There is one more way you can make your way through the pearly gates of Halo 3 beta testing.

Now you can also receive an invitation to the test by being one of the first 13, 333 Halo 2 gamers to register for the Rule of Three program at www.halo3.com next month. 13, 333? Shouldn't that be 13, 337 with at least one exclamation point?

To qualify for the Rule of Three you need to participate in at least three hours of Halo 2 multiplayer sessions via Live between Feb. 1, 12:01 a.m. EST and Feb. 3, 11:59 p.m. EST and then be one of the first to register at the site. While this is a U.S. only program, other region-specific registration programs will be announced in the coming weeks.

The multiplayer beta will go live this spring. Other ways to get in on the beta include buying Crackdown when it hits next month and singing up last month on the Halo 3 site. People who signed up on the site in December will found out this month if they get a golden bullet. Brian Crecente

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