'Halo 3' beta features movie-maker

Halo 3 developer Bungie has announced the forthcoming beta release of the game will allow players to enjoy the much talked about 'saved film' feature.

The new function will allow gamers to record their best in-game moments as a mini-movie and play them back at a later date. A Bungie spokesman said, "The version you'll try in the beta, is very, very, very limited. We just want you to play around with the general concept. You'll be reading more about this in the gaming press in the next month or two, and of course you can try it out for yourselves in less than a month."

The developer has also revealed the beta will offer an improvement for high-definition screens. A statement on the update site reads, "Instead of stretching the horizontal or vertical axes into big, scary too wide or too tall horrors, we've sensibly windowed the action, maintaining lots of screen real estate, but preserving a proper, playable aspect ratio."

The beta will also feature online play and a split-screen option.

Halo 3 beta will launch on May 16 for Xbox 360 and will bring with it three maps (Snowboard, High Ground and Valhalla) as well as new weapons, vehicles and controls.