November 9 can’t come soon enough for some gamers, and EB Games is doing their best to get Halo 2 in the hands of hardcore fans as soon as possible. Some 1,300 EB Games stores will be launching "Midnight Madness" sales on November 8, selling the first copies of Halo 2 in the United States as the clock strikes 12--check your local store to see if it is participating.

　　EB’s biggest event will take place at the newly opened Los Angeles store at the Universal CityWalk promenade, featuring never-before-seen previews of upcoming Xbox titles, a DJ spinning music, and prize giveaways. The Los Angeles event begins at 9pm PST and is expected to be the largest Halo 2 release party on the West Coast. The honor of biggest Halo 2 release party in the country goes to Toys "R" Us at its Times Square location in New York.

　　Halo 2 has already exceeded 1.5 million preorders worldwide and pushes sales of the franchise to more than 5 million units. Halo 2 is rated "M" for Mature and will have an SRP of $54.99 for the special collector's edition two-DVD set and $49.99 for the standard version.

　　For a complete rundown on Halo 2, be sure to check out GameSpot’s full review of Halo 2 this Sunday at noon PST.