What Makes Halo So Popular?

November 15th, 2001, the Halo series was born. Halo: Combat Evolved was originally developed for both the Playstation 2 and Xbox but it became an Xbox-exclusive when Microsoft purchased the developer of the game, Bungie Studios.

Microsoft needed a killer app, a game that would sell Xboxes, for their first venture into console gaming. Halo: Combat Evolved was it. Although it wasn't particularly innovative or revolutionary (especially when compared to PC shooters), Halo was a solid shooter through and through.

Halo: Combat Evolved wasn't the most hyped game at that time, especially compared to games like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Halo's popularity growth was a steady and substantial one.

It wasn't the advertising but, instead, it was the critical success (Halo received numerous Game of the Year awards) and word of mouth that turned Halo: Combat Evolved, and ultimately the Xbox, into a huge success.

Probably the biggest factor in Halo's success is the multiplayer feature. Although it wasn't online and doesn't have any bots, it features 16-player support through LAN. Surprisingly, many gamers were willing to go through the hassle of setting up and connecting four Xboxes and TVs to play the multiplayer. This really gave precedence as to how good Halo's multiplayer is.

With the success of Halo: Combat Evolved (and the lack of quality Xbox games at that time), Bungie immediately begin working on the sequel.

Unlike the first game, Halo 2 was massively hyped (probably more so than any other game in history at that time). Although most of it was due to the success of the first game, Halo 2's success was due part to the massive advertising campaign. Ilovebees.com is a viral marketing website that helped hype the game for hardcore gamers. Meanwhile, the hugely successful commercial with the famous one liner "I need a weapon" hype the game for mainstream gamers. The commercial was even shown in theaters. The advertisements and promotions worked as Halo 2 set single-day sales record by earning the most gross for any entertainment content in history.

However, like the first game, it was ultimately the quality of Halo 2 that warrants the unprecedented hype. Although the single-player mode was a hit or miss with fans, the online multiplayer mode made Halo 2 into a legendary experience.

In fact, Halo 2's online multiplayer was so good that it revolutionized the online gaming aspects on console gaming. Before Halo 2, developers were hesitant about online gaming for the consoles. Halo 2 showed that online on consoles can be streamlined and, more importantly, popular. Almost all games released today have online components in one form or another. Till this day, no other console game can come even close to the amount of hours gamers spent playing Halo 2 online.

Halo 2's online was also monumental for Microsoft's Xbox LIVE service, which was struggling at that time. Halo 2 justified the need to pay a monthly fee (the biggest gripe with the service) and almost single-handily turn the service into a money pit for Microsoft.

Halo 2 couldn't save the Xbox, however. The game was released on November 9, 2004. The three year gap between Halo and Halo 2 proved toxic for Microsoft as the Playstation 2 was killing it in the sales department. The Xbox ceased production one year later after just four years of existence.

To get a head start from its competitors, Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005. Halo 3 was nowhere to be seen as development for the game will last another two years. As a result, despite being in a more favorable situation, the Xbox 360 is selling at pretty much the same rate as the original Xbox.

Microsoft would have to rely on Halo again. Luckily, Halo is as popular as ever. The main protagonist, Master Chief, became a gaming icon and the mascot for the Xbox 360. That is quite an accomplishment for a character from a mature-rated game.

With such a huge advertisement campaign (probably the biggest ever for a videogame) backing Halo 3, the game is destined to be one of the best selling games of all time. Microsoft really went for broke with the advertisements and promotions: Halo Xbox 360s, Halo controllers, numerous Halo 3 editions (you can get the game in standard, collector's or legendary editions) and even Halo 3 drinks (Mountain Dew Game Fuel).

Blogs were used quite a bit too. Bungie Studios, the developer of the Halo series, often release updates on the game every other day. Even the smallest of details sparked off a massive reaction from Halo fans.

In addition, for the first time in the series, an open beta for Halo 3's multiplayer was availble. The beta invite came with the purchase of the videogame Crackdown. Many gamers bought Crackdown just for the Halo 3 beta.

Amid the humongous push, there's no denying that Halo 3 will be the best selling game in the series and one of the best selling games of all time. It could easily reach the ten million mark in sales (only a hand fold of games have done so and none of it is named Halo).

And that's not all. Microsoft will be milking the Halo series for all its worth. The Halo franchise is expanded to books, comics and even an upcoming motion picture. Not to mention the popular Red vs. Blue machinima series based on the Halo games. Finally, the video game Halo Wars, a spin-off to the series, is ecpected to be release next year on the Xbox 360. Although Halo 3 was supposed to be the end of the series, the Halo franchise is here to stay.

Being so popular also means you will be hated and the Halo series have received more than a fair share of it. Non-fans often criticize the game as being just another generic shooter. They argued that all the "revolutionary" stuff that Halo bought to the table was already done before on the PC and other less notable console games.

Another complaint is that Halo offers nothing compelling. Although Halo's artwork and storyline may have some fans, they both seem generic and uninspiring for outsiders.

For a series that supposedly lack any inventive gameplay and compelling content, Halo is still a best seller and a critical success (with both Halo and Halo 2 winning numerous Game of the Year awards). Most of the Halo hate comes from jealousy of the franchise's popularity.

Halo 3 is set to release on September 25th, 2007. With preorders already in the millions and critics already praising the game, the Halo franchise is going to get even more popular than ever. With all the advertisements and promotions in the world, Halo 3, like its predecessors, will ultimately justify the hype and popularity of the series with its quality. Love it or hate it, you can't deny that Halo is one of the most popular franchise in gaming and Halo 3 is the most anticipated game this year.