It's that wonderful day of the year again. No, I'm not talking about Christmas or even Thanksgiving, I'm talking about the day AFTER Thanksgiving, where video games always go on sale.

This year's Black Friday is no different, and Halo Reach will be available for less than 40 bucks at several retailers if you're one of the crazy people that doesn't already have the game. And even if you do, what better Christmas gift for your friends and family than introducing them to the awesomeness that is Halo? And if you don't have an Xbox yet, we've got you covered on that front as well.

If you're up for braving the crowds on Black Friday, here are the deals you'll come across:

• Wal-Mart: $35
• Target: $35
• Best Buy: $39.99
• Gamestop: $39.99
• Kmart: $39.99
• Sears: 4GB Xbox 360 + Halo Reach $199

What, you thought that just because Halo Reach was released, that you were done playing betas for Bungie? Wrong.

Bungie has moved on from Halo. That is very unfortunate, but even if they're not working on Halo anymore, we need to recognize that the developer is what makes the game great, and they are the developer that made Halo.

With that said, it's worth noting that, like they did with Halo Reach, Bungie is once again putting out the call to their fans to beta test their next game.

For details on how to opt in, jump in after the break.

Bungie said they would unlock the vault as soon as 117 Million daily and weekly challenges were completed. It took only 49 days. The massive popularity of the game certainly sped things right along.

As promised, Bungie unlocked their Halo Reach level cap and released new ranks and armor. Gamers who previously maxed out at Lt. Colonel Grade 3 are free to move ahead. In fact, they removed the level caps all together.

The entire armory is now completely open. If you have the credits, you can get the goods. Nothing is held back, everything is available.

Bungie also stated, “To help get you suited up into some hot new gear, we’re introducing huge Credit Jackpots for players who routinely finish their games. Because we love you and we want you to have nice things.” Sorta makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside:)

As we mentioned recently, a second playlist update would be coming to Halo Reach in October. That playlist update is now live, including many playlist changes, the most notable of which are a new Team Snipers playlist, an Infection playlist, the removal of friendly fire from Firefight, and a couple new Forge map variants.

The full list of updates can be found after the break.

If you've checked out our full list of Halo Reach Ranks, you've noticed that the rank list goes well beyond the rank of Lt Colonel Grade 3, all the way up to the much coveted Inheritor rank.

Since then, we've been getting some emails from people that have enough credits to rank up beyond Lt Colonel Grade 3, but the new rank isn't showing up. Apparently, those new ranks beyond Lt Colonel aren't unlocked yet, though Bungie has said that they will become unlocked via a game update in November. Credits you earn now will still count towards those ranks so feel free to keep earning away. Even if your rank isn't changing now, it will in November.

Just imagine. You're going about your evening, playing Halo Reach matchmaking, as usual. You get into a lobby, and up comes the map vote. The second map down, wait, isn't that.....your map?! It is, that's the map YOU created!

That's the dream you could be living with Bungie's Forgetacular contest, which is going on now. As promised prior to the game's release, Bungie will be adding user created Forge maps to the Halo Reach matcmaking playlists.

Details on how to enter can be found after the break.

Getting tired of playing that same group of 4-5 maps, after getting used to the dozens of maps available in Halo 3 after all the DLC dropped?

Good news on that front, as Halo Reach is on its way to following suite, with the announcement of the Noble Map Pack, which will drop on November 30th for the standard price of 800ms points ($10).

It's a bit disappointing that 2 of the 3 maps are designed as Big Team Battle or Invasion maps, but more maps is always a good thing. We've got screenshots and some small breakdowns of the maps after the break, so click that Read More link!

Tired of getting pwned in Team Swat when you're just trying to play some regular slayer? Well, aside from picking up some of those FPS Freek Legendary control sticks to improve your Swat game, you now can pick and choose when you want to play Swat.

The first of two October Halo Reach updates will hit tomorrow, and it will include mostly playlist changes, including the one I just mentioned. For a full list of the changes, as well as what you can expect in the second October Halo Reach Update, jump in after the break.

The concept behind Kontrol Freek's FPS Freeks is simple. It's physics, really. By extending the length of your 360's analogy sticks, you have more precision over small movements, and hence are able to improve your aim in first person shooters.

Kontrol Freeks was nice enough to send us a pair of their newest FPS Freeks, the Halo themed "Legendary" model, so we could put physics to the test and see if these things are really going to turn that paultry .9 k/d ratio of yours around.

Last week we told you that the first Halo Reach update was due out in early October, and would contain mostly balance fixes. It seems Bungie has spilled the beans (via a screenshot in their latest weekly update) that there will also be a second update in October, and this one will bring 10 new achievements worth an additional 250 gamerscore along with it.

If you'll recall, Halo 3 eventually ended up with a total of 1750 possible gamerscore, so some extra Halo Reach cheevos don't come as any surprise. Them coming a mere month after release though, and with no notice of any new DLC yet, is a bit of a surprise.