Becoming A Halo 3 Beta Tester

Lately I received many questions about Halo 3. Especially with the popularity of Halo and Halo 2, people are eagerly awaiting Halo 3. Some very happy troops overseas already received a sneak peek of the Halo 3 beta over the holidays. I signed up to be a beta tester myself awhile ago for this hit game, but I guess I should “spread the aloha” and share how you too can beta test Halo 3 before it officially comes out.

Halo 3 is the third part in the Halo Trilogy, and will provide you the thrilling conclusion to the events that begun in Halo: Combat Evolved, and pick up where Halo 2 left off . . The Master Chief is returning to earth to finish the fight. The Covenant occupation of Earth has uncovered a massive and ancient object beneath the African sands – an object whose secrets have yet to be revealed. Earth’s forces are battered and beaten. The Master Chief’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) companion Cortana is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind. A horrifying Flood intelligence, and a civil war is raging in the heart of the Covenant. This is how the world ends . . .

Sounds exciting eh? Well, the first wave of beta registrations came and went over a month ago, but if you didn’t already register, you have another opportunity. You just need to play a minimum total of three hours of Halo 2 multiplayer sessions on Xbox Live (on your Xbox 360) between 12:01 a.m. EST / 7:01 p.m. HST, February 1 through 11:59 p.m. EST / 6:59 p.m. HST, February 3. You can then go to www.halo3.com for a chance to become a beta participant. There is no 100% guarantee you’ll make it, but if you follow the above criteria exactly, and are among the first 13,333 players to register at the site, you’ll have a really good chance.

If you’re unable squeeze your way in on that first option, a way to throw yourself into the Halo 3 realm is to buy a specially marked box of Crackdown (Rated M for Mature) on February 20. This will assure your beta status. Look for it in your closest GameStop, CompUSA, Best Buy or Wal-Mart for $60. You can also pre-order it now at www.gamestop.com or www.walmart.com.

The Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta is slated to arrive this Spring. The game is developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. The release date of the full version, and the rating are both pending. If you’re interested, good luck, and have fun saving the world!