On Tuesday, the software maker released the first-person shoot-'em-up "Halo 3" for its Xbox 360 video game console. At stores in Indiana, like other parts of the country, gamers lined up Monday night, waiting to be the first to get their hands on the game at midnight.
Microsoft said it had 1.7 million pre-orders for "Halo 3" in the U.S. alone, although it didn't release actual sales figures. Still, the video game was expected to pull in more than $150 million in sales in 24 hours.
What's the big deal?
Well, there's Master Chief, the game's armor-clad, enigmatic superhero beating back angry aliens. The storyline is awesome. And so are the graphics - actually more so this time around because this is the first game in the "Halo" trilogy designed for high-definition televisions.
The video game also, arguably, makes the best use of Microsoft's service for online game play, Xbox Live.
With all that going for "Halo 3," too bad the launch wasn't flawless.
Hours after the launch, reports surfaced that a "small fraction" of the game discs were scratched. Microsoft blamed the packaging on the $69.99 limited-edition version of "Halo 3." It comes in a tin with a making-of-the-game documentary and behind-the-scenes features.
The scratches didn't seem to affect game play. With Microsoft's replacement program, customers can fill out a form and send in their scratched limited-edition disks for a free exchange through the end of December.
A regular copy of the game costs $59.99 and a "legendary" version, which comes with a replica of the helmet worn by Master Chief, costs $129.99.
But for all the popularity of "Halo 3," I seriously doubt it's going to be enough to convince casual gamers to pick up an Xbox 360 and let Microsoft take back the lead from Nintendo in terms of sales.
In August, according to Vgchartz.com, the Nintendo Wii passed the Xbox 360 in sales to consumers, not shipments to retailers. This is true even though the Wii was released in November 2006, a year after the Xbox 360