The release of Halo 3 was wildly anticipated, as the game was the third in the original trilogy of the Halo videos. As a result, the Halo 3 free download was one of the most frequently downloaded game demos in the history of the Xbox 360. But what many people don’t remember is that the Halo 3 trial download helped make another game ie Crackdown.

What does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with another video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the distribution and promotional work for a game that was originally planned for playing on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become concerned that Crackdown would not sell well.

Therefore, they used a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat in that Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first half year of its release. Those aren’t Halo 3 numbers, which sold 8.1 million copies in just over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that’s absolutely fantastic.

Microsoft had turned to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the game testers. They thought the unusual nature of the game off-putting, often leaving them asking themselves what they were meant to be doing next.

As a result of this, the powers that be knew that something had to be done or the game would be a dud. It may seem shady practice at first to try to force sales of a game that’s expected to be unpopular, but in hindsight people love the game and it was a good thing that they were able to get the chance to play it.

In Crackdown, and that includes the version bundled with the Halo 3 free download, people play the role of an agent who is detailed to beat the kingpins or leaders of various gangs. To do this they use some superhuman powers such as super strength and super agility. In order to obtain these powers, players have to accumulate experience by beating enemies who then release experience orbs. The interesting part of the system was that the sort of orbs released depended on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For instance, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was wiped out with a gun.

So, while at first sight this game bundled with the Halo 3 free download seems to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality it exposed gamers to a fascinating gameplay world.

If you like Halo 3 and are interested in finding out more about it, why not go over to Halo 3 Info on our web site called Halo 3 Insider Secrets