Gears of War 3 beta access an EB Games exclusive

UPDATE - Tuesday, March 8th, 4.05pm: EB Games has also secured the exclusive rights to sell the Collector's Edition of Gears of War 3 in New Zealand according to a tweet from Microsoft retail business manager, Peter Revell. We presume he means the "Epic Edition".

Original story follows:

Microsoft has announced that Kiwi Xbox 360 gamers can secure early access to the Gears of War 3 beta by pre-ordering any edition of the full game at EB Games.

Those who pre-order either the Standard ($99.95), Limited ($129.95) or Epic ($199.95) editions of Gears of War 3 will gain access to three weeks' worth of the multiplayer beta from April 25th. Even earlier access is guaranteed to those who picked up the Epic Edition of the recently released Bulletstorm, which Gears of War 3 developer Epic Games also played a hand in. Those users can fire up the beta from April 18th.

The beta will consist of three new competitive multiplayer modes and four maps. It will also be the first chance for fans to test out Gears of War 3's dedicated servers; a first for the franchise.

Key Beta Dates: Bulletstorm Preview, April 18-24  Owners of "Bulletstorm: Epic Edition" are eligible for a one-week beta preview period featuring the new Team Deathmatch mode on four new maps (Thrashball, Checkout, Trenches and Old Town). Gears of War 3 Beta, April 25-May 15 The full public beta period begins April 25. Players can look forward to special events and playlists throughout the beta period. Two additional competitive game modes, Capture the Leader and King of the Hill, will be added over the course of the beta period.  May 15 – Beta concludes.