The September 25, 2007 release date is just a few weeks away and the buzz around Halo 3 is starting to heat up. If you’re planning to get a copy of the new edition of the popular video game for your Xbox 360, you’ll have three different editions to choose from this time around.

Microsoft has gone into something of a marketing frenzy for Halo 3, introducing two different limited editions for release, as well as a standard edition. They didn’t stop there, though, as they’re also releasing a special Halo 3 edition of their Xbox 360 console, finished in the Spartan green and gold color scheme, two special edition controllers, and a wireless headset also in green and gold. . If you plan to buy everything, you will need a lot of money, since the latest edition of the game, the Legendary Edition, will retail for $129.99 and the special edition console is almost $400.

Here’s what will be available later this month:

Halo 3 Legendary Edition – This edition will be released in limited quantities and each one will be numbered, but I haven’t seen any word on how many copies there will actually be, so it’s hard to say if you need to order it as quickly as possible or you can wait. a little. If you plan on getting this edition, it’s better to be safe than sorry if you pre-order it.

Halo 3 Legendary Edition will come packaged inside a collectible Spartan Mjolnir Mark VI helmet which is pretty nifty looking and will look great on your desk or bookcase. In addition to the game, this edition also includes two other discs. The first features exclusive footage of the Bungie team and their behind-the-scenes process as they create Halo 3. This disc also includes an HD “Making of Halo 3” documentary, as well as other articles on the design process. So it’s like a DVD release with all the director’s extras. Plus, there’s the most unique aspect of the whole set: an audiovisual calibration tool, which can be used to calibrate your home theater setup to display the best audio and video for your gaming experience.

The second disc of the Legendary Edition includes Bestiarum, a digital guide to the cultures, world, and creatures of Halo 3; remastered material from previous editions of Halo with behind-the-scenes work at Bungie; exclusive Machinima content from the creators of “Red vs. Blue” and “This Spartan Life”; and a collection of storyboard art.

So if you’re obsessed with Halo and its creative team, the Legendary Edition is the edition for you. Next up is the Limited Edition.

Halo 3 Limited Edition – This edition comes in an elegant metal box and includes the Bestiarum in a hardcover bound edition; a “behind the scenes” bonus disc, including the Legendary Edition AV Calibration Tool; storyboard art; and a special “Halo” art and fiction book.

Finally, there is the standard edition of Halo 3 which only contains the game itself.

For my money, the best value option is the Limited Edition. At only $10 more than the game’s launch, it includes a lot of great bonus materials that are well worth the extra $10 spent. The Legendary Edition of the game costs almost twice as much and the big difference between the two special editions is the Helmet case. Of course, if you really like the helmet, the Legendary edition is obviously the way to go, but if you couldn’t care less, go for the Limited Edition and spend the extra $60 to buy another game for your Xbox 360.