On September 13th, 2010 the gaming world waited with bated breath. As the clock struck 12 midnight, Bungie and Microsoft Studios launched Halo: Reach, a prequel to the Halo trilogy and the newest addition to the Halo universe. Halo: Reach follows the story of Noble Team, a squad of elite Spartan super soldiers, as they make a final stand on the doomed human planet of Reach. In 2000, the first game in the series, Halo: Combat Evolved took the gaming world by storm. Launched concurrently with Microsoft’s first console, the Xbox, it established Bungie as one of the preeminent first person shooter development teams in the industry. The sequel, Halo 2, set a record for most games sold, and was responsible for establishing online gaming with mainstream console users. Halo 3 was the first game from Bungie to be released on the Xbox 360. Bungie took the opportunity to take full advantage of the new console’s graphics and computing power to produce another critically acclaimed game. Halo: ODST saw Bungie depart from the Spartan’s storyline for the first time to tell the story of Marine Orbital Drop Shock Troopers fighting the covenant on earth. This project, which used the game engine from Halo 3, served as a testing ground for many of the new concepts enacted in Halo: Reach. Reach has been met with a similar response to the other games in the franchise, achieving near gaming perfection and earning scores of 9.5/10 from both IGN and Gamespot (Brudvig, Watters). What appeals to gamers most about the Halo games, apart from such solid programming in the engine itself, is the social opportunities they present and the overall fairness for all participants. Sure, there are some naysayers out there that will never appreciate these games, but for most, the thrill of going head to head against another human opponent, where anything can happen is well worth the cost of the game.
Since the franchise began with Halo: CE, the release of these games has been so highly anticipated that retailers have help “launch parties” to promote their release. These events, often beginning the evening before the release, celebrate the release of the new game and allow gamers to secure a copy at the earliest possible moment, precluding the need for all-night campouts in front of the store. A myriad of elements come into play when evaluating these parties. They can range from small-town, local shops opening their doors in the early hours of the morning to full blown celebrations in Time Square, complete with musical performances from huge stars (Ackerman). What determines a good release party from a poor one is the atmosphere of the party and the presentation of the game. Atmosphere is determined by a number of factors, including but not limited to: music, decorations, fellow gamers, and other forms of entertainment. The presentation of the game can come in several forms, from clips of gameplay to game demos to tournaments. All of these variables contribute to the success of a good launch party.
In September, I attended two Halo: Reach Launch parties, both located at Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. I briefly attended a party at EB Games, the store where I had preordered the game. EB is a small game store that sells games for all of the major platforms. But I spent most of my evening in another part of the mall at the Microsoft Store. This unique superstore is modeled after the Apple Stores that have found their way into most large metropolitan areas. The Microsoft Store serves as both a retail outlet for the brand and an exposé of Microsoft products to come. The differences between the two launch parties were stark and obvious.
To put it lightly, the “launch party” at EB Games subpar. It did fulfill the one essential criteria of delivering the game to customers at the earliest possible moment, but that was about it. The turnout at the event was dismal, with only about 20 customers. The store did not even sell all of the copies that Microsoft had allocated them for presale. In the past, launch parties at this location for Halo 2 and Halo 3 both generated 100+ customers, and the partly allocation of copies that the store had to sell ran out quickly (Bryce Muzzy). Those that had not preordered the game did not receive copies. While this is unfortunate for those few who did not walk away with a game, it only heightens the excitement of those that did, creating a sense of exclusivity. Furthermore, this time it seemed as though the staff on hand at this store had not really done anything to go out of their way for the launch. Unlike the images of launch parties all over the country, in which stores are decked out in Halo posters and cutouts and the employees wear costumes to celebrate the event, EB Games had done absolutely nothing. There was not even music playing, or a TV on display showing off the new game. The “party” atmosphere essential for a successful event was markedly absent. The food, drinks, lights, and music were nowhere to be found. This launch party was a cash register, manned by tired, bleary-eyed employees, frustrated with being made to work late hours, and a line of 20 or so dedicated gamers, all sitting in a ling along the wall in silence, bored out of their minds, and frustrated at having arrived early to the event, only to have to sit and wait even longer for the much-anticipated game..
