 The main trilogy , particularly its protagonist , has been declared iconic and a symbol of today 's videogames ; a wax replica of the Master Chief was made by Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas , where Pete Wentz compared the character to notable characters from previous generations like Spider @-@ Man , Frodo , and Luke Skywalker . The Escapist author Roger Travis compared Halo 's story to Virgil 's Aeneid , saying the religious and political struggle described in the games relates to the modern epic tradition . GamesTM stated Halo : Combat Evolved " changed videogame combat forever " , and Halo 2 showcased Xbox Live as a tool for communities . GameDaily noted Halo 2 's launch was " easily comparable to the biggest in other sectors of the entertainment industry " , marking the first time a video game launch has become a major cultural event in America . Time magazine included the franchise in the " 2005 Time 100 " , highlighting that in the first ten weeks after the release of Halo 2 , players spent 91 million combined hours playing the game online . A The New York Times report noted the success of Halo 3 was critical for Microsoft , persuading consumers to buy the Xbox 360 console which was experiencing waning sales compared with the Nintendo Wii , as well as helping restore the console 's image . On September 25 , 2007 , the release date for Halo 3 , Microsoft 's shares rose 1 @.@ 7 % based on sales expectations for the game . Halo has been described as a series that " has reinvented a genre that didn 't know it needed to be reinvented " , with aspects of the main trilogy being duplicated in other FPS games multiple times . 
