Halo 2 Blasts Off Shelves

Halo 2 Blasts Off Shelves
Two years of hype for Microsoft video-game sequel Halo 2 began to pay off yesterday as fans snapped up millions of copies of the alien-blasting game for the Xbox console.

At Mission Valley Best Buy, Elliot Perrigo gladly parted with $54.99 for a collector's edition of the game, making him the store's unofficial 500th Halo 2 customer after three hours of sales.

"It's a great multiplayer game," said Perrigo, 21, a fan of playing the original Halo in head-to-head combat against his buddies.

The store was one of more than 6,000 retailers nationwide that opened their doors at midnight Monday for the official release for Halo 2. Customers picked up an estimated 350 copies of the game between midnight and 1 a.m., associate Angel Gutierrez said. An additional 150 copies were sold during the first two hours of the regular business day, Gutierrez said.

Halo 2 is Microsoft's great hope to help it make up ground against the industry leader, Sony's PlayStation 2. But while the game is off to a fast start at the cash register, its long-term impact on the game-console wars remains to be seen.

Last month, Sony released the third sequel to its controversial hit Grand Theft Auto. With three times as many PlayStation 2 consoles in U.S. homes, analysts expect Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to outsell Halo 2.

Sony also offered