Article Body A Brief History Of The Halo Franchise

There is no question that the Halo series is one of the most successful video games in the history of the genre. It is a science fiction trilogy, produced by Bungie Studios. The story centers on Master Chief, who is a cybernetically-enhanced, but human protagonist who spearheads the fight against humanities alien enemy known as the Covenant.

Widely known as a huge success on the Xbox video game console, the game initially released to Mac and PC users. What was originally meant to be a Real Time Shooter, the concept evolved into the premiere First Person Shooter of it's time, setting the stage for hundreds of copycat releases. It's original debut happened at MacWorld '99 to an extremely enthusiastic crowd.

The buzz being generated by the game didn't go unnoticed by Microsoft, who were searching for stellar launch titles for their upcoming console. In the June of 2000, Microsoft purchased Bungie for $50 million dollars, making Halo the launch title for the upcoming Xbox.

By November 15, 2001, the Xbox was available in stores everywhere. Also available was Halo: Combat Evolved. It was a massive success both critically and in the eyes of the fans. The game sold millions of copies, making the brand new console a solid new player in the rising video game industry. Many sales records were shattered upon release, and continue to be broken. Bungie has since released two sequels and many different types of additional merchandise, including novels, comics, and toys.

Anyone with broadband cable access can connect their Xbox to the internet and Xbox Live. This will allow you to enjoy the backbone of the franchises long lasting success, online multiplayer. The single player campaign is great, but it's the revolutionary multiplayer battles that have stood the test of time.

Halo, and the sequels, are definitely important pillars that the Xbox and Xbox 360 rests on. Epic storytelling and engaging single player campaigns are amazing, and the deep multiplayer modes give gamers reasons to keep coming back for more. Players, young and old, have made this one of the premiere titles in the history of video games.