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.”

Unless you’ve gone all Chris McCandless and disconnected yourself from the world’s events, you’re aware of the monumental catastrophe that happened last week in Haiti.

And if you’ve already donated to the American Red Cross or any other like group to support the relief efforts, pat yourself on the back, because you’ve done a good thing.

But if you’re a broke college student/laid of employee, etc. and haven’t the money, but instead a copy of Halo 3 or Halo 3: ODST, you’re in luck.

Bungie, the development team behind the Halo franchise, on Friday announced that the studio will donate $100 for every 1000 players who play either Halo 3 or Halo 3: ODST online this Wednesday and Thursday, for a maximum payout of $77,000.

To take part in the effort, simply gather up your friends and play Halo 3 or ODST any time next from 00:01AM PST Wednesday, 1/20, through 23:59PM PST Thursday 1/21 and change your emblem to the one shown below.

Like this

Or this

Additionally, if you do have some extra cash around, right now, in the Bungie Store, you can pick up this “Be A Hero” T-shirt and 100% of the profits will go to the American Red Cross.

What’s more, sales from anything in the entire Bungie Store now until February, will go to the ARC, so if you’ve been eyeballing that hoodie or baseball cap, we can’t think of a better time to buy in.

In any event, if you’re a Halo-gamer, I full expect to see you on Xbox Live this Wednesday and Thursday. Add me as a friend at eddie not eddy and we’ll try to get a huge custom game going!

More information on all the goings-on at the Bungie-Blog

By now you’ve all most likely seen the absolutely jaw-dropping live-action ODST trailer that hit the internet weeks ago and is now running on national television, but it didn’t just appear out of thin air you know.

In this behind the scenes look, we get a thorough-enough explanation of how it all went down, begging the question: can we have a full-length movie now? Really, can we? I mean, what else are they going to do with that precision-made Brute, weapons, and gear?

Bungie’s latest Halo game, Halo 3: ODST has sold 2 million copies in its first day on the market proving that the brand name sells, and it sells well.

The figures come from VGChartz.com and point out that 1.5 million of the total came from the Americas with the other 500,000 copies sold in Europe and other regions.

Here’s a breakdown of Halo 3 vs. Halo 3: ODST sales statistics.

Halo 3 pre-orders and Day 1 sales- 1.95 million/3 million

Halo 3: ODST pre-orders and Day 1 sales- 1.35 million/2 million

Compared to Halo 3, ODST’s day 1 sales are down 30%, but joins an exclusive club in selling 2 million in one day. Something few titles can accomplish.

Halo: Reach, Bungie’s secret next project, is due out Fall of next year, so ODST has plenty of time to sell the 6-8 million copies we expect it to.

Bungie released Halo 3: ODST today, but that’s not all. A premium Xbox 360 theme in the ODST-flavor hit Xbox Live today and best of all, it’s available at a very affordable price; free.

The backdrop is of the game’s main hub world, New Mombasa, and is fittingly dark and gloomy, but man oh man it looks so nice. The only catch is that you must be a paying Xbox Live Gold member to earn the gratuitous download. But aren’t you already?

Here’s the official description and download link.

ODSTs aren’t the only ones getting their hands on upgraded gear to prepare for the upcoming Firefight. Available only for a limited time and free of charge for Xbox LIVE Gold Subscribers, this expertly crafted Halo 3: ODST Premium Theme will get your Xbox 360 ready for a combat drop into the city of New Mombasa.

No word on how long the promotion will last so get on it Halo-heads!

Want a new perspective of the Halo universe?

Then look no further than Bungie’s upcoming title, Halo 3: ODST.

Halo 3: ODST (the acronym standing for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) is a stand-alone first-person shooter extension of Bungie’s Halo 3.‚  In ODST, players take control of “the Rookie” who is a normal, non-Spartan soldier in the UNSC army.‚  Unlike Master Chief, ODSTs are not blessed with the speed, strength or resilience an enhanced soldier.‚  Instead, these troopers must rely on teamwork, defensive cover and smart tactics to survive and complete missions.

Microsoft was kind enough let to get my hands on Halo 3: ODST during Comic-Con this year.‚  During my brief preview, I was able to get the inside scoop on what is soon to come from Bungie’s upcoming creation.

The first thing I learned about ODST was the fact that each purchase will come with two discs.‚  The first disc will include ODST’s unique campaign and Firefight modes.‚  The second disc will include a fully functional copy of Halo 3′s previously released multiplayer mode, complete with 24 maps (including the Heroic, Legendary, Mythic and one previously unreleased map packs).‚  With each map pack being sold between 600 to 800 Microsoft Points, the inclusion of the Halo 3 multiplayer disc is a worthy addition to the ODST package.‚  This is especially true for those Halo 3 veterans who haven’t bought the maps already or just the casual gamer who is simply late on jumping on the Halo 3 bandwagon.

With the success of Halo 3′s multiplayer and Bungie always seeming to be able to churn out an interesting campaign, I was mostly concerned with how the Firefight mode would work.‚  Luckily for me, Firefight was exactly what the folks at Microsoft let me demo.‚  Firefight is a cooperative multiplayer mode in which teammates must defend themselves from increasingly difficult waves of enemies, similar to Gears of War 2′s Horde mode or Call of Duty 5′s Nazi Zombies.‚  What was fun about Firefight was the fact that players will be able to face of against waves of classic Halo enemies, including Grunts and Brutes.‚  All of the classic enemies still have their memorable quirks and movement styles, allowing Halo fans to enjoy a little bit of nostalgia as they try to complete Firefight.

I also appreciated that the increased difficulty of enemies was very dynamic.‚  Unlike in similar game modes, Firefight does not just improve the shield strength or just increase the sheer number of opponents as you advance to high levels.‚  Instead, each wave in Firefight will have certain characteristics.‚  For instance, one feature that I found to be most memorable was when the game alerted me that the next wave of enemies would be more prone to throwing grenades.‚  It was refreshing to see such a creative addition to a simple idea for a game mode.

From a gameplay standpoint, one thing that bothered me about ODST was the fact that the troopers (who are supposed to be normal, non-enhanced infantry soldiers) had Master Chief-like vertical leaping abilities.‚  During my time with Firefight, I would often find myself jumping over tall enemies, such as fully armored Brutes.‚  Though it could be considered nitpicking, I still found this unbelievable jumping to be a flaw in this one of this game’s goal: giving games a view of the Halo 3 universe from inside of the average soldier’s helmet.‚  Hopefully this will be something Bungie will eventually address as they develop the game further.

The ODSTs do have plenty of differences from Master Chief, however.‚  First, ODST soldiers are all equipped with a night vision function, which is toggled by the X-button (the only button that had a different function when compared to Master Chief’s controls).‚  What made night vision helpful was its ability to highlight enemies (outlining them in red) and objects (outlining them in yellow), even if they were behind barriers and obstacles.‚  Not surprisingly, night vision gave me an incredible advantage on enemies whenever I had it on.‚  In fact, I didn’t really see a point to not having night vision activated at all times.

To compensate for the addition of night vision, ODSTs are unable to use dual weapons.‚  So, those of you who enjoyed the days of doubling up SMGs or Laser Pistols, your days are numbered.‚  I found the removal of the dualing feature was a classic example of “addition by subtraction” and I look forward to the challenges it is sure to bring.‚  However, even though dual weapons are out of the picture, the addition new weapons is certainly not.‚  Halo 3: ODST will allow players to get their hands on a silenced SMG and a silenced pistol, both of which are unique to the game.‚  Though the silenced SMG was fun, I would have to say that the silenced pistol was my favorite of the two new guns just because of the fact that it shoots much faster than its previous counterpart.

My favorite part of my hands-on experience with Halo 3: ODST was the grittiness of the graphics.‚  Unlike times in Halo 3, ODST looked to capture the look and feel of war in a more authentic fashion.‚  The settings were dark, the graphics were gritty and the action was nonstop.‚  It just seemed that ODST could provide a more “real” campaign experience than Halo 3.‚  I am looking forward to seeing what Bungie has in store.‚  It should be a good time.

Overall, it looks like Halo 3: ODST could be a success.‚  Initially, I was afraid that Bungie could be using ODST as a means to gain some revenue without producing a top-notch title.‚  Instead, I have found myself nearly convinced that ODST will be worth every penny used to purchase it.‚  The only thing holding me back from completely buying into ODST’s hype is the campaign.‚  If Bungie can live up to its storytelling resume, ODST will be a worthwhile investment.‚  However, if Bungie falls short in the campaign department, things could get ugly.‚  Let’s hope that the former scenario comes through.

When Microsoft revealed at E3 last week that Halo 3: ODST would indeed be a full priced $59.99 Xbox 360 game, many fans and industry folk alike pulled a 180 and said “what?!” And with justification, as Halo creator Bungie developers Brian Jarrard and Joe Staten both stated phrases eluding to the fact that ODST would not be a $60 game and instead would be “value-oriented.”

However, the hammer has fallen, and Microsoft will indeed be selling ODST with the full price-tag come September 22 but an inquisitive gaming blog, Joystiq, inquired within, and received the following response from Microsoft:

“At the time of those statements, the overall scope of Halo 3: ODST was not yet finalized, and since then the project has grown increasingly more ambitious. We believe this standalone experience is much more than just an expansion. Halo 3: ODST provides a new campaign from the point of view of an entirely new character. Combine that with three new multiplayer maps, the entirely new cooperative mode called Firefight, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer collection on a standalone disc, we feel this is a good value and tremendous addition to the Halo franchise.”

Valid points, but for Halo-heads like myself, and a LOT of you, we’ve already got all the multiplayer maps and might feel a bit jipped at having to pay again for them.‚  However, the inclusion of the final three Halo 3 maps, Firefight mode (essentially Horde for Halo), and interestingly unnamed by Microsoft in the above statement, Halo: Reach multiplayer beta access is more than enough to sell the game.

What do YOU think. Is Microsoft simply milking every penny out of the franchise, or is ODST truly worth $60?

via Joystiq

Prepare to drop, as Bungie showed off Halo 3: ODST today at the Microsoft media briefing with brand new, never before seen in-game footage from the game and details surrounding Halo: Reach, a brand new IP‚  from the Seattle-based developer.

A Bungie developer played through what looked to be the opening cinematic from the title, set weeks before Halo 3, with a single ODST, or Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, falling from space, to the city of New Mombasa.‚  Once landed, the Bungie employee spoke to how the narrative will unfold.‚  He stated that the story will be told in a “unique way,” and one that will move freely around many members of the ODST clan.

You’ll visit the past, or flashbacks from the eyes of many ODST’s in order to solve the puzzle of New Mombasa and get out alive.‚  We were shown “The Rookie,” the first new playable character, but we were also taken inside the body of “Dutch” in another mission.

New features include 2 suppressed fire weapons, a see-in-the-dark visor and a new, urban setting perfect for raising hell in.‚  We were walked through a scene in which a bridge, full of Covenant scum, was obliterated with a couple shots from the Spartan Laser.‚  Bad ass? Indeed, can’t wait to see, and hear more from Bungie throughout the week.

Halo 3: ODST arrives on shelves September 22, 2009.

However, what you’re most likely much more interested in is Bungie’s latest endeavor, “Halo: Reach.”‚  Officially announced today, Reach is mostly under wraps at this point, but from the trailer we were shown, all signs point to a Halo 1 prequel, as a planet, most likely the Spartan home of Reach was destroyed as readers of the novel can confirm.

Interestingly, should you purchase Halo 3: ODST you’ll be granted beta access to Halo: Reach’s multiplayer component.‚  These signs seem to indicate that Halo: Reach is not simply Halo 4, rather a staggering revision, in mechanics to the series.

Halo: Reach is likely very far away from release, but Bungie has claimed fall 2010 to be the season and‚  year.‚  We’ll see.

Data from research group GamePlan reveal Halo 3: ODST as the most wanted Xbox 360 title closely nudging out Modern Warfare 2 in second place.

ODST and Modern Warfare 2 are sequels in famed franchises, but unlike others on the list represent nearly a quarter of all Xbox 360 gamers.‚  Damn that’s impressive.

The next closest, Madden NFL ’10 pulls up third place with only 15% expressing intent on purchasing compared with close to 25% of Microsoft gamers planning an ODST or MW2 purchase.

Most interestingly, MW2′s intent to purchase and pre-order tallies are nearly even in comparison to a much wider discrepancy among future ODST gamers.‚  What does this mean?

Either Halo fans are lazy bums who know ODST won’t be in short supply come fall, or they’re waiting for more juicy details from the secretive Bungie Studios about the title before deciding if the investment is absolutely worth it.

GamePlan pulled their data from 1,000 gamers every week across numerous demographics from March to April 2009.

Full 20-title list below and graph at right.

1. Halo 3: ODST (Bungie Studios)
2. Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward)
3. Madden NFL 10 (EA Tiburon)
4. Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix)
5. Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft Montreal)
6. BioShock 2 (2K Marin, 2K Australia)
7. Mass Effect 2 (BioWare)
8. NCAA Football 10 (EA Tiburon)
9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Uncaged Edition) (Raven Software)
10. Fight Night Round 4 (EA Canada)
11. Need for Speed: Shift (Slightly Mad Studios)
12. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (Ubisoft Montreal)
13. Fallout 3: Broken Steel (Bethesda Game Studios)
14. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios)
15. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion (Vicarious Visions)
16. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (EA Tiburon)
17. Tekken 6 (Namco Bandai)
18. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA DICE)
19. The Beatles: Rock Band (game only) (Harmonix Music Systems)
20. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Terminal Reality)

via GamaSutra

When I first heard ODST would be the final content attached to the Halo 3 name I was a bit skeptical.‚  Halo 3 is a title that succeeds so well on so, so many levels that it seems as if the train never has to stop, at least that’s what Bungie would have us believe.

At GDC this week Allen Murray, producer at Bungie explained the studio’s new production process, currently in an evolutionary process culminating in the ability to develop multiple projects simultaneously.‚  Bungie at work on multiple games? At the same time!?

Murray was silent regarding the Washington based studio’s efforts on their previously announced original, non-Halo IP, only saying “We’re working on multiple projects right now.” Instead he noted that the Bungie team has no plans to shut the door on Masterchief anytime soon.‚  After the Mythic Map Pack release this April and the ODST expansion, due out this summer (according to IGN), more Halo 3 content could be on the way as Murray ominously explains:

“Halo 3 took two and a half years to make, and we’re still working on it, we’ll probably be working on it for two more years.”

What could Bungie have up its well funded and deeply creative sleeve?‚  Only time will tell.

Full story at IGN.