Today in NYC at the Halo 3 preview, a special edition Zune was showcased. It will be hitting shelves in mid-June. Master Chief is really starting to spread himself thin. What is next – Playgirl or CosmoMale? Pimp on Chief…. pimp on.

The Bungie forums are alight with people talking (well, bragging) about how their Halo 3 Beta test is about to begin. No, it’s not the public beta. It’s the so-called, “Friends and Family,” beta. Now, there’s really nothing special about this beta. It’s the same beta, just delivered 5 days early to “Friends and Family.” The big question is, who is “Friends and Family?

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Yes, there’s quite a demand for Bungie’s newest creation, and it still has a while to hit the shelves.

According to Xbox Evolved, preorders for Halo 3 have topped 4,000,000 units, making it the “most preordered video game of all time.” Yes, much like the demand for a good movie, the demand for this video game has skyrocketed.

And why? Well, let’s just face it: Halo and Halo 2 rocked.

Talk about some exciting new features. Along with an interview with “Mr. Jukes,” you can download the footage here.

My favorite part was watching people get stalked.
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Well, May 8th has come and gone, and something seems amiss. There’s a void lingering in the air; an enormous absence bearing heavy on my soul. Ah, that’s right: Halo2 for Windows Vista should be out now. But no. Instead we get news that it’s been held back until May 22 so the developers can fix some technical issues. And now we can only hope that it will actually come out then.

In this week’s Bungie Update, it’s been revealed that on May 15th, the day before the Beta goes live, Bungie will be releasing a Beta guide containing FAQs, tips, tricks, map guides and more. As far as the beta itself goes, the update states, “The code itself is about 99.99% complete, and it’s in the final test and certification stages (fingers crossed).” Bungie also revealed that there will be a secret, ‘Friends and Family’ level in the public beta. Actually, it sounds like it will basically be a preselected group of players who will receive the beta a few days earlier than everyone else.

Reference was also made to the leaked beta footage that has popped up since the internal beta began. “Naturally we’ve had our share of leaks from the internal beta, and while it makes us angry that some people want to ruin the surprise for others, the real joy of the Beta is in the playing.”

In addition, Bungie thinks they have solved all the issues with downloading the “Blastacular Map Pack” for Halo 2.

Here’s an interesting look into the new Halo book called Halo Effect: An Unauthorized Look at the Most Successful Video Game of All Time.

Retrospectives are always fun, and it definitely is cool to see how Halo evolved both as a game and a cult phenomenon. From kind of a cool first-person-shooter to a game that could get a person in trouble.

The roots? Well, for instance, one author in the book wrote, “There was a time no one outside of Bungie cared about Halo. Or if they did, they cared for no reason at all. Or the wrong reason.”

Bungie, here’s to you.

If you think you’re an in-game artist, here’s your chance to show it off. Bungie has announced a contest to design an emblem for inclusion in Halo 3. Even if you’re not an artist, Bungie says that the entries don’t have to be pixel-perfect, or even in digital format. They can be submitted via email or snail mail. The official rules for the contest can be found here, so make sure you check them out before you start sketching.

This week’s Bungie update feature a wealth of information on Halo 3, and the ongoing beta. First, there’s mention of split-screen multi. Second, the rumor that Halo 3 will support large multiplayer battles is dispelled with the statement, “Conspiracy theorists can drop their 128-player game theories at the door. Halo 3 is still a 16-player game, and the reality is that most people prefer smaller games than that.” Likely the most exciting mention is that of a feature currently being tested, referenced only as Saved Films. While there’s little detail on what this feature will encompass, the title makes me think that we’ll see a built in recording feature. That also means we’ll see lots of Halo 3 video on FileFront soon.

Chris Liddell, chief financial officer for Microsoft, said in a conference call, “Halo 3 is clearly going to have a positive impact in two senses. One, it gives us more confidence in the number of consoles we think we’re going to be able to sell next year. In terms of the direct impact, obviously it’s a first-party product so it’s reasonably profitable from our point of view, and it will be several hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue next year.”

I’m really glad that Microsoft’s officers are here to enlighten us on this, as I was worried that the release of another Halo game would spell the death of the XBox console family. OF COURSE it will boost sales! It’s one of the most popular console games of all time!