Microsoft today released word that the Halo 3 franchise has topped off $300 million in sales since launch. MS have dubbed it the “fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history.” This is hard to argue with as the boys at Bungie and MS really marketed it well and made sure everyone got a taste of the hype train. Kudos boys.

There is one part of the press release I don’t agree with, where MS states “Xbox 360 has the greatest lineup in the history of video games and is the only console where consumers can play all the year’s biggest blockbusters.” I think this is far too over zealous to state, the lineup is looking good, but the best in history, wow that is a tough call.

There have been some great lineups in the days of the NES, Xbox, PS1 and 2, which paved the way for what we have today in video games. MS has definitely the bankroll to show for their current success, which is also attributed to the fact that video gaming in the years of old was more of a underground cult, where gamers were a minority. Today video games have become a huge industry and I doubt we will diminish in size as all those kids that played the old consoles are now grown up and spending their hard earned money on games. I think their best in “history” is a bit over the top and minimalizes what the other older consoles have done to get games to this point.

It is impressive that about one third of all Xbox 360 owners have gotten a copy of Halo 3, I actually figured this statistic to be higher and will probably reach a lot more people during the holidays.

From the press releasse:

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 4, 2007 — Interactive entertainment will never be the same, with the launch of one title that has changed the way the world thinks about video games. “Halo® 3” has captured the attention of consumers worldwide and has made history as one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time.
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Well everyone foretold of the coming of Halo 3 and we all saw the fierce campaigns and marketing strategies, looks like they paid off big. Halo 3 is now the big daddy of entertainment, kudos to MS and Bungie, they have de-throwned Spider Man and Harry Potter.

Halo 3 pulled in a record $170 million in 24 hours, now that is one impressive statistic and shows the reach that video games and gamers have now a days. Yesterday when I was on Halo3 there was an impressive 600,000 people playing at the same time and this does not count those people playing offline, just think that all those people made up only $36 million of that reported $170, so there are a lot of peripherals, consoles, controllers, etc. flying off the shelves.

From the press release:

Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive game “Halo 3” has officially become the biggest entertainment launch in history, garnering an estimated $170 million in sales in the United States alone in the first 24 hours. The Xbox 360 title beat previous records set by blockbuster theatrical releases like “Spider-man 3” and novels such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
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Here is a clip of a Japanese girl show casing a game during a convension. The controller she is sitting on what looks like a broom handle so I thought it was a new Harry Potter game, but then the screen she is using is touch sensitive. Looks oddly interesting and I am sure many Japanese men will thoroughly enjoy this video, what do you think?

I have begun to see an overwhelming negativity toward video games, complaints of video games sparking violence, causing obesity, and even making people sterile, ok the last one I made up, but they might as well tack that on as well.

Almost weekly we have some government body or some Jack Thompson wanna be crawling out of the wood works trying to get some ban on some game because it will warp and corrupt young people’s minds. You can pass all the bills you want and ban all the games you want, but isn’t that a direct violation of our first amendment right to free speech? Wouldn’t this count as censorship of a creative medium? What next, no Harry potter because he dies at the end of the book? (Purely speculation, not confirmed. Please see JK Rowling for ending)

Then we have the never-ending barrage of obese children’s parents blaming video games for the fact that kids are getting rounder. Believe video games have nothing to do with it, the fact that we as a society have gotten lazier has to do with obesity. Playing Mario Brothers wont make you fat, but eating a Big Mac everyday will give you a heart attack. It isn’t the games that make kids get out of shape but their eating habits and their lack of physical exertion.

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EA released some screenshots today for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the Wii. Of any system, I think the Wii would br great to use to run around Hogwarts. You can flick the Wiimote like it’s your wand.

Now if only the Wii had good graphics, it would be a complete package…

More screens after the jump. Hit the jump for more…