Halo 3 gets September release date

Redmond (WA) - Halo fans should get their calendar ready, and mark September 25 as the release date for the final version of Halo 3.

The public beta test of the new Halo’s online system begins this week and wraps up on June 6. Microsoft says it will then finish the game and have it ready for store shelves in the last week of September.

Halo 3 will come in three editions. A regular version carries the standard Xbox 360 game price of around $60, with a "limited edition" set for about $70. An even more deluxe version called the "legendary edition" will be available for around $130, making it the most expensive Xbox 360 title. The legendary edition will come with a full-size metal Master Chief helmet.

When it comes out on September 25, it will be the first Xbox series published by Microsoft to reach a third installment. Halo 2, which launched in November 2004, sold more than 2.5 million copies in its first 24 hours.