”

More than 10,000 retailers hosted Midnight Madness events to celebrate the launch of this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners hosted marquee launch events that featured contests and appearances by local celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the “Halo” franchise, including Ludacris and Zac Efron and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates.

More than 1.7 million copies of “Halo 3” were preordered in the United States before a single store opened its doors at midnight, Sept. 25, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of “Halo 2.” Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of “Halo 3” was a worldwide celebration that released in 37 countries and available in 17 languages.

Exclusive Content for Xbox LIVE Gold Members

All you have to do is click on the the Unite to Fight ad in Xbox LIVE to get access to this content:

1. Halo 3 Theme – Available starting tonight at midnight
2. Halo 3 Gamerpic – Available starting tonight at midnight
3. “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – The Story” video: Interviews with the Bungie team. Available on Thursday, Sept 27
4. “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – New Features” video: Interviews with the Bungie team about the new Halo 3 game features. Available on Friday, Sept 28

Source: Gamerscore

Bungie WILL NOT Pull Out The Ban Stick For People Playing Halo 3 Early

Oops .. A British retailer Argos has begun selling copies of Bungie’s Halo 3, a full week before the title’s official release date, reports MCV. Well don’t feel too jealous as according to unconfirmed internet reports they’re about to get a hefty Xbox Live ban.

The gaming industry website has received photo evidence of receipts from consumers who have bought the game from the chain. The Argos website states that anyone who pre-orders the game will be able to collect it from stores on ‘Wed 19 September – Thu 20 September.’

According to an assortment of reports Microsoft will ban anyone found playing Halo3 before the official release date next week - even if you’re offline when they play it. Your Xbox will magically know you’ve been playing it or not. You would not want to face the same judgment as this gamer.

**Update**

The few consumers who managed to get their hands on a copy of Halo 3 a week early today can rejoice – because Microsoft has confirmed to MCV that it has no plans to ban them from Xbox Live.

Halo 3 Believe Tv Ads

Halo 3 + NASCAR + Target + Hype = Dover 400 Nextel Cup Race?

Microsoft has decided that the endless advertising of Halo 3 with Burger King, 7 Eleven, Mountain Dew, Pontiac and the never-ending TV and internet ads was not getting us hyped up enough to buy Halo 3. Microsoft has now moved to NASCAR, since you know most gamers watch NASCAR racing and would care about a, distinctly designed Halo 3 paint scheme on a car. The Target / Halo 3 cars paint job does look kick ass but come on, NASCAR + Halo 3 = More Games Sold?

Target, Microsoft and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today that the No. 40 car will feature an exclusive “Halo 3″-themed paint scheme during the Dover 400 Nextel Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 23. As fans throughout the world line up for the blockbuster Xbox 360 title, CGRFS driver David Stremme will showcase a distinctly designed paint scheme in advance of the game’s much anticipated release on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

“I’m honored and excited to be running the ‘Halo 3′ car at Dover and can’t wait to show off this awesome paint scheme,” said Stremme. “It’s going to be a special experience when the car rolls off the truck for the first time at Dover - as a Halo fan, I’m thrilled.”

In addition to the special paint scheme in the Nextel Cup race on Sunday, Target and Microsoft are giving select drivers the chance to play “Halo 3,” one of the most anticipated video games of all time, before it releases to the public.

“Target is proud to partner with Microsoft to bring some ‘Halo 3′ excitement to Dover race fans before the much anticipated release date,” said Target Senior Buyer, Troy Peterson. “We expect this to be one of our largest gaming releases ever.”

“Halo 3,” the final chapter in the groundbreaking “Halo” trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25. Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, “Halo 3″ will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in the epic battle of Master Chief(TM) to save humankind.

In November 2004, the world’s view of video games changed forever with the release of “Halo 2,” which generated a record-setting $125 million (U.S.) in sales within the first 24 hours and changed the way people think about interactive entertainment. Three years later, it remains the most-played game on Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE(R) online gaming and entertainment network, with nearly 1 billion hours of online gaming logged to date.

E3 - Three New Halo 3 Editions

In “Halo 3,” the third installment of the legendary epic, the war has come to a climax; the Flood continues to grow in numbers and strength, the armies of Earth are scattered and decimated, and the Covenant threatens to activate the Halo, effectively destroying all life in the galaxy. Master Chief’s mission is to stop the Covenant, destroy the impending Flood threat and, ultimately, save mankind.

What: “Halo 3”
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Bungie Studios
Format: DVD for the Xbox 360™ video game system; Xbox LIVE®-enabled
Price: Legendary Edition $129.99 (estimated retail price (ERP)), Limited Edition $69.99 (ERP), Standard Edition $59.99 (ERP)
ESRB Rating: Rated “M” for Mature
Availability: Worldwide availability starting Sept. 25, 2007

The Gameplay:
• Next-generation experiences. With the power of Xbox 360, “Halo 3” raises the bar on the next-generation gameplay experience with nonstop action, an incredible story, massive battles and visually stunning worlds.
• Stunning single-player action. Epic and compelling storytelling is on a scale never before seen in interactive entertainment, with new weapons, characters and challenges. Gamers can experience Master Chief’s greatest battle as he transcends greatness and becomes a legend.
• Enhanced Xbox LIVE multiplayer capability. Working in concert with Xbox LIVE on Xbox 360, “Halo 3” builds upon the unique social multiplayer experience of “Halo 2” and promises to enhance the innovative and evolving online gameplay of “Halo 2” on Xbox LIVE*.

The Technology:
• Evolution of a blockbuster. Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360, “Halo 3” will expand on everything that has made the “Halo” franchise great and will add a wealth of technical advancements.
• Next-generation, high-definition visuals. Presented in stunning high-definition, the well-known “Halo” universe will appear as it’s never been seen before. State-of-the-art high dynamic range (HDR) lighting makes every scene look and feel like the real thing, from terrifying gloom to dazzling sunshine, adding more detail to every weapon, more texture to every character and more realism to every battle.
• Enhanced AI. Countless foes, each with their own distinct personality, strategy and fighting style, make for better encounters and more replay value, which will culminate in larger-scale combat than previously witnessed on the “Halo” battlefield.
• Split-screen support. Staying true to the original games, “Halo 3” will support four-player split-screen and system-link gameplay, letting gamers battle it out online, via Xbox LIVE or with a group of friends in their own living rooms*.
• In-depth statistic tracking and standings. Made famous as a key component of the renowned “Halo 2” multiplayer experience, Bungie.net will continue to offer innovations in ways that gamers track their progress as they view their rankings and stats in real time.
• Fully positional Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Duck as a rocket sizzles overhead. Take action as the footsteps of a Covenant adversary echo in the distance. Every sound in
“Halo 3” is fully positional, bringing the world of “Halo” to an even more vivid level of realism.
• Saved films. Record and save a memorable match and watch it over and over again from any angle or player viewpoint. A simple press of a button saves the entire game to a file sharing area where players can watch favorite films and recommend them to friends.
• File sharing. Create and customize a variety of content that can be shared with anyone around the world who is connected to Xbox LIVE. Edit custom game types, saved films and screenshots and upload them, or check out films, game types, screenshots and more that are recommended by Bungie Studios.
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