So after all the troubles of the last 18 hours or so the Halo 3 Beta is finally out – all the problems have been fixed (hopefully).

It’s been a long day for a lot of people but we’re happy to announce that effective immediately, a title update for Crackdown is available on Xbox Live that will fix the issue that previously prevented you from downloading the beta. The Microsoft team just deployed this fix and when you launch Crackdown you should receive a prompt to download the update.

Please note that it could take up to four hours for your console to receive this update based on various factors. However, the good news is that we’re in the clear and Halo 3 gameplay is just over the horizon.

We realize this has been a pain for many and an inconvenience at the very least. Given the circumstances, we’ve decided to extend the duration of the Halo 3 Beta from June 6th to June 10th at 11:59 PM PDT.  So, you lost almost a full day of play today but to make up for it we’re tacking on four more days (and a weekend at that).

We apologize for the delay and hardships this issue has caused and hope that it quickly becomes a distant memory clouded by good times playing Halo 3 with your friends.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We’ll see you online!

 Note : A rare bug has been discovered that sometimes results in improper text display in the game UI. Basically, you won’t see any text at all. If you encounter this issue, you can fix it yourself by doing the following:

1. Restart your Xbox 360
2. Boot up the Halo 3 Beta
3. While the Halo 3 Beta is loading, immediately press up on the D-Pad and hold the A button until you see the Bungie logo. If you perform this correctly a dialog box will appear confirming maintenance has been done to your system.
4. Resume the Halo 3 Beta!

So, we’ve all been waiting all day for the Halo 3 Beta to arrive with little luck. Well Bungie has finally put out a decent statement explaining a little bit about what the problems might be. 

We’re happy to finally announce that the issues being faced with the Halo 3 beta and Crackdown will be resolved shortly. The Microsoft team has found a solution and it’s undergoing final testing now. Assuming the test pass goes according to plan, the fix will come in the form of a Crackdown title update within the next three to six hours.

We understand many of you were eagerly awaiting your chance to jump into the Halo 3 Beta and this technical issue has put a damper on your plans. Thankfully the fix is incoming and we’re sincerely sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.  Ultimately we hope this will all soon be a distant memory once you pick up the Spartan Laser, launch yourself from a Mancannon and enjoy online shenanigans with your friends.

As a reminder, people who already have the Halo 3 Beta are unaffected by this issue.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more information. 

Only one day after making the announcement of what was in the much anticipated DLC pack it has been released onto the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The content is available in all Xbox Live regions (except Japan, Germany or Portugal) and costs 800 points for the premium pack (the free pack is eh, FREE). Details about what is included in the DLC is posted here…

At long the fog is starting to clear and details of the long awaited Crackdown DLC has finally been revealed. Although no dates or prices have been mentioned there are lots of details about what you will be getting.

The DLC will be arriving in two parts. The ‘Free-for-All’ pack which as the name says will be free and the ‘Getting’ Busy’ pack which you will have to pay for.

The new DLC will offer lots of new gametypes, weapons, vehicles, game changes and of course some brand new achievements (totaling 350 points). 
 
General Game Updates

• Reset Gangs: In place of the current option to reset the city’s crime (unlocked by defeating all 21 bosses), the gangs can now be completely reset in the main campaign.
• Easier Orb Hunting: Imagine how great it would be if when searching for the last remaining hidden agility orbs the audio range on each of them got wider as fewer remained; well imagine no longer. Audio “ping” range is now gradually increased when searching for the last 50 percent of hidden orbs, and 20 percent of agility orbs.
• Ground Strike: Available to a four star strength agent only, it is now possible to slam downwards while airborne by holding the attack button. The resulting strike is deadly to anything it hits, with an additional shockwave stunning nearby enemies.
• Improved firing over low walls: Agents can now fire downwards at a greater angle while taking partial cover behind a low wall.
• Targeting enhancements: Improved target lock prioritization of enemies behind vehicles as well as live enemies over corpses.
• Those damn fire hydrants!: The fire hydrants were near indestructible but were also hard to spot. Now, though still best avoided, they can be smashed over for a far less unreasonable penalty.
• Stunt Ring Visibility: Stunt Rings are now much easier to locate.
• No “Lefty Flip” on vehicle control: Removal of the lefty flip on vehicle control so that left-handed players can aim with the left stick, but still steer with the right stick.
• Persisting Charges & Mines: Limpet Charges (and the new Proximity Mines) will persist at all times within the game world and not just when within a certain range of the player.
• Distant Explosions: No matter where the explosion(s), players will be able to see them provided they have a line of sight… it’s always a clear day in Pacific City!
• Ramp Truck Issues: Some vehicles didn’t seem to get on well with the ramp truck, but we never intended this to be a SUV-only toy. Now none of them can get enough of it!
• Camera Enhancements: Better camera for performing vehicle stunts or driving on near vertical surfaces (particularly with Top Level Agency SUV or new Peacekeeper Buggy). Also vertigo-inducing tweaks for those long leaps of faith.
• Player to player precision shots: We’ve dropped the PvP lock-on but now another agent can be hit with a head or leg shot using normal targeting.

Free-For-All Pack Content

Keys to the City: The ultimate Cheat Mode! Enter this mirror of the main Campaign for a clean-slate game that can be fully exploited and customized for a single play session. Achievements and leaderboards will be disabled in this mode.

• Build a pile of 100 explosive drums at the top of the Agency Tower – then let it rip!
• Spawn a ramp truck anywhere, and it’ll stay there
• Create an agency vehicle or one of the new Peacekeeper vehicles any time, any place
• Players can set character skills however they want them, or just activate the accelerated skill leveling feature (“Crackdown” demo anyone?)
• Check out “Super Agent Agility” to jump ridiculous distances, swim faster than a torpedo and sprint faster than a speeding bullet (almost)
• Try the “Super Agent Strength” to toss a truck with deadly accuracy further than ever dreamt. Boot enemies into the stratosphere!
• Get the most out of the exciting selection of new weaponry by activating infinite ammo. Max out the selection at each supply point too!
• Do all of this without skipping a beat of the action – the pop-up cheat menu is always available during play without pausing the game

Vehicle Impounding: The Agency Garage has been given an overhaul; this was partly to accommodate the brand new Peacekeeper Vehicles, but also to allow Agents to impound their favorites so that they’re always available…in their preferred color.

• Impounding is simple: commandeer the vehicle and return it to the garage
• Vehicles that aren’t yet impounded are displayed as feint images, so players can see at a glance what’s missing from their collection
• The “Confiscator” achievement awaits those who simply had to catch ‘em all

Co-op Trophy sequences: A trophy emblazoned with my gamertag that is displayed for me and my opponent every time I win at the existing game types!? Yes please! Psychotic Mission Trials

• A record is now kept of Time Trials completed at “Psychotic” difficulty
• Scoring the maximum 21/21 isn’t just the ultimate challenge that every true Agent of Justice should have the stones to take on, but it’s also the only way to unlock the highly coveted “Psych Out” Achievement

“Getting’ Busy Bonus Pack” Premium Downloadable Content

New Vehicles: 

Agency Patrol Buggy:

• Double wishbone suspension absorbs the bumps in spectacular fashion
  Rides over anything – even when scaling near vertical surfaces
• Insane air control
• Roof mounted, independently aiming mini-gun activated with either “B” or “Left Bumper”

Agency Pursuit Vehicle:

• Ridiculously powerful mono-cockpit race car
• Acceleration that blows away everything else in the city
• Incredible grip and top speed
• Those road race leaderboard times are set to tumble!

Agency Armored Vehicle:

• Like the Agency Truck, the AAV can smash through barricades with ease
• Tank-like in design, occupants are completely protected from assault
• Surprisingly fast and agile for its size
• Rockets fired from independently aiming main turret with either “B” or “Left Bumper”

Street Racing: Pacific City is finally free from crime. Agency activity is once again concealed behind closed doors. The remaining peacekeepers, having very little to do, quickly grew restless. To satisfy their lingering lust for danger, high risk Street Racing tournaments have been established across the city.

• Compete in six different on and off road races across the city
• 6 radically different vehicle options per circuit
• Race against up to 11 other “do or die” opponents, including another player over XBL
• Compare fastest race times as well as race wins for that session with your co-op “buddy”
• Players can post their fastest time per circuit to the online leaderboards
• Take advantage of the world of “Crackdown” to win by any means necessary: create road blocks, hit gas tanks, or simply slam opponents into submission

New Equipment:

MSK Lobber

• Mini rockets are thrown out from the rotating muzzle section before their boosters ignite and swarm towards their target.
• The homing mini-rockets are incredibly agile making this the ultimate fire-and-forget weapon

EX1 “Proximity Charge”

• Similar to the standard issue “Limpet Charge,” these can be attached to any surface.
• A visible local field is generated when the charge is set. Enemy penetration of this field will result in detonation
• In a bid to reduce the extensive civilian casualties lying in the wake of any crime fighting Agent, intelligent threat-sensing technology prevents the charge from detonating when a firearm is not detected
• Unfortunately the technology isn’t quite intelligent enough to prevent detonation due to field penetration by another Agent

HRX “Harpoon”

• A powerful gas powered mechanism capable of launching a deadly, razor-sharp spear over large distances with incredible accuracy
• Can be used to ensure enemies “stick around” when players need them to, or to attach perps to their vehicle if they need to take them downtown…or around town

MZ360 “Mini-Gun”

• The ultimate fast-firing projectile weapon
• “Spin-up” to full fire rate takes some time, but the devastation is incredible
• Comes with a bountiful supply of high-caliber ammunition

VS1 “Cloaking Device”

• The perfect device for the Agent that likes his action served psychotic, or for anyone that just needs to get under the radar from time to time
• Renders the player barely visible and off radar
• The VS1 is fuelled by Agency suit armor; when depleted an Agent can find themselves distressingly vulnerable

New Game Types

Max-Agility Rooftop Races

• Compete solo or with two players in races across the city rooftops
• Nine new races in total, each with its own solo & co-op leaderboards
• Four are with Los Muertos, three with The Volk, and The Shai-Gen play host to the remaining two
• And no, gamers won’t need to complete these too for the existing “Over Our Heads” Achievement!

Stockpile

• Each district (including Agency Island) hosts a Stockpile game – clearly identified with its unique beacon
• Stockpile can be played solo or in co-op
• The aim is to collect all the game specific orbs (also marked on the tracker) in the fastest time
• Best times are uploaded to the online leaderboards
• Two players can work co-operatively to find all the orbs in the fastest possible time, or simply compete for the highest score when the time runs out
• In the case of competitive play, it doesn’t always pay to do the grunt work of collection; when an Agent is killed he drops a third of his spoils

Checkpoint Chase

• A highly addictive two-player competitive game that makes the very most of the world of “Crackdown”
• The game can only be initiated in one place – the Agency Garage
• A random target destination is identified somewhere on the city, but is only marked on the tracker (not the map)
• The first person to reach the destination gains a point and activates the next checkpoint
• The winner is the first to 10 points
• Other than that, Checkpoint Chase has no rules!

Rocket Tag

• The ultimate competitive combat event!
• Each of the 21 gang boss lairs now also plays host to a game of Rocket Tag
• When the game is activated the players are randomly assigned as “hunter” and “hunted”
• The hunter has a straight-shootin’ “Hotshot” rocket launcher…and more ammo than he could ever need!
• The hunted has…a pistol
• To win, the hunted player must avoid being caught in the blast of the rocket launcher for 60 seconds. Simple!

Achievements

The new content brings with it seven new achievements (taking the overall total to a nice round 50). Let’s get one thing straight, nobody’s paying for the 100 points that were missing from the original game – and in fact we’re repaying that debt with some serious interest! In total the download pack unlocks a whopping 350 gamerscore!

• Confiscator *
  Impound all the chosen vehicles and store them in the Agency Garage
  40 Gamerscore
• Psych Out *
  Complete all Time Trial missions at the Psychotic Difficulty level
  100 Gamerscore
• Stockpile Supreme **
  Complete any Stockpile mini-game in less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
  10 Gamerscore
• Flippin’ Crazy **
  Complete three flips of any type in a single jump in any vehicle
  20 Gamerscore
• Body Armor **
  Use the Harpoon gun to attach five corpses to a single vehicle
  10 Gamerscore
• Street Racer ***
  Win all Street Races using any vehicle
  20 Gamerscore
• Street Racer Elite ***
  Win all Street Races using all available vehicles
  150 Gamerscore 

* Available with Free DLC
** Available when one player has Premium DLC
*** Available only with Premium DLC

So the next time you insert your Crackdown disc into your Xbox 360 you will be prompted to install an update. The update addresses several minor technical issues to ensure a smoother online gameplay experience  and increases the number of ambient gang vehicles that populate Pacific City. Although this last one will make the Repo Man achievement a tad easier, it will also make the Road Warrior achievement a bit harder.

Wow, it’s not even officially released in the UK yet and already there is some funky new Crackdown content ready for you to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The pack includes four new agents that you get to play with and is available for FREE. The content is available in all Xbox Live regions except for Germany.

As the start date for the Halo 3 Beta gets ever closer, the folks over at developers Bungie have put together a helpful little FAQ to answer some of your questions.

Is Halo 3 beta registration closed?

Yes, phases one and two of the beta have already ended. If you haven’t received an email by this point, then you were not one of the lucky few.

Is there no other way?!

If you didn’t get in to either phase, then you can still get in by buying Crackdown, releasing in the US, on February 20 th . Inside every launch copy of Crackdown is an invite to the Halo 3 beta.

How will the Crackdown invite work?

Once the Halo 3 beta has been activated (start date is still TBD) you simply go to the Downloads menu in Crackdown to download the Halo 3 beta. After that, you will need to launch the Halo 3 beta from within Crackdown. You will need an Xbox 360 with a hard drive and an Xbox Live Gold account.

I’m an experienced beta tester with a PhD in Astrophysics and a minor in messaging Bungie to whine about the beta. Why wasn’t I invited?

Microsoft did not choose beta testers based on merit, that would take far more manpower than is realistically possible. Phases one and two were both essentially lotteries or contests. Bungie was not actually responsible for those contests, but rather your local Microsoft Games Studios division. Messaging Frankie, Sketch, KP or any other Bungie employees is futile.

When does the beta start?

The beta will not start when Crackdown is released. The beta will go live when it’s ready, which should be sometime this Spring. The team is currently busy whipping the included content into shape. Our goal is to deliver a fun, solid game experience though it will still very much be a “beta.”

How long will the beta last?

The beta will only be playable for a limited time. Exact timing is still TBD.

Are there multiple phases to the beta?

Not really. The term “phase” applied to the beta registration process. Participants from phases one and two as well as those using Crackdown will be able to get their copy of the beta at the same time. The participants from the Friends and Family program may be able to start playing shortly before the others, however.

What can you tell me about the Bungie Friends and Family program?

Not much, at the moment. As we’ve said, it’s just a method for Bungie to get some of its closest community friends into the beta. As we mentioned above, this program will start at a period shortly before the others, the extent of which is yet to be determined.

How many players are going to be in the beta?

A lot, many thousands. Let’s just say, you won’t have trouble finding a match.

How many maps, gametypes, playlists, etc. are we going to see in the beta?

Just enough to get the testing data we need while providing a fun game experience yet still leave everyone wanting more. The exact scope is still being finalized.

Will the party system be implemented in the beta?

Yes, you will be able to find your friends, join their party and enter matchmaking with them, in playlists which support parties.

Will we be seeing anything that we have not yet seen from the Alpha screenshots (and leaks) in the beta?

There are bound to be a few surprises in store for fans. And seeing a fuzzy cell phone video of the alpha doesn’t even begin to come close to actually playing yourself on an HD television with maps that are several months further along in development.

Will we see the function of the mysterious X button?

Yes. Whether or not it’ll still be mapped to X is subject to change. And honestly, it won’t be all that surprising. Just cool.

Please tell me I get to blow stuff up with the laser.

You get to blow stuff up with the laser. Try lining stuff up and then firing through it all. Preferably without teammates in or around said stuff.

Will we all have to sign NDAs and never speak of the beta? Will you try to contain screenshots and movies coming out of the beta?

Nope. In a perfect world, maybe, but it’s hard enough when the participants are just a few thousand MS employees, let alone thousands and thousands of Halo fans. We don’t expect anything in the beta to remain a secret. The beta will be covered by a normal user agreement, with lots of caveats about the fact that it’s not finished, only lasts for a short time and so on.

What kind of data and feedback is Bungie looking to glean from the beta?

We’re looking for a lot of things. Mainly the kinds of things that you cannot otherwise accomplish without the mass of people we’ll have, such as stress-testing all of the backend stuff and networking. We’ll be keeping an eye on our forums for general feedback, but the primary goal is to gain valuable technical information that’s only possible when we have tens of thousands of simultaneous players across the world.

Crackdown demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Crackdown pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with the first ever truly 3-D playground.Gamers will enforce justice by any means necessary in a crime-ridden urban centre built to encourage the exploration of the full width, depth, and height of the city. Coupled with highly innovative co-op gameplay, a first for the genre, and an interactive world where nearly anything can be used a weapon, gamers will be able to create a volatile cocktail of action as they clean up the streets.

Crackdown is developed by Scotland’s Real Time Worlds exclusively for Microsoft Game Studios and the Xbox 360. Real Time Worlds is led by Dave Jones, the creative mastermind behind some of the most innovative and best-selling video games including the global blockbuster Grand Theft Auto and the legendary hit Lemmings.