Locals wait in line for hours for copy of 'Halo 4'
By Shondiin Silversmith
Navajo Times
GALLUP, November 15, 2012
(Special to the Times – Donovan Quintero)
TOP: Mathias Pablo, 10, from Twin Lakes, N.M., holds up a Halo 4 gamer guide on Nov. 6 in Gallup. Pablo and hundreds of Halo fans lined up outside the GameStop video game store to buy their copy of the popular game, which went on sale at midnight.
SECOND FROM TOP: David Jay Arviso, from Gallup holds up his copy of Halo 4 on Nov. 6 in Gallup.
THIRD FROM TOP: Xander Joe, 14, from Twin Lakes, reads the back of his new video game, Halo 4, on Nov. 6 in Gallup.
B eing able to stick an enemy with a plasma grenade has never been sweeter.
Of course that is not literally speaking but it was the case recently as over 200 people waited in line during the midnight launch for the release of Halo 4, the most highly anticipated video game released this year.
It has been five years since the supposed conclusion of Halo was played out in Halo 3, but recently hundreds of people waited in line for hours to get their hands on Halo 4, which was released worldwide on Nov. 6.
And even though the temperature dropped below 40 degrees on the eve of the release and minutes slowly passed, that wasn't enough to dampen the spirits of those waiting outside stores like GameStop in Gallup.
Tuyson Charley, 23, of Thoreau, N.M. said he had been waiting in line for Halo 4 since 10 a.m. on Nov. 3.
"They told me I was the first one in the country," Charley said of being told by GameStop staff that he was one of the first in line for the game. "Ever since I was a kid I've been playing Halo. I want to be a top player in the country."
Halo is a sci-fi action game that allows the players to explore a range of high-tech warfare. Though Halo 1, 2 and 3 were developed by a gaming company called Bungie, Halo 4 was developed by 343 industries.
According to a press release, "Consumer demand and excitement for 'Halo 4' is even greater than we anticipated," said Tony Bartel, GameStop president. "Day-one sales of 'Halo 4' make it the biggest 'Halo' launch in GameStop history and the biggest game launch on any platform so far this year in our stores."
The stories of Halo follow Spartan Master Chief 117, John. He has been through epic battles.
According to the Halo 4 website, "the Master Chief returns to battle an ancient evil bent on vengeance and annihilation. Shipwrecked on a mysterious world, faced with new enemies and deadly technology...the universe will never be the same."
Charley said that the one thing that kept him there waiting was the fact that "Master Chief is coming back. I think he is going to dominate and hopefully he does what he does best: survive."
"I wanted to be the first one here," Charley said of being the first in line.
Needless to say, Charley was happy being the first one out the door at midnight with a copy of Halo 4.
"It was worth it," Charley said recalling the nights he had to spend in his truck through the cold.
"We're big fans, we've been fans since the first Halo," said Justin Sam, 15, of Church Rock, N.M of him and his friend Brad Sam, 18, of Thoreau, N.M.
Both said they got in line at 2 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Both added that they looked forward to what Halo 4 had to offer them.
Holding his video game, Sevastian Silva of Gallup said, "It's always amazing getting it now," referring to the midnight launch.
Markos Chavez said, "Even though I will wake up tired, it's still worth it," adding that he had waited since 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 6 to get his copy. "This is the only game I don't mind waiting in line for. The only game I do wait in line for.
According to news reports, Halo 4 is now on track to reach $300 million in sales worldwide in its first week, making it the most successful Halo launch in history, and beating out money making movies such as The Avengers and Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
The game is made exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox 360.