Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Gets New Entry Rules

Representatives from Microsoft and Bungie Studios have announced two new ways for U.S. gamers to enter the forthcoming Halo 3 multiplayer beta, via participation on the game's website, or by purchasing Crackdown. The multiplayer beta, which has been previously announced as going Live in spring of this year, will have limited space for participants. The first new application into the beta involves a so-called "Rule of Three" program planned for the launch of the forthcoming Halo 3 website. By playing at least three hours of Halo 2 multiplayer between the Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, at 12:01 a.m. EST and Feb. 3, 2007, at 11:59 p.m. EST, and then being among the first 13,333 to register at the website, players will receive the beta invitation. Additionally, any player that purchases Realtime World's upcoming Xbox 360 action title Crackdown will also be allowed into the beta by using their game disc as a 'key' to download the beta through the Xbox Live Marketplace when the program launches. The two new programs are in addition to the first announced program earlier in December, where a select group of people to initially register on the Halo 3 site will be selected to participate in the beta. Those selected gamers will be notified of their participation at some point during the month of January.