The hero of "Halo" is about to have his ultimate pop-culture moment.

In preparation for what is expected to be the biggest video game rollout ever — the Tuesday release of "Halo 3 — Master Chief," the green-helmeted star of Microsoft's top title, is plastered on Burger King products, 7-Eleven Slurpee cups and a new Mountain Dew drink, Game Fuel. If that's not enough, on Sunday NASCAR driver David Stremme's No. 40 Dodge Charger will sport a new "Halo 3" paint job at the Dover 400. And Pontiac is giving away 144 "Halo 3"-themed sports cars.

Marvel Comics has a special four-issue "Halo Uprising" series under way, and action-figure artisan Todd McFarlane has designed "Halo 3" controllers with miniature action figures.

"This is the big one," says Morgan Webb, co-host of X-Play on the G4TV Network, which plans five hours of countdown coverage Monday. "It's a test for the industry on how much hype can you successfully get around a game."

Even if you don't know the Master Chief from Chef Boyardee, you can still join in the Halo-baloo. Game designers at Bungie say they've made the game accessible to newcomers and satisfying to hard-core fans. "Even if you've never played a Halo game in your life, it doesn't matter," says writer Frank O'Connor. "You will be brought up to speed very rapidly in the opening moments."

Many fans plan to play hooky from work or school. "If I have enough sales, I'm going to take that whole week off," says Scott Colombo, 28, owner of Wolfie'z Beef Jerky in Kingman, Ariz.