OXCGN Reports Halo: ODST's Street Date Broken in Australia!

ODST Is almost here…As we all make preparations for Tuesday the 22nd of September to perhaps take time off work? Skip school? Go to the midnight launch and sleep all day? Or maybe simply to just pick it up at the end of the day. This all could be void since the retailer GAME, has shipped Halo: ODST early to many online buyers.

Reports are coming in from various websites such as Whirlpool, Palgn or Xbox.com.au that buyers have already received their copies.

[Peter North]

Wow a broken street date!

[REALgamer]

For a game that makes retailers liable to be taken to court for releasing early.

Though I do remember seeing Halo 3 in a DSE a full week before its release in 2007 - wonder if they got in trouble? =P

[Godem]

I love Captain Obvious jokes!!!

[REALgamer]

Just wow.

Considering I was talking to a guy at my local GAME a few days ago and he was saying they'd just gotten there boxes in and they're covered in yellow tape with letters from Microsoft saying that are liable to be fined if even the boxes are opened before 12:01am on Sept 22nd, it's pretty crazy they mailed off copies so early.

Wondering whether I should head down to GAME and see if they can give me my preorder, anyone going to try?

[Pandemic]

What naughty Australians.

[Xandet]

I work at a Micro Center.. we got about 35 copies of ODST in a couple days ago and I got a good 5-10 minutes of sit down time, enjoying a good look-over of the case. This has happened before with bigger releases and it constantly pisses me off that publishers still make everyone wait almost an extra week when it's really not necessary. Whatevs, though.. I didn't make the game so I don't have much say in the matter.

[Blaze929]

Meh I dont really see the big deal in a retailer selling a game at least 3 days early. What is the publisher going to do to retail, stop shipping them product? Ha, yeah right. Retail is like EA, you can't piss them off nor can you do without them so you're stuck.

[mr_fuzz1012]

those f*cking Australians lol those damn convicts lol

[XboxOZ360]

Don't think the stores will hand the game out mate, it's their online side that broke the embargo, I'm wondering what is in store for the company, as I know MS had strict instructions sent out re just this issue . . ooopppssyy big time.

[XboxOZ360]

when a company has millions tied up in promotions that require exact timimg, street dates are important.

Secondly, street dates allow the smaller retailer, who are often great ppl bt the way, a chance to compete equally with sales on a specific day.

When major stores break these dates, naturally many gamers will forgo their pre-orders at stores and try and get the game early, making sales in other stores suffer.

Without smaller retailers, we have no choice when it comes to getting games at reasonible rates.

[Godem]

Someones getting fired!

I hate when games come out early, ruins all your plans!

[Immortal Kaim]

Damn, wish I had an online order. :(

[ShOtCall3r33]

why dont they save a few bucks and buy the regular halo 3. its almost the same exact game

[XboxOZ360]

BS, have you played ODST, nope, didn't think so.

I'm NOT a Halo Fan as such, there, you heard it from an Xbox Fan, but ODST is unlike the earlier games - which i do not like all that much, But I was really impressed last Friday when I got my hands on final gold code in a closed door media showing and hands-on for co-op and single player.

Unless you've played the game, don't comment, no matter what the game might be.

[RockmanII7]

I see a lawsuit in the very near future

[gambare]

Breaking the street date is becoming more and more common....

[XboxOZ360]

The two major things with t Dates is that the Major players, sites and retailers break them regularly and do NOT get punished for it,

2) The smaller sites and retailers that do, get jumped on like no-mans-business, and threatened with law suits if they so much as think about breaking them.

It's about time publishers started to enforce the NDA's and Release agreements, all of which are legally binding btw, and started to call those who break them into account.

Major sites will release reviews well before the general smaller sites do, as they have access to code before the smaller ones do, yet surprisingly, many smaller sites get more traffic on the reviews - funny that.

As it seems punters trust the smaller independent sites more than they do the huge corporately funded ones who's main aim is to make the bottom line grow, and are not fussed on how they do it.

Major stores get away with it due to their purchasing powers, as the smaller stores who rely on the dedicated gamers, have no chance matching the huge discounts afforded to the major chains, and so must rely on customer loyalty.

When a game is released early, that loyalty disappears because thegamer naturally wants the game when his/her other friends have it.

The smaller store misses out.

[The Iron Sheik]

This is great news! The bots can be dissapointed 3 days early.

[kevinx1000]

I'm getting it today! can't wait!

[wicked]

And in the UK, if you pre-ordered from ASDA you will have received it yesterday(18th).

[Downandout]

Really? aww..

I pre-ordered from GAME, i wish i'd pre-ordered from ASDA now =[