Quick Crackdown Rental Won't Score a Halo 3 Beta

The word is out on the street, and every blog in the universe, that the Halo 3 beta included with copies of Crackdown is not something you can snag with a quick rental.  It seems the Crackdown disc will be required to play the Halo 3 multiplayer beta, even after you have downloaded the file.

We have avoided reporting on this, for fear of running afoul of the embargo and non-disclosure agreement.  Now that the blogosphere has picked up the story, there's not much else we can add to the rumor.  Several websites are reporting that the Crackdown game will feature a special downloadable content screen that will include an option for a "Halo 3 beta".

in an interview with XBL radio, product manager Craig Evans explained that renting the game, downloading the demo for Halo 3 and returning said Crackdown disc will NOT allow you access to the Halo 3 beta.  So, if you had this plan in mind, your proverbial rock has been undeniably blocked.

There is still the option of renting the game for an extended period from a service like Gamefly.  I can't confirm that this will work, though logic would dictate that it should.  A mail-order rental would cost a lot less than the full purchase price of the game, but as many have been saying since the release of the demo, maybe a full copy of Crackdown isn't a bad bonus for a Halo 3 beta key.