Seattle- Within hours after die-hard fans finally got their hands on a copy of "Halo 3," blogs brimmed with reports that special limited-edition packaging is scratching the video game disks.

Microsoft Corp., which owns the studio that makes "Halo 3," responded quickly on its Xbox Web site with details for a replacement program. Customers can fill out a form and send in their scratched limited-edition disks for a free exchange through the end of December.

Microsoft is selling the limited-edition version, which comes in a tin decorated with the "Halo 3" logo, for $70. A regular copy of the game costs $60, and a "legendary" version, which comes with a replica of the helmet worn by game protagonist Master Chief, costs $130. The game officially went on sale early Tuesday.

Richard Mitchell, the lead writer of the Xbox 360 Fanboy blog, said one of the disks that came in his limited-edition set is scratched but the damage didn't seem to interfere with its playing.

The AP received several review copies of "Halo 3" in limited-edition tins. Both the game disk and an "essentials" disk had come loose from plastic housing designed to keep them in place. The game disk had been scratched but seemed to work fine.

Microsoft has been plagued by Xbox 360 problems in recent months. In July, the software maker said it would spend more than $1 billion to repair broken Xbox 360 consoles, and in August it disclosed that some Wireless Racing Wheel game controllers were overheating and smoking.
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yeah thatd be right.....fools....

Unlucky Clucky! You would of thought they would of been aware of this!

lol i can see alot of pissed off kids and fat people in their master chief helmets.

Hah at what Jeremy said.

What's the big deal about Halo 3? Why does everyone have to be the first to get it? I've never really been interested in video games, but still...

yes, sadly, i can too. I'm thinking of Piggy from The Lord of The Flies Movie right now wearing a master chief helmet...haha. I think Microsoft is having a bad stroke of luck lately. which is sad, because i love microsoft. I would hate to see them fail , then have Apple take over.