So I'm going to the Halo: Reach launch event tonight.

[Mustang]

And, since it's my first time (ever) doing something like this, can anybody give me an idea of what to expect, in terms of people, etc? My GameStop has over 500 reserved copies. Now, hopefully, things go rather quickly. I've read, from forums across the internet, that some GameStop locations have had everybody in and out the door with their game copies in hand by 12:45; and that was with MW2, the biggest selling game of 2009. So I'm not sure what to expect. From everything I've read, I guess GS gives you a special receipt, which you show after midnight and they literally hand you your copy and you walk out.

Suggestions? Experiences?

[Senator]

You get a special receipt and then the virgins dance naked around the circle of power. The circle of power summons the Gateway and you all pass to the dimension of Akathamaltur whereas first you cross the lava sea with Tranturian rockships and reach the flying port of Shamal (just by the diamond spires). After the feast of 9 days and 9 nights when everyone is asleep, the aetherial ship will appear, which you will proceed to board and fly through the 8 cloud layers and through the hole of the skydome into the land of the black two horned unicorn, where everything is upside down and made of glassy mirrors.
There you will be tasked with bringing back to the aetherial ship the only creatures not made of glass (the reflections can be annoying) and the correct answer is going to be: Yourselves. (People sometimes get this wrong and they end searching forever until they believe that they are nothing but a reflection). You might also see some black unicorns but that's just a trick.
When you board the aetherial ship again, you go down through the skyhole again but this time you will stop on the 4th cloudlayer, which is actually made of solidified birds, in order to search for the mad elf mathematician who will ask you to bring the 8 side cube to him. Just hand him the receipt and he will give you an egg.
The egg is actually the game, but it needs to be hatched, so back to 2nd cloudlayer if memory serves (the aetherial ship has a GPS but it only speaks in a language where all sounds sound like your mother dieing so most people turn that off), at which point you meet the skeleton of a dragon, which you have to time-reverse in order to make him live again (just use the machine nearby. It has a very intuitive GUI. ), make him hatch the egg, and then finally you will head towards the 8th cloud layer, avoiding the plane of the sex crazed supermodels (lots of people don't return from that one) at which point they usually just sacrifice the noob-est guy in front of the altar of Demonoeconomicon in order to summon the Gateway back to reality.

[limey BSc.]

You get a special receipt and then the virgins dance naked around the circle of power. The circle of power summons the Gateway and you all pass to the dimension of Akathamaltur whereas first you cross the lava sea with Tranturian rockships and reach the flying port of Shamal (just by the diamond spires). After the feast of 9 days and 9 nights when everyone is asleep, the aetherial ship will appear, which you will proceed to board and fly through the 8 cloud layers and through the hole of the skydome into the land of the black two horned unicorn, where everything is upside down and made of glassy mirrors.
There you will be tasked with bringing back to the aetherial ship the only creatures not made of glass (the reflections can be annoying) and the correct answer is going to be: Yourselves. (People sometimes get this wrong and they end searching forever until they believe that they are nothing but a reflection). You might also see some black unicorns but that's just a trick.
When you board the aetherial ship again, you go down through the skyhole again but this time you will stop on the 4th cloudlayer, which is actually made of solidified birds, in order to search for the mad elf mathematician who will ask you to bring the 8 side cube to him. Just hand him the receipt and he will give you an egg.
The egg is actually the game, but it needs to be hatched, so back to 2nd cloudlayer if memory serves (the aetherial ship has a GPS but it only speaks in a language where all sounds sound like your mother dieing so most people turn that off), at which point you meet the skeleton of a dragon, which you have to time-reverse in order to make him live again (just use the machine nearby. It has a very intuitive GUI. ), make him hatch the egg, and then finally you will head towards the 8th cloud layer, avoiding the plane of the sex crazed supermodels (lots of people don't return from that one) at which point they usually just sacrifice the noob-est guy in front of the altar of Demonoeconomicon in order to summon the Gateway back to reality.

In laymans terms, why didn't you pre-order it like a normal person? Then you'd have it arrive on release day.

No, seriously. I've never understood the whole point of queueing for hours for something. I am a Muse fanatic. I've seen them live 6 times and they keep getting better and better. And yet, no matter how much I like them, nothing could compell me to turn up to a gig 3 hours or more before the gates even open to make sure I have a good place, then be unable to move through the inevitably shit support acts.
The game is going to be exactly the same (if not slightly better with the inevitable day 1 patch) if you wait a bit than if you get it the second it's released.

Also, epic win Sen!

[Billz]

Why can't you people just preorder online and be happy not to wait in a cue for hours on end? 

[Kirk]

Amazon.com preorder
Overseas right now
Email saying it's on the way
Gonna be on my desk when I get home
Everything went exactly as expected

Edit: Aww, but I thought you liked cues Billz! I hear it's a british past time.

[Billz]

Amazon.com preorder
Overseas right now
Email saying it's on the way
Gonna be on my desk when I get home
Everything went exactly as expected

Edit: Aww, but I thought you liked cues Billz! I hear it's a british past time.

Not everyone in Britain is an "Arthur Dent", lol.
(If you have seen the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy movie, then you'll get the reference)

[Kirk]

I have, it's brilliant.

[Billz]

Amazon.com preorder
Overseas right now
Email saying it's on the way
Gonna be on my desk when I get home
Everything went exactly as expected

Edit: Aww, but I thought you liked cues Billz! I hear it's a british past time.

Why is it going overseas from Amazon.com? Aren't you a US resident?

[eclipse74569]

Eh...I once had to wait 3 hours before a Plain White T's concert...but that was because I wanted to avoid traffic....

But yes...why not pre-order the game???

[limey BSc.]

Why is it going overseas from Amazon.com? Aren't you a US resident?

But he's currently in the UK.

[RifleMan80]

 Lol. I just pre-ordered games. Wasting my time sitting outside of a Best Buy, Walmart, K-mart, Game Stop, exc, just sitting with a tent pitched with a PS3 or Xbox 360 hooked up to a generator just to wait for a new game to come out of a box. There are some craaazy people in this world. I am one of them, but not to this extent..

Though when J.J.'s Star Trek movie came out for IMAX, my brother and I did set with a portable DVD player and watch TOS. But that is a movie though. A Star Trek movie none the less, so our actions were perfectly justified.

[Side 3]

Lol halo. 

[TheConstable6]

Mine hasn't come yet

[Kirk]

So side, what games do you play?

[RifleMan80]

Lol halo. 

Indeed.

[Bones]

Indeed.

I don't get it ... what's wrong with Halo ? so far it's my second fav sci-fi game (still waiting for Halo 3, ODST and now Reach to come for PC)

[limey BSc.]

(still waiting for Halo 3, ODST and now Reach to come for PC)

I'm doubtful they ever will. Bungie's contract with Microsoft ends very soon, and they're not renewing it. The Halo franchise belongs to Microsoft and not Bungie, and let's face it, Microsoft don't really give a damn about the PC gaming market anymore.

[Bones]

Awwww.... oh well, maybe I'll finally get that PS2 replaced with 360

[Lionus]

Awwww.... oh well, maybe I'll finally get that PS2 replaced with 360 PS3

Fixed for truth and justice. 

[majormagna]

I'm doubtful they ever will. Bungie's contract with Microsoft ends very soon, and they're not renewing it. The Halo franchise belongs to Microsoft and not Bungie, and let's face it, Microsoft don't really give a damn about the PC gaming market anymore.

And even then Halo 2 for PC was a poor port