SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

LONDON – 22 September 2009 - The wait is finally over. Today, a new chapter in the legendary “Halo” saga opens up with the highly anticipated launch of “Halo 3: ODST.” After finishing the fight with Master Chief in “Halo 3,” players now have the opportunity to take a step back in time and experience the “Halo” universe from a whole new perspective.

Last night, thousands of retailers around the world opened their doors to usher in a flood of fans who sought to be the first to play the critically acclaimed title. Launch festivities were capped off with a “Halo” franchise celebration at the Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, where Bungie and 343 Industries luminaries were on hand to meet and greet fans and celebrate the launch together.

Xbox 360 exclusive “Halo 3: ODST” is already winning critical acclaim from the nation’s top media outlets. Here’s what they are saying about the game:

“The best Halo game yet,” and “An action-packed thrill ride from start to finish.”
--Game Pro

“It's part Blade Runner, part Saving Private Ryan, and yet in the end it's still definitely Halo.”
--1UP.com

“ODST is simply an excellent game.”
--G4TV’s X-Play

With “Halo 3: ODST,” developer Bungie takes the “Halo” franchise into all new territory. Players are put in the boots of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, some of the toughest and bravest soldiers of the UNSC. Players must search for clues to find out what happened to their squad when a drop into the city of New Mombasa goes wrong, and discover the secret behind the Covenant’s interest in the city.

In addition to a full-fledged campaign, “Halo 3: ODST” introduces Firefight, a new cooperative multiplayer mode where up to four players battle waves of unrelenting Covenant onslaughts. The game also introduces three new “Halo 3” competitive multiplayer maps and contains the complete, standalone “Halo 3” multiplayer experience on a second disc. “Halo 3: ODST” will also act as a key to entry into the “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta at a later date.
The “Halo” franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” for Xbox in 2001, the rich fiction of the franchise has since inspired a series of blockbuster Xbox and Xbox 360 video games, New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the “Halo” franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the games are optimized for the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. To date, more than 27 million copies of “Halo” games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 2 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE.

To keep abreast of the latest “Halo” news, follow the Halo Waypoint Twitter @HaloWaypoint. You can also learn more by visiting the Halo Waypoint page at http://www.facebook.com/HaloWaypoint. For more information about Bungie, visit www.bungie.net.