First details emerge, including the ultra-collectible Legendary Edition, complete with documentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, developer commentaries, rare art and more.

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today confirmed the first exciting details of the three editions of this year’s most anticipated video game release, “Halo® 3.” Gamers will have their choice of Standard Edition, Limited Edition and the ultimate collector’s item, the Legendary Edition.

 

 

The Legendary Edition ($129.99 U.S. ERP*) will be released in limited quantities and arrive in a highly collectible Spartan helmet case that no hardcore “Halo” fan should be without, along with two bonus disks full of supplemental content. The first disk will provide exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage and videos, including a high-definition “Making of ‘Halo 3’” documentary showcasing the Bungie team and its effort to create the most anticipated title in the industry’s history; numerous high-definition featurettes documenting the creative design processes involved in developing the game; and even a look at some early game concepts and their evolution through the game’s development. The disk will also include an audio-visual calibration tool, never before seen on a video game and custom designed by the “Halo 3” graphics and audio team to make the most of fans’ high-definition home theaters, for the ultimate “Halo 3” and Xbox 360™ audio and video performance.

 

The second bonus disk, an exclusive to the Legendary Edition, will include completely remastered cinematic material from “Halo: Combat Evolved” and “Halo 2,” supplemented with developer commentaries, to provide a refresher course on the thrilling “Halo” story so far, and a featurette documenting a day in the life at Bungie. Exclusive content from the creative minds behind Machinima artists “Red vs. Blue” and “This Spartan Life” will also be included.

 

Finally, fans who purchase the Legendary Edition will receive an illuminating collection of original “Halo 3” storyboard art from artist Lee Wilson, depicting key moments and pivotal scenes from the epic cinematic production of “Halo.”

 

The Limited Edition ($69.99 U.S. ERP*) will also include a bounty of extras. Within a sleek metal collector’s case, gamers will also receive the first bonus disk found in the Legendary Edition, as well as a special “Halo” fiction and art book. A must-have for “Halo” collectors and a source of invaluable and exclusive information, the piece is an elaborate and compelling guide to the species and factions that inhabit the worlds of the “Halo” universe, with never-before-seen art and story elements that expand and illustrate the depth and breadth of the “Halo” fiction.

 

And for those who crave nothing more than the highly anticipated third chapter to one of the greatest gaming trilogies, the Standard Edition ($59.99 U.S. ERP*) will consist of the “Halo 3” game.

 

“Halo 3” represents the third chapter in the “Halo” trilogy, a Marvel Entertainment Inc. graphic novel series, apparel and more.

About Bungie Studios

Bungie Studios was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years it has produced games such as the “Marathon Trilogy” and the first two “Myth” games, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. Bungie’s “Halo” franchise is an international award-winning action title that has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.7 million units worldwide, logging over 800 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox Live and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel, an upcoming film adaptation and more. Bungie is currently at work on “Halo 3,” which represents the third chapter in this “Halo” trilogy and is slated for release in 2007. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net.

About Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox® and Xbox 360 video game systems, the Microsoft® Windows® operating system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games), including such franchises as “Age of Empires®,” “Flight Simulator” and “Zoo Tycoon®”; Xbox and Xbox 360 (http://www.xbox.com), including such games as “Gears of War” and franchises such as “Halo,” “Fable®,” “Project Gotham Racing®” and “Forza Motorsport™”; and MSN® Games (http://www.games.msn.com), the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as “Bejeweled” and “Hexic®.”