As expected, there was tailgating for the big game. Despite long lines, a party atmosphere persevered. And people missed class because of it.

The Halo 3 release party was at GameStop and Wal-Mart, among others.

The successful Halo video game series’ final installment, Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, was released at 12:01 this morning.

Expectations are high for the finale, as Halo 2 sold more than 2.4 million copies, making more than $100 million in 24 hours, according to CNNMoney.com.

Early signs indicate the conclusion to the trilogy will not disappoint in its sales. Microsoft announced on Aug. 9 that Halo 3 pre-orders had passed the one million mark.

Video game fans in Athens are excited to be part of that number.

“I think this is probably the biggest game of this year, last year and next year,” said Robert Cary, a University alumnus from Richmond Hill.

Most retailers are tight-lipped on specific information on pre-order statistics and supply, in response to problems with the Playstation 3 launch in November of last year.

“A lot of times the amount of supply that a certain retailer will carry will not be sufficient for the amount of people that actually pre-ordered, which is what happened with the PS3,” said David Murch, a senior from Towson, Md., and a Wal-Mart sales associate.

Gamers are not worried about another shortage.

Those without pre-orders can look to Halo 2, which also boasted more than a million pre-orders, and be confident of the new game’s availability.

“I remember that when Halo 2 came out, there were plenty out there after pre-orders,” said Shea Buettner, a junior from Lawrenceville.

The hype behind Halo 3 would make anyone think twice about waiting to buy.

When a video game has a special edition car modeled after it, you know it’s in rarefied territory.

“Mountain Dew made a flavor just for a game,” Buettner said. “That’s really weird.”

The day has come for gamers to “finish the fight,” and the stores are ready to help.

“We’re ready to lock and load,” Murch said.