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The most anticipated game of the year is making
its worldwide debut this September. “Halo:
Reach,” the blockbuster prequel to the
best-selling video game franchise and hailed as
the No. 1 game series of all time,1 will leave
its mark on the entertainment landscape when it
launches worldwide on 14th September 2010.
Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed
studio Bungie, “Halo: Reach” drops players back
into the iconic universe they love so they can
experience the birth of the “Halo” legend.
During the past 10 years, the “Halo” franchise
has inspired multiple New York Times
best-selling novels, comic books, action
figures, apparel and more, and it has sold more
than 34 million games worldwide to date.
“‘Halo: Reach’ is the culmination of a decade of
‘Halo,’ a franchise that has become a global
entertainment and pop-culture touchstone,” said
Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of
Microsoft Game Studios at Microsoft Corp. “Just
as ‘Halo: Combat Evolved’ catalysed the success
of the original Xbox to define a decade of
entertainment, ‘Halo: Reach’ will push the
boundaries for what’s possible in video games
and help make 2010 the biggest year in Xbox
history.”
Consumers Help Make History With
Record-Breaking “Halo: Reach” Beta
As a testament to the anticipation for its
release, more than 2.7 million “Halo” fans
helped make entertainment history this month by
participating in the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer
beta on Xbox LIVE, making it the largest console
video game beta test on record and more than
triple the size of the “Halo 3” beta. Players
completed more than 13 million online games and
logged over 16 million hours of online gameplay,
amounting to over 1,826 years of total play time
in just over a two-week period. The data and
user feedback gathered from the beta will help
Bungie and Microsoft further refine the game and
deliver a blockbuster experience that fans have
come to expect from the “Halo” franchise.
“Halo: Reach” follows the story of Noble Team, a
squad of heroic Spartan soldiers as they make
their final stand on planet Reach, humanity’s
last line of defence between the terrifying
Covenant and Earth. Representing the
best-in-class multiplayer elements that have
become the hallmark of the “Halo” series, “Halo:
Reach” offers the most action-packed multiplayer
experience yet on Xbox LIVE. The “Halo: Reach”
experience is completed with an intense
campaign, an unparalleled suite of features and
stunning new visuals powered by ground-breaking
new technology.
“Halo: Reach” represents an enormous evolution
for the genre-defining “Halo” games, and is
testament to Bungie’s 10 years of experience
crafting amazing experiences. During the past
decade, “Halo” fans have demonstrated their
commitment to the franchise by logging more than
2 billion hours of gameplay on Xbox LIVE,
sharing millions of pieces of user-generated
content, creating original “Halo” Machinima
series and even holding “Halo” themed weddings.
“Halo: Reach” is available for pre-order in
standard, limited and legendary editions at
participating retailers worldwide. The standard
edition has an estimated retail price of £49.99
and the limited and legendary editions of the
game will retail for £59.99 and £99.99,
respectively. The limited and legendary editions
of “Halo: Reach” are packed with extras that
fans won’t want to miss. The centrepiece of the
legendary edition is a 10-inch-tall,
hand-painted and individually moulded Noble Team
statue crafted by the expert artisans at
McFarlane Toys. As a special bonus, fans can
receive a token to unlock an exclusive in-game
Spartan Recon Helmet, by picking up a copy of
the game on launch day at North American retail
stores, and outside of North America by making a
pre-order reservation at participating
retailers.
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