GameSpot have managed to get get their hands on the Halo 3 Beta, and have been sampling it for some time. And starting next week, purchasers of Crackdown will have managed to get themselves an invite to Halo 3 themselves.

Next Wednesday, Crackdown purchasers lucky enough to receive an invite to the Halo 3 beta will get their first chance to play Bungie's long-awaited shooter. Today, press outlets were given their own codes to access the beta, and the first screens of and video footage (below) from Halo 3 multiplayer are already on GameSpot.

For the past several hours, GameSpot editors have been sampling the beta's three maps and multiplayer modes. Editors are currently engaging in live gameplay, and the virtual carnage can be watched in real time now via GameSpot's Media Player.

This afternoon's gameplay is a prelude to coverage of tonight's Microsoft event in San Francisco, which will show off Halo 3 to a select group of the games press corps. Check back later this weekend for a full-run down of the evening's festivities.

Krunal via gamespot.com »