Actually, you're wrong.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/758/758236p1.html

IGN confirms all copies, not matter when sold will have the beta.

Nice poem thing, though.

Well, that's cutting-edge news you got there. I have been thwarted.

You really liked the poem? It took me ten minutes. I rather like it.

Dangit, I need to preorder my Legendary Halo 3 copy asap. I keep putting it off (forgetting to take the detour after work)

You might be able to get one online somewhere. Sometimes you can even get it a day early by ordering from a place like Amazon.

Actually, YOU'RE wrong Funkmon. ;)

"Microsoft has contacted [JOYSTIQ] and clarified that the Halo 3 beta will be included in every copy of the initial shipment of Crackdown and that the boxes will be specially marked. So if you want yours, you'd best pre-order. We say again, the Halo 3 beta will only be available in the initial shipment of Crackdown in specially marked boxes."

Just read that very same article on Joystiq. Emphasis on the initial shipment.

Crackdown is starting to grow on me. I was playing it today. When you've got your speakers turned up and 30 or so people shooting and throwing grenades at you, it's quite an experience (that's without any super weapons and/or many superhuman strengths yet).

I think I like the backstory and theme better than the GTA games. Getting to fight as a cop is more fun to me. Now I'm not very sad I have to buy it for the H3 Beta.

I got the preorder on Crackdown, and H3 Legendary at the Gamestop next to target on University Drive. GG me.

Played the demo tonight until it timed out. Increasing your skills in agility and strength is really fun, especially agility. As FB said, there is something really satisfying about jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It's also fun to throw moving trucks at people and kick a gangster's car, with him in it, and watch it go flying.

I spent one session maxing out my agility, and I felt like Spiderman running across rooftops. It was great! :)

I put some time into Crackdown yesterday. Several people on my friends list, one in the H3 alpha, are spending quite a bit of time in Crackdown. I wasn't convinced in my previous plays of the demo, so I decided to see if co-op would be any different. After a few rounds of GoW, I decided to let jayWHY sell me on Crackdown. Summary:

(gets in private chat with jay and loads Crackdown demo)

(goes to co-op screen)

me: How the heck do you navigate this clumsy UI?
jay: Just press over.
me: I am pressing over.
jay: Just do it.
me. K. Finally got it.

(joins up into co-op mode with jay)

me: I don't see your game.
jay: When did you press start?
me: After you said you had the game set
jay: I think you needed to wait a little bit longer?
me: K.
jay: Why don't you host one?
me: K.

me: How do you navigate this clumsy UI?
jay: Just press over and do the same thing you did before.
jay: Tell me when it's up.
me. K, it's up.

(game begins)

jay: Hop in (the car)
me: K.
jay: Get in
me: I'm pressing "Y"
jay: Get in the car
me: I'm trying
me: K. I'm in.

(10 seconds later we are on our nose in the middle of a shootout after crashing into the second story of some building)

jay: Get back in
me: K
jay: Come on
me: I'm trying

(drive around for 30 seconds)

jay: So. What do you want to do?
me: I want to play Crackdown.
jay: I know. So. What do you want to do?
me: I don't know. I want to play Crackdown.
jay: Where do you want to go?
me: How do you play?
jay: What do you want to do?
me: I don't know
jay: Do you want to get some agility?
me: Sure.

jay: Follow me.
jay: You need to get out of the car.
me: K.

jay: Jump on this ledge
me: K.

(jay falls down)

jay: Let me get back up there

(jay falls down)

(repeat several times)

jay: Now you get up here
me: K.

(falls down several times)

me: I'm up now.
me: Where are you?
jay: Over here.
me: Where?
me: Oh. How did you get up there?
jay: I jumped on some ledge and swung over to the side.
jay: You've got to be on the edge, facing in, jump back, then press forward.
me: K.
me: I'll be there in a minute.

jay: See those green orbs.
me: Yeah.
jay: Go pick them up.
me: Are you getting those over there next to you?
jay: Yeah

(I don't go get the orbs next to jay)

jay: Come over here and get these orbs
me: Aren't you going to get them
jay: I already did
me: But I see them on screen.
jay: I know. We both can get the same orbs. They disappear on my screen when I get them.
me: Oh.

jay: Have you leveled up yet?
me: No.
jay: Go get a few more.

(I level up and can now jump a little higher)

jay: Pretty cool, huh?
me: I guess.
me: So, how do you play this game?
jay: What do you want to do?
me: I just want to do something. How do you play this game?

jay: Want to go climb something?
me: Sure
jay: What do you want to climb?
me: I don't know.
jay: You can climb anything in the game.
jay: Even that big tower over there.
me: Let's go climb that one then
jay: We’ll need a car

(jay beats up some lady and steals a truck)

jay: Hop in.
me: K
jay: Come on.
me: I'm trying. I'm pressing "Y".
jay: Let's go.
me: I'm in.

(we are rolling down some busy street)
(jay runs over a lot of people and lightpoles)

me: Are there any jumps in this game?
jay: Yeah. There are lots of jumps.
jay: Like this one up here.

(crash)

jay: We missed it.
jay: Those purple things are jumps.
jay: Follow me into the water
me: K.
jay: You can jump in the water
me: Makes sense

(we arrive at this huge skyscraper)

jay: We're going to go to the top
me: K.
jay: Follow me. Jump up on this ledge then jump again.
me: K.
jay: You need to just hold down "A".
me: I am holding down "A".
jay: You need to just keep jumping up.
me: I'm jumping as high as I can go and I'm not reaching the ledge.
jay: You need to jump right here under me.
jay: Jumping right there won't get you anywhere.
me: K.

(thirty minutes into the demo)

(200 feet in the air above the group on this skyscraper)

jay: Come over here and do the same thing.
jay: Just keep jumping up.
me: K.

(fifteen more minutes of jumping and climbing)

jay: Oh crap.
jay: I fell.
jay: I'll be right there. Just keep climbing.
me: How far?
jay: Just a few feet. No big deal.
me: Ok.

(five minutes later)

jay: I'll be right there.

(a few minutes later)

jay: I'm here now.
me: Where do we go now?
jay: To the top.

(I wonder just how high we are)

(Looks over the ledge)

me: Holy crap!
me: My heart rate is fast. This is making my stomach hurt.
jay: LOL
me: We are very high. I'm afraid of heights.
me: Seriously. This is making me queasy.

jay: We've got a little more to go.
jay: We're almost at the top.
me: What happens if I fall?
jay: You'll have to climb back up.
me: K.

(several hundred feet above the ground on the side of this skyscrape with about 50 feet to go to reach the top)

jay: This one is a little tricky. Just do that jump I showed you a while ago.
me: K.
jay: Where are you?
me: I'm falling at about 9.81 m/sec
jay: LOL
me: I'm still falling.

(a few seconds later)

me: Holy cow. I'm still falling.

me: I'm dead. It killed me.
jay: LOL
jay: Yeah, if you fall that far it will kill you.

jay: Want to play some Crackdown?

If I want to jump around I go to the ferris wheel and collect all the agility orbs. There's almost enough orbs to level up twice. If I want structure I go kill gang bosses. I know of three bosses. I think there may be more. Didn't have the problem with the Y button when I played co-op with FB.

Maybe it's just not for everyone. Reminds me a lot of GTA 3, which I loved.

I'm assuming you weren't the type of Halo player to do heavy exploring, getting out of levels, etc. Well, I was, and I get a lot of the same feelings when I play this game.

So, I figured out why a handful of my friends are playing Crackdown.

They have the full version already and they've had it for a while. GG.

Are you talking about your MS friends?

I don't accept public invites on XBL. But, since the Shadowrun beta only has a few hundred people outside of MS, I needed SR friends. So, I've made space for about 10 of them.

As it turns out, some of the SR beta testers are getting full copies of Crackdown in the mail and have for the last few weeks.

And, I guess KP has been playing it, too.

Working for MS must have its perks.

Does this have anything to do with your friends playing Crackdown?

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/02/14/crackdown-for-sale-south-of-the-border/

If Mexican retailers sell them as soon as they get them, that's still only about a few days (less than a week) early, if I understand distribution correctly. In my case, I don't think the 1.5 hour drive to Tijuana is worth it for a few days. A couple weeks, maybe.