On Monday night, Marcus Lehto hinted that an “MP bomb” was about to drop on the world – consider yourself bombed. A video showing off gameplay as it stands now has been released, giving you a taste for what you’re in store for when the Beta drops on May 3. Swing by Bungie.net to snag it in whatever flavor makes you happy. (Yes, it hit the web, in classic fashion, several hours early – gotta love timezones and people who can’t add – but the YouTube version doesn’t do this footage justice; you want the full 720p version that you can step through, frame by frame.) There are so many new things shown off, you’ll have trouble keeping count – new armor abilities, new game modes, new weapons, new medals… and JETPACKS! Forget Halo: Combat Evolved. This is Halo: Combat Redefined. (And because this newspost will get buried, as they all do each day, we’ve put up a banner on the right side to get you back to it whenever you feel the need to show off what Halo Multiplayer has become.)(Louis Wu 13:59:09 UTC)

Pete Cooper stopped in with images showing off the Operation Chastity M6G Magnum – fully working! Awesome. Check ’em out!(Louis Wu 13:29:20 UTC)

Ewok in Disguise sent word of his Flickr set highlighting his LEGO Halo creations – some amazing stuff in there! Vehicles, weapons, locations, figures – you gotta browse this stuff! (He also pointed out a Flickr group devoted to LEGO Halo – lots and lots of fantastic creations, all in one place. Another must-see!)(Louis Wu 13:03:11 UTC)

We’ve got a couple of new updates today – Halo Action Figure Theater #201 (Follow That Thrall) has both Tony and Lois in altered states, and Chronicles of ODS Steve #61 (Bug Problems) is full of panicked grunts. Go read!(Louis Wu 13:02:03 UTC)

CaptainTony pointed out that 343 Industries will be present at the Emerald City ComiCon on March 13, to discuss recent releases and upcoming Halo developments. And bentllama waited until his mouth wasn’t full of pancakes to tell folks that he will be one of the artists in Artist Alley – he’ll be doing live digital sketching, and charity commissions! (There’ll be plenty of other Halo-related artists there, too, he says.) If you’re in the Seattle area, don’t miss it!(Louis Wu 13:01:04 UTC)

We overlooked this yesterday afternoon, but the first details about the 2010 MLG Pro Circuit have surfaced – swing by Bungie.net or MLGPro.com to read about the first pair of events, and the more than half a million dollars in prize money to be given away!(Louis Wu 13:00:27 UTC)