Xbox 360: Zero Hour 2
Nov 22, 2005
PALMDALE, CA -- If the overall mood for Day One of Zero Hour was one massive party, the tone for Day Two was anticipation. The last 12 hours had been filled with non-stop gaming, but today something else took precedence. Today, gamers were going home with their very own Xbox 360s.
Though the Zero Hour hanger was relatively quiet around 6:00 am, with the majority of people either at home or passed out in piles of bean bags, by 7:00 am the action had started up again. It was time to line up. Yes, even at Zero Hour, gamers had to wait. In order to ensure a smooth sales process, everyone was given an assigned time to show up at the on-site Zero Hour Best Buy store. Although you paid for everything up front, the store was only passing out games and accessories during the day. The systems would have to wait until nightfall.
Setting up a virtual store at the event took a great deal of coordination, but for Best Buy, the effort was worth it. According to Jill Hamburger, Best Buy's vice president of games, the company believes it has an advantage over other stores because it offers more than just video games.
"We've been really focusing on how we make gaming a bigger part of the environment. We can pull the whole solution together," said Hamburger. "We have a great retail team that has really risen to the occasion to support [Zero Hour]. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes planning, but this has come off beautifully."
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Back on the show floor, the Media Center lounge seemed to be a popular stop thanks to the two masseuses offering free chair massages to all attendees. After a long night of gaming, it was a welcome respite. Inside the elevated lounge, Microsoft was demoing a Windows Media Center PC alongside the Xbox 360. Sitting on the plush couch, you could select from a custom music collection or watch a high definition version of Star Wars.
The majority of attendees at the event made their own way here, but a few won their trip thanks to the viral marketing contest Hex168.com. Melissa Johnson of Salt Lake City, Utah won a trip to Zero Hour -- along with an Xbox 360 to take home -- by submitting a video to the contest.
"[Kameo]'s my favorite game so far. It's really fun. I like the graphics, I like the voice acting," said Johnson. "I also played Quake 4. I really like that game because I like Halo. I suck at it, but it's fun."
Alexis Hebert, a member of Clan PMS who came from Lafayette Louisiana., found her favorite game in Call of Duty 2.
"After playing Call of Duty 2, I really, really liked it. And of course, Halo 2's graphics have improved. You can't beat Halo 2," said Herbet. "This event has been incredible. Not much sleep, but it's totally all worth it. Everybody's going all out and everybody's having a great time."
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Unfortunately, Perfect Dark Zero didn't quite live up to her expectations as a hardcore FPS player.
"It was just too complicated. It took the simplicity out of it. It wasn't fast paced enough for me," said Hebert.
Palmdale native Stephanie Erdrich spent most of the day working at the on-site Best Buy store, so she had a unique perspective on the day's events.
"Being behind the counter was crazy. In the very beginning, it was really busy. It was a lot of fun, everyone was really friendly," said Stephanie Erdrich. "Now I'm off, so I'm playing games. [King Kong] is pretty cool. They actually look a lot like the real actors."
For those that needed a break from the digital action, a number of physical activities were setup outside the front door of the hanger. From American Gladiators-style platform battling to extreme tricycle racing, gamers had plenty of opportunities to stretch their legs and get away from the TV screen... if only for a few minutes.
(cont...)
After dinner, the excitement inside the hanger began to rise, as the zero hour started to draw close. G4 had a full TV crew on hand, in order to cover the final hours in a live broadcast and Southern California band Louis XIV performed a live concert. Even the draw of a musical act couldn't deter the hardcore though. While the band performed at the front of the hanger, gamers started lining up to pick up their system. Despite the energy, obvious exhaustion was starting to set in as the majority of people waiting were sitting on bean bags.
A few minutes before 9:00 pm Pacific Time, breakdance entertainer Tommy the Clown took center stage with his rainbow-colored hair and two of the most hardcore gamers at the event. Edgar Bounds and Mike Dedwyldei drove more than 35 hours to reach Zero Hour, coming all the way from Senatobia, a small town in Mississippi. The two were selected to be the very first gamers in the US to buy an Xbox 360.
"We drove out here, 1800 miles straight through. 35 hours. Then we got lost in the desert," laughed Bounds. "I think everybody felt sorry for us for driving so far."
As the official first purchase, Bounds picked up a premium system along with Call of Duty 2, Perfect Dark Zero, and three extra controllers.
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"It's been incredible. Amazing. I haven't slept yet," said Dedwyldei. "I've been up playing Call of Duty, Perfect Dark, Project Gotham, just everything. I'm getting Call of Duty and I'm waiting on Gears of War and DOA4."
As the countdown clock ticked away, the rear doors of the hanger opened up and bathed three Best Buy delivery trucks in a flood of light as they slowly rolled inside. Flanked by two motorcycle officers, the procession made its way to the front of the hanger and into the store where staffers quickly started unloading the trucks directly onto a waiting assembly line. At that point the crowd perked up, and there was a literal snowstorm of white bean bag chairs as the waiting gamers stood up and tossed them aside.
Despite the large crowd, the wait to get a system was surprisingly short. The Best Buy staff was very efficient at distribution, clearing out the entire line in a little over an hour. The best part was no one went away disappointed.
"It was exciting to actually have a retail site on location and to be there when the first Xbox 360 came off the truck. Everybody made it home with a system tonight," said Hamburger. "We were anticipating upwards of 3600 people at this event. There were enough systems, software and accessories to support sales to all the participants."
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After the hardcore had picked up their systems, you might have thought they would simply rush home to play. Some did, but quite a few remained, boxed systems at their side, playing games until they were quite literally kicked out. Call of Duty 2 stations were in use up to the very end.
So, looking back, what was the highlight of it all? Playing the games? Buying the system? Not according to Clan PMS member Shannon Ridge, of Boulder Colorado. For her, the moment of truth occurred on Day 1 when the hanger doors opened for the first time.
"They opened the door so slowly, and the light was just pouring out of it. It was such an amazing experience to see that -- all the gamers running in, finding their games, finding their stations," said Ridge. "I think they should do this every year! It's a great thing for the community."
Microsoft took a big risk in assembling a consumer event of this magnitude, but in the end you would be hard pressed to find anyone that considered Zero Hour anything but a success. Many attendees echoed Ridge's sentiments in saying that they wished game companies would hold more events like Zero Hour. For better or worse, the event has redefined how to launch a system: Waiting outside a store for a midnight sale may now be considered passe.
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1: Video Preview
Our editors go hands-on with the Xbox 360 in this special video segment
2: What Does it Do?
Media options; Xbox Live; The hardware itself
3: What's in the Box?
Core and premium packages
4: Launch Games Line-up
A rundown of all the launch titles
5: Editor Bites
What do the Yahoo! Video Games staff have to say?
6: Gamer Feedback
Words from gamers around the country on Xbox 360
7: Zero Hour, Day 1
Day 1 of Microsoft's massive desert launch party
8: Zero Hour, Day 2
Day 2 of Microsoft's massive desert launch party