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[GamerXL]

Yet but there were like 30 million PSX units in North America then. The market penetration of Halo 2 is unprecedented. I'm impressed and I don't really care too much about sales, and never start threads about them. Me starting this one shows just how impressed I am.

 

[Red Dolphin]

They've somehow managed to make Halo 2 the event of this generation eclipsing everything else, even before people could decide if Halo 2 was all that good anyway. Make no mistake, this was a PR victory. As incredible as you may think Halo 2 is, these sales aren't because of how good it is, it's about how Microsoft was able to convince EVERYONE that Halo 2 was the second coming

Bingo.

No one is denying how great the first game is but the hype surrounding the release of this game was just absolutely ridiculous. Best PR work I have ever seen. It got to the point (before release) that the hype was actually pissing me off.

 

[Teddman]

And just for information, Final Fantasy VIII sold 2.51 million on the first day of release in Japan back in Feb 99, which I believe is still the record.

WRONG.

Square's Final Fantasy VIII sold over two million copies on its first day of release last Thursday. This record-setting first day is the first major opening-day hit the video game industry has had in a while in Japan, according to the Nikkei... Square said that 2.21 million copies were sold the first day, with DigiCube sales accounting for 1.65 million copies of the game (other retailers and toy stores sold about 560,000 copies).

http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/finalfantasy8/news_2452305.html

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I'm sure it's done very well, but 2.38 million on the first day is kinda hard to believe.

Halo 2 had 2 million pre-orders so I don't know why that number is hard to believe, but whatever.

 

[sonycowboy]

Halo 2 had 2 million pre-orders so I don't know why that number is hard to believe, but whatever.

The last I heard was 1.5. I'm quite sure it sold well over 2 million, but I never heard a two million preorder number.

 

[IgeL]

[Sweden] For example, I haven't seen any ads for Halo 2. Not in papers, not on TV, not in my town (at bus stops for example, and they even had posters there for frickin' Golden Sun 2 back when it was released). It's strange, maybe it's just a coincidence I've missed them all...

There have been some Halo 2 TV/radio ads in Finland. It's not all over the place (haven't seen posters for example) but it has been made known. But yeah I know, there were some people at the launch party who asked "WTF are you queueing for??! A fricking game? Get a life!!"

 

[Kiriku]

There have been some Halo 2 TV/radio ads in Finland. It's not all over the place (haven't seen posters for example) but it has been made known. But yeah I know, there were some people at the launch party who asked "WTF are you queueing for??! A fricking game? Get a life!!"

Radio ads for a videogame? I can't recall ever hearing about something like that, but I rarely listen to radio, maybe that's why. Cool anyway.
It's weird though, I've seen the GTA:SA ad on TV a number of times now, but I have yet to see any for Halo 2. As I said before, maybe I've just missed it.
And I'm sure there have been some ads and hype by MS, I'm just pointing out that it doesn't seem to be nearly as big as in the US. But then again, it's probably easier to coordinate over in NA because they only have one language and one "market" to keep track of, more or less.

 

[dorio]

Bingo.

No one is denying how great the first game is but the hype surrounding the release of this game was just absolutely ridiculous. Best PR work I have ever seen. It got to the point (before release) that the hype was actually pissing me off.

I disagree. What exactly did they do that other big name companies didn't do for their big titles. People have done movie trailers, tv commercials, and midnight openings in the past.

 

[GamerXL]

I disagree. What exactly did they do that other big name companies didn't do for their big titles. People have done movie trailers, tv commercials, and midnight openings in the past.

Nail. Hit. Head.

I personally feel that the media blitz for GTA III and GTA:VC were bigger. I remember seeing those commercials at least 10 times a day. They were omnipresent.

 

[LukeSmith]

Wow, makes me wish UT2004 got a little more sales action. What with Onslaught owning Halo 2's multiplayer.

/Trolling, still thinks Halo is the most overrated piece of shit ever.

Ban

Yet but there were like 30 million PSX units in North America then. The market penetration of Halo 2 is unprecedented.

Market penetration is what I've stressed all along. Higher userbase should equal more sales for GTA: SA. But the penetration of Halo 2 will be greater, period.

 

[Nerevar]

Bingo.

No one is denying how great the first game is but the hype surrounding the release of this game was just absolutely ridiculous. Best PR work I have ever seen. It got to the point (before release) that the hype was actually pissing me off.

What? I haven't even seen a commercial for Halo 2, and I've seen numerous commercials for GTA:SA and that "undermarketed" other sequel, Metroid Prime 2. Halo was it's own marketing - what other games have inspired user-driven exposure like the Warthog jump video or Red vs. Blue?

 

[J2 Cool]

So this is the most sold in a single day? Damn. What did GTA:SA do? And this is kind of an interesting sales battle. SA was basically all word of mouth and magazines. I didnt see one tv ad till far after it released and not too many posters either. Halo 2 was in theaters, on buses, had lifesize posters, tv trailers.. the biggest pushed game by a company ever possibly. And yet both were huge successes. Just wondering what exactly the numbers for both were. 2.38 for Halo 2 and.. ?

 

[J2 Cool]

What? I haven't even seen a commercial for Halo 2, and I've seen numerous commercials for GTA:SA and that "undermarketed" other sequel, Metroid Prime 2. Halo was it's own marketing - what other games have inspired user-driven exposure like the Warthog jump video or Red vs. Blue?

:lol :lol :lol wtf are you talking about?

 

[Incognito]

On Tuesday, the 9th, I went in to BestBuy to purchase a new tv and what theme happened to be playing over the speakers in the store?

Halo 2.

Anyway, as I'm looking at the TV's, three different reps came up to me and said, "New TV for Halo 2, huh?"

My friends up in Austin, San Marcos, Lubbock have all been calling for some sweet Halo 2 XBL action... the game is on everyone's mind.

 

[Incognito]

What? I haven't even seen a commercial for Halo 2, and I've seen numerous commercials for GTA:SA and that "undermarketed" other sequel, Metroid Prime 2. Halo was it's own marketing - what other games have inspired user-driven exposure like the Warthog jump video or Red vs. Blue?

:lol :lol :lol

Even the local radio stations down here had been pimping Halo 2 for a week straight. Commericals were everywhere as were ads in magazines... perhaps Nickelodeon isn't allowed to show ads for M rated games?

 

[Mrbob]

Like I've said before, the true legacy of Halo 2 is in the multiplayer mode. It's fantastic. Head and shoulders above any other online console game out there. For this reason alone is why I think Halo 2 will have no trouble outselling its predecessor.

 

[XboxGamers]

"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side"

:lol

 

[Moegames]

Hell yeah! Halo2 is making xbox the console of choice for sure. So many good games and being 2nd in the console market place its first time in the videogame hardware buisness rocks..surpassing Nintendo which has been in the videogame hardware biz for years!