About 200 people crowded around the doorway of a building on Miss. Highway 12, eyeing the armed guard outside and anxiously awaiting the green-haired dealer inside to dole out the goods.
A midnight black market bazaar? No, just the release of “Halo 2,” arguably the most anticipated video game of all time.
At the stroke of midnight Nov. 8, retailers opened their doors to the public and were flooded with millions of customers.
People started showing up at the GameStop in Starkville at about 7 p.m. One group of fans set up a television and Xbox in the back of a truck and played games to pass the time.
Marcus Jones, a junior communication major, joined the line at about 8:45. “I’ve been anticipating this game ever since I beat the first ‘Halo’ in 2002,” Jones said.
“Halo” is known for its multiplayer mode, which allows players to form teams of up to 16 players at a time to battle using different weapons and combat vehicles. As the Microsoft Xbox became more popular, so did the game, which sparked millions of fans across the world. Halo is also famous for its realistic feel and campaign mode, in which a marine must destroy a giant “halo,” an artificial habitat and weapon capable of mass destruction.
“Halo 2” boasts new features such as downloadable content and online multiplayer mode via Xbox Live, an on-line service for Xbox owners. Since the new game was so popular, a limited number of games were given to those who pre-ordered weeks before the game was released. Some stores acquired extra security.
At 11 p.m., three ROTC officers arrived at GameStop, rifles in hand, to guard the store. One guarded the door while the other two stayed inside. An employee of GameStop directed the crowd to form lines outside the store. By this time more than 100 people stood in line waiting.
By midnight, when the doors finally opened, more than 200 people crowded outside the store. The army officers guarded the door and let pre-paid in. Since many people were in line, some were afraid that they wouldn’t receive their copy. Some were getting angry at how slow the line was going and how they allowed people who had just arrived go into the store. A few customers from the back of the line came to the front and started complaining with one of the army officers about the situation. After that, the line moved fairly quickly and let pre-order people inside.
GameStop had competition with Sam Goody, another retailer in town. “GamesStop definitely got us,” said Billy Davis, assistant manager of Sam Goody. “We had about 150 come in, and we sold 41 copies. Many of the people were groups of friends getting the game,” Davis added.
“‘Halo’ is the game of all games. It sets the standard for every video game these days,” Davis said.
Alex Pendergrast, a freshman political science major, said that he and his friend waited in line for 45 minutes. “It’s different. It has a really good concept and plot, and of course the multiplayer is really fun,” Pendergrast said.
Microsoft announced Wednesday that 2.4 million units of Halo 2 were sold in the first 24 hours the game was on store shelves, racking up sales of more than $125 million. More than 7,000 retail stores across the country held midnight openings like Starkville’s GameStop. Some fans reportedly waited in line for 15 hours before getting a copy of the game.