Fans In Craze Over Halo 2

The entertainment industry is bracing for a big night tonight as thousands of fans around the globe wait to get their hand on Halo 2 for the Microsoft Xbox.

In New York, Toys “R” Us Times Square will be the epicenter of “Halo 2″ activities in the United States. Legions of dedicated fans are expected to line the streets waiting for the chance to be amongthe first to own the coveted game. Across every time zone, more than 7,000 retailers are also planning “midnight madness” events. A complete list of retail outlets opening at 12:01 a.m. can be foundonline at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/halo2/storelocator.htm.   The Nov. 9launch will extend beyond U.S. borders with retail events and parties in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan as well as throughout Latin America and Down Under in Australia and NewZealand. On Nov. 10, the launch will roll out in movie-premiere-style red carpet celebrations in Belgium, France and Switzerland, followed by a   Nov. 11 release in Austria, Denmark, Finland,Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. “Halo 2″ will be available in eight languages (traditional Chinese, English, French,German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish) and will be distributed in 27 countries.   “With more than 1.5 million copies already preordered, day-one sales of ‘Halo 2′ look to herald thebiggest 24 hours in entertainment retail history,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide publishing and marketing for Xbox at Microsoft Corp. “By the end of this week the world willbe playing ‘Halo 2′ – and with our Xbox Live