Media, fans get first glimpse of "Halo 3" beta

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie studios held two media events in both San Francisco and New York Friday evening to give gaming enthusiasts a first glimpse of its upcoming Xbox 360 game, Halo 3, the highly anticipated third chapter of one of the greatest gaming “Halo” trilogies.

Starting on May 16 at 5 a.m. PDT, the multiplayer beta version of the highly awaited first-person shooter video game, Halo 3 will last for three weeks till June 6 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. The final version of the game will hit the Xbox Live servers across the globe sometime later this year.

The Redmond giant staged previews in the two cross-country invitation-only events at York and San Francisco on Friday in advance of the public test, or "beta" of the game, offering selected gamers and editors from gaming publications the most in-depth look at the new game to date.

Worldwide media participants were treated to several hours of hands on play time with the game, as well as in depth Q&A sessions with some of lead designers from the game developer, Bungie, owned by Microsoft.

A pool of hard-core gamers who signed up or entered various promotions can begin a three-week trial run of the game in online multiplayer mode Wednesday. Gamers must have the Xbox 360 console system connected to the Xbox Live online network in order to download and play the game (through June 6).

A public beta is unusual for a console game, and the first version of the popular game designed for Microsoft’s 18-month-old Xbox 360. New levels, vehicles, weapons and game types will be made available during the beta. The test version also includes three new maps including Snowbound, High Ground and Valhalla, which represent a mixture of large- and medium-scale combat environments in "Halo 3."

Gamers will be able to experience the Mongoose all-terrain vehicle as well as new lethal weapons including the new and improved Assault Rifle, the ferocious Brute Spiker, the devastating Spartan Laser and the treacherous new Spike Grenades.

Halo, the award-winning and critically acclaimed science fiction epic adventure packed with action, contains all the thrilling game-play and rich story that has made it a smash hit with gamers all over the world. The second title sold an even greater number, and the online element of the game is one of the most enduring multi-player titles, stimulating the tens of thousands of players still to log on each day to play.

Halo 1 & 2, both for the original Xbox console, brought in $700m for Microsoft by selling 14.2 million copies worldwide.

Halo 2 pulled down 125 million U.S. dollars in sales in its first 24 hours, becoming the fastest-selling Xbox game and one of the top sellers during the last console generation.

Microsoft expects the launch of its upcoming "Halo 3" video game to surpass "Halo 2" in sales. "I definitely believe that 'Halo 3' is going to be bigger than 'Halo 2'. Retailers know what 'Halo 2' did and they are not going to want to be caught out of stock," said Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Game Studios.

Microsoft faces stiff challenge from Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStaion3 in the next-generation gaming console war to grab maximum market share.