Eager fans today cracked open the hot new video game Halo 3, only to discover that their game discs were already scratched. It seems in their midst of preparing for a global launch with mondo cross-promotion, Microsoft forgot to check they didn’t use the the DVD holders with the defective nubs.

The weak nubs allowed the DVDs to float around and get all scraped.

Reader Mr. Chip Livejournals that 3 out the 4 he opened in Walmart, which were of the fancy metal tin “collector’s edition” variety, were scratched upon opening. That’s $70 for a game that’s already scratched. PC World says the scratches are cosmetic and you can still play the game just fine, but wants to buy a “new” scratched video game?

If your Halo 3 is scratched, you can get it swapped out for a shiny new one under the Xbox disc replacement program.

Wal-Mart Manager Admits He’d Rather Sell Defective Copies of Halo 3 Than Let Me Find Undamaged One [Mr. Chip]

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