Halo 3 Accessory Roundup

Microsoft's unprecedented marketing push proves that if you can dream it, you can make it in green and gold.

September 21, 2007 - Halo 3 is now just days away from launch, and if Microsoft's marketing onslaught bears fruit, a hysteria of anticipation should now be gripping each and every Xbox 360 owner. For those so affected, Monday night might seem like a long way away even now. To sate this gnawing hunger for Halo 3, we're offering a summary of what has been an unprecedented display of marketing tie-ins and related products, ranging from the attractive, to the questionable, to the absurd.

Halo 3 Legendary Edition

Special editions of highly anticipated games are a nice option for serious fans, as spending an extra $10 for a cool metal box and some extras is a fun way to pay homage to a favorite series. Paying an extra $60, on the other hand, is taking fandom pretty far. The $129.99 Halo 3 Legendary Edition offers fans this chance to pay twice the price of the solo game for the opportunity to own a soft-ball sized Spartan helmet figurine and an extra disc of developer's commentary. Worth it? We've seen the helmet figurine, and we'll just say you can do a lot better for $60.

Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360

Originally premiered at this year's E3 keynote to an entirely nonplussed crowd, the Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360 is said to be a lot more attractive in person than it appears in press shots. The $399 package is sold at a $50 premium over its comparable beige brethren, but it does sport the new HDMI upgrade and is packaged with a green and gold Play and Charge kit, which mitigates the extra cost to a degree.

Halo 3 Special Edition Zune

The Halo 3 Zune was one of the first branded products to hit the street, launching all the way back in June. The Special Edition, which was a GameStop exclusive, was politely sold for the same price as a regular Zune, $249.99. Buyers got a surprisingly attractively decorated Zune loaded with Halo media like soundtracks, video content, and pictures. Not bad really, though the new iPods, and news that we'll see the Zune 2 launch rather soon, should dampen prospective purchasers excitement at this point. (Read more)

Halo 3 Special Edition Wireless Headset

Microsoft obviously got a good deal on olive green plastic. The Halo 3 Limited Edition Xbox 360 Wireless Headset is exactly the same as its standard edition counterpart, but now sports Halo-green highlights and a gold colored power button for a "tactical" look. At least Microsoft exhibited some tact, pricing it the same as the regular version, $59.99. (Read more)

Todd McFarlane Limited Edition Halo 3 Controllers

The Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360 includes an olive green controller, but for those not inclined to pick up a whole new console, Microsoft also hooked up with Todd McFarlane to draw some art for limited edition Halo 3 wireless controllers. We think they're hideous. Perhaps we just don't appreciate McFarlane's artistic style in this instance, but seriously, the art looks neither catchy nor in keeping with the Halo design aesthetic. Yuck. The abominations retail for $59.99. (Read more)

BD&A Halo 3 Missile Case

Actually attractive, and within the vein of somewhat subtle material video game reference that we like, BD&A's Halo 3 Missile Case organizer may be one of the better products of Halo 3 merchandising. The $19.99 GameStop exclusive has internal space capable of organizing a controller, headset, and several games (without boxes). If we were about 10 years younger we would have been thrilled to roll into friends' houses with our competition controller boxed up like a pool shark. (Read more)

Jasman Toys Halo 3 Laser Pursuit

Laser tag with Halo weapons? Count us in. Jasman got the license to offer Halo weaponry in its laser pursuit line and looks to be working hard to ensure the weapons are rather accurately reproduced. The first two offerings in the line will be a Covenant Plasma Rifle and Pistol, which will feature lighting and sound effects from the game, as well as their particular abilities, like overheating and charged shots. 2008 will see the release of a Covenant Energy Sword weapon for the game. Is a one-hit-kill a cheap move in real life as well as in the game? We're dying to find out. The only problem is Jasman's retail distribution apparently sucks, as the Halo 3 weapons are only sold in Hot Topic at the moment. (Read more)

WizKids Halo 3 ActionClix Game

Collectable tabletop games are decently popular these days, and WizKids was quick to snap up the Halo license. The company is soon to launch an entire figurine-based table game in concert with the release of Halo 3, apparently to test whether or not big Halo fans are also into playing with figurines when they could presumably be playing the actual game instead. The 80-piece collection will be available in packs beginning at $10. (Read More)

Mountain Dew Halo 3 Game Fuel

By far the most egregious example of Halo 3 over-marketing, Mountain Dew's Game Fuel poses an answer to a question we were never inclined to ask, namely, "What does Master Chief taste like?" The answer is saccharine sweet citrus-cherry, which leads us to conclude Mr. Chief enjoys himself some pineapple and nutmeg in large volume. It's also supposedly chock full of caffeine (92-mg per 20-oz), but in reality that's actually weak compared to Red Bull, which packs 80-mg into just 8.2-oz. Game Fuel FTL.