YAWN.... it's already been 4 hours since the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta launched on Xbox live, and I can still hear the warning beeps in my MJOLNIR armor suit. I thought the release of the beta would help assuage my thirst for the full release of Halo 3, but it's only made me want it more.

But I'm one of the lucky ones.

Finish the fight? How about a chance to start it! Not everyone who should be able to download the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta was able to do so this morning. If you purchased Crackdown to get access to the beta, you were supposed to be able to start downloading at 8AM. But early reports show that Crackdowners (Crackdownies?) still weren't able to download the beta as of the writing of this article

I spoke on the phone with a Microsoft Spokesperson this morning, who said that they were "aware that some users are having difficulty downloading the Halo 3 multiplayer beta via Crackdown."

The spokesperson was unsure of exactly how many users are being affected, but GameRadar estimates that it's over a million. I was also told that they did not have an ETA on the fix, but that "Bungie Studios is working with the Xbox LIVE team to resolve this as quickly as possible – stay tuned."

The good news is that other players who have access to the beta through other means (such as Friends and Family, Rule of Three, etc.) "remain unaffected.”

We'll post more details as they emerge.