Game Zone, which is Movie Gallery’s gaming retail alter ego, held a Halo 3 launch event at midnight on Monday to give all of us who would sacrifice an hour (or more) of sleep on a weekday a chance to own the game the moment it was available. About 50 others were there waiting in line when I showed up. I had been assured that the store had received more than enough copies by a friend who works there, so I wasn’t worried.

Around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday morning, I held my Limited Edition Halo 3 tin case in my hand and jolted home. Well, maybe not jolted. More like casually drove… fast.

So far, the game is fun. And there’s lots of it to be had in multiplayer and single player modes. It’s also beautiful on HD screens.

SIDE NOTE: If you’ve already picked up your copy of Halo 3 Limited Edition (the one that comes in a metal case that is easily crushed) and one or both of the included disks are scratched, follow this link and Microsoft will replace them for free.