So Halo 3 is out in the States and the hype-smothered launch has not gone unnoticed by the mainstream media. And fortunately, news sources have made full use of all three key 'big videogame launch' clichés.
And they are:
1. Let's laugh at all the freaks who queue up at midnight to purchase a videogame. Take it away USA Today (an extra point for interviewing the first chap in the line), CNET (ten points for insinuating that violence was a palpable and imminent threat) and Canada.com (100 points for pointing out that many disks handed out to Toronto gamers were actually scratched due to faulty packaging - that's hype and pathos!).
2. These idiots are going to pull sickies, plunging the shaky economy into meltdown. Take a bow USA Today (again!) and PennLive. The Washington Post loses points for actually asking people who are thinking of taking a Halo sickie to email them - presumably so they can can gather evidence for an 'Idiots bring about economic collapse to fight aliens' piece.
3. Jack Thompson Yes, the publicity-loathing attorney has apparently 'targetted' Halo 3. According to The Register and Game Politics among others, he's launching some kind of hair-brained lawsuit against the game. Frankly, I don't have the mental strength to investigate this any further.
With all these initial bases covered, reporters can now move onto the second wave of 'big videogame launch' news stories including the classic 'was Big Videogame worth all the hype?', the tragic 'Man loses job due to Big Videogame addiction' or the female-orientated favourite 'sex life has gone down the pan thanks to Big Videogame'. Come on, we're waiting...
