|
|||||||||||||||||||
By Mike Snider, USA TODAY
With the Halo video games, game developer Bungie created a space-opera mythology for the Microsoft Xbox game systems to rival Star Wars. Now it appears the franchise is aiming to emulate George Lucas' expanded universe.
About 2.5 million people have bought the latest Halo 3: ODST game ($60, for Xbox 360) since it was released two weeks ago, a nice reception for a game that doesn't star Halo main man, the Master Chief. Instead, players control a squad of futuristic special forces known as Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) deployed to fight off the enemy forces of The Covenant attacking Earth. Already Halo 3: ODST has generated more than $125 million in sales, continuing the success of the franchise that had sold more than 27 million so far. "That's pretty good for a game that most called an 'expansion pack,' " says analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities. But that's not the only activity in the Halo universe. Several projects are in development, set in motion by the 2001 blockbuster video-game release, Halo. Video games A first-person shooter with an additional multiplayer mode, Halo: Reach "is a chronological prequel but it is not a prequel in the directions the Star Wars prequels were to the (original) movies," says O'Connor, a co-writer on 2007's Halo 3. says. "It will cover events in and around the planet Reach," where the invading Covenant first attacked humankind in the Halo story line. Comics A new series, Halo: Blood Line, beginning Dec. 23, is about super-secret operations conducted by superhuman cybernetic Spartan soldiers. Could the Master Chief, a Spartan, be involved? "The Spartans in that series are only identified by number to keep and maintain secrecy so there's no way to find out because they wear helmets and identify each other by numbers," O'Connor says. Videos Halo Waypoint will be a hub for Halo content, including video, audio, podcasts and screenshots, O'Connor says. "If you think about Halo Wars, Halo 3 and ODST and eventually Halo: Reach, we will be able to cross-pollinate some of the career aspects of those games." Books Action figures Still, some bigger Halo questions loom. What about the Halo movie? A big-screen theatrical mission, originally planned with director Peter Jackson, is on hold. "We're being very careful to pick the right time and the right partner," O'Connor says. As for Master Chief, odds are he will be seen again. "I think that (his) fate, Cortana's fate and the identity of that giant, dark planet at the ending (on the game's hardest skill level) — that's a spoiler — are probably big mysteries that would be irritating if they were just cliffhangers," O'Connor says. "We do have a plan that goes out at least six years," he says. "Eventually, it will become very apparent that there is a plan for the way the canon all ties together and the way the comic books and the novels all tie together."
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|