Video game lovers from Paly, Gunn and elsewhere overflowed with excitement last night as they stood in a long line outside of Game Stop in San Antonio Shopping Center.

Lawn chairs dotted the sidewalk and friends huddled together under blankets to avert the 54-degree chill. As midnight approached, more than 200 Halo fans clutched their reservation tickets and shuffled their feet. This was the moment they had been anticipating for years: the release of Halo 2.

"Wow, people seriously planned for this," said senior Khamille Sandifer, who attended the event. "My brother was like ‘I’ve been waiting for this day.’"

According to juniors Isaac Harris and Michael Zang, who were also at the event last night, a few eager fans came to the store as early as 3 p. m.

"This is definitely the biggest turn out we’ve ever had," said Tyler Durden, manager of Game Stop.

MTV produced a special "Making the Video Game" for Halo 2 that first aired on Friday. It featured a sneak preview and interviews with Bungie Studios, the makers of the game. Marketing schemes like this TV show, accompanied with Web sites and billboards, helped make the opening of Halo 2 an international event. Along with the two-disc video game, a strategy guide and a soundtrack also became available for purchase after midnight.

Senior Avi Kushlan compared last night to the release of a Harry Potter book.

"It’s a once in-a-lifetime event," Kushlan said. "[Waiting outside like this] is about expressing your love for the game."

When asked about the incentive for the store to open at midnight, Durden said,"There is absolutely no incentive to open at this hour." Being a video game junkie himself, however, Durden said he understands that these unique circumstances make the game release an experience to remember.

Game Stop even provided the dedicated fans with complimentary snacks and cold sodas.

Though there were many who marked Nov. 8 on their calendars, a group of Paly juniors who arrived at Game Stop as early as 5:45 p.m. claimed their lives aren’t centered around video games.

"Not everyone out here is obsessed," junior Gabe Kiritz said. "We like the games but we do so much other stuff [too]."

According to an article in the Seattle Times by Kim Peterson, customers paid to reserve more than 1.5 million copies of Halo 2, at $50 a copy, which means Microsoft made over $75 million before it was even released.

The basic purpose of the new Halo is to save the earth from being destroyed by evil aliens. There is strong emphasis on the story of the game and makers have improved the graphics immensely.

Halo fans all agree that it’s a group game and everyone can play.

"It’s a cool bridge between jocks and nerds," sophomore Houston Yen said.

Though anyone can participate, the popular Xbox game does require practice if you want to earn the title of "a good Halo player."

"You have to have skill and the right mindset," freshman Will Simon said. "I like to go on multiplayer and shoot my partner."

Whether or not they have the best skills, thousands of seasoned Halo competitors across the country waited for the doors of their local video game store to open last night.

Paly’s principal Scott Laurence felt lucky that neither of his sons insisted on getting the game at midnight.

Earlier in the day, Laurence said "[My 11-year-old] told me, ‘It’s coming out on Monday at midnight!’ but we’re not going. The holidays are coming up, he’ll get it eventually."

When asked if he thought the Halo obsession demonstrated a decline in the quality of our culture, Laurence said, "It’s a part of growing up. Every generation has its thing. For us it was Star Wars."

Most Halo 2 enthusiasts will most likely delay the group tournaments until the four-day weekend, when they can become thoroughly engrossed in the war against aliens.