Microsoft will replace scratched Halo 3 discs

Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will replace discs of its Halo 3 Xbox 360 game that were already scratched when users purchased them.

On its Xbox 360 Web site, Microsoft said an Xbox Disc Replacement Program will replace Halo 3 Limited Edition Game Discs and Essentials Discs at no charge through Feb. 1, 2008, but only for Xbox 360 console owners in countries where Xbox is sold at authorized retail locations.

Microsoft released the highly anticipated Halo 3 Xbox 360 game on Tuesday at midnight, but some users found that their game discs were already scratched upon purchase. Some attributed the scratches to the company's packaging of the discs, which did not keep them in place. Users did not report any performance issues with the scratched discs.

To get a new disc to replace one that was scratched, people who purchased Halo 3 and meet the program requirements can fill out and print a program form and send it to Microsoft. They should receive a replacement disc in about two weeks time, according to the Web site.

Halo 3 is the latest installment in the critically praised and enormously popular first-person shooter series developed by Bungie Studios. Microsoft said it had more than 1 million preorders of Halo 3 before its release this week, and fans lined up Monday outside of a New York Best Buy retail outlet for the game's launch hours before the game went on sale.