The time is 11:16 PM and I'm at my local game shop were they are throwing a Halo 3 launch party. They have sixteen twenty-two inch High-Def LCD screens lined up with eight Xbox 360s system linked for two-on-two deathmatch action. With thirty-two gamers going to town and about another hundred or so onlookers the place was packed. We're all here for the same reason and that is the largest game release in history. I can't help but get caught up in the excitement as my turn comes up to play and I get only the smallest taste of the main coarse to come. At mid-night we get the game and quickly vanish like thieves in the night.

I'm sitting here staring at the unopened box of Halo 3 and I can't believe that it's here and I'm holding it. I now understand how people that are into the Harry Potter books felt after years and years of following the story and to finally experience the final epic conclusion. It's been a long road, since a little Fps (First Person Shooter) known as Halo, flew in under the radar and exploded onto the scene. Halo blended all the elements of Fps that came before it in a way that made it feel fresh and new, add in a mind bending Sci-Fi story and the most intense multiplayer online action ever and you have a the makings of a mega hit. Halo was a huge success and a sequel was assured but would it be as good as the first? The pressure was on; could Bungie deliver?

Halo 2 hit to rave reviews. Bungie did exactly what it took to make Halo 2 even better. They worked on every aspect of the game from graphics, level design, story development, and most importantly they made the multiplayer fast and fun with less lag. With huge maps and lots of players lining up in queues to kill or be killed it was never hard to hop online and play a game. Even to this day there are people still logging on to kill their best friend on Halo 2. Games come and go every day. It's rare for a game sell multiple millions of units; but for a game to stick around for this many years and still have such a strong following it's almost imposable. Halo 2 broke the rule that sequels suck and bungie struck gold twice; but can they get past the expectation and make a Halo 3 that lives up to the hype? If any one can make it happen its Bungie.