Microsoft is reporting that its Halo 3 console videogame has garnered sales of over $300 million during its first week on the market, making it in Microsoft's opinion 'the fastest selling videogame in history.'  Halo 3 has now sold over 5 million units and has even grabbed a narrow lead in videogame sales in Japan, where historically Microsoft has been weak.

Although reviews for the first person shooter game have generally been positive, Halo 3 still has a long way to go to become the best-selling videogame ever -- a distinction that currently belongs to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with its total of over 13 million games sold.  With its monster advertising and promotional campaign (see 'Halo 3 Tops in Pre-Orders'), is Halo 3, like the current crop of blockbuster movies, going to rack up most of its sales in the first few weeks after its release?

One of Microsoft's main goals with Halo 3 (aside from making a bundle of money on the game, which it has already accomplished) is to push sales of its Xbox360 gaming system -- and during the first week of Halo 3's release sales of Microsoft's console gaming unit tripled. 

The success of Halo 3 should also help spur sales of Marvel's Halo comics and graphic novel, WizKids' Halo ActionClix (see 'WizKids to Launch ActionClix'), Halo 3 action figures from McFarlane Toys (see 'McFarlane's Halo 3 Toys'), PVC statues from Kotobukiya (see 'Kotobukiya's Halo3 Master Chief'), and prop replicas from Corgi (see 'Corgi's Halo 3 Lineup').