Dust off that copy of Crackdown you bought back in February -- tomorrow's the big day. The Halo 3 Beta goes live May 16th and (if the servers don't instantly melt on start-up) will run for three weeks. Eager to know how it's going to play right now? I've rounded up some press impressions to get you in on the action early:

1UP - Halo 3 Preview

We've been playing all weekend, and have already experienced dozens of amazing "Halo moments" -- last second kills and saves, unlikely fusion core explosions or grenade tosses, outlandish snipes, and all sorts of other Halo 'sandbox' magic. It's as astonishingly fun and addictive as ever, and the improved matchmaking and party system is yet again the best way to run a multiplayer experience anywhere in gaming -- by a landslide.

Games Radar - Halo 3 Live

We play most every shooter that comes out - it's our job. So when Halo 3 can't match the graphics of Gears, we're disappointed. When it can't innovate like GRAW, we're disappointed. When its crazy new stuff isn't as crazy as a giant robot like in Lost Planet, we're disappointed. But we just finished talking to one of the waiters at the restaurant here. He's a true blue Halo fanboy and he was ecstatic. For him, it didn't matter if Halo 3 reinvented the next gen wheel. He was just happy to see his favorite game back, with an improved look and some seriously exciting changes. As he so eloquently put it, "If the s**t ain't f***ing broke, don't fix it.

Halo 3 Beta: Does it Meet the Hype?

It's no revolutionary new sequel, it's not set in an open-world and it doesn't now feature a stealth meter or cover system. It's the same action-packed, bunny-hopping, grenade-lobbing, beat-down-from-behind multiplayer shooter that we've come to know and love. In the same way halo 2 felt like the original Halo with additional vehicle jacking, dual wielding and a crappier pistol, Halo 3 feels like Halo 2 with additional bubble shields and giant lasers.