"going gold" means that the final game has been tested, certified, and complete. It means Halo3 is a finished game in terms of production, and the actual Halo3 games are being printed and shipped right now, even though the game comes out in a little less than a month.
When a game goes gold, there's no turning back, as all that matters is actually letting retailers sell their copies once they get them in.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.