Microsoft has finally confirmed the long-awaited release date for its highly anticipated next-gen FPS, Halo 3 – Bungie’s latest will hit North American retail on September 25th and European shelves a day later.

The news comes on the same day as the Halo 3 multiplayer beta, which will give players an early glimpse of the game’s online functionality, becomes available on Xbox Live.

"Halo 3 is much more than a video game release. It's the biggest entertainment event of the year," Microsoft’s corporate VP of gaming Peter Moore stated.

"On September 25th we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come."

In conjunction with the game’s release, Microsoft will also launch a Halo-branded edition of it’s iPod-rivalling Zune MP3 player.