Two new ways to get a Halo 3 beta invite

Microsoft announced two new ways to grab a spot in the Halo 3 multiplayer beta program. Specially marked copies of Crackdown, an Xbox 360 title scheduled to release on February 20, will include an invitation. When the Halo 3 beta program launches in spring, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can use the Crackdown disk as a key to download the multiplayer beta. It seems like a shameless way to sell more copies of Crackdown, but there's no doubt it will work.

The other way to get a spot is through the Rule of Three program. Simply play Halo 2 on Xbox Live for a total of three hours between February 1 and February 3. Then, be one of the first 13,333 players to register at www.halo3.com. The Rule of Three program is currently only open to gamers in the United States, but details about regional programs will be announced soon.

If you signed up during the December beta registration, keep an eye out for an E-mail from Microsoft. They'll be contacting those selected from the initial registration this month. If you don't get contacted by the end of the month, or you missed the first opportunity to register, be sure to use one of these other methods if you want to get a spot.