Starting today, CCP games is letting players sign up for open beta access to its upcoming free-to-play first person shooter DUST 514. Players looking to participate can sign up on the game’s website and cross their fingers they get an acceptance email.

Releasing exclusively on PlayStation 3, DUST 514 combines the world of EVE Online with large-scale warfare and intense military combat. Select EVE Online players will also be selected to join in on the beta this week.

The game was announced at last year’s E3, so expect to see more news and our preview of the game next month. Dust 514 is expected to release later this year.

Despite still being in its alpha stage, Primal Carnage provided us with a great online deathmatch experience worth raving about last month at PAX East. Soon to enter its beta phase, Lukewarm Media today released one last video showing more of the game’s alpha version in action.

Whether you decide to side with the dinosaurs or help out the human team, Primal Carnage promises to give players a unique multiplayer experience. Read our preview of the game to find out why we liked it so much and check out the latest gameplay footage below.

Bill Gates isn’t going to send you a large chunk of cash for forwarding you an e-mail, a Nigerian Prince doesn’t want to give you his inheritance and no, you’re not going to be one of the first to play a beta version of Halo 4. Sorry, those sign ups that are being e-mailed around are fake.

David Ellis of 343 Industries, the studio behind Halo 4 took to Twitter to warn that any site or e-mail offering access to a beta for game is not to be trusted.

Microsoft has yet to announce any Beta plans for Halo 4, but that’s not to say that there won’t be one. Both Halo 3 and Halo: Reach had betas,so the safe money is on an eventual beta, just don’t give your info to anyone just yet.

Blast Magazine and Sony are teaming up to give you early access to one of 2012′s most anticipated games, the PS3 exclusive Starhawk. Want in? All you’ve got to do is comment on this article and tell us what your most anticipated game of 2012 is and why. You can enter as many times as you want, but only one entry will count. Sorry folks, only US residents can win. Good luck!

EA has announced that Battlefield 3′s highly anticipated open beta will kick off next week for both PC and console platforms.

Kicking off September 29 and running until October 10, and set in Paris on the Operation Metro map playing the game’s Rush mode, the beta will give players an opportunity to explore the game, as well as Battlelog, the game’s social networking and matchmaking service.

Xbox 360 and PS3 owners must log on to their console’s digital marketplace to download the beta, while PC owners must install Origin to play the beta. Those who bought Medal of Honor’s special edition or pre-ordered the game on Origin will gain access two days earlier, on September 27.

You? How about you? I see a few hands there.

Blast Magazine is partnering with Sony to hand out a slew of beta invites for the upcoming Resistance 3 multiplayer beta kicking off August 4.  How do you win? Just enter a comment on this post and you’ll automatically be entered. You can post as many times as you want, but you’ll only be entered once.  Please note, these codes are for users with North American PSN accounts only.

Oh and be sure to follow me on Twitter @JoeSinicki. I’ll be slinging codes there every now and then as well.

Winners will be chosen sometime Monday! Good luck!

UPDATE: The First round of codes has been given out, check beck tomorrow for more!

The Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta kicks off this coming Tuesday for everyone with a PSN Plus account (which should pretty much be everyone, you did sign up for that free month of PSN Plus service as part of the welcome back program right?) as well as those who bought Infamous 2. New features include new cinematic moments, new hero and villain skins and tons more. What could be better than that?

How about being able to turn in to a giant swarm of bugs?

Blast has twenty codes to dish out for the Creepy Crawler Kickback, which allows you to turn into a swarm of bugs and attack your enemy. How cool is that? Want one? Just comment on this post and we’ll pick the winners at random on Monday. You can comment as many times as you want, but you’ll only be entered once.

Be sure to check back next week for our report of going hands on with Uncharted 3 and sitting down with the game’s director Justin Richmond.

Oh, and I’ll also be giving away some randomly on my Twitter @JoeSinicki, so follow me and keep on the lookout!

Good luck!

Starting to drool for the Gears 3 beat that hits for some next week? Salivate a bit more with this behind the scenes video of Epic Games talking about the road to making Gears of War 3.   Blast will have a first hand report of the Gears beta on day one.

Even open world games have to end sometime; an issue Sucker Punch Games is looking to rectify with inFamous 2′s newly revealed user created content feature.

The developer promises a simple set of tools that’s lets users create pretty much any sort of mission they want, similar to the creation mode of the Little Big Planet series.  Sucker Punch also assured everyone that while the top rated user created content will be showcased, players not interested in experiencing it will be able to filter it out.

Can’t wait until the game releases on July 7 to get your hands on the user created features? Good news, as the developer also announced that a limited public beta will launch in early April for folks to try the new features out. More info will be released regarding the beta on March 14 via the game’s official website.

UPDATE: Hey Folks, all of the beta keys have been given away, thanks for entering, and thanks for reading!

Oh, do I have your attention?

Blast Magazine has received a handful of Killzone 3 beta keys, and are ready to dish them out.  Winning is simple, all you’ve got to do is be a Blast Magazine member (or join and become one) and comment on this post — make it something Killzone related though. 5 random commenters will win a Killzone 3 beta code that they can use to try out next year’s hot anticipated PS3 shooter almost three months early. You can leave as many comments as you want, but that won’t increase your

Want even more of a chance to win? I’m going to be giving away four more codes on Twitter. All you’ve got to do is follow me @JoeSinicki, and tweet “Hey @JoeSinicki, I want a Killzone 3 beta code from Blast Magazine!” Also, be sure to look for our Killzone 3 coverage blowout in the next issue!

While you’re at it, follow Blast at @blastmagazine for all the updates from Blast Magazine.

Originally scheduled to drop out of service today (May 19) Bungie has extended the life of the Halo: Reach multiplayer Beta until tomorrow (May 20) for unknown reasons.

Extended a day!

Speaking with gaming blog Joystiq, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard revealed the extension.

“Our official plans as of now are to turn off the Reach beta on Thursday, 5/20 at 10AM PDT,” he said.

You’ve earned yourselves an extra day, headhshot-honchos. Go at it while you can!

via Joystiq

Bungie’s final Halo effort, Halo:Reach, has been in multiplayer beta since May 3. In that time, a mere 2.5 weeks, it has managed to overtake Halo 3‘s player count by leaps and bounds.

The Beta’s fast paced train of death comes to a abrupt halt tomorrow, when Microsoft says it will pull the figurative (or literal!) plug on the trial.

In Reach‘s first week alone, over 14 million games were logged and 157 million kills amassed, which equals more than Halo 3 enjoyed in its beta’s lifetime.

Possibly the allure of the beta was found for gamers in its new gametypes; Invasion and Generator Defense. Personally, Generator Defense felt like a buzzkill. I loved the ideal objective, but with only three versus three, it got old and stale very fast. On the other hand, Invasion and Invasion Slayer, are two areas I’ve logged the most time in, simply because Bungie finally went for it and they nailed it, right on the head.

What do you think?

via Destructoid

While the title remains shrouded in thick, smog-filled clouds of question marks, Ubsisoft today confirmed a pre-release multiplayer beta for  Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

When in Rome...

If you weren’t aware, Brotherhood will be the first Assassin’s title to incorporate a mulitplayer component and the beta will serve as a very important testing ground for those skeptical of Ubisoft’s ability to infuse multiplayer into the stealth game.

More Brotherhood details are promised for E3 2010 next month in June, where the title will in all likelihood be playable on the show floor. We hope.

via G4TV

After logging numerous hours in the highly anticipated and ultimately important Halo: Reach multiplayer Beta, Bungie has left the sweet taste of promise and potential in my mouth.

I’ve hunted heads in the game’s HeadHunter mode, popped headshots left and right in SWAT, and I’ve journeyed to the ambitious battlefield of Reach‘s newest and most daring game-type yet, Invasion.

While the Beta is, by definition, an unfinished product, the level of detail, definition and structure, is remarkable and in fact exceeds the multiplayer component of many games available at retail today.

Arguably, the most exciting and ambitious component of Reach is its Armor Abilities. These come in five flavors at the moment and include Sprint, Armor Lock, Active Camouflage, Jetpack and Evade. Whereas in Halo 3, these power ups were scattered throughout the map and had to be picked up, in Reach you start with one.

As you can likely deduce, Sprint affords its beholder the ability to run super fast, for a short amount of time. It’s great for escaping the heat of battle and can be a determining factor in your eventual life or death.

Armor Lock, already the most annoying part of the Beta, allows its user to slam his fist into the ground and become invincible for a period of time. While employed, this Armor Ability prohibits you from moving and when it expires (or you choose to end it) you’re an easy target, prone to the scope of a headshot. It’s useful when an incoming vehicle is barreling towards you, but in hand to hand combat, it’s kind of lame.

Armor Lock

Active Camo is just as it sounds and allows you to become invisible whenever you desire. Man is it annoying when someone uses this, sneaks up behind you and knifes you in the back for a one-hit kill. This Ability is  most useful in Capture The Flag game-types, as it allows you to stealthily enter the opponents base, snag the flag and at least make it a decent distance before your foes see a flag magically walking away.

Jetpack is already the best part of Reach. The ability to reach any lookout, ascend any building and escape the bullets of battle, is a great tool to have at your disposal. However, with this newfound ability to flyyyy, comes the fact that when you do choose to use it, you’re literally a flying target, easily falling into the reticules of enemies. That said, its pros outweighs its cons and if you’re like me, you’ll use this Ability more often than not. There is one caveat for Jetpackers though. If you fly to high and use up all your pack’s juice on the way up, the fall damage on the way down will kill you. Remember to pad your landing!

Jetpack!

Evade is an Elite specific ability and allows these aliens to move extremely nimbly throughout combat. Hold down LB to use the ability and flick the directional stick in any direction and you’ll very quickly duck and roll in the direction you chose. If a Spartan is raining fire down on you from high above and you’re in the  middle of an open combat zone, a few somersaults with the Ability will get you out there quickly.

Weapons

Halo: Reach introduces a handful of new weapons to complement the Abilities, but before we talk about them, we need to speak of Loadouts. When a match starts, you have a choice of weaponry. Each has a primary, secondary, grenades and an Armor Ability. Everyone plays Halo a little differently, so you’ll have to play around with options and find the one that suits your play style best.

Loadouts

First, players will need to get accustomed to the new Magnum Pistol. This handgun can be fully scoped and is a beast of a headshot weapon.

The DMR, or Designated Marksman’s Rifle, is the Battle Rifle (though Bungie says it’s not) of Reach. It’s great a medium to long range and is a great headshot weapon.

The DMR

I’m a little concerned with Bungie’s choice to make the Magnum pistol exactly as deadly as the DMR. I constantly found myself running into battle with the DMR, absolutely expecting to win the shootout, only to find my foe, with a Pistol, killing me faster. Seems kind of wrong.

Next, the Focus Rifle is quite a treat. This bad boy is a combination of Halo 3′s Sniper Rifle and Sentinel Beam. You can scope it in, but instead of “shooting” enemies, you “cook” them, which is obviously a lot more fun. Cook an enemy for long enough and they fry to a crisp, leaving their corpse lifeless on the ground. It’s not terribly easy to amass kills with this weapon, but when you pull it off, the smile stricken across your face will make it all worth it.

Focus Rifle

The Plasma Launcher is the weapon I’ve waited for I think my entire life. This gun follows the same king of “charge-and-kill” mechanic of Halo 3′s Spartan Laser, but this one will fire before it’s fully charged. It fires up to four rounds  of deadly plasma. These plasma projectiles can lock on to both human and Elite targets or, where it’s more effective, vehicles. Basically, you scope it in, select a target, hold down the fire button and if you can get all four round to lock on, you’ll most certainly get the kill, but feel free to let go after one or two. What’s more, if you die, the guided munitions will still hit their target, and hopefully get you a kill or two.

Plasma Launcher

Next, the Grenade Launcher, a single shot beast, is one of the most intriguing and (possibly) awesome weapons in Reach. It fires one shot at a time and when fired, the grenade skips once, then explodes. However, if you hold down the trigger after launch, you can make it explode whenever you like. Used this way, you can shoot a projectile at an oncoming enemy and when he stands near it, let go of the trigger and BOOM, he’s dead. I haven’t been able to effectively use it yet, but I’m sure when I do master it, it’ll be a deadly weapon.

The Needle Rifle is also a weapon I’ve longed for since Halo 3. Similar to the DMR in power and effectiveness, this Covenant weapon shoots Needles one shot at a time. It’s a headshot machine and those with skilled hands will rack up more than many kills with it. Additionally, sink enough shots into the body of an enemy, and, similar to the Needler (which is also in Reach!), it will force them to feel the power of pink  mist.

Melee Attacks

Beating down enemies in Halo: 3 was pretty much my favorite thing to do. I can’t think  of something more exciting and rewarding than charging a foe, tapping B and ending their killing spree. Unfortunately, Bungie has ramped down the effectiveness of Beatdowns in Reach. In fact, the term Beatdown is gone, in favor of Pummel. In Bungie’s defense, Pummel is a pretty awesome term. And, again thankfully, the horrible double melees or melee sandwiches, whatever you called them, are largely gone in Reach. You can’t wildly run into frag-fests hoping  to beat down enemies as easily as you did in Halo: 3, because it just won’t work!

Ultimate Assassin

Game-Types

In the Beta, Bungie has a handful of game-modes and playlists available, allowing you, if you become bored with one or another, to keep it fresh and play a multitude of game-types.

If you’re a Lone Wolf fan, there’s HeadHunter. In this game-type you’re all by yourself and every time you or someone else dies, they drop a skull. You pick them up and must bring them to a “drop zone.” You can be risky and collect a bunch of skulls before running back to the drop zone, but know that if you get capped, you drop them all. The game is played to 25, that is unless someone amasses 10 skulls at once, at which point that person will earn the “Skullamanjaro” award, ending the match. Yeah, I did that once.

HeadHunter on Swordbase

Then there’s the Arena. This is the place that Bungie says will be for the best of the best seeking the highest level competition. Play enough matches in a day and you’ll get a daily ranking and beyond that a season ranking, good for bragging rights. This  mode isn’t entirely fleshed out at the  moment, but its aim is, according to Bungie, to give the hardcore, skilled players a reason to not reboot their character and trounce low levels as they climb the ladder again.

And the elephant in the room. It’s Invasion. This game-type is Bungie’s most ambitious yet. Similar to Battlefield: Bad Company 2‘s Rush Mode, this game-type progresses through three different phases. It pits Spartans versus Elites. Elites play offense and Spartans defense. It’s played exclusively on the Boneyard environment, a map larger than anything Bungie has ever done and truly speaks to the studio’s very strong ability at crafting largely scaled environments, something fans (or maybe just me) have clamored for, for years. As Elites capture points from the Spartans, new and more powerful loadouts and eventually vehicles become available for both sides. The game ends (if Elites are able) with the Elites stealing the “Core” and transporting it to a Phantom, docked on the corner of the map.

Invasion

The offshoot of standard Invasion is Invasion Slayer. In this game-type, it remains Spartans versus Elites, but it’s a game to 100 kills, but there’s a twist. Instead of standard kill, kill, kill, there’s a strategic take gamers  must use to succeed. As Spartans or Elites capture points, more powerful loadouts become available. It breaks down like this.

Phase 1 (0-25 kills, or until the 4 minute marker)

Spartan Weapon Drops: Power Weapons (Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle)
Elite Weapon Drops: Power Weapons (Plasma Launcher, Focus Rifle), or a Ghost

Phase 2: (26-50 kills, or until the 8 minute marker)

Spartan Weapon Drops: Power Weapons, or a Warthog
Elite Weapon Drops: Power Weapons, or a Ghost, or a Banshee

Phase 3: (51-75 kills, or until the 12 minute marker)

Spartan Weapon Drops: Power Weapons, or a Warthog, or a Scorpion
Elite Weapon Drops: Power Weapons, or a Ghost, or a Banshee, or a Wraith

Invasion Slayer, so far, has been the most rewarding Halo multiplayer I’ve ever encountered and this game-mode is certainly a long time coming, and I’m certainly excited that Bungie has it very well nailed down at this early Beta stage.

Then there’s Stockpile. This game-type is a spinoff of Capture The Flag. Flags spawn at specific points on the map and it’s your team’s duty to carry these to collection zones that hop from location to location throughout the game. There’s two ways to win here; either capture 10 flags in the allotted time, or capture  more than the other team when time expires.

Flags go here!

The final new game-type in Reach is Generator Defense. This mode doesn’t go live in the Beta until May 14 and it certainly sounds interesting. Like Invasion, it pits Spartans vs. Elites. Three Spartans must defend three generators and three Elites are tasked with destroying them. Simple. Straightforward. Should be fun.

Don’t worry, if you seek familiar affairs, Oddball, Capture The Flag, Team Slayer, SWAT and others are mixed in to the rotation.

Environments

There’s only three maps available in the Beta right now (one more when Generator Defense goes live). They include Boneyard (for Invasion only) PowerHouse and Sword Base.

PowerHouse is an outdoor location, looking similar to High Ground from Halo 3. It’s full of water, indoor and outdoor locations, dark hallways and alluring lookouts, great for raining fire down from. Jetpackers will love PowerHouse, as there are a few places only these Ability will be able to get to.

PowerHouse

Sword Base is a very straightforward map. Visually, it resembles Cold Storage from Halos of yesterday and has two distinct sides with bridges, on various elevations, for travel from side to side. There’s a Sniper Rifle on this map and it’s extremely useful if you’re perched in the right spots. Also, due to the verticality of this environment, you’ll find yourself using the Jetpack Ability. Use it to ascend to higher levels and you’ll rack up kills on unsuspecting enemies.

Swordbase

Boneyard, as said before, is a Invasion only map. It’s huge, the largest Bungie has ever built. There are big open spaces, but also dark and enclosed areas where frag-fests and melee attacks will run supreme. There are also several vertical layers, accessible through scaffolding and staircases, perfectly suited for snipers and Focus Riflers looking to rack up headshots.

Boneyard

Bungie.net Stat Integration

Just like in Halo 3, Bungie will let you track your in-game statistics online at Bungie.net. They’ve redesigned the look and feel of it and overall, it’s just much better. It’s truly incredible Bungie went to such extensive lengths to incorporate stat-tracking with a beta.

The new Bungie.net

Reflection

While I’m certainly not the  most skilled Halo: 3 player (a highest skill 36 in Halo: 3) my skills from that game transferred to Reach and I’ve enjoyed nearly every minute spent in the Beta. It’s certainly not Halo: 3.5 and this is very exciting. Bungie provides an incredible tease with this Beta and it’s going to be an extremely long haul from when the Beta ends (May 19) to early Fall when the title releases.

Play some Beta with me if you’d like. My GamerTag is “eddie not eddy”

If you’re already familiar and tired of the fairly normative gametypes Bungie has offered you thus far in the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta, today should be a breath of fresh air for you, as Bungie will unleash its most ambitious gametype to date today.

That’s right, it’s May 7 and  ‘Invasion’ will go live some time today.

Invasion pits Spartans versus Elites and is, very simply, similar to Bad Company 2‘s Rush mode where areas are unlocked as the game progresses. In Reach though, as you progress through the ‘tiers,’ you’ll gain access to new and more powerful weapons as well as vehicles and more.

Still too confusing? Here’s a video showing what to expect.

Bungie and Microsoft released the multiplayer beta for Halo: Reach yesterday and due to an insane influx of users, from thousands to millions in hours, Bungie’s servers were stressed beyond belief, causing headaches for hopeful gamers.

Bungie revealed this morning that over a million of you guys played, or attempted to play, the beta yesterday, on its first day of availability.

The studio has been vocal and active in the Twittersphere, keeping gamers in the know, this morning issuing the following Tweets.

#Reach beta day two should be smoother than day one. All systems are go so far. Thanks for your patience and testing help!

BTW, we had over 1 million unique players login to the #Reach beta yesterday! Thanks to everyone who helped stress our servers and systems

Those of you who’ve managed to get games in, what’re you thinking? I’m not blown away just yet, but then again, it is a beta and Invasion isn’t available yet.

The date you’ve had circled for weeks is finally here.

Today is, thankfully, May 3, which means the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta begins today.

To get in on the action you’ll need a copy of Halo 3: ODST, where you can access the early play via the game’s main menu.

Right there

Check out the video (embedded below) featuring the lovely Aisha Tyler coaching you through basics of the beta and read Bungie’s Beta Guide, for even more detailed information.

You’ll want to start fragging your way to victory soon, as the beta will last a mere 2.5 weeks and end on May 19.

Feel free to add me as a friend on Xbox Live and we’ll get some Blast Magazine slayer going. My GamerTag is “eddie not eddy.”

Microsoft today issued a press release making it known the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta will last 2.5 weeks.

You and your friends can get a sneak peak at the shooter beginning May 3 and lasting until May 19, when Microsoft says it will pull the plug.

Bungie representatives have said the beta’s length is to be determined, but Microsoft owns Xbox Live, not Bungie, and can cut gamers off whenever they feel fit to do so.

Microsoft also announced a “Halo Multiplayer Unlock Weekend” where Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach beta gamers can play for free. It runs from May 14 at 9 a.m. PDT through May 17 at 9 a.m. PDT.

To play the beta you simply need a copy of Halo 3: ODST, but you already knew that, because you read the extensive Halo: Reach beta guide.

Unless you’re some kind of wizard, you probably have a question or two (or three!) about the upcoming multiplayer beta test for Halo: Reach.

Well, worry not, as Bungie has uploaded an amazingly detailed Multiplayer Beta Guide for Halo: Reach and it’s the be all, end all for Reach questions.

In it is information like what maps and gametypes to expect as well as social gameplay details and of course, gorgeous screenshots.

The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta begins May 3, 2010.

Bungie Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta Guide

No one on Earth, except the secretive folks at Blizzard, know when Starcraft II will release, but the closed beta for it opens to the masses today, thanks to everyone’s favorite videogame retailer GameStop.

The retailer is handing out beta keys to anyone slapping down $5 to reserve the title in-store or online.

If you want it right now, hop, skip or jump over to your local GameStop and reserve it. If you’re slightly more patient, head to the game’s GameStop listing and you’ll have the code e-mailed to you within 24 hours. Either way, once you have your key, you cannot cancel the pre-order, so choose wiesely.

The game’s been in closed beta since February, available to a select few. That changes today and if you’ve been clamoring for it, now’s your chance.

Starcraft II: Wings Of Liberty @ GameStop

In an interview with games site 1UP, Bungie today revealed a plethora of details surrounding the Halo: Reach multiplayer Beta that kicks off May 3.

Bungie spoke at length about the Beta’s four game-modes, which were teased in the tantalizing teaser trailer. To refresh; the game modes are Invasion, HeadHunter, Stockpile and Generator Defense and each looks and sounds quite compelling.

Multiplayer lead designer Lars Bakken said the normal game modes will obviously return with “Reach,” but gamers have lots more to look forward to.

“We just said, ‘okay, Slayer, CTF, King of the Hill, those are great, let’s lock those up and put them aside. Now what else?’

HeadHunter- This mode is not, as it may sound, a headshot hunting mode. In fact, it’s quite different. When you kill enemies, they drop skulls. You pick up these skulls and carry them to a deposit zone to accumulate score. However, if you’re slain on the way to your zone, all the skulls you’ve accumulated drop to the floor and become ripe for the taking. This game mode can be played in both team and free-for-all fashions making for some seemingly frantic matches.

Stockpile- Bungie describes this one as a Territories meets Capture The Flag. In it flags will appear randomly across the map and players will be tasked with returning them to their respective bases. Pretty straightforward.

Generator Defense- This game mode, only playable on the Overlook map in the Beta, pits Spartans against Elites. The aliens must destroy generators on the map as Spartans attempt to stop their efforts. After five minutes are up (or the Elites have destroyed the generators) teams swap and duke it out again.

Invasion- Bungie still won’t say much about this gametype, instead saving details for a date closer to the Beta’s arrival.  All we know is what we already knew; it’ll be played on the Boneyard map exclusively and that it supports vehicles.

Make sure to head to the full story at 1UP for more information and beautiful screenshots you won’t find anywhere else.

The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta begins May 3 for owners of Halo 3: ODST. We’re enlisting in the fight…are you?

In less than a month Bungie will unleash the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta. It starts May 3 and lasts until Bungie says it’s over. We’ve already seen gorgeous images from it as well as a teaser trailer and weapon details, so what’s next you ask? How about the maps you’ll play on? Perfect!

In a detailed story at IGN, Bungie let loose lots and lots of details on the upcoming beta and specifically stated the beta’s four multiplayer environments and gametypes.

There’s “Swordbase,” “Powehouse,” “Overlook” and “Boneyard.” And oh yeah, the jetpacks work on every map. Make sure to read the full story at IGN for many, many, more details.

*images watermarked by IGN

Boneyard

Overlook

PowerHouse

Swordbase

In less than a month, Halo maker Bungie will unleash the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta. We’ll have our hands all over and offer up our opinion on the thing and Bungie is already making some very bold claims about it.

Speaking with GameInformer, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard said the beta alone is one magnificent beast and in fact rivals and surpasses full games sitting on shelves at retail.

“I think people will be surprised at just how much of the sandbox is being packed into the Beta, how many features are included and how fun and polished the experience is.”

“It’s definitely still a beta and some rough edges are to be expected, but after playing internally here I’m pretty blown away by how much work the team has put into making this a solid, fun experience that surpasses a lot of finished games.”

The Halo: Reach beta begins May 3 for owners of Halo 3: ODST.

Source: GameInformer

We had 5 codes this morning and all have been claimed. Look for more giveaways in the very near future!

We’ve come into a few Xbox 360 “Blur” beta codes and since we’re too busy playing A+ games, we thought we’d hand them out to you, dear reader.

“Blur,” the arcade-style racing game from Bizarre Creations that is as much driving as it is vehicular combat, doesn’t release in full until May, but because you read Blast, you can play the game early.

Blur

The beta is a heaping pile of awesome, as it includes four game modes, six tracks, fourteen licensed vehicles, over thirty challenges, nine mods, and Twitter support.

We have three Xbox 360 beta codes and we’ll distribute them to the first three to comment on this story with a couple sentences naming your favorite racing game (sim or arcade) and why you love it.

When you win we’ll e-mail you the code and how to access the beta.

When the multiplayer beta for Halo: Reach releases May 3, 2010, Bungie believes it’ll be played by about 3 million people.

You will play the beta.

According to Brian Jarrard of Bungie, Halo 3‘s multiplayer beta amassed a participation of only about 800,000.

The difference this time around is that the Halo: Reach beta is available to those with a copy of Halo 3: ODST, which Jarrard estimates to be close to 2 million, with many more buying in when the May date gets closer.

In an interview with Kotaku, Jarrard  said the multiplayer beta will feature a “handful of maps, a variety of gametypes – both new and old – and a nice subset of armor abilities.”

We already know one of the multiplayer maps and some of the new abilities, but man oh man am I excited for May.

Source: Kotaku

We have a lot of questions this morning.

A leaked Halo: Reach beta video hit the Internet today and it interestingly teases at a new “Murder Mode,” where the player can silently kill an enemy.

The video is merely the Reach beta booting up and contains no actual gameplay footage, but with the beta releasing sometime this Spring, a leak was bound to happen, right?

Could it be viral hype for Reach, or just a plain and simple leak? Either way, you’ll find out very soon, provided you’ve secured yourself a copy of Halo 3: ODST, which contains beta access to Reach when it becomes available.

Source: Kotaku

OGPlanet announced the start of the US open beta testing period for it’s anticipated online action game, Cabal.

Worldwide, the game already has nearly 1 million players in more than 12 countries throughout Asia and Europe. The beta period will extend from Friday to the official US launch February 21.

Cabal will be free to play, with the option to purchase in-game items and features.

In Cabal Online, players are called upon to protect the people of Nevareth from an evil entity known as CABAL. Centuries ago, the evil Cabal all but destroyed Nevareth, but the land was saved and rebuilt by seven great masters wielding the ancient abilities of Force Power. Nearly a thousand years later, Cabal has returned, and it is up to players to master the intricacies of the Force Power and use them to save Nevareth.

Set in a diverse environment that includes ice temples, forgotten ruins, desert hideaways, mutant forests and volcanic citadels, CABAL engages players with dynamic quests-not just the “collect 10 of something and bring it to me” variety-and more than 300 dungeons to explore. With 170 levels, CABAL is conducive to either hardcore or casual game play.

Game features:

• An interactive combat system that utilizes combination attacks (precision and timing sensitive) to deliver blow after blow with NPC and PvP encounters.
• Six distinctive classes of characters-Warrior, Force Archer, Blader, Force Shielder, Wizard and Force Blader-each offering an entirely unique game play experience within Cabal.
• An in-game downloadable jukebox that allows players to download their own songs to play while they take on Cabal.
• A fluid fighting interface that brings intuitive and elegant motions to players’ fingertips. Different classes bring unique movements and actions to their character both in and out of the battle zone.
• All in-game items can be crafted into new items or enhancement.
• A dynamic character-creation tool with more than 200 options.
• More than 300 dungeons featuring highly original and challenging quest designs to explore.
• Magical and mystical unlockables enhance healing, attacking, crafting and shielding powers.
• Astral cycles and boards allow players to travel great distances in short amounts of time.
• Hundreds of weapon styles, ranging from blade, bow and arrow, guns, and magic, are available.
• Supports multi-player Server-Client.
• A state-of-the-art game engine delivers stunning, high-polygon-count 3D graphics at a sustainable high frame rate, even on low-end machines.
• Unparalleled special effects: dynamic lighting shading, Z-buffering, particle-based effects.
• An engine designed and built by a staff experienced with massive network traffic management to minimize any latency.
• Supports most popular 3D hardware accelerators.

For more information, or to register, visit http://cabal.ogplanet.com/.