I find the original posters thoughts highly suspect, and at the least based entirely upon ignorance. In response to the arguments made. I will answer them in chronological order, and really try to be both brief and blunt.

1. So you do not think positive word of mouth, high review scores, a massive advertising campaign, and the fact that it was a highly popular franchise did not factor into those sales. I am dumbstruck there is nothing else to be said.

2. Since when has milking had a negative impact upon game sales. Quietly checks with the charts yeah Pokemon and Mario are still there. Did you ever see the Super Mario Brothers movie. That was one large steaming pile of crap, and if that didn't kill Mario. How will a RTS or a small Anime series cripple Master Chief.

3. Since when is First Person Shooters the most over saturated market on consoles. Wouldn't sports, racing, and action precede that. I am sorry high profile does not equate to higher volume. Oh and Halo 3 stood on its own two feet. Halo is a reinvention every iteration. Each game in the series has had massive overhauls.

4. Nice way to imply that games are only for kids. I don't buy that shit, and I doubt anyone else here buys that shit either. Those who grow up gaming will continue to game, and new gamers will play what previous gamers played. How else do you explain the likes of Mario and Link.

5. Look at Fallout 3 made by a new developer, and it went from dead to a huge critically acclaimed success. Your theory doesn't hold water. It can go either way. Further more a game that stays with the original developer can go downhill. Played Mortal Kombat recently. Stop playing what if games. By the by I seriously doubt that Microsoft will let any game in this series hit the market without being a solid AAA title.

It depends Halo Reach might be ok but ANYTHING is possible with bundling. :) and besides if Halo 4 was a launch game for the 720 and it was bundled it will sell truckloads