On the latest episode of GameTrailers TV (via Joystiq), Bungie gave the first details on the new Invasion multiplayer mode in Halo: Reach, which will also be playable when the Reach beta begins in May.
As it turns out, the new mode sounds a lot like the Rush mode in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. It’ll be playable on the Boneyard map in the Reach beta, which is a multi-tiered environment packed with lots of vehicles. But portions of the map will open up in three phases as the match goes on, with new weapon load outs and vehicles becoming accessible with each new opened area of the map.

Also revealed in the footage are two new weapons: the human grenade launcher and plasma launcher (as opposed to the Brute grenade launcher and Covenant plasma launcher previously usable in past Halo games). And in a last little tidbit, Bungie’s Chris Carney is also asked whether Halo 3: ODST’s Firefight mode will return in Reach. Carney hesitated to give a concrete answer, though, saying it won’t be in the beta and he’s "not sure what those guys have planned" for the full release.

The Halo: Reach beta begins May 3, with the game slated for release later this year. A lot more info on the game, as one might imagine, will be available at E3 in June.