The Halo franchise has always been a system seller for Microsoft and this will likely remain true for the upcoming release of Halo 3.

Originally, there was only one way for gamers to get a spot into the Halo 3 Multiplayer beta test; by signing up on the offical Halo 3 website. However, there are now two more confirmed paths to the beta test.

Microsoft has now confirmed that Crackdown will be bundled with invitations to the Halo 3 beta. Crackdown ships February 20th for those wishing to buy their way into being one of the first to play Microsoft's flagship title.

Finally, it makes sense to have a 3rd way into the beta being that this is Halo 3. During the time period of February 1-3, the first 13,333 Xbox Live gamers to log 3 hours of playing time on Halo 2 will score themselves invitations to the Halo 3 beta test.

Whatever path you choose, best of luck to everyone. As always, see you on the battlefield.

-Brian