Halo 3 ODST Visits Antioch
On Wednesday August 26th, 2009 residents who live near Slatten ranch were treated to a very curious sight. Early in the morning, amidst the backdrop of a heavy fog, the sounds of rumbling echoed through the air like rolling thunder.
Those who dared sneak a peak through their window didn’t see a summer storm though, but a 5-ton army vehicle taking over the Slatten Ranch parking lot. Along with it was an army of young kids eager to see what was inside. While seeing army vehicles roll through your hometown can be a little intimidating, Antioch wasn’t being invaded by our neighbors in Brentwood, we were getting a visit from Microsoft and Bungie to promote the upcoming Halo 3 ODST game.
Gamers who were lucky enough to be able to attend the event got a sneak preview of the game and a unique experience inside of the 5-ton truck. (don’t let the name fool you the truck is actually 26,000 pounds!)
A few residents showed up as early as midnight to make sure that they could be the first ones to play, while others waited as long as 2 hours in line, just so that they could spend 10 minutes with the game. Sure they could just wait until September 22nd to play the game, but for Halo fans, being able to get a look at the game one month before everyone else can be a thrilling experience.
The 5-Ton truck that Microsoft and Bungee built for the event is larger than life. Originally it was an old mobile hospital that was barely used during the 1970’s. Microsoft found the truck in Canada and drove it to Seattle where they gave it a complete retrofit. While beefing up the truck, they learned the hard way that the walls are made of teflon armor after their diamond drill bit snapped in two like a pixie stick, while trying to drill holes in the bottom of the truck. Unfortunately, the truck isn’t in the game itself, but it sounds like it could make a guest appearance in future versions of Halo since they are planning on using it again for other events.
Despite it being used as a mobile command, the ODST crew at the event don’t get to use this as the ultimate camping experience. They may be spending the next month traveling from city to city and their fans may be willing to sleep outside to catch a glimpse, but you won’t find anyone from Bungie sleeping in an army cot in the back, they get set up in local hotels.
While at the event, the ODST crew was kind enough to say a few words to the Antioch Grove about the game and life on the road:
Perhaps even more interesting than all of the buzz and activity surrounding the event, was a conversation that we had with a few of the Gamestop employees who were helping to host the event. After lamenting about the poor customer experience from the video game by mail company Gamefly, we asked why Gamestop didn’t come up with their own games by mail program, so that residents could get their games from the mail or locally. Pretty much all of the employees agreed that this would be a fine addition to the Gamestop family, but it was what they said afterwards that was a bit surprising.
Apparently, the water cooler gossip around the Antioch and Brentwood stores is that “someone” (Gamestop) is planning on buying out Gamefly before the end of the year. When pressed for more details on the subject, the Gamestop representatives grew quiet and didn’t provide a lot of details, but most of the employees in attendance seemed pretty confident about the rumor. Having a hot game come into town for a preview is exciting, but would pale in consideration to how big this would be. We’re still keeping this one on rumor status until we can get more concrete information, but it definitely caught our attention and something that we will keep our eyes open for.
While these types of events can be a lot of fun, there is also the risk that making your best customers wait in line can backfire, but everyone we spoke with at the event had nothing but good things to say about the game and the experience. Several people in line mentioned that they were going through for their 2nd or 3rd spin and that it was totally worth taking the time off to play the game in this way. Others were excited that Halo 3 ODST had lived up to their high expectations and that soon they’d be playing it in their living room. Even the Antioch Dads who clearly weren’t video gamers seemed excited by the opportunity to bond with their kids.
Events like this are a really big deal for a small community like ours, so we were pleased to see it come off so successfully. The Gamefly in Brentwood is planning on holding more local events over the next year and we’ll keep you updated on the Brentwood Grove as more details emerge. While everyone will end up having a different experience with the game, if you believe the kids from Antioch, this should end up being a very successful launch for Microsoft and Bungie.
For more pictures of the Halo 3 ODST event please visit the Antioch Grove’s Flickr Stream
