In “Halo: Reach,” players experience the fateful moments that forged the “Halo” legend. It’s the story of Noble Team, a squad of heroic Spartan soldiers, and their final stand on planet Reach, humanity’s last line of defense between the terrifying Covenant and Earth. This darker story is echoed by grittier visuals amid a backdrop of massive, awe-inspiring environments. Characters, enemies and environments are rendered in amazing detail by an all-new engine designed to deliver epic-scale encounters against the cunning and ruthless Covenant.

Once the campaign is over, the battle continues online with an unparalleled multiplayer experience that expands on the award-winning suite of features that helped define the Xbox LIVE experience.

“‘Halo: Reach’ is without a doubt one of the most anticipated games of the year, and we felt there’s no better way to celebrate the launch than to partner with Microsoft to host a marquee event in Times Square at the Best Buy Theater,” said Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of the home entertainment group at Best Buy. “Every ‘Halo’ game release has been a major entertainment event, and based on the level of excitement we’ve seen so far, ‘Halo: Reach’ could be the biggest of them all.”

“Halo” madness starts in New York City at a marquee launch event at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. Fans who attend will have the opportunity to be among the first to play “Halo: Reach” before it goes on sale just after midnight on September 14, win special “Halo”-themed prizes, meet the creators of the “Halo” universe and experience a  surprise musical performance.

West coast “Halo” fans will also have the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of this year’s most anticipated game on Sept. 13 at the Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle. Developers from Bungie and 343 Industries will greet fans and join the countdown to launch, while attendees can play “Halo: Reach” early and compete in tournaments to win coveted “Halo” prizes.

In addition to marquee events in New York and Seattle, thousands of retailers from coast to coast are hosting their own midnight madness celebrations, where fans can be among the first to bring home their copies of the game. Fans are encouraged to check with their local retailers for specifics, including Best Buy, GameStop, Wal-Mart, Toys”R”Us and many other retailers.

Beyond the United States, thousands of retailers around the world are planning launch celebrations for “Halo: Reach,” demonstrating the appeal of an entertainment phenomenon that has elevated video games into mainstream pop culture and permeated every corner of the globe.

Who else is on the hunt for “Halo: Reach”? Jeff and Lester from NBC’s “Chuck”

The burning desire to be among the first to play “Halo: Reach” runs across a wide range of fans. Today, Warner Bros. debuts a series of five original webisodes from the award-winning action-comedy series “Chuck” featuring the show’s hilarious duo Jeff (Scott Krinksy) and Lester (Vik Sahay), who embark on a quest to track down a copy of “Halo: Reach.” Fans can tune in today to catch the first webisode, which debuts on TheWB.com at 11:00AM PDT, and Xbox.com and Xbox LIVE shortly thereafter.

“Halo: Reach” Invasion Week Sweeps Xbox LIVE on Sept. 14

To celebrate the launch of “Halo: Reach,” Microsoft will unleash a dizzying array of “Halo” activities on Xbox LIVE from Sept. 14 through Sept. 20th, including new Avatar gear, exciting content, spectacular prizes and a chance to play with the game’s developers. As a special bonus, all fans who jump online will receive the “Halo: Reach” Invasion Week theme for free.

Invasion Week Activities & Programs:

• Connect to Xbox LIVE and receive a free “Halo: Reach” Invasion Week theme
• Game with Developer: Bungie will play with fans on Thursday, 16th from 5PM-7PM ET in the US, and Friday the 17th 8PM-10PM BST in the UK.
• Play & Win: Play “Halo: Reach” any time during Invasion Week and you will be entered to win tickets to the upcoming UFC 122 Fight (U.S. contestants eligible only).
• Community Events: Themed nights hosted by the community team to play “Halo: Reach,” including  “Co-op Night,” “Xbox All Nighter” and “Community Playdate”

Key Features:

• Meet Noble Team. For the first time, players will fight alongside a squad of iconic Spartan soldiers, each with deadly talents as unique as their individual personalities and customized gear.
• An intense campaign. Live the events that set the stage for the “Halo” trilogy as the UNSC and Covenant clash at the height of their military power. New weapons and abilities complement the familiar “Halo” arsenal for the largest-scale battles ever witnessed in the “Halo” universe. Fiercely cunning artificial intelligence (AI) adds depth and complexity to each encounter, helping make every play-through a unique and epic experience.
• Stunning technical advancements. “Halo: Reach” takes a massive leap forward through all-new engine technology designed to take full advantage of next-generation graphics, audio, special effects, AI and animation while continuing to expand on the campaign, cooperative and multiplayer sandbox in a way that only “Halo” can.
• The definitive multiplayer experience. “Halo: Reach” builds on the success of its predecessors, setting a new standard for competitive gameplay, customization, variety and community integration.
• Unparalleled feature suite. “Halo: Reach” expands on the industry-leading suite of features found in “Halo 3,” including four-player cooperative campaign play, split-screen support, saved films, screenshots and exciting new surprises that have yet to be revealed.