The guys and gals at Bungie have been busy putting up balloons and streamers to celebrate Halo turning 5 years old today.  $700 million in sales, 14.5 million units sold worldwide, 800 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox Live.  Wow.  They've got a lot to celebrate!

To mark the occasion, they just announced that they'll be conducting a public Halo 3 multi-player beta over Xbox Live this spring, so you'll all get hands-on game play with Halo 3 a lot sooner than you expected! 

To help give you in the mood, we're airing a special one-time TV ad for Halo 3 on Monday Night Football, on December 4.  Those of you outside the US (or for those in the US who didn't pay their cable bill) don't have to worry, we'll make the ad available on Xbox Live Marketplace (in high definition!). 

On top of that, the lads and lasses at Bungie have been hard at work on some brand-new Halo 2 multiplayer maps that will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace this spring.

So, wanna know what's coming to Halo 3?  The press release hints at some of the new features:

Next-generation high-definition visuals; enhanced artificial intelligence; an advanced real-time lighting engine; and new weapons, characters and challenges are just a few examples of the evolution of design and technology in “Halo 3.”

Working in concert with Xbox Live on Xbox 360, “Halo 3” builds on the unique social multiplayer experience of “Halo 2” and promises to expand the innovative and evolving online gameplay and community of “Halo 2” on Xbox Live.

The press release also reveals the entire story line:  <spoiler alert!>

In this third chapter of the “Halo” trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.

Oh come on, it's a press release!  What do you expect???