HALO 1 GAME OVER MOVIE

Microsoft is hoping to keep that momentum going once legitimate copies go on sale - and has spent the last several months doing all it can to incite gamer hysteria. The collector's edition of the game, which will retail for $55, was selling for as much as $265.

9, some stores chose to ignore the embargo - leading to a feeding frenzy on eBay this weekend. CNNfn's Mary Snow reports.ДЄnd despite a sticker on the game's box urging retailers to not sell copies until Nov.

HALO 1 GAME OVER MOVIE

The release of the highly anticipated 'Halo 2' is being compared to a movie opening. Last month, a pirated build of 'Halo 2' appeared on the Internet. And, the ninjas are all on fire, too.'Д¬reating too much demand for the game has a downside, though. That's when Jason Jones, head of Bungie Studios (the Microsoft division that made both games) gave one of the greatest hype-filled quotes the industry has ever seen: 'Halo 2 is a lot like Halo 1, only it's Halo 1 on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas. While demand for 'Halo 2' began as soon as most people finished the original game, the PR machine kicked things into overdrive in August 2002. For more than two years, Microsoft has been carefully building the hype for the game. Now, the company is looking for 'Halo 2' to take the Xbox to even greater heights. The Master Chief continues the fight with the Covenant in 'Halo 2'. It's arguable, in fact, that without 'Halo,' Microsoft might not have succeeded in the console market. 'Halo: Combat Evolved ' made the Xbox cool. With more than 5 million copies of the original game sold, Microsoft has good reason to throw such an elaborate party. In New York's Times Square, the Toys R Us flagship store hosted a massive launch party, complete with celebrity guests.ДЄbout 1,500 people wrapped around the block waiting for a copy of the game - and another line had formed by the time the store opened Tuesday morning.

How big is 'Halo 2'? When the clock struck midnight, some 7,000 toy, video game and electronics stores around the country opened their doors and welcome thousands of eager players. Another, he said, sold 200,000 units by daybreak Tuesday. Moore said Tuesday that one retailer sold 8,500 copies of the game in just 11 minutes.

Halo 1 game over