| Unpleasant surprise awaits Halo
by Mike Smith
Buzz up!
A few fortunate gamers were able to pick up copies of the next Halo game, Halo 3: ODST, when a French retail store inadvertently put the game -- which isn't due to release until September 22 -- up for sale last week. Copies turned up for download on file-sharing networks shortly thereafter, but there's a nasty surprise in store for any Xbox 360 owners who tries to play them.
Pirates to recieve unpleasant surprise
Avast me mateys!
According to the Twitter feed of Xbox Live's Policy and Enforcement Director, anyone spotted playing downloaded copies of the game on Xbox Live faces a permanent ban from the service.
"Hrm. I spy with my little eye some *illegitimate* ODST players. No early play for you. Commencing permabans," he said yesterday. He later clarified that those who bought legitimate copies early will not be punished.
"If a user happens to purchase a legit copy of Halo 3: ODST early, then our problem is not with the user but the retailer who broke the street date. Those individuals will not be punished," he told Kotaku.
Microsoft is also known to ban users from Xbox Live for modifying their consoles, cheating, offensive behavior, or fraud.
So if you're jonesing for a look at ODST, but you're not one of the few fortunate individuals to have secured a legitimate copy early, we highly recommend you make do with this awesome, just-released trailer instead.
See the new live-action Halo ODST trailer >> | 
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