You can spend $250 for Halo 5: Guardians today, but you won't know exactly what you're getting

Halo 5: Guardians isn't expected to hit until the fall of 2015, but Microsoft today opened up pre-orders for the game with options to buy a standard, limited edition or collector's edition of the title.

• The standard version of the 343 Industries game will run you $59.99 and includes a poster if you pre-order.
• The limited edition also includes "new digital content to enhance Spartan combat and exclusive items wrapped in a uniquely designed steel book" for $99.99.
  
• The $249.99 collector's edition comes with everything in the limited edition as well as "additional content such as a commemorative numbered statue designed by 343 Industries." More details, according to Microsoft, on the design will be shared at a later date.

If the descriptions and lack of images for limited and collector's edition strikes you as odd, that's because it is. Given the recent history of big games that lean heavily on online play and stumble at launch, pre-ordering a game more than half a year early, especially without a sense of what exactly you're getting for that extra money, seems like a really bad idea.

The news also arrives in the wake of the troubled launch and continuing issues with The Master Chief Collection. Last week, Microsoft announced it was giving players of that game an upgraded version of Halo 3: ODST and additional multiplayer content from Halo 2 Anniversary to make good on the technical issues.

The beta for Halo 5 multiplayer kicks off at noon ET today for Master Chief owners.

We've reached out to Microsoft for more details and to request images of the statue and will update when they respond.