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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2007
More than a million copies of Xbox 360’s Halo 3 have been pre-ordered.
Halo 3 hoopla arrives Microsoft has high hopes for latest game
The characters
By Matt Slagle The Associated Press
Can “Halo” hero Master Chief blast his way past “Spider-Man 3” too? We’ll soon find out as the third installment in the “Halo” video game franchise debuts today for the Xbox 360 console. .com Microsoft ■ Photos Corp. won’t di■ Vote: vulge exact Will you sales predicbuy it? tions for “Halo ■ Video: 3” (and won’t Halo 3 specify just trailer how many ■ Read tens of milmore about lions they Halo 3 poured into developing it) but seems confident of outdoing the “Spider-Man 3” movie, the summer blockbuster that grossed $151 million in its first day — a comparison the company has embraced itself. Released in 2004, “Halo 2” grossed $125 million during the first 24 hours of
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Microsoft hopes Master Chief will top Peter Parker as a money maker. its release, according to company sales statistics. “We know we’re going to clear that,” Microsoft spokesman Ryan James said. For months, the “Halo 3” hype machine has been in overdrive with star-studded events where celebrities effuse about how chic it is to be a “Halo” geek. And then there’s a merchandising juggernaut that would make George Lucas proud: From “Halo 3” edition Mountain Dew soda bottles to novels and comic books . Even for some self-professed “Halo” fans, it’s all getting to be a bit much. “It’s crazy, you see it
■ Master Chief: An elite supersoldier who is never seen without his helmet or body armor. ■ The Arbiter: The only other playable character in Halo, also an elite. ■ Cortana: A form of artificial intelligence that allows Master Chief to infiltrate computer networks. ■ The Flood: Parasites that subsist by killing, then taking over the corpses of their victims. ■ The Prophet of Truth: Last surviving High Prophet, bent on activating the Halo weaponry. ■ Gravemind: Leader of The Flood. (Newsday)
everywhere,” said Rich Douek, a 32-year-old graphic designer who lives in New York. He plans on buying “Halo 3” soon but didn’t line up for one of yesterday’s midnight madness events. “At end of the day it’s just a really good first-person shooter. I don’t see it as breaking any molds or being any new revolutionary concept in gaming,” he said. Microsoft said more than a million copies have already have been pre-ordered.
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Xerox cuts cost of ink for color copies
Bush officials accused of meddling in Calif.
Homeland Security computers attacked
Xerox Corp. introduced color printers and ink products yesterday that will cut the price of color copying by two-thirds. The company’s new printers use what it says are longer-lasting crayon-like ink sticks that are larger and more dense than previous ones.
A senior California lawmaker said yesterday the administration was trying to “stack the deck” against his state’s proposal to impose tough standards on motor vehicle emission. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. urged the White House to repudiate its questionable lobbying effort.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, DMiss., said Unisys Corp, which holds the $1.7 billion contract to build parts of the Homeland Security Department’s computer network, is at fault for a series of network break-ins. He asked the department’s inspector general to investigate. (AP)