{"id":25605,"date":"2012-11-06T16:11:21","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T06:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/power-up.space\/?p=25605"},"modified":"2012-11-06T16:11:21","modified_gmt":"2012-11-06T06:11:21","slug":"fans-wake-up-for-halo-4-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/?p=25605","title":{"rendered":"Fans \u2018wake up\u2019 for Halo 4 launch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sydney, Australia<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cHalo 4\u201d may mark the awakening of an ancient evil, but it was fans across Australia who stayed awake to be amongst the first to get their copy of the game as it went on sale at the stroke of midnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalo 4\u201d is the newest game to launch in the blockbuster Halo series, a franchise that has sold more than 46 million games worldwide and has surpassed $3 billion.\u00a0 Hailed as \u201cbreathtaking, heart-breaking and awe-inspiring,\u201d1<\/sup> \u201cHalo 4″ has broken all Microsoft Australia pre-order records to date. Additionally, Halo 4 has garnered universal acclaim as one of the top-rated video games of 2012, according to Metacritic.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

Around the globe, more than 10,000 retail locations in more than 40 countries opened their stores at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 6 to welcome throngs of fans who have eagerly waited more than five years for the next blockbuster instalment of the iconic franchise.<\/p>\n

In Australia, more than 250 EB Games and JB Hifi stores remained open until after midnight to celebrate the return of The Master Chief and sell die-hard Spartans their copy of the highly anticipated \u201cHalo 4\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Master Chief is back and we have never seen fans more excited,\u201d said Kimberley Francis, Interactive Entertainment Lead, Microsoft, Australia. \u201cHalo is a part of our pop culture and \u201cHalo 4\u201d will take the Halo franchise to the next level and set the stage for the next decade of Halo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Niall \u201cUndueBasher647\u201d Frew, was one of hundreds of people who attended EB Games Campbelltown last night to count down to midnight and was the first Australian to purchase \u201cHalo 4\u201d. Commenting on the experience, he said: \u201cHalo has been my whole life, I feel fantastic! I have been waiting to play Halo 4 for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

To coincide with the launch of the game today, Microsoft will also activate a Capture the Poster<\/em>, real-world scavenger hunt for the Xbox online community to claim a rare, signed \u201cHalo 4\u201d artwork, used as billboards in the \u201dHalo 4\u201d outdoor advertising campaign. It\u2019s the first time in Australia that people have the chance to win billboard advertisements. There will be 400 Australian-exclusive posters signed by Josh Holmes, Creative Director of \u201cHalo 4\u201d, 343 Industries, scattered around Sydney and Melbourne for people to claim.<\/p>\n

Xbox Australia Facebook fans will be granted exclusive access to a real-time map revealing the location of claimed posters and clues to those that are still available to aid their hunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese posters are rare and will be in high demand \u2013 it will be interesting to see what lengths people will go to be the first to claim their poster and just how quickly they go!\u201d said Kimberley.<\/p>\n

Available in stores from today and poised to be the biggest entertainment premiere so far this year, \u201cHalo 4\u201d is expected to break all previous day-one entertainment sales records in 2012, cementing its status as the must-have blockbuster of the year.<\/p>\n

Australian fans can \u2018like\u2019 the Xbox Australia Facebook page to be part of the scavenger hunt. facebook.com\/xboxaustralia.<\/p>\n

Facts about the Halo Franchise<\/strong><\/p>\n