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`Halo 3' launch sets new record

Sales of the exclusive Xbox 360 video game Halo 3 rocketed to US$170 million on opening day, marking an historic debut that outdid the final Harry Potter novel and the film Spiderman 3.

Microsoft confirmed on Thursday that the third installment in the Halo game trilogy had the highest grossing launch day in entertainment history after going on sale in the US at midnight on Monday.

"Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon," Microsoft Game Studios vice president Shane Kim said.

Gartner analyst Van Baker expects blockbuster Halo 3 sales to give Microsoft an edge in the video game console battle with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii.

Baker predicted that thanks to Halo 3, Microsoft will sell 500,000 to a million more Xbox 360 consoles than it normally would have in the coming year.

"Everybody that plays it says it is just a kick-ass game," Baker said.

"And 170 million bucks in the first 24 hours is pretty impressive. It wouldn't surprise me to see Xbox 360 spank [Nintendo's] Wii in unit volume in October and November," Baker said.

Halo 3 is the conclusion of a video game trilogy in which futuristic warrior Master Chief and a female artificial intelligence sidekick named Cortana defend humanity from utter annihilation by an alien coalition called "Covenant."

Halo 3 fans can play together online via an Xbox Live feature which was used by more than 1 million people playing the game on its first day.

Retailers noted the record demand for the game.

"The initial demand we've seen for Halo 3 has been astounding, and the game is on track to become the No. 1 gaming title of all time," Best Buy vice president of movies and games Jill Hamburger said.

The much-anticipated launch was marred only slightly by reports that limited-edition packaging left scratches on some game disks, although it did not affect the disks' function.

Microsoft announced that it would replace the damaged discs free of charge.

Impatient fans pre-ordered more than 1.7 million copies of the game and more than 10,000 stores opened at midnight on Monday to start selling, Microsoft said.
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