Halo fans have less than 24 hours left to wait before the newest installment of Xbox’s popular first-person shooter hits stores, and retailers can sense the excitement.
In celebration of its midnight release, Microsoft and retail partner Best Buy will host a Halo Reach launch party at Best Buy’s Times Square location in New York.
Fans will have an opportunity play demos of the game, meet its creators, as well as possibly win tickets to a special performance by hip-hop artist Kid Cudi in the Best Buy Theater.
Elaborate events are planned in Seattle and London as well in celebration of the game.
The new game will feature a new graphics engine that offers enhanced visuals over its predecessor, Microsoft said. Gamers looking to host their own Halo Reach parties can get the highest-quality graphics by connecting their Xbox 360s to an HD TV, LED monitor or HDMI projector.
Halo Reach follows the story of Noble Team, a United Nations Space Command special unit of supersoldiers known as the Spartans, as they make their last stand against an enemy force on the planet Reach.
Halo Reach is already receiving rave reviews from critics. GamePro awarded the game a perfect five out of five stars, calling it “a fantastic swan song for Bungie.” IGN gave it 9.5 out of 10 stars.
