Get ready: Halo 3 Beta Debuts May 16

The multiplayer beta for the hotly anticipated Halo 3 debuts on Xbox Live May 16 at 8 a.m. eastern. It'll run through June 6 at 2:59 a.m.

Halo is one of the best-selling videogame series of all time and Halo 3 will let gamers try to save the world using the hero, Master Chief, as he tries to stop a flooding threat and stop the evil invaders from taking over our planet.

Starting May 16, gamers who secured their admission to the multiplayer beta through previous promotions or by purchasing a specially marked copy of Crackdown for Xbox 360 will be able to play online via an Xbox live Gold account.

The beta will include three maps: Snowbound, High Ground and Valhalla, which represent a mixture of large- and medium-scale combat environments and are brand-new to “Halo 3.”

Gamers will have access to new vehicles and new weapons, like the Spike Grenades.

Halo 3 goes on sale this fall.

News N Notes

-- Midway has released a new Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Wii tutorial video, komplete with commentary from Mortal Kombat Kreator, Ed Boon. All of Mortal Kombat's supernatural super moves and infamous fatalities are performed via the Wii Remote, making it easier than ever to pull off the deadliest of fighting kombinations (Warning: video on website is graphic and intended for older audiences).

-- A new Gears of War title update hit Xbox Live Monday night that includes a new multiplayer mode called Annex. In Annex, gamers seize victory by keeping control over key map locations, or objectives, long enough to collect a winning number of points.

-- Gottaplay Interactive, Inc., a leading provider of online video game rental subscription services, will open its newest distribution center in Pittsburgh, PA on April 20th.

Gottaplay recently launched a new site with vastly expanded capabilities including trading and social networking. This has resulted in a remarkable increase in traffic among those gamers who want to rent, buy, trade, and connect with other gamers who share the same interests.

Gottaplay Interactive, Inc. currently operates distribution centers in Southern California, Washington, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Connecticut, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado. In addition to the Pittsburgh center, Gottaplay will be opening a center in Miami this month.

-- Technosource has releases several Spider Man handheld games to tie with the upcoming Spider Man 3 movie:

• Spider-Man 3: 3-D Color V.I.E.W. System – Simply hold these LCD goggles up and see the world through Spider-Man’s eyes while he takes on The Sandman and attempts to save the city.
• Spider-Man 3: LCD Penny Arcade: Bell Tower Brawl – Shaped like a mini arcade game, players just drop a penny into the coin slot, grab the joystick and duel with Venom in the bell tower.
• Spider-Man 3: Battletronics -- Fight as Spider-Man or The Sandman, The Goblin or Venom.
• Spider-Man 3: Vigilante Vengeance -- Players get to experience the ride on The Goblin’s Sky Stick, which features Tilt Sensor Technology bringing all the action right into your hands.
  
  The complete line retails between $5.99 and $24.99 at most toy outlets.