Halo 3 public beta in spring 2007, new TV ad and Halo 2 maps coming for Xbox 360

15 November 2006

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Posted by:Ferry

Today marks the five-year anniversary of Halo and to commemorate this occasion, Microsoft just made some new Halo 2 & Halo 3 announcements that we’ve lined up for you courtesy of Bungie.

* The Halo 3 Xbox Live multiplayer public beta in spring 2007, is a first of its kind for the “Halo” franchise, through it gamers will be able to play online via Microsoft’s premier online entertainment network and participate in a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of “Halo 3.” This beta also represents an opportunity for gamers worldwide to participate in the development of “Halo 3.” Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further refine and hone the end result of “Halo 3.” In this third chapter of the “Halo” trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.

* A Halo 3 TV commercial is set to air during Monday Night Football on December 4th. This ad will feature CGI scenes that are being built by the 3rd party agency Digital Domain. According to Bungie using real, final, actual gameplay just wasn’t the right thing to do under their tight time restrictions. It’s meant to be more movie-like, to show what the Halo universe looks like in a photo-realistic fashion, but still includes real gameplay elements from Halo 3.

You’ll also hear Halo 3 as well, with new music composed by our own Marty O’Donnell. After the commercial airs on television, it will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace in full 720p. Shortly after the commercial airs, you’ll get the next installment in our “making of” documentary series on Xbox Live Marketplace. This next “VIDOC” is going to give some new insights into elements of the campaign and will peel back the curtain on a certain prominent character in Halo 3.

* There are new multiplayer maps for Halo 2 coming exclusively to Xbox 360 (not Xbox) in the spring of 2007. These all-new multiplayer maps for “Halo 2” available for download through Xbox Live Marketplace. You’ll need a hard drive to download them, which is also required to play Halo 2 on Xbox 360 anyways.The exclusive “Halo 2” content will bring new experiences and excitement to the seminal sequel that made entertainment retail history in its first 24 hours — with $125 million in sales — and that boasts more than four billion online matches since its release in November 2004.

* The Xbox 360 backwards compatibility team are going to go back and look at Halo 2 again. Many of you are aware that a few bugs exist when playing Halo 2 on the Xbox 360 and Bungie Studios was told that work is being done to try and improve that experience.

“Since its original release, ‘Halo 2’ has redefined online play, delivering superior multiplayer capabilities in addition to an incredible social experience, and nurturing a constantly growing community through Xbox Live,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “After five years of rabid fan interest in the ‘Halo’ franchise and with more than 4 million users and counting on Xbox Live worldwide, this is the perfect time to invite fans to join the global ‘Halo’ phenomenon.”