Here's another update while I am at it:
Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Hits May 16
Redmond, Washington—Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today confirmed the multiplayer beta of Halo® 3
will debut to audiences worldwide via Xbox LIVE® on May 16 at 5 A.M.
Pacific Time and run through June 6 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. Coming
exclusively to Xbox 360™ this fall, Halo 3 is the highly anticipated third chapter in the groundbreaking Halo trilogy from legendary developers Bungie.
May 16 can't come soon enough for anxious Halo 3 fans.
Halo 3
lets you experience Master Chief's greatest battle as he launches an
epic mission to stop the Covenant, destroy the impending Flood threat,
and ultimately save mankind.
New Levels, Weapons, Game Types
Made
possible through the Xbox LIVE gaming and entertainment network, which
provides a robust online service for more than six million gamers
worldwide, the multiplayer beta for Halo 3 will provide the
first opportunity to get your hands on the new levels, weapons,
vehicles, and game types, as well as a chance to provide valuable data
that Bungie will use in continued development.
"Bringing an early look at the multiplayer
elements of Halo 3 to our passionate fan base
is tremendously exciting for us."
—Shane Kim, Microsoft
Starting
May 16, if you secured your admission to the multiplayer beta either
through the "Rule of Three" promotion or by purchasing a specially
marked copy of Crackdown™
for Xbox 360, you'll be able to don your Spartan armor, download the
beta on Xbox LIVE, and jump online using your Xbox LIVE Gold account*
to battle other gamers from around the world.
Three Maps to Play
When
you gather online to play the multiplayer beta via Xbox LIVE in May,
you will be treated to three richly detailed, action-oriented maps:
Snowbound, High Ground, and Valhalla, which represent a mixture of
large- and medium-scale combat environments and are brand new to Halo 3.
Rampage through new levels with new vehicles.
Each map will test your mettle as you are placed behind the controls of new Halo 3
vehicles such as the agile Mongoose all-terrain vehicle, and armed with
deadly weapons such as the new and improved Assault Rifle, the
ferocious Brute Spiker, the devastating Spartan Laser, and the
treacherous new Spike Grenades. This is just a taste of what awaits you
later this fall when Halo 3 goes on sale.
"Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2
changed the face of console gaming forever," said Shane Kim, corporate
vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Gamers from around the world
have logged more than 800 million hours on Xbox LIVE playing Halo 2,
and years after its launch it remains the number one title on our Xbox
LIVE network. Bringing an early look at the multiplayer elements of Halo 3 to our passionate fan base is tremendously exciting for us."
Joining the Multiplayer Beta
If you didn't participate in the "Rule of Three" promotion but are interested in joining the multiplayer beta of Halo 3, you can still participate through the purchase of the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 title Crackdown, which was launched in February.
Crackdownturns
you loose in a free-form, persistent city for action-packed crime
fighting that requires a bigger, faster, and stronger hero that evolves
as a more efficient weapon through continued gameplay. Each copy of Crackdown has been specially marked with a Halo 3 beta sticker prior to the beta period, and starting May 16 the game will act as a key to download and participate in the Halo 3 multiplayer beta.
Halo 3 promises to be an unforgettable experience.
In addition, if you can't wait for the multiplayer beta this May, get an even earlier look at Halo 3 with a new, behind-the-scenes video feature available at http://www.bungie.net
and in high definition over Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting today, go
behind the scenes at Bungie Studios to learn about the people,
technology and process that are making Halo 3 an unforgettable multiplayer experience, and to get a taste of what to expect from the upcoming Halo 3 multiplayer beta.
The latest multiplayer video documentary, titled "Is Quisnam Protero Damno!," will offer a glimpse at how Halo 3
multiplayer maps are being designed, built, and architected, and how
these amazing spaces are converted into fun places in which to play.
You can also catch the first-ever glimpse of brand-new Halo 3 multiplayer levels in their early stages of evolution and construction.
-xbox.com