Xbox 360 first-person shooter “Halo 3” tallied more than $170 million in its first day of sales last week. And I don't get it.

Granted, I've only logged a few hours of play time with the “Halo” franchise, a far cry from the days and days of futuristic warfare waged by diehard fans since the first “Halo” was released in 2001. But I've played enough for the games to hook me as they have millions the world over, and I am just not moved.

In my experience, the series amounts to run-of-the-mill first-person shooting action with a grand story, redundant level design and, on the Xbox 360, pretty graphics. But I believe there is one cause for the “Halo” craze that bears more responsibility for the games' success than any of the merits I mentioned above.

While some players will testify to the strength of the “Halo” games' single-player campaigns, the series thrives in multi-player environments. With Xbox Live, that environment encompasses anyone with an Ethernet connection.

Prior to “Halo,” no console video game captured the thrill of online multi-player first-person shooting matches that computer gamers had known since the deathmatch days of “Doom.” “Goldeneye” for the Nintendo 64 had become massively popular for its multiplayer mode, but that was limited to the living room.

That games like those of the “Halo” series could vault to the top of sales history, largely on the strength of their multi-playability, speaks to the importance of the multiplayer venue to the modern gamer.

It's just more fun to best the guy sharing the couch with you or even a cross-country friend in a game of “Madden” football than it is to beat a faceless computer.

The headsets of Xbox Live let gamers personalize the play even more by communicating in the middle of the action. Whether that communication takes the form of strategizing or verbal smackdowns is up to them.

Along with the Xbox 360, the Wii and PlayStation 3 also permit online playability with other gamers.

But the PlayStation Network lacks the sophistication of Xbox Live. The absence of any “killer apps” akin to the “Halo” series also prevents the $499 PlayStation 3 from luring in many new players.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is currently only compatible with 10 games. However, the Wii compensates by catering to gamers who go for multiplay at home.

With the user-friendly Wiimote play of titles like “Wii Sports” and “WarioWare: Smooth Moves,” Nintendo's newest console has cornered the market on party gaming. Both family and friends can enjoy the endless life span of such simple and addictive multiplayer games.

This winter, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the still-kicking PlayStation 2 will attempt to take their piece of the party gaming action.

A true bellwether for the multiplayer movement, “Rock Band” will expand on the guitar controls of the “Guitar Hero” franchise - itself a popular party game - with karaoke and drum kit inputs. Massive sales would be particularly impressive in light of the game's $170 price tag for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 systems.

Indeed, it's not hard to imagine millions of high school and college kids huddled around a TV with their controller instruments in hand, furiously “playing” along to “Enter Sandman” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” into the wee hours of the morning.

Should “Rock Band” sell well, it will go a long way toward proving that whether its playing a guitar, rolling a bowling ball or blasting alien scum, modern gamers enjoy playing in groups more than ever.

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net