Xbox.com | Halo® 3 - Seattle Halo 3 Launch Event

Game Rating: M (Mature)
Blood and Gore
Mild Language
Violence

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Seattle fans couldn't wait to get their hands on the action-packed Halo® 3, and hundreds of eager hometown Halo fans turned out for the midnight extravaganza at Best Buy in Bellevue, Washington.

A lucky Halo 3 fan is rewarded for his commitment.

A lucky Halo 3 fan rewarded for his commitment.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates was on hand to give out the first copy of Halo 3 at the store, where the crowds mingled with some senior Microsoft executives, the Bungie Studios team and local professional athletes.

Adding to the excitement were contests and prize giveaways in the run-up to the 12:01 A.M. launch.

With the biggest entertainment launch in history, more than 10,000 retailers hosted midnight madness events, giving fans the opportunity to be a part of history in the making.

In New York City, customers at Best Buy near Times Square were among the first in the U.S. to get a copy of Halo 3. Major Nelson was on hand at the amazing event, and you can check out all the action from New York.

Tonight in Bellevue Washington, Halo fans lined up around the front and sides of the Best Buy store waiting for midnight to strike and Halo 3 to go on sale. TriXie and editer were there to capture the excitement.

First in line

At the head of the line was Alby v2 who had been waiting since 4 P.M. Sunday. Later on, he won a cool Best Buy gaming chair.

darkopsspartanwonton2710

Darkopsspartan and wonton2710 were close to the front as well. They scored all kinds of swag: Halo T-shirts, Game Fuel T-shirts, Game Fuel bouncy balls, cans of Red Bull, KUBE bumper stickers, Halo 3 lanyards, Master Chief posters, and more!

trixie and chief

At 9:15 Master Chief arrived and TriXie gave him a good old-fashioned Xbox.com, "Hello."

dads and kids

These kids are having the night of their lives thanks to the coolest dads EVER. Front row, left-right rouvenT (age 12), microslither (age 8), neeleT (age 10). In the back, that's heliocentric on the left, kreisi on the right.

Kelly Jennings

Inside the story, lucky gamers got a chance to play with Seattle Seahawk cornerback Kelly Jennings, second from left. Sketch from Bungie shows them how to get their game on.

Valkyrie and Kyrzon

Valkyrie (TriXie's #200 Gamer Spotlight) and his son Kyrzon brought their Xbox 360 consoles and had them signed by all the Xbox and Bungie "celebs" they could find.

pizza boys

Meekrob81 and jostler27 chow down on a pie, courtesy of Pagliacci, the best pizza in Seattle.

hand massage

GITMORE gets a hand massage from the Game Fuel girl. His fingers should be nice and limber for a Halo 3 marathon.

JB and thedoodlebug

Vice President of Global Marketing Jeff Bell and 11-year-old Halo fan thedoodlebug loves them some Master Chief.

At 11:30 P.M. the Bungie busses pulled up and the crowd went nuts. They must have snuck him in the back stealth-style because Bill Gates emerged from the front of Best Buy to a million camera flashes and people chanting "Bill Gates! Bill Gates! Bill Gates!" Bill was all smiles as he shook hands with gamers waiting in line.

Then Bungie team members, fresh from their launch party came out of the bus to throw swag to the crowd. Lots of people got Bungie T-shirts. Thedoodlebug's Master Chief sign earned her a Halo 3 faceplate from Max, who worked on Halo 3's Artificial Intelligence.

At 12:01 the first in line was escorted into Best Buy where he bought his copy of Halo 3 from Bill Gates himself.

Master Chief and Bill Gates Arrive in Seattle