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Issue Date: September 9, 2007
"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 opponents. But today, inside the stark offices of Seattle-area software company Bungie Studios, these football pros face a different type of combat -- 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 smithereens. "This gun is crazy," Smith says of an improved "brute shot" weapon. Moments later, Merriman's resurrected avatar goes lights out from sniper shots. "Aargh! A 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 billion 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 between 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 remains 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 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 potboiler: In the year 2552, genetically altered super-soldier Master Chief and his purple-blue Tinkerbell, Cortana, try to protect Earth by battling an evil alien alliance called the Covenant on a mysterious ring-shaped world.
Sure, it's a little "Dune" here, a dash of "Aliens" there. Some "Star Wars," "Starship Troopers," "Stargate" and "Battlestar Galactica," too. But by placing players front and center, providing a deeply layered back story as well as an astonishing degree of eye-popping visual detail, Bungie has created a dynamic original work: a ravishing interactive adventure that makes most other games seem like Pac-Man by comparison. "Halo 3's" latest features -- gimmicks such as "bubble shields," "grav lifts" and "energy drainers" -- are cool, but the best new trick could be as old-school as TiVo: a "save film" control that allows players to easily record entire matches.
Most important, the gameplay's the thing, as Shakespeare might have said if he were at Bungie headquarters today, squaring off against the two NFL stars. The air here is still thick with dread and violence as Merriman rebounds from apparent defeat and whams Smith's video surrogate with several deadly head-butts, known in Halo parlance as "melees."
Revenge is so sweet that after administering the fatal blows, he starts shooting away at Smith's digital corpse. "Take that, too, while you're on the ground," he playfully mocks Smith.
Emerging victorious, Merriman jumps from his chair, pointing his finger high in the air. "I love taking that last shot."
Last shot? Umm, sorry, Shawne. Although "Halo 3" is touted as the closing chapter of a trilogy, it's a safe bet that the final blast fired in Master Chief's universe is still several light-years away.
Jeffrey Ressner is a Los Angeles-based writer who has covered entertainment and video games since the Atari era.
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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:
Super Mario Galaxy
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.
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.
Heavenly Sword
Move over, Zhang Ziyi. This game for Sony's PlayStation 3, arriving Sept. 12, features a mystical martial-arts mistress named Nariko who can hack and slash as well as crouch and hide.
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