If you couldn't register on Halo3.com the first time out, and the idea of buying Crackdown miffs you, then relax: there are still other ways to get into the Halo 3 beta to be held next spring.

The Gamerscore Blog lists two new ways that US residents can get in: by buying Crackdown, by playing at least three hours of Halo 2 online on Xbox Live and then registering at Halo3.com (first come, first served, 13,333 spots available).

Bungie.net also has an updated item on how to get into the beta test, which mentions an additional Bungie "friends and family" program that will precede the public beta.

HaloDev has put up the first of in a series of "Feature Focus" articles. This one, by Talin, is accompanied by a very complex render done by Talin and Veegie and covers the technique of normal mapping to add the appearance of detail to textured polygons. Veegie also produced another, more sedate image of an ODST perched high over a Covenant-invaded cityscape.

Xbox Live is telling you to walk away from the television set and spend time with your friends and family in the real world this holiday season. At least, that's the message one might infer from the fact that for several hours now, subscribers can connect to the services to browse the Marketplace or use voice chat, but not play games. Apparently even the single-player features of certain Live-aware games, like Gears of War, are being affected, with users suggested to remove the ethernet cable or wireless adapter from their Xboxes and Xbox 360 consoles to fix it.

Major Nelson's blog acknowledges the problem and that the Xbox Live team is working on it.

UPDATE: Some users reported that they can get on XBL now, and Major Nelson's blog has the following update:

I just heard from the Ops team...and we are all set now. They are debriefing now...so I'll see if I can get anything out of e to share on my show this week.

"e" is a member of the XBL team and a sometimes-guest on Nelson's weekly podcast.

Trakan, a moderator at the Cheap Ass Gamer forum, has posted scans of an ad for the upcoming Xbox 360 game, Crackdown, in Gamepro magazine.

According to the scan, "specially marked boxes" of Crackdown will include an invitation to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. This seems to be the first sighting in North America of a sure-fire way to get into the beta test. In Europe, a limited number of guaranteed spots were available, whereas in North America, fans were allowed to register freely for a "chance" for a slot, with selections to be made at a later date.

Spartan182 discusses in his blog the possibility of plasma energy swords being dual-wieldable in Halo 3, based on suggestions in the Brute video documentary.

One might think this would make such characters a bit too powerful, although I'm not really sure how carrying two instant-kill weapons really makes a difference unless you can lunge in two directions, but perhaps I just lack imagination. He points out that being able to hold a sword and another weapon simultaneously-- that might be very useful indeed.

Max "Yeroen" Hoberman, Bungie alum and founder of Texas-based Certain Affinity, now working on new Halo 2 multiplayer maps for release next year, gave an interview to Firing Squad.

However, that's not all they're working on, apparently:

FiringSquad: You are also working on a new game. What can you tell us about this game at this stage?

Max Hoberman: Sorry, I can't really say much. We've been in development since November 1st, and we're excited about where it's going, but it's way too early to discuss!

Thanks to 3Suns for the heads-up in the HBO forum.