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November is always a big month for gaming, and this year is no different. On November 6th, the long awaited Halo 4 is set to launch, followed up by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on the 13th. Which of these juggernauts of gaming will sell more? If pre-orders are anything to go by, the answer may surprise you.
According to VGchartz, Halo 4 currently holds 507,343 pre-orders, edging out Black Ops 2, which has 429,937. (Both are USA pre-orders only). That’s right, our old friend Chief has managed to generate enough buzz to outpace the current king of shooters, Call of Duty. However, Call of Duty is known for impressive day one sales with more casual gamers, so everything could change this November. Until then, Halo has the lead, here’s why.
The Number Game
Halo Reach was critically acclaimed, and loved by fans, but sold less copies than Halo 3, why? The answer may be found within the games’s title. Halo: Reach connected with series fans, but the more casual players were likely a bit confused thanks to the previous Halo release, Halo: ODST, an expansion to Halo 3. With two titles in a row lacking the presence of “4″ in the title, many players felt content skipping these experiences, and waited for what they thought would be a true sequel to Halo 3. That time has finally come, Halo 4 sees the return of the Chief and Cortana, and players everywhere are ready to say hello to a few old friends.
The Re-Birth of Sci Fi
There was a time when just about every FPS title worth playing featured a Sci-Fi setting, the early days of the genre. This eventually gave way to more war based titles, we saw the birth of Call of Duty, and a wave of WW2 based titles. Most recently there has been a shift towards modern warfare, games such as Battlefield 3, Medal of Honor, and COD: MW1-3 took center stage. Now, players seem to want something different. Halo has character, Halo has personality, Halo is Sci-Fi that refuses to die, and that’s a very good thing.
The Next Generation
Its 2012, and the Xbox 360 is still selling quite well. After the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft has continued to sell millions of consoles across the globe, introducing Kinect, and bringing an entirely new audience into Xbox Live, and none of these players were around for the mega launch that was Halo 3. This new wave of Xbox owners are looking for something to play, and nothing says Xbox like the Halo series.
One thing is certain, come November, the two biggest names in shooting games will be setting their sights on your wallet, and many dollars and jobs will be lost in the process.
November is always a big month for gaming, and this year is no different. On November 6th, the long awaited Halo 4 is set to launch, followed up by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on the 13th. Which of these juggernauts of gaming will sell more? If pre-orders are anything to go by, the answer may surprise you.
According to VGchartz, Halo 4 currently holds 507,343 pre-orders, edging out Black Ops 2, which has 429,937. (Both are USA pre-orders only). That’s right, our old friend Chief has managed to generate enough buzz to outpace the current king of shooters, Call of Duty. However, Call of Duty is known for impressive day one sales with more casual gamers, so everything could change this November. Until then, Halo has the lead, here’s why.
The Number Game
Halo Reach was critically acclaimed, and loved by fans, but sold less copies than Halo 3, why? The answer may be found within the games’s title. Halo: Reach connected with series fans, but the more casual players were likely a bit confused thanks to the previous Halo release, Halo: ODST, an expansion to Halo 3. With two titles in a row lacking the presence of “4″ in the title, many players felt content skipping these experiences, and waited for what they thought would be a true sequel to Halo 3. That time has finally come, Halo 4 sees the return of the Chief and Cortana, and players everywhere are ready to say hello to a few old friends.
The Re-Birth of Sci Fi
There was a time when just about every FPS title worth playing featured a Sci-Fi setting, the early days of the genre. This eventually gave way to more war based titles, we saw the birth of Call of Duty, and a wave of WW2 based titles. Most recently there has been a shift towards modern warfare, games such as Battlefield 3, Medal of Honor, and COD: MW1-3 took center stage. Now, players seem to want something different. Halo has character, Halo has personality, Halo is Sci-Fi that refuses to die, and that’s a very good thing.
The Next Generation
Its 2012, and the Xbox 360 is still selling quite well. After the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft has continued to sell millions of consoles across the globe, introducing Kinect, and bringing an entirely new audience into Xbox Live, and none of these players were around for the mega launch that was Halo 3. This new wave of Xbox owners are looking for something to play, and nothing says Xbox like the Halo series.
One thing is certain, come November, the two biggest names in shooting games will be setting their sights on your wallet, and many dollars and jobs will be lost in the process.
