GAME DEVELOPER Bungie's Halo Reach, which ended its beta trial last week, now has a confirmed shipping date of 14th September, so fingers are crossed here for a quiet news day.

Reach is supposed to be the last Halo release evah and, judging by the beta experience, the Xbox only franchise is going out with a bang, a melee, and a rocket pack.

Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft game studios gushed, "Just as 'Halo: Combat Evolved' catalysed the success of the original Xbox to define a decade of entertainment, 'Halo: Reach' will push the boundaries for what's possible in video games and help make 2010 the biggest year in Xbox history."

Meanwhile, retailers obviously keen to get a chunk of sales are already rubbing their hands in anticipation of the profits it is likely to bring in. With the games already selling 34 million copies, Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at Gamestop said, "'Halo: Reach' is the culmination of a decade of 'Halo', a franchise that has become a global entertainment and pop-culture touchstone. There's no doubt in my mind that 'Halo: Reach' will be one of the biggest games and hottest entertainment products of the year."

McKenzie said tha pre-orders were 'off the charts', making us wonder what version of Excel they use at Gamestop. Delaying his daydreams about yachts and expensive holidays, he said, "Pre-orders for 'Halo: Reach' have been off the charts, with fans snapping up the limited and legendary editions since they were introduced just a month ago. Overall, it's a real testament to the passion of the 'Halo' fan base."

According to Microsoft 2.7 million people played the Reach beta, us included, making it the biggest game beta trial of its kind on a console. Since its launch the series as a whole has sucked 2 billion hours of life from players. Some people, it tells us, have even had Halo themed weddings - we wonder if she has a sister.

Halo Reach is available for pre-order now, in case you hadn't worked that out yet, and comes in three versions. Casual gamers will appreciate the standard version, while those who still live with their parents may like the limited and legendary versions, which come with things like a McFarlane statue and a downloadable helmet. µ