Halo 3

Right now there is one big question in the Xbox community that has yet to be answered definitively by Microsoft, or any of the Game Publishers for that matter. What is the Xbox 360 release date? Well it should come as no surprise that there are various rumors going around as well. Lucky for us, we have an 'in' with a couple of retailers, unfortunately, the information they are giving us, off the record, in regards to the Xbox 360 release date and Xbox 360 games releases and pricing is inconsistent.

The information listed below comes from an EB Games Corporate SKU list of Xbox 360 titles. We've removed the SKU numbers, but the supposed release dates and pricing is listed. Now, how much weight do we put on this list? Not much, since it can be easily broken into pieces and torn apart by looking at individual game information that we do know to be accurate. However, there are some interesting details, especially if compared to another retailer's list we have access to. I'll spare you all of the details, but after you glance at the following Xbox 360 games, release dates, and prices, be sure to see my additional comments on the matter.

Xbox 360 Games Release Dates (as per EB Games Corp list) [leaked, unofficial]

• AMPED 3 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• BURNOUT 4: REVENGE Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• CALL OF DUTY 2 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• CONDEMED Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• DEAD OR ALIVE 4 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• FINAL FANASY XI Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• FULL AUTO Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• GHOST RECON 3 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• GODFATHER Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• HOOPS 2K6 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• KAMEO ELEMENT Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 49.99
• MADDEN 06 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• NHL 2K6 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• OUTFIT Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• PERFECT DARK LE Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 3 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• QUAKE 4 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• RIDGE RACER 6 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• SAINTS ROW Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• TONY HAWK 'S AMERICAN WASTELAND Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• TOO HUMAN Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• TOP SPIN 2 Release Date: 11/02/05 Price: 59.99
• KING KONG Release Date: 11/16/05 Price: 59.99
• NBA LIVE 06 Release Date: 11/16/05 Price: 59.99
• NFS MOST WANTED Release Date: 11/16/05 Price: 59.99
• TIGER WOOD'S GOLF 06 Release Date: 11/16/05 Price: 59.99
• FRAME CITY Release Date: 11/19/05 Price: 59.99
• FIFA 2006 Release Date: 12/02/05 Price: 59.99
• GEARS OF WAR Release Date: 02/02/06 Price: 59.99
• PREY Release Date: 02/02/06 Price: 59.99
• HALO 3 Release Date: 07/01/06 Price: 59.99

As stated above, Xbox Solution is not putting any true weight to this list, and we currently deem this as a rumor, but there are some items of interest to be found within this list.

The projected launch date for the Xbox 360 console, according to this same list, is anywhere between November 4th - 8th, but the date has not been confirmed. There is no release date clearly associated with the Xbox 360 itself, only the games. The dates listed for the games are odd in a few different ways. By looking at the list you would assume the release date, or launch date, would be November 2nd, but closer inspection tells a different story.

Take the game The Godfather for example, the above list has it being released on 11/02/05, but publisher Electronic Arts recently stated that the game will not be released until 2006 (and that's for Xbox, the Xbox 360 is to be even later according to this press release). To take it a step farther, the pricing between our two lists is different. While both of the retailers have the majority of games listed at 59.99 a pop, EB has Kameo listed at 49.99, while the 'other' has DOA 4 listed at 39.99. Who to believe? Right now, no one.

It's our belief that the majority of titles above will be released with a starting price of 59.99 per game, but the dates are up in the air. To find out the true release dates and pricing on the console and the games, we'll just have to wait for an official statement from Microsoft, which we don't expect for a few weeks minimum. As soon as there is solid information, we'll have it posted, in the news section, not the rumor section.

Robbie Bach says that Bill Gates' widely reported comment about Halo 3 launching against PlayStation 3 next spring was a philosophical one rather than a specific pledge.

Speaking in an interview with the IDG News Service this week, the head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division said, "Halo is something we'll ship when it's ready".

Last May, Bill Gates said in an interview with Time magazine that the second wave of 360 titles would arrive in time to cause Sony problems. "It's perfect," he said. "The day Sony launches, and they walk right into Halo 3."

Bach argues that his boss was using Halo as an example. "Philosophically the point Bill was trying to make is that we’re not just going to ship and not have great stuff coming up," he told IDG.

Bach also commented further on the decision to offer the Xbox 360 hard disk as an optional extra, indicating that it may have been influenced by price sensitivity in parts of Europe.

Speaking ahead of X05, which takes place in Amsterdam today and tomorrow, Bach said of the decision not to include a hard disk as standard: "It's particularly important in Europe where parts of Europe are very price sensitive and the channels where games consoles are sold are predominantly mass merchants which again are very price sensitive... One size doesn't fit all."

we reported that Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox were both in negotiations with Microsoft to fund and distribute a movie based on the Redmond software company's Halo videogame series.

Negotiations appear to have succeeded, and the two companies will indeed share costs and revenues for the eventual science-fiction actioner. According to Studio Briefing, Universal and Fox will pay Microsoft $5 million plus a percentage of box office receipts to distribute the film, the former handling production and domestic release, and the latter distributing the film internationally.

In spite of the recent increase in game-based movies, film adaptations are increasingly seen as a risk for game companies and their very lucrative game franchises. Halo 2, for example, took in over $125 million in its first day of sales last year. Rather than trusting a Hollywood studio to develop – and possibly ruin – the movie, Microsoft has kept close control of the project, hiring 28 Days scribe Alex Garland to write the Halo screenplay

Microsoft is expected to time the premiere of Halo: The Movielord to coincide with the release of the next videogame in the series, Halo 3.

Expect the Halo movie to come out sometime in 2007.