Hyping...to the EXTREME!!

I heard Halo 3 is coming out today. Call it a hunch. Heard the game's good, too, which I'm sure it is. Really. I'm just not wetting-my-pants-in-anticipation excited. It's another game's release, and on a system I currently don't own at the moment, so forgive me if I don't exude the giddiness of a high-school girl.

Everything I said above is in all honesty - there is no sarcastic or belittling tone to it whatsoever. I'm just, all in all, not as insane as other fans of the game. And insane they are, lining up for the game for its midnight release.

The one thing I don't get, however, is all the promotion that came out of it - the Halo 3 system, the Halo 3 Zune, and the Halo 3 Mountain Dew drink?? Isn't it just a game??

True, over-hyping a game is nothing new in the industry...but is Mountain Dew now for the "extreme" AND hardcore? Is the Halo 3 gamer drinking this while playing Halo 3 on his Halo 3 system, and then listening to music on his Halo 3 Zune? All while wearing a Halo 3 outfit?

Excuse me while I "Halo 3" hurl.