With the Public Beta fast approaching, there's even more Halo-related news spiraling out of Bungie and the community.

The Year We Make Contact

The author of the next Halo novel, Contact Harvest, will be none other than Joseph Staten. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out with the same writer on the game and the novel. I suppose this isn't what people mean when they say "media convergence" but it certainly is something. It'll be interesting to see if any more is revealed by something written by one of the creators of the Halo universe itself, instead of something mediated through the Halo Bible and written by an outside professional.

Put A Dime In The Jukebox, Baby

Halo 3 Beta Tester Mr. Jukes put together a video to whet the community's appetite for the game. Either that, or to rub it in that he's played it already and we haven't. Don't let that stop you from watching, though.

You Beta Players Get Offa My Lawn

If you're one of the stalwarts still playing Halo 2, don't forget to download Tombstone and Desolation again, because they've had their glitches fixed and are required for many playlists now. Also, the stat reset is now complete, so it's time for everybody to restart their climb to that legitimate 40 rating.