Tonight across Ireland 64 stores will open at midnight to launch what could be the biggest game of the year. Fifty-two Xtravision and 12 GameStop stores will open when the clock strikes 12 to cater for demand by the public as the exclusive Xbox 360 title is set to top the charts.
Created by acclaimed developer Bungie, Halo: Reach is the latest instalment in the most successful franchise in gaming history.
Halo: Reach tells the heroic story of Noble Team, a group of Spartan III Warriors who, through great sacrifice and courage, save countless lives in the face of impossible odds on planet Reach – humanity’s last line of defence against the encroaching Covenant force, whose ultimate goal is the destruction of Earth.
“Halo: Reach is the latest instalment to the biggest gaming franchise and it’s been called the ‘Star Wars for the joypad generation,” Kieran Penwill, country manager, Entertainment and Devices, Microsoft Ireland, explained.
“Halo: Reach, developed exclusively for Xbox 360, is the blockbuster prequel to the franchise – truly Halo 4 in all but name. Halo: Reach breaks the mould for multiplayer games with groundbreaking new ways to play with and against friends over Xbox LIVE.
“The midnight launches will set off a sequence of events culminating in a special event with Idris Elba, Star of HBO’s The Wire (Stringer Bell) and BBC’s Luther; Irish rugby star Jamie Heaslip; RTE TV presenter Baz Ashmawy; and 98FM DJ Steven Cooper taking on the public to find Ireland’s biggest Halo fans.”
“The latest release is going to set a new milestone for the Halo franchise forward, representing the culmination of Bungie’s 10 years of experience crafting groundbreaking Halo games that have raised expectations for what can be achieved in a video game,” Penwill added.
Eight teams of four gamers have been selected to take part in a competition to face off against the celebrity team at the official launch event. The winners of the knockout competition will receive a limited edition Halo: Reach console and a copy of the game each.
Halo: Reach is available in standard edition (€69.99), Limited Edition (€79.99) and Legendary Edition (€119.99).
