Hail to Halo
Video game expands exponentially
Bill Gallagher
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Life & Leisure
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With the final entry of the Halo trilogy out and, due to a surprisingly short campaign, finished by its fans (not including multiplayer, of course) some would assume that Halo universe will fade respectfully into the realm of sepia-toned nostalgia.
There is a snag in this scenario, that being that Microsoft loves money, and Halo has that amazing ability to produce it in massive quantities. So Microsoft has taken the route of George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry and started expanding its universe in all directions.
Technically, this process began after the first Halo was released when Microsoft hired Eric Nylund, and later William C. Dietz, to write novels within the Halo universe, aimed at those Halo players who actually enjoy reading. Apparently, despite what hours of playing Halo on Xbox Live would lead one to believe, there were enough Halo players mature enough to read an entire book, or at least to buy it.
The books themselves are not half bad, of course that is relative to pulp fiction (and not the good Tarantino kind) standards.
They did, however, manage to make the plot of Halo even more confusing than before, adding a cavalcade of new characters as well as, in deus ex machina fashion, bringing dead characters back to life. So far, a new book has been released every two years or so since 2001 and there are no signs of this stopping.
While Halo already has comic books, novels and even time traveling viral websites devoted to it, it's being adapted into a major motion picture (like many other popular game franchises have been). No doubt Microsoft hopes that by putting its golden goose on the silver screen it will draw even more people into its already massive fan base. This fan base can then be sold any manner of merchandise, from toxic soft drinks to overpriced action figures, with the Master Chief's "face" pasted on it. If this movie ends up making enough money sequels will be inevitable, and who knows, it may end up like Stargate with syndicated television show with less famous actors.
There is a snag in this scenario, that being that Microsoft loves money, and Halo has that amazing ability to produce it in massive quantities. So Microsoft has taken the route of George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry and started expanding its universe in all directions.
Technically, this process began after the first Halo was released when Microsoft hired Eric Nylund, and later William C. Dietz, to write novels within the Halo universe, aimed at those Halo players who actually enjoy reading. Apparently, despite what hours of playing Halo on Xbox Live would lead one to believe, there were enough Halo players mature enough to read an entire book, or at least to buy it.
The books themselves are not half bad, of course that is relative to pulp fiction (and not the good Tarantino kind) standards.
They did, however, manage to make the plot of Halo even more confusing than before, adding a cavalcade of new characters as well as, in deus ex machina fashion, bringing dead characters back to life. So far, a new book has been released every two years or so since 2001 and there are no signs of this stopping.
While Halo already has comic books, novels and even time traveling viral websites devoted to it, it's being adapted into a major motion picture (like many other popular game franchises have been). No doubt Microsoft hopes that by putting its golden goose on the silver screen it will draw even more people into its already massive fan base. This fan base can then be sold any manner of merchandise, from toxic soft drinks to overpriced action figures, with the Master Chief's "face" pasted on it. If this movie ends up making enough money sequels will be inevitable, and who knows, it may end up like Stargate with syndicated television show with less famous actors.
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