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HALO 3
SMACKDOWN
In a USA WEEKEND exclusive,
we brought two NFL stars
to the Halo headquarters to battle
each other weeks before
the mega-game's release.
BY JEFFREY RESSNER
Gridiron gladiators Alex Smith
and Shawne Merriman usually wreak
havoc on lush, green stadium fields
by tackling or running over oppo
nents. But today inside the stark offices of
Seattle-area software company Bungie Studios,
these football pros face a different type of com-
bat a preview of the highly anticipated sci-fi video
game Halo 3, due in stores Sept 25.
Because both are avid Halo players, it takes mere
minutes before Chargers linebacker Merriman and
49ers quarterback Smith become fully engaged with
the newest sequel, howling wildly as their virtual alter
egos destroy each other on screen using “spartan lasers,”
“spike grenades” and other outrageous ordinances.
“Damn, it’s ruthless out here!” Merriman shouts
after Smith blasts his first game guy to smith- A
ereens. “This gun is crazy,” Smith says of an M
improved “brute shot” weapon. Moments
later, Merriman’s resurrected avatar goes
lights out from sniper shots. “Aargh! A
MORE BIG HITTERS
Expect Halo 3 to
become one of the
year's biggest hits.
But for gamers who
are averse to the
first-person shooter
genre, there are
other blockbuster
titles in the wings:
14
USA WEEKEND • Sept. 7-9,2007
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HALO IS THE
STAR WARS
OF VIDEO GAMES.
ITS FOLLOWING
IS MASSIVE AND
EXTREMELY LOYAL.
i
Super P'
Mario m
Galaxy Out
Players guide
the familiar Italian
plumber around * •
satellites and planetoids, occasionally
donning a'Bee Suit'with special powers.
The game will be available in November
for Nintendo's Wii console.
YOU HAD ME AT HALO: Alex Smith, left, and Shawne Merriman at Bungie Studios, near Seattle.
drive-by!” he wails.
Emotions are running high. So
are the profits Halo continues to generate long after
its original 2001 release. This year, Americans will spend
an estimated $11.6 billion on video games (about a bil
lion dollars more than we spend on either movies or
music), and “Halo 3 will undoubtedly take a top spot
when total sales for 2007 are tallied,” says analyst
Anita Frazier, of media market research firm NPD.
Since its debut, the series has sold 15 million
units; Halo 2 raked in a record $125 million on
■ the day of its 2004 premiere.
' This isn’t just another silly
video game. Indeed, Halo 3 is
considered a killer app in
the ongoing gaming
console wars be-
Hannah Montana
Spotlight
World Tour
The Disney Channel
teen with a secret
identity as a pop idol
has a third life in the
virtual world. In this Wii game, out next
month, players travel overseas to concert
arenas and emulate Hannah's dance moves.
tween Xbox 360 manufacturer Microsoft, which owns
game developer Bungie Studios, and its two major
competitors, Nintendo and Sony.
So, why has everyone from Julia Roberts (“I will
play it obsessively,” she has said) to countless Marines
stationed in Iraq gone Halo happy? “It created a whole
new paradigm for first-person shooter games and laid
the groundwork for a multiplayer experience that re
mains unrivaled,” says Robert Atchison, a 24-year-old
Chicago stock trader who plans to buy an Xbox 360
just to enjoy the new’ game upgrade. “The rich, epic
*v
Nariko who can hack
and slash as well as crouch
and hide.
story line is another major attraction.”
Clearly, Halo has inspired a passionate
following of (mostly) teen and 20-something
fan-boys who immerse themselves within its
alternate reality. The game’s plot is pure pot-
Continued on next page
Heavenly Sword
Move over, Zhang Ziyi. This game for Sony's
Play Station 3,
arriving Sept 12,
features a mystical
martial-arts
mistress named
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