The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta has kicked off, and as you can imagine the influx of players ready to check out the latest from Bungie has created some problems. The first issue, if you can call it that, is that because of all of the traffic it is going to take some time to download the Reach multiplayer beta. Of course, that is if you can remember where your Halo 3: ODST disc is. The Halo 3: ODST disc is necessary to download the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta, unless you are lucky enough to have a download code and in that case you have been playing since Saturday.

Checking with local retailers, we found that they were already having a run on used copies of Halo 3: ODST. One store employee that we spoke with said that, “although we were prepared and received extra used copies of the game for the influx of people that either didn’t purchase ODST or had already traded it back in, we were out of used copies of the game by noon, and were down to our last couple of new copies by the early evening. We will likely be out of new copies by closing time.”

No wonder those that need a copy are looking for a used one, with prices on the used version of ODST going from between $25 to $35, while a new copy will run you $40. Another option is a used copy of Forza 3/Halo 3: ODST Spring Elite bundle disc that came in the latest Xbox 360 Elite. These bundle discs have a habit of being in good shape and are often quickly traded in toward other games when a new console purchase is made. If you can find it and if you don’t already have Forza 3, this is clearly a better deal; but it will still run you between $40 to $45 if you are lucky enough to be able to find one.

Once you have your Halo 3: ODST disc, have navigated to the Halo: Reach beta option within the menu and have sat though what is likely a long wait to get the multiplayer beta downloaded, your problems will likely not end there. According to players of the beta, including our own experience, the massive number of players is apparently causing some matchmaking issues.

The technical problems associated with the slow matchmaking times and inaccessible playlists are a direct result of the servers getting hammered by the massive influx of players, according to developer Bungie. The team at Bungie is working quickly to address the technical issues and they are thanking players for their patience while they address the issues to get things up to full capacity.

After you get things going, you will be treated to four all new maps along with a variety of new weapons with several new game play types. From what we have played so far, we can tell you that we have liked what we have seen, but the server issues have put a damper on our ability to fully test things out. It does appear to be able to give Halo junkies what they crave and at the same time offer a variety of new things to keep the play interesting. We need more time to play with it before we can pass full judgment, but we expect to get more of that in the next couple of days.