Regarding the 1.5 million pre-orders of Halo 2..

[equest943]

When you really think about it, it's not as impressive as it seems. For one thing, places like Gamestop and EB have had Halo 2 on pre-order for the past two years. Read it with me people: 2 YEARS. Let's say you put the next hottest title for Gamecube or ps2 up for pre-order for 2 years, don't you think the numbers could amount to something close? And another thing is that people buy the xbox for Halo, so it's a given that almost every xbox owner is going to pre-order it. So personally, I'm not overly impressed by the pre-order numbers. They're big, yes, but factor in a few other things and it just seems a little less impressive.

[6669]

This is the 1.5 millionth Halo 2 thread. That's impressive.

[Legolas813]

no, even if a game has been on preorder for two years, that doesn't mean its going to get that many preorders

[dcfox]

The fact that people have been pre-ordering it 2 years ago makes it even more impressive. I don't many games can compell people to put money down on something they won't see until two years. But the time the preorder window has been up is not important. Those people who put the pre order down two years ago would have put the order down if the window was only a week from release. So yes it is impressive. And its not a given that every xbox owner will preorder it. I bet non preorder sales will be just as impressive.

[dracula]

1.5 million preorders is a ton. I think mario 3 sold the most copies of any game (in the usa or worldwide) iirc over 10 million copies, but halo 2 will probably break that record, at least domestically.

[Gothic Walrus]

1.5 million preorders is a ton. I think mario 3 sold the most copies of any game (in the usa or worldwide) iirc over 10 million copies, but halo 2 will probably break that record, at least domestically.

I don't think it will. The NES had a near-monopoly on the console market at that point, whereas the Xbox has competition. Beyond that, not every Xbox owner is interested in Halo 2, believe it or not.

It will selll well, but I don't know if it'll break the SMB3 mark or not...

[equest943]

ha good one 6669. And yeah I guess when I think about it that way, that people started 2 years ahead of time, but also, they thought it was going to be released the December after they pre-ordered. Sooo I dunno.

[Rozz]

Yeah, but they could have also cancelled them as well, so keep that in mind.

[vanlandw]

i pre-ordered my LE about a month ago at game rush..but i know many who have pre-ordered right when they anounced the LE

[legion_stxds]

The fact that people have been pre-ordering it 2 years ago makes it even more impressive. I don't many games can compell people to put money down on something they won't see until two years. But the time the preorder window has been up is not important. Those people who put the pre order down two years ago would have put the order down if the window was only a week from release. So yes it is impressive. And its not a given that every xbox owner will preorder it. I bet non preorder sales will be just as impressive.

Agreed, this many preorders is unique. I believe Half Life has an installed base of about 10 million users. So, as of now Halo is at 1/10 of this capacity, which is before the holiday rush. It will interesting what kind of figures we will see in a year after release (Probally not up there with HL but you never truely know).

[zionoverfire]

:shock: 1.5 million, that's a lot of chiefs.

[Scorch]

When you really think about it, it's not as impressive as it seems.

How is that not impressive? A million and a half people paying for something that's not out yet is not impressive?

For one thing, places like Gamestop and EB have had Halo 2 on pre-order for the past two years. Read it with me people: 2 YEARS.

Uh, yeah, so? Most people don't order until it goes gold.

Let's say you put the next hottest title for Gamecube or ps2 up for pre-order for 2 years, don't you think the numbers could amount to something close?

No.

And another thing is that people buy the xbox for Halo, so it's a given that almost every xbox owner is going to pre-order it.

I didn't buy my XBox for Halo. Not every XBox owner is going to pre-order it, and that's a dumb statement.

So personally, I'm not overly impressed by the pre-order numbers. They're big, yes, but factor in a few other things and it just seems a little less impressive.

Right. Wake me up when another game even breaks a million preorders.

1.5 million preorders is a ton. I think mario 3 sold the most copies of any game (in the usa or worldwide) iirc over 10 million copies, but halo 2 will probably break that record, at least domestically.

GTA3 stole that title, 11 million copies is the record thus far (and still counting).

[EggViper]

i wasnt too impressed with the amount of pre-orders either, dont get me wrong its an enormous number and it will probally go on to sell a lot more. but seeing as how much this game is hyped and imo one game thatll probally b in the collection of 99% of xbox owners it just doesnt seem that impressive to me.

[batman2million]

i preordered mine the day SW: Kights of the old repulic came out. Thing bout halo, is that more than Hard core gamers are gonna get it. If u know wat i mean.. Everyone wants halo, so its gonna sell..regard less of pre orders...those are jus number to show off and make other companies feel bad.

I mean..like..Microsoft jus needs the money!!

[greendj27]

Right. Wake me up when another game even breaks a million preorders.


What are the numbers of Grand Theft Auto:SA. I haven't seen any, but I would guess they are pretty high.

[Scorch]

Right. Wake me up when another game even breaks a million preorders.


What are the numbers of Grand Theft Auto:SA. I haven't seen any, but I would guess they are pretty high.

Not even nearly half, I guarentee that.

[evilpenguin9000]

I keep hearing about all the hype Halo 2 is getting and agree that there is plenty. But I don't think it's that far beyond some of the other games I've seen. MGS2 was superhyped before it came out. Everything Grand Theft Auto has been hyped as well.

[Kaijufan]

Anyone know if Half Life 2 has more preorders then Halo 2?

[Scorch]

Anyone know if Half Life 2 has more preorders then Halo 2?

Nope, and it'd be impossible to tell retail figures and online figures. Valve is offering special bonuses if you order it through them, so they could greatly exaggerate the number and none would be the wiser.

[CaptainObviousXl]

the olny reson for this is cause they didnt offer a gift. The reason that loz ww gor 4 mil was cause of the oot gift, some people also put down more than one preorder

[GameDude]

Anyone know if Half Life 2 has more preorders then Halo 2?


I very seriously doubt if it's more than a quarter of Halo 2's. Console games tend to sell better since it is so much easier to pirate PC games and PC gaming is more towards hardcore gamers - the ones who do most of the pirating. While console is more mainstream.

For instance, most of the people I know play PC more than consoles. However, I don't believe any of them have preordered HL 2 and I know quite a few who have Halo 2 preordered.

[mmn]

I don't understand why people care about how many preorders it has. I mean, I understand that this is a forum and the point is to discuss things, but it seems there's better things to talk about. If Halo 2 didn't have one single preorder would it stop you from buying it? Does it really matter in any way if GTA : SA or Half Life 2 has more preorders than Halo 2? If Halo 2 doesn't outsell every game this holiday season does it make the game any less fun?

[legion_stxds]

the olny reson for this is cause they didnt offer a gift. The reason that loz ww gor 4 mil was cause of the oot gift, some people also put down more than one preorder

Yeah some friends of mine ordered two copies, one LE and one standard. Hope they kick one back to me!!!^^

[rajchakrabarti]

I don't understand why people care about how many preorders it has. I mean, I understand that this is a forum and the point is to discuss things, but it seems there's better things to talk about. If Halo 2 didn't have one single preorder would it stop you from buying it? Does it really matter in any way if GTA : SA or Half Life 2 has more preorders than Halo 2? If Halo 2 doesn't outsell every game this holiday season does it make the game any less fun?

Fanboys go nutz for sales figures.. so they can back themselves up in the forever long arugements of what system is better. Oh look halo 2 sold a billion .. that means xbox is the best .... wait gta 3 sold a billion one.. ps2 is better.

[CapAmerica]

Halo 2 is the only game that I've ever seen make such a big deal about pre-order figures. No one else every makes a big stink about it. I don't recall Rockstar making a big fus over how many copies of GTA was pre-ordered.

The number aren't that impressive. And I bet if anyone else took a game that Might be a AAA title, said it was coming out 2 years ago and then kept pushing the date back and on top of that promoted the HELL out of it. I think you would see the same numbers.

Pretty much anyone who really cares about Halo 2 has it pre-odered. I don't see sales being much bigger after the launch.

Microsoft is just using these Pre-order numbers as part of the ad campaign in order to try and sell more copies to the people who really don't care a lot about Halo 2 but might be willing to give it a shot.

[greendj27]

I don't understand why people care about how many preorders it has. I mean, I understand that this is a forum and the point is to discuss things, but it seems there's better things to talk about. If Halo 2 didn't have one single preorder would it stop you from buying it? Does it really matter in any way if GTA : SA or Half Life 2 has more preorders than Halo 2? If Halo 2 doesn't outsell every game this holiday season does it make the game any less fun?

Fanboys go nutz for sales figures.. so they can back themselves up in the forever long arugements of what system is better. Oh look halo 2 sold a billion .. that means xbox is the best .... wait gta 3 sold a billion one.. ps2 is better.

Right....so everyone who asks about preorders is a fanboy. Wow. That's dumb.

The reason I was asking is because everyone is making a fuss about Halo 2's numbers and GTA is another big game coming out soon. I was just looking for a comparison to see if it was as impressive as it seemed.

[Pylis]

I think the OP is probably a PS2 fanboy or something.

[greendj27]

I think the OP is probably a PS2 fanboy or something.

The why is his avatar an Xbox game?

[Ledhed]

I think the OP is probably a PS2 fanboy or something.

The why is his avatar an Xbox game?

The OP has no avatar silly. I think you looked at the top of this, the 2nd page.

[greendj27]

I think the OP is probably a PS2 fanboy or something.

The why is his avatar an Xbox game?

The OP has no avatar silly. I think you looked at the top of this, the 2nd page.

Dammit, you're right. I just get annoyed when people start thrwoing out fanboy commentsinstead of making a valid point.

[Ledhed]

I just get annoyed when people start thrwoing out fanboy commentsinstead of making a valid point.

Hard to argue with that. And I'd just like to say that pre-order numbers are nothing to go by in terms of the popularity of a game. About 80% of people buy games casually. There is a very small market for the rabid, day-one types like us.

[guessed]

...And another thing is that people buy the xbox for Halo, so it's a given that almost every xbox owner is going to pre-order it. So personally, I'm not overly impressed by the pre-order numbers. They're big, yes, but factor in a few other things and it just seems a little less impressive.

So, the fact (questionable as it may be) that "almost every xbox owner is going to pre-order it (Halo 2)" is not impressive, because it is expected? Bill Gates' wealth, therefore, is not impressive because we all know he is rich? I don't agree. Selling more preorders than any other game (I don't know it for a fact, but it seems likely) is impressive, whether expected or not.

[Pylis]

Er... sorry to throw out "fanboy" commentary, but I think it IS a valid point. It really makes no difference whether or not Halo 2 has a lot of preorders or not. It's just that I get the impression that this thread exists just to bash on Halo 2.