"Halo 3, the third and final episode in the hugely popular franchise, netted $170 million in sales in the U.S. in its first day" (CNet)
That is a pretty amazing number for a single day (at $60 each it's close to 3 million copies), considering that a large part of the "mass market" will probably begin picking it up from now and closer to the holidays passing 10 million copies in circulation seems likely, thereby outpacing Halo 2.
(Final Fantasy X hit around 5 million, while GTA III and both of the two first sequels topped 10 million each - also interesting to note that while the original Xbox only has seven million+ sellers, the 360 had already passed ten games before Halo 3)
Personally, I won't be getting a 360 for Halo 3, but if (when) I get around to getting one, I'll certainly pick it up as well. As a Bioware fanboy, it is no surprise that the big decider for my most likely near future purchase is Mass Effect. The latest hype-build up is an article on MTV about the use of Machinima, or more to the point people with a machinima background working on the team
"In their effort to create the most cinematic title gamers have ever seen, the "Mass Effect" development studio, BioWare, has hired people who make movies out of video games" (MTV !)
There is also another installment (in three parts) of the so-called podcast out - and for those wanting to get their toes wet the Dummies guide for machinima might be a nice starting point. It is written by some of the Bloodspell creators, and also gives you a dvd packed with tools and video to get you started playing. Or, to take this full circle; grab Halo 3 and try out the new tools included there for capturing gameplay as well as the editor
...and the sun is creating some screen glare here down south, and it is a wonderful feeling of warmth and relaxation...
Update (4.10): week-one sales have clocked in at a rather reasonable $300 million worldwide - Forty million hours of online games, which adds up to 4,500 years, have been played in the first week [Cnet]
