Halo 3 Beta for Sale Within a Month

The Halo franchise has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name in Xbox's lineup since it debuted in 2001. Six years later, fans are drooling over the third iteration of their favorite console shooter. It wouldn't be much of an overstatement to say that there are a lot of people who would commit a few misdemeanors if it meant that they could get their hands on the Halo 3 Beta. Until now, breaking and entering may have seemed like the only way to be sure of getting a shot at playing the online beta. The only way you could get in was to either be a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq, or register for Microsoft's "Rule of Three" at the Halo3.com site. Registration would involve having been alive for seventeen years and a resident of North America, having an Xbox 360 Pro or Core system, an Xbox Live Gold membership, a copy of Halo 2, and staying up til just after midnight on the morning of Feb. 1st (EST) in order to register (registration ends Feb. 3 at 11:59 PM EST). Oh, and only 13,333 gamers would be able to register. Doesn't exactly sound like a sure thing, considering the popularity the Halo name has garnered in the past six years. But if you don't make the cut for whatever reason, there is now another way to obtain a ticket to the Master Chief Cooking Special...er, Beta.

You can buy it.

You'll even get a free retail game with it! On February 20th, Crackdown will hit stores. If you're interested, Tim over at Ctrl+Alt+Del has posted his thoughts on the Crackdown beta. If and when you purchase Crackdown, you'll receive a free pass for the Halo 3 Beta, according to IGN. So don't sweat it if you don't make the Rule of Three registration. Remember, this is America: you can always plunk down cash.

- Glock