Toronto knows how to party. In addition to being just an awesome place to live, we’re treated to some spectacular launch events in this city. Last night, we had the opportunity to see the general public get their hands on, you guessed it, Halo 4. We’ve already posted our review, but the launch event for the game was so special, it deserves its own review.
Approaching Yonge-Dundas Square in the heart of downtown Toronto, we saw the UNSC Infinity in all her glory, ready to accept new recruits. We got our badge from the ensign at the enlistment desk, and proceeded to get our photo ID created. Everyone got a custom ID with their name and photo on it, as well as a rank, depending on how well you could answer eight trivia questions.
Some of these questions were simple – “What does UNSC stand for?” – while others were very tricky, asking things like “How many crew members does the UNSC Infinity hold?” and “What year was the UNSC Infinity first commanded?” Of course, being Halo buffs, we got all eight correct and were designated Fleet Admiral, but most were not so lucky.
There were three other events going on at the show, in addition to a screening of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn in its entirety.
The first was called Mental Acuity, at which a device was placed over our head and we were told to concentrate and focus on an image on the screen. The device scanned our brain to see how well we were concentrating, and it put together a score at the end of one minute. Needless to say, concentration is not our strong suit.
From there, we went to Weapons Training, where we played a game of laser tag of sorts, although we were stationary at one end of a target range with actual live targets going by on the other end. Even if it was a rehash of the launch event for Halo 3: ODST, it was a hell of a lot of fun to get those weapons back in our hands.
Lastly was Combat Simulation where we got to play Halo 4 live against other combatants. Now, we’ve been lucky enough to have the game for a little while and we’ve played it a few events, so we let others have their chance to play the game. Of course, if you want to know what we think of it, you can always stay tuned for our multiplayer review, coming this weekend!
Hats off to the team that put together the incredible UNSC Infinity hull and incredible games and prizes to be won. The night was complete with hundreds of bags of Doritos and bottles of Mountain Dew, both Halo 4-branded, of course. But as awesome as the night was, let’s not forget what it was all about: the game.
So go play.
