Goldman Sachs analysts Sarah Friar and Frederick Grieb predicted that Microsoft will have shipped a mighty 4.2 million copies of Halo 3 into the retail channel by the end of the month. That's a big-enough launch shipment for more than a third of the Xbox 360's 11.6 million global user base to pick up a copy. They believe the Xbox 360 will maintain its momentum after the Halo release due to the underperforming PlayStation 3 and the exclusive downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV.
Just for reference, about less than 2/3rds of the 360's user base is in the US (thus eligible for the future). I only mention this so we don't get calls of "but there are 4 million copies out!" when a good chunk of that won't be in the US.
In a company update on Microsoft today, Goldman Sachs analysts Sarah Friar and Frederick Grieb predicted that Microsoft will have shipped a mighty 4.2 million copies of Halo 3 into the retail channel by the end of the month. That's a big-enough launch shipment for more than a third of the Xbox 360's 11.6 million global user base to pick up a copy.
The first quarter of Microsoft's fiscal year ends just five days after Halo 3's launch, and Friar and Grieb said the game will contribute about $170 million in revenue to the company's entertainment and devices division, which would push it into "slight profitability" for the quarter. If that happens, it would be the first profitable quarter for Microsoft's gaming segment since it launched the original Xbox.
Other site (including Microsoft's official Halo site) state 1.5 million copies...but they don't state "in the US" so that number could possibly be worldwide (since it is a simultaneous launch).
With less than 24 hours to go before the game's launch, Microsoft has reported that it has already sold more than 1.5 million copies of Halo 3 in the US.
For those who doesn't want to watch the video review:
Story Some spoiler in the video. I definitely don't repeat them here.
Design: Single Player: "No loading in game. Overall pretty much the Halo experience you've come to love" "The entire game is design like one big roller coaster. There are no repeat levels, hardly any backtracking and no need for arrows on the floor, showing you which way to go" Multi Player: "If you play still halo 2 you might clean your calender now, and for the next several years. Halo 3 is loaded with that much content" -- "Halo 3 is like your girlfriends vacation suitcase. Is it bursting. There is so much to play and to fiddle with, we can't imagine to get more entertainment value out of 60 bugs"
Game Play: The biggest disappointment in the game: Shields. This is something that have been in PC shooters for almost a decade. Halo has still some catching up to do. New weapons some of them really good done. Tons of new vehicles. "Just like the rest of the game, they are perfectly balanced, with strength and weaknesses" Very good AI of enemies. Bad AI for the allies.
Presentation: "It is definitely not the best looking console game on the market, or even its platform but its still bursting with visual trickery. It also manage to run in a rock solid clip while splashing literally dozens of enemies" "The voice acting is incredible."
Points: Story 9.5 Design 10 Gameplay 9.7 Presentation 9.2
"The campaign, which is very good, is Halo 3's weakest point. It doesn't capture the cavalier spirit of the original Halo, but you'll still have fun playing through it. There's no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3's blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay. Look beyond the gameplay and you have a rich feature set unlike anything ever delivered in a videogame. The Forge and the replay functionality raise the bar for console shooters so high, it may never be surpassed this generation. There will be plenty of aspects for fans to nitpick, but it's hard to argue against Halo 3 as the most complete game available on any console."
The Good:
-Satisfying storyline that simultaneously provides closure while making you wonder what will happen next
-Four-player online co-op is a lot of fun
-Forge mode map editor lets you do some extremely crazy and unexpected things
-Web integration makes sharing new maps and custom modes easy.
The Bad
-Rewinding saved films doesn't work quite like you'd expect it to
-AI-controlled Marines can't drive to save their lives (or yours)
-Inevitable flood of prepubescent online players sure to hamper your enjoyment of the online modes.
The Article is full of quotes from Shane Kim and analysts. Highlights:
Kim: "We're locked in a pretty good fight with Sony and (its) PlayStation 3 to win the generation." and: About 2.5 million people are still playing "Halo 2" on Xbox Live .. many of those people are still on the original Xbox, so it's confident "Halo 3" will spark upgrades.
Van Becker: It will help sell "significant numbers" of Xbox 360 machines, perhaps a million or two, he says.
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