We get a lot of stick for how big Halo has become, with T-shirts, sodas, action figures and so on, but sometimes our promotional partners give you something to really sink your teeth into. Such is the case with our friends at Best Buy. And this one is BIG.
During the launch period of Halo 3, the 25th, 26th and 27th of September, Best Buy will be sponsoring the Xbox Live Gold service and making it free for everyone. Think of it as Halo Free Gold Days. That means that even if you only have Xbox Live Silver, or you picked up a 360 just for Halo 3, that you’ll be able to try almost all of the features – online co-op, Multiplayer, Forge editing, viewing networked Saved Films - however, you will not be able to use our File Share system unless you subscribe to the paid Xbox Live Gold service.
To be honest, it’s a blessing for us. Some of our game’s most amazing features can only be fully enjoyed on Xbox Live with a Gold account – and we wanted as many people as possible to at least try those features. Now they can. Which means less talk and more action. So thanks to Best Buy, during those first three days, all you’ll need is an Xbox 360, a broadband connection and a copy of Halo 3. Although, it should be noted you’ll have access to Xbox Live Gold for any game, not just ours.
And that’s not all. Best Buy is pulling out all the stops by presenting the Xbox Live and Best Buy Play & Win Sweepstakes-8000 Microsoft Points will be given away during the free Xbox Live period to 144 randomly selected winners. Which means you might be lucky enough to win some points to download and watch some HD movies on your 360 and presumably the ridiculously giant new Home Theater setup you just bought for Halo 3. You did, right? You’re not playing Halo 3 on a 14 inch set in your basement are you?
Turning this into a real event, those first prize winners will then be entered for the chance to win an incredibly well-specified and complete Home Theater setup, comprising the brand-new Samsung AS720 5.1, HDMI-equipped Home Theater system, an upscaling DVD player and the state of the art LED-powered Samsung HLT6187 61 inch 1080p DLP TV. Paired with a 360 running Halo 3, it’s quite a system.
And that’s not all – in conjunction with Pontiac, one of these 144 lucky winners will be awarded a Halo 3 themed Pontiac G6 GXP Street Edition.
Your future ride?
Inside your future ride?
Oh, and speaking of Home Theater experiences, watch out in the near future for our launch article on AV calibration and Halo 3.
Make sure you register in the Xbox LIVE and Best Buy Play & Win Sweepstakes for your chance to enter and win these great prizes: Register Here
And remember, this is a Best Buy contest, not a Bungie one, so make sure you read all their terms and conditions!