Halo 3 Baby!

For the few folks who do not leave your house, do not watch television or anything media related, and have no idea what year we are living in, Halo 3 has arrived.



Fans have been waiting for three years to fill the cliff hanging gap of Halo 2. For months we've been teased at the release seeing Master Cheif show up at Burger King, appear on 7-Eleven Slurpee cups, gain his own Mountain Dew Energy Fuel, and ride on the side of Nascar driver David Stremme's No. 40 Dodge Charger this past Sunday at the Dover 400. Pontiac is even giving away 144 Halo 3 themed sports cars. Video game fan or not, Halo 3 is here.

At 9:00 pm lines had already begun to form outside the gamestop in Trussville, AL. I along with around 100 other people took a seat waiting for the 12 midnight release. 10,000 stores opened their doors last night to accommodate the hungry fans. In our line, people were eating free food, playing sports in the parking lot, drinking energy drinks to get ready for an all nighter, playing live music, sharing gamer tags, and talking through their anticipation with other fans. You could actually feel the excitement in the air. But all this over a game?


Some see it that way, but when you look deeper, there is a bit more. Halo 3 features top of the line next-gen graphics, 50,000 audio clips, a 60 piece orchestra, a 24 voice choir, 5.1 surround sound, clever story lines, and enough fun to last the next few years to come. Spider Man 3 grossed $151 million on opening weekend, and Microsoft is looking to clear that. Halo 2 grossed $124 million in the first 24 hours of its release, which gives Microsoft a good sign of reaching their goal.


For the next few weeks to come, Halo 3 will be the focus of thousands of people. Here is what is being said: "I'll be there at 12:01 a.m. with all the other 14-year-olds to get my copy. I gotta work and I gotta eat, but I can sacrifice my sleep." "If I have enough sales, I'm going to take that whole week off." Many of my personal friends sacrificed sleep last night to feed the Halo 3 need. Thousands of people for the next few weeks will spend more time fighting the good fight in the world of Halo rather than planet earth. But for those who are still fighting the good fight on earth, let me leave you with some tips to help with the battle.


10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18


Halo 3 has provided us with new weapons that will help get the job done. But long before Halo existed, we were given some insight on how to fight the battle that is going on in our real lives.

We are instructed to take a stand against the the devil. There is a spiritual war going on where Satan is trying to destroy every person on the planet. But we are to be the "Master Chief" of the war and do our part in saving everyone around us. As cool as it is to play a super hero through our pal Master Chief in Halo, when you put the controller down continue that Halo 3 like quest in your real life.


So enjoy the Halo 3 party, finish the fight between the Flood, the Covenant, and the entire human race. Then when you have a break, remember the fight going on for the souls of your friends and family. Take up your spiritual weapons and make a difference in those around you.


Just be cause the controller is down, it doesn't mean the battle is over!


Brandon