Halo 3 Cometh...

by Diresim

That's right. Bungie's third and final installment of their insanely popular Halo franchise will be hitting store shelves late this year, and recently a whole swag of info has been released to the public about this sure fire mega hit. Building on the legacy of the first two games, Halo 3 will conclude the epic storyline so dramatically cut short at the end of Halo 2 and will allow gamers across the world to fight it out online with new maps, new modes, new weapons, new vehicles... new everything. Whilst very little information has been released to the public about the single player campaign or possible co-operative modes, we now know a little about the multiplayer side of the game. In case you've been hiding under a rock watching Red Vs Blue episodes for the last month, here's your fix...

Although it is unkown how many maps will eventually ship with the final version of this behemoth of hype, three multiplayer maps have already been announced. Snowbound is a small, symetrical map best for up to ten players. It is set in a snowy outdoor area with bases at either end and an elaborate tunnel system running between them. Hidden within these tunnels is the coveted shotgun, and underground fire-fights are complicated by the inclusion of new transparent doors. These can be seen through, but gunfire won't penetrate them, allowing for some great tactical battles. In a nice twist, the boundaries of Snowbound are guarded by automatic turrets, ready to punish any who stray too far from the battlefield.

High ground is similar in style to Halo 2's Zanzibar, but is much more compact. Gametypes see attackers spawning on a beach with a warthog in tow and trying to breach a compound using a number of different entrances. The defending team has the high ground and turrets at their disposal, but is vulnerable to the attacking team's sniper. In an interesting addition, at the back of the compound is a missile station. Whilst it remains to be seen how this ominous addition affects gameplay, Bungie have hinted it could be a target for assault variants.

Valhalla, being the spiritual sucessor to Blood Gulch and Coagulation, is a larger, more open style map, suitable for the full complement of 16 players. There are two towering bases at either end of the board, and two heightened areas in the center function as chokepoints. It is on maps such as Valhalla where vehicular combat is most crucial, and at it's most intense.

Halo 3 sees the return of vehicular favourites the warthog and the ghost, but Bungie has also created the Mongoose ATV. A quick and agile vehicle that can hold two players (with one riding on the side), this thing is THE way to get to that rocket launcher first. New weapons are coming our way too, such as the Spartan Laser. This bad boy looks a lot like a shoulder mounted rocket launcher. However it actually fires a charged beam of light (like the Hammer of Dawn from Gears of War), and whilst useful against bad guys on foot, this thing is gold when you you've just got to blow up that warthog.

In addition, the trusty old BR is now the default starting weapon, albeit after being tweaked to kingdom come. The new version holds almost half the amount of ammunition per clip, but is much more accurate at long range. Halo 3 also features a third grenade type. That's right, you'll now have a choice of frags, stickies, or spike grenades. These spiky little death dealers attach themselves to surfaces and fire a beam of energy when detonated, rather than doing splash damage.

Shaping up as perhaps the best thing about Halo 3 multiplayer though, isn't a map or a weapon, but rather the removal of glaring weapon balance issues. One of the biggest criticisms of Halo 2 was that if your team could dominate the weapons on a map, you were pretty much half way to achieving victory. Thankfully, this time around the emphasis is placed much more on the actual combat. You see weapons don't always appear in the same locations, and multiple instances of weapon spawns are allowed. Furthermore, there are many more weapons available on each map, which should even the playing field considerably.

The matchmaking and ranking system from Halo 2 is set to return, although it has been revamped to function as a gauge of not just skill but experience also. Custom games will be much more accessable as well, as they will be searchable and joinable by your avergage Joe Blow, not just people you know. You'll be able to see how good the connection you're joining is too. A great feature when you don't have enough mates online to fill your customs.

Needless to say, this baby has us at XboxZone most excited. I haven't even touched on the 'man cannon' (which, believe it or not, functions how it sounds), the more balanced energy sword, or the exciting new games modes. Bungie definitely take their time making their games, but up to this point, things are looking well and truly on track. Recently the first ever Halo 3 TV ad aired in the United States, and although just a teaser, was pretty damn good looking. It's available on the Xbox Live marketplace right now, so if you haven't checked already, queue that bad boy up. Stay tuned to Xbox.com and XboxZone.com.au for more info as we near release.

*Editors note: Halo 3 is still deep in development so any features listed in this article may be subject to change or be removed before the final release.