Halo 3 disc problem reports

Update: Microsoft America has issued a statement offering to replace Limited and Essential Edition discs at no charge. The offer runs until the last day of the year. Only those of you in the US, or places where the game is already out, can make use of this.

Make sure you head over to the official site to read the terms and conditions, hopefully avoiding any further disappointment.

Microsoft Europe has yet to respond.

Original story: Some US customers queuing up to splash out hard-earned dollarbucks on Halo 3 have returned home to find their discs unreadable.

The main offender seems to be the Limited Edition of the game, which comes in a metallic casing without a knobbly protrusion to hold the DVD in place. Because of this, disgruntled fans are reporting heavy scratching on their copies.

However, some buyers of both the normal and super-expensive Legendary Edition are also experiencing problems. These don't seem to be caused by obvious physical damage to the discs, although some are appearing discoloured. The problem, though, is the same: the game is unreadable past a certain point.

Perhaps it was to be expected with such a large quantity of copies being produced, although the Limited Edition casing does seem like an oversight.

Microsoft was unavailable for comment at the time of writing. We're expecting to hear back soon, but if not then we'll grill them at the London launch event tonight.