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Halo 3 Mania

Halo® 3 has been locked behind a veil of secrecy, so it has been hard to get any information about the game other than what Bungie has made public. As far as a storyline goes, all we know is what has been revealed in the game trailers, which isn't much.

What We Know
The Earth has been completely taken over by the Covenant and a huge alien structure is buried beneath the Earth's crust. One can only imagine what kind of twists the story will take from there.  In Halo 3, Cortana returns, but is separated from Master Chief, unlike the other Halo titles where she has been with the Chief the whole time, which should add an interesting element to the game.

He's ba-ack.

As in all of the Halo® games, cinematics are going to be a large part of Halo 3, along with an epic musical score from the Halo composer and music team. According to Bungie officials, the musical team went all out on the musical score. As far as the graphics, which are supposed to keep the now-classic feel of Halo you may just be blown away. The developers have made the game to take full advantage of the HD capabilities of Xbox 360™, and along with HDR lighting for environmental effects, there will be plenty of eye candy for all to enjoy. The graphics are said to be the best Xbox® has to offer.

Features
There's a lot to look forward to, as Halo 3 promises to take full advantage of the power behind Xbox 360, including high-def visuals, enhanced A.I., a real-time light engine, and new weapons, characters, and challenges. Ultimately these improvements will provide gamers with an unparalleled experience, and in the end, tell a more compelling and engrossing story. Working in concert with Xbox Live®, Halo 3 builds upon the unique and innovative social experience that Halo and Halo® 2 initiated.

Halo 3 has made the beta test available to the public, but only a select few got the chance to snag it while they could. A few videos have popped up online showing multiplayer games and features from the beta tests, and after watching one of these videos, the multiplayer looks a lot like Halo 2, and even in a low-resolution video, you could see the graphics were amazing. However, the new game modes, weapons, and vehicles are all still under the shroud of secrecy.

Where is she?

Now we are just waiting for Bungie to open their doors to show us more of what is to come. There have been many hints, and die-hard fans expect the game to live up to, if not exceed, their expectations. I believe Halo 3 is going to be the best-developed Xbox 360 game to date. If you're looking for more information, check out the fan sites and you can also always rely on xbox.com and bungie.net.

Article by Stacey (PMS Mocha) Xbox Users Group