Halo 3

Halo 3 is a First Person Shooter, video game, based on the science fiction events and settings in the Halo Universe. It was developed by Bungie Studios and has been published by Microsoft. It has been released as an exclusive game for the Xbox 360.

Halo 3, is the sequel and concluding part to Halo 2 which fully wraps up the current story arc that the previous two games told. It involves SPARTAN John-117 returning to Earth in order to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating The Ark which would result in the extermination of all sentient life in the galaxy. Shortly into the game he also has to contend with the arrival of the Flood on Earth, as well as retrieve Cortana from the clutches of the dreaded Gravemind.

Even though the game does not progress directly on from the end of Halo 2's cliff hanger, Halo: Uprising a mini comic book series released by Marvel will fill in the missing segments between Halo 2 and Halo 3.

Halo 3 was released on the long awaited September 25 in North America and Australia, the 26th in Europe, and the 27th in Japan. It has been rated M for Mature (blood, gore, violence, and language) by the ESRB, but only M 17+ Recommended for 17 years or older, not restricted-(this is only a rating for parental guidance) by the OFLC, but in many stores, like GameStop, ID was required because anyone under the age of seventeen is unable to buy a copy of Halo 3. Europe's PEGI rating system gave the game a '16+' rating, which serves as a guideline rather than as a rule.

Controls
Due to differences between the Xbox original and Xbox 360 controller, and the addition of the new "equipment", the controls of Halo have been tweaked, players may need to adjust to the change, but it will be very easy to become flexible with the controls. Below is a list of default controls, and the corresponding button.

Bumper Buttons:
 * Right bumper: Click-Reload, Hold-Pick up weapon, exchange equipment, get in/out of vehicle, activate. Also used to open doors in the Campaign Mode and multiplayer.
 * Left bumper: Click-switch grenades, reload (if dual-wielding) Hold-dual wield (when available).

Triggers:
 * Right trigger: Fire weapon.
 * Left trigger: Throw grenade, fire weapon (if dual wielding).

Thumbsticks:
 * Left thumbstick: Move (Forward, Back, Strafe Left, Strafe Right).
 * Left thumbstick (click): Crouch.
 * Right thumbstick: Look/Aim (Up, Down, Left, Right).
 * Right thumbstick (click): Activate, deactivate scope/zoom, returning to FPS mode in Theatre mode.

D-pad:
 * D-pad: Scroll through menu, up-team talk channel (Multiplayer), up-toggle Editor/Player mode (Forge), up-toggle flashlight (Campaign).

A/B/X/Y Buttons:
 * A button: Jump/Select.
 * B button: Melee/Back, detach mounted turret.
 * X button: Deploy/Activate equipment.
 * Y button: Switch weapons.

Menu controls:
 * In the menus you can use the D-pad or left-stick to scroll through them.
 * You can use the left or right-trigger to jump to the top or bottom of the menus.

Misc:
 * Hold Right Bumper/Left Bumper/Click-in Left Analog Stick/A/Down on D-Pad for 3 seconds: Lowers weapon.(Only works in split-screen or system link).
 * Hold Right Bumper/Left Bumper/Click-in Left Analog Stick/A/Up on D-Pad for 3 seconds: Makes current camera angle/position coordinates visible.(Only works in split-screen or system link)

With the assortment of different styles, which sometimes require a lapse of concentration to press the needed button, many layouts have returned, such as the Southpaw, Legacy and Legacy Southpaw. There are also new layouts such as Default, Boxer, Green Thumb, Bumper Jumper, and Walkie Talkie.

Campaign
Campaign consists of 10 levels (9 playable + 1 tutorial), which tells the story of Halo 3.


 * 1) Arrival - Brace for impact. (Cutscene, non-playable).
 * 2) Sierra 117 - Rise up. Start the fight.
 * 3) Crow's Nest - Clear the base, whatever it takes.
 * 4) Tsavo Highway - Mount up. Get to Voi.
 * 5) The Storm - Reclaim the city. Make a hole.
 * 6) Floodgate - Stop the infestation. Find Cortana.
 * 7) The Ark - Search the waste for the Cartographer.
 * 8) The Covenant - Breach the barrier. Stop Truth.
 * 9) Cortana - Cleanse High Charity. Save Cortana.
 * 10) Halo - Light the ring. Destroy the Flood. Finish The Fight.

Plot
The storyline begins several weeks after the events of the Halo 2 era. John-117 - the Master Chief, enters Earth's atmosphere and crash lands in an east African jungle. Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, the Arbiter, and a handful of Marines retrieve him, and the group makes their way through the jungle toward a designated extraction point. Covenant forces are sighted in the area and Johnson makes a strategical decision to split the group up to reduce their chances of getting spotted. Master Chief and the Arbiter continue on their way to the extraction zone with second squad, fighting off numerous Covenant troops in the process, but upon reaching the extraction zone, Johnson's Pelican group consisting of two Pelicans, are ambushed and shot down by two Banshees. Johnson and his men are then captured and taken prisoner by a number of Brutes. The Master Chief, Arbiter, and company fight their way through hordes of enemies and eventually rescue them, after which a Pelican arrives and picks them up.

The Pelican brings them to Crow's Nest, an underground 21st century facility used as a local base of operations by the UNSC. Here, Commander Miranda Keyes and Lord Hood plan a last-ditch effort to stop the Covenant from activating a Forerunner artifact uncovered outside the ruins of the city of New Mombasa, which is assumed to be The Ark - from where Truth is able to activate all the Halo rings in the galaxy. Their planning is quickly interrupted when the Prophet of Truth broadcasts an announcement to all surviving human forces that their doom is inevitable. Soon after that, the Covenant discover the facility and mount an heavy assault. After a brief struggle, the outpost is lost, due to an explosion of a bomb the Chief activated to clear all remaining Covenant forces still inside the base. Master Chief soon receives orders from Commander Keyes to clear a way into the African City of Voi, Kenya via Tsavo Highway, and destroy all Covenant anti-air defenses so that Lord Hood can lead the last of Earth's frigates against Truth and the artifact. Using the opening caused by the ground attack, Hood mounts an all out attack on Truth, but the Prophet activates the artifact and creates an enormous slipspace portal, into which all the Covenant ships retreat. At the same time, a Covenant cruiser controlled by the Flood, a parasite species, suddenly arrives via slipspace and crashes into the nearby Voi, and the parasite quickly spreads throughout the entire city.

As the Human forces attempt to fight the infestation, many are infected by the Flood. Soon after the struggle begins, Covenant Separatists, a legion which broke off from the entire Covenant during the Halo 2 era, arrives at Earth and assists the struggle against infestation, dropping off Orbital Insertion Pods containing allied Elite warriors via the Carrier Shadow of Intent and a few other Separatist cruisers. The Elites inform Commander Keyes that an UNSC construct is aboard the crashed Flood ship, and identify it as Cortana. The Master Chief, Arbiter and the Elites fight off many Flood forms and retrieve Cortana from the Flood ship. 343 Guilty Spark (the Elites refer to him as the Oracle) arrives by an Elite dropship, a Separatist Phantom, and insists that he take Cortana somewhere where he can make repairs, claiming that now his Installation has been destroyed he has no more present functions, and wants to help the Master Chief destroy the Flood. Once the Arbiter and the Chief are evacuated, the Elites glass the entire infected half of Africa to prevent the Flood from spreading, which amplifies the hard feelings between Lord Hood and Rtas 'Vadum, Shipmaster of the Shadow of Intent and Fleet Master of the current Covenant Separatist force.

343 Guilty Spark manages to make efficient repairs to Cortana, but the Master Chief realizes it isn't her, but only a recorded message from her. The message states that the portal that Truth retreated into is unknown to the Gravemind, and on the other side is a solution to the Flood infestation, without having to fire the rings. Lord Hood questions Cortana's plan, saying it could be a Flood trap, but the Master Chief firmly tells Hood that he completely trusts her.

Once the Elites and Commander Keyes decide to follow Truth, the remaining Elite and UNSC ships leave Earth via the activated slipspace portal. On the other side, they find themselves near an immense artificial structure, which is soon revealed to be the real Ark. Arriving at the Ark, they engage a Covenant fleet three times their size. After landing on the structure, Guilty Spark helps lead Master Chief and the UNSC armor force to the Cartographer, or map room of the Ark. After fighting their way in, Chief and the Arbiter find out that the Ark is in fact positioned at the edge of the Milky Way, just beyond the Halo rings' effective firing range. Soon Spark, understanding a Cartographer, explains that the UNSC and the Separatists must deactivate three shield generators, which are inside three separate towers, to access the Control Room of the Ark, where Truth is currently located and plans to activate the rings from.

Upon arrival at the three generators, the Master Chief takes an ODST squad to the first tower, while the Arbiter takes his Elites to the second, and Sergeant Johnson takes another squad to the third. While Master Chief and the Arbiter succeed in deactivating the first and second towers, Johnson radios Keyes, telling her that the enemy forces are too heavy and he must retreat. Keyes orders the Arbiter and Master Chief to go and assist him. On arrival to the third tower, Johnson and his men are nowhere to be seen. Master Chief, Arbiter, and the Elites kill the Loyalist force defending the tower and deactivate it. However, just after the final shield barrier protecting the Control Room deactivates, the Flood-infested High Charity arrives by slip-space and crashes onto the Ark, releasing Flood Dispersal Pods as it falls. Guilty Spark insists that he assesses the damage that High Charity did to the Ark, so the Arbiter and Elites leave the UNSC to protect Spark being captured by the Flood. The Chief leads the remaining UNSC and surviving Elite force via vehicles in an attack on the Citadel containing the Control Room, which is defended by numerous Covenant armor forces. After all the forces are defeated, Guilty Spark and the Arbiter return, which the Arbiter and the Master Chief enter the citadel alone to avoid more casualties. Once inside, they see that Truth has captured Johnson, knowing that only humans can activate Forerunner Installations, but are too far away to save him. Just as Truth is about to force Johnson to activate the rings, Keyes commandeers a Pelican and crashes it in the Control Room, keeping the Brutes at bay with a Shotgun while tending to Johnson. Knowing she can't kill all of the Brutes, she realizes she must kill Johnson and herself to stop the rings from being activated. She is about to shoot Johnson before Truth grabs a Spiker and shoots her with several shots in the back with it, killing her. Truth then pushes Johnson's hand down on the Ark's terminal, activating all of the Halos in the galaxy.

Then Master Chief and Arbiter take an elevator up to the Control Room, despite knowing it is too late. As they reach the top, two Flood Tank Forms confront them, but say that the only way to stop the Halos is by joining forces. With the Flood's help, the Master Chief and Arbiter kill all the Covenant forces defending Truth. Upon arrival to the Ark's terminal, they find Johnson mourning over Keyes' dead body, and Truth partially infected. The Arbiter executes Truth with his Energy Sword, and the Master Chief deactivates all the Halos, and Johnson is seen walking away with the body of Keyes. After the rings are stopped, however, the Gravemind betrays them. Johnson attempts to escape with Keyes' Pelican, but the Gravemind prevents the Arbiter and Chief from escaping with him.

Johnson radios Chief, telling him to find another way out, so he and the Arbiter shoot their way back to the entrance elevator, but it is deactivated. Behind the elevator is a hole, leading to a lower level of the citadel. Cortana briefly shows herself to the Chief, and leads him to a control panel which reveals her plan - The Ark releases a 'replacement' Halo in the event of one being destroyed. The Chief decides he's going to light the single ring in order to destroy the Flood for good. However, Guilty Spark tells them it will take quite some time to fabricate an Index needed to fire the Halo, but Master Chief remembers that Cortana still has the Index that she acquired on Installation 04. He infiltrates the crashed High Charity, which is completely overrun by Flood. Cortana becomes rampant before the Chief can reach her, but she is able to contain the functional part of herself in a stasis-field, where she waits. Master Chief breaks the stasis-field and retrieves a perfectly functioning Cortana. She tells him to overload High Charity's engines in order to destroy the Gravemind. The Arbiter arrives via Banshee and helps the Chief fight the Flood. They find a Pelican, which had presumably crashed while the Flood used In Amber Clad to infect High Charity during the Halo 2 era. Damaged but still flyable, the Master Chief uploads Cortana into the Pelican and both him and the Arbiter flees High Charity before it explodes.

Cortana makes contact with Johnson, who safely made it back the Shadow of Intent along with the other human and Elite survivors. He tells her that he will land the frigate Forward Unto Dawn near Halo's Control Room, and will be ready to pick them up and head back to Earth after they activate the Installation. When they arrive on the newly built Halo, they quickly discover that Gravemind is attempting to reconstruct itself on the new ring. The Chief, Arbiter, and Johnson quickly make their way to the Control Room, where they attempt to fire Halo. However, Guilty Spark realizes that this will destroy his new ring because it is not fully ready yet, as well as the Ark, and shoots his defensive laser at Johnson as he tries to activate the ring. The Forerunner construct soon turns on the Master Chief and the Arbiter, which locks him out of the room, leaving the Spartan to destroy Spark himself, but Johnson is critically wounded. He tells the Chief to send him out "with a bang" and dies. Cortana activates Halo, and Chief takes Johnson's Warthog with the Arbiter and race towards the Frigate. With no time to reach the cockpit, the Master Chief uploads Cortana into the frigate to start taking off before the Arbiter is able to take the controls. The front half of the Dawn, containing the Arbiter, makes it through the portal. However, as Halo shakes itself to pieces during it's firing sequence and damages the Ark, the portal deactivates before the other half of the Dawn containing Chief and Cortana make it through.

Back on Earth, Lord Hood holds a memorial service in respect for those who died in the Human-Covenant War, with the Arbiter and many Marines in attendance. With Truth dead, the Covenant destroyed, and the Flood wiped out, the long and devastating war is over. Lord Hood thanks the Arbiter for standing by the Master Chief until the end. Everyone thinks the Chief is dead. After the service, Shipmaster tells the Arbiter that he wants to make sure the Elite homeworld is safe. The Arbiter tells him that with the eradication of the Covenant, they have made it so. He tells the piloting Elites to take them home, and the credits roll.

After the credits, it is revealed that the Master Chief and Cortana are still alive on-board the rear section of Forward Unto Dawn, which had apparently torn off during the slipspace jump; the pair are drifting through space. Cortana tells the Chief she will drop a distress beacon, but that it could be years before they are found. The Chief floats to a cryotube, and as he is climbing in Cortana comments "I'll miss you." He replies "Wake me, when you need me."

If the game is completed on Legendary difficulty, the section of Forward Unto Dawn that Cortana and the Chief are aboard is seen drifting towards an unknown planet.

Major Characters
UNSC
 * Master Chief Petty Officer John-117
 * AI Construct Cortana
 * Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson
 * Commander Miranda Keyes
 * Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood

Covenant Separatists
 * The Arbiter
 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum

Covenant Loyalists
 * High Prophet of Truth

Flood
 * Gravemind

Forerunner
 * 343 Guilty Spark(AI)

Minor Characters
UNSC
 * First Lieutenant "Hocus"
 * Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds
 * Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker
 * Unnamed Marine Lieutenant

Covenant Separatists
 * SpecOps Minor N'tho 'Sraom
 * SpecOps Minor Usze 'Taham

Forerunners
 * 032 Mendicant Bias

Sentient
UNSC
 * UNSC Marine Infantryman
 * UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST)
 * UNSC Marine Dropship Pilots
 * Office of Naval Intelligence Personnel
 * UNSC Citizens

Covenant Separatists
 * Sangheili (Elites)

Covenant Loyalists
 * San 'Shyuum (Prophets)
 * Jiralhanae (Brutes)
 * Mgalekgolo (Hunters)
 * Unggoy (Grunts)
 * Kig-yar (Jackals)
 * Yanme'e (Drones)
 * Lekgolo (Hunters)

Flood
 * Standard Forms
 * Infection Form
 * Combat Form
 * Carrier Form


 * Pure Form
 * Tank Form
 * Stalker Form
 * Ranged Form

Forerunner
 * Sentinel
 * Constructor

Weapons
These are the weapons in the game:

Standard

 * Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade
 * Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle
 * Type-26 Anti-Personal Stationary Gun
 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher
 * Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
 * Type-50 Sniper Rifle System
 * Type-51 Carbine
 * Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon

Brute

 * Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation Grenade
 * Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-3 Antipersonnel/Antimatériel Incendiary Grenade
 * Type-25 Carbine
 * Type-25 Grenade Launcher
 * Type-52 Pistol

Forerunner

 * Sentinel Beam

United Nations Space Command Standard

 * BR55HB SR Battle Rifle
 * MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System
 * M6G Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M7/Caseless Submachine Gun
 * M9 HE-DP Fragmentation Grenade
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher
 * M90 Close Assault Weapon System
 * SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle
 * Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle

Support Weapons

 * AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun
 * LAU-65D/SGM-151
 * M7057/Defoliant Projector

Equipment

 * Bubble Shield
 * Power Drain
 * Trip Mine
 * Portable Gravity Lift
 * Radar Jammer
 * Flare
 * Regenerator
 * Deployable Cover
 * Invincibility - Campaign only
 * Automatic Turret - Campaign only
 * Cloaking - Campaign only
 * Active Camouflage - Multiplayer only
 * Overshield (OS) - Multiplayer only
 * Custom Power Up - Forged and MLG style maps only

Standard

 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle
 * Type-25 Wraith
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery

Jiralhanae

 * Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle
 * Type-52 Infantry Support Vehicle

Non-Usable

 * Assault Carrier
 * CCS-class Battlecruiser
 * Forerunner Dreadnought
 * Seraph Fighter-Interceptor
 * Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform
 * Type-52 Troop Carrier

UNSC

 * Behemoth-class Troop Transport
 * AV-14 Hornet
 * M12 Warthog LRV
 * M12G1 Warthog LAAV
 * M274 Mongoose ULATV
 * M808B Scorpion MBT
 * M831 Troop Transport

Non-Usable

 * (FFG-201)
 * (FFG-307)
 * D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship
 * Albatross Heavy Dropship
 * C709 Longsword Fighter-Interceptor
 * C709 Longsword Fighter-Interceptor

Standard Maps
On release, Halo 3 was shipped out with 11 multiplayer maps, that could be played over Xbox Live. Halo 3 has the smallest number of multiplayer maps released on launch, Halo: Combat Evolved had 13, Halo 2 had 12. To combat this lack of maps many players customized the maps using Forge.


 * Construct
 * Epitaph
 * Guardian
 * High Ground
 * Isolation
 * Last Resort
 * Narrows
 * Sandtrap
 * Snowbound
 * The Pit
 * Valhalla

Heroic Map Pack


The Heroic Map Pack is downloadable through Xbox Live Marketplace for free. The maps included in this Map Pack are:


 * Foundry
 * Rat's Nest
 * Standoff

Legendary Map Pack
The Legendary Map Pack was downloadable through Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points. The maps included in this Map Pack are:


 * Avalanche
 * Blackout
 * Ghost Town

Third Map Pack
The Map Pack's eventual official name is unknown at this stage, though the maps expected in this Map Pack are:


 * Purple Reign - Working Title
 * Moonbase Alpha - Working Title
 * Cold Storage

Service Tags
The Service Tag is how you and your teammates can be identified quickly on the battlefield, instead of the long names and complex number combinations. The service Tag is comprised of a letter followed by two numbers. A few examples of Service Tags are K90, C27 and A12. When certain specific Service Tag coding is entered for example I17 (117) a message will appear stating "This Service Tag is currently in use by the UNSC". Another error will happen when "N64" and "P52" (Nintendo 64 and Playstation 2) are entered but this is due to trademark infringement of the companies, and as a result the service tag will not be allowed. If you put in "A55" it will also state that you can't use the tag. There are also bans on the tags, "N00", "P00", "FOO" and "J00". T17 is also banned for reference to breasts.

According to Bungie, as of March 14th the most used Service Tags by players of Halo 3 are, in descending order, O07, M16, I69, P26, S80, H20, I87, and finally D13.

Service tags are designed to help you locate your co-op partner easier and faster. It is useful for levels that are difficult and are at a higher difficulty.

Armor Permutations
There are two player models which you can choose from, the standard Spartan model or the Elite model. Each model has several armor permutations which can be combined. All Armor permutations do not have any special effects during gameplay.

Spartan

 * MJOLNIR Mark VI armor - The standard Spartan armor.
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [C] variant - The Close Quarters Battle (CQB) armor.
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [V] variant - The Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) armor.
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [EOD] variant - The Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) armor.
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [A] variant - The Rogue helmet.
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [S] variant - The Scout armor.
 * MJOLNIR Mark VI [R] variant - The Recon armor.
 * MJOLNIR Mark V armor - The Halo: Combat Evolved helmet.
 * MJOLNIR Mark V [m] variant - The Security helmet and shoulders.
 * ODST armor - The Orbital Drop Shock Trooper helmet.
 * HAYABUSA armor - The rival to the MJOLNIR program armor.

Currently the Recon Armor Permutation is only allowed to certain people who perform special and unique things in Halo 3 and bungie employees. Another special variation is a Flaming helmet that only Bungie Employees are allowed to use. It is normally so that in the mass of matches online, you as the player know that you are playing against a Bungie Employee. According to Bungie on March 14th 2008, Weekly Update;
 * Katana - HAYABUSA body with a katana on the back.
 * Bungie Armor - Makes the players head appear to be on fire.


 * Most Popular Spartan Helmets are: Mark VI, Rogue, Hayabusa, CQB and ODST.
 * Most Popular Spartan Chestpieces are: CQB, Hayabusa, Mark VI, EVA, EOD.

Elite

 * Elite Combat Armor - The standard Elite armor.
 * Elite Assault Armor - The type of armor worn by Elites of the Special Operations rank.
 * Elite Flight Armor - The type of armor worn by Elites of the Ranger rank.
 * Elite Commando Armor - The Commando Elite armor.
 * Elite Ascetic Armor - The Ascetics Elite armor.

Emblems
An Emblem is a highly customizable image that appears on the right arm and the back of the player's avatar.

Emblems also show your teammates what Spartan you are. This was made by the ONI Research Center of the Spartan Program and has no use at all since the Spartans can check each other through Service Tags, so Emblems are just an addition.

According to Bungie on March 14th 2008, Weekly Update;


 * Most Popular Emblems: Phoenix, Jolly Roger, Valkyrie, Crossed Sword and Champion

Colors
There are 10 base and primary colors, each with three shades of one another that are used to customize your multi player color and emblem. On the armor detail color, there is a small painted VI (most noticeable on Mark VI shoulder), and there is a stripe on the Spartans' leg.
 * Steel, Silver, and White
 * Red, Mauve, and Salmon
 * Orange, Coral, and Peach
 * Gold, Yellow, and Pale
 * Sage, Green, and Olive
 * Teal, Aqua, and Cyan
 * Blue, Cobalt, and Sapphire
 * Violet, Orchid, and Lavender
 * Crimson, Rubine, and Pink
 * Brown, Tan, and Khaki


 * Black can still be used but, only in Forge or Custom games types, as a forced player color under general settings.

According to Bungie on the March 14th 2008, Weekly Update;


 * Most Popular Primary Colors: Steel, White, Blue, Green and Sage
 * Least Popular Primary Colors: Lavender, Pale, Salmon, Peach and Mauve

Matchmaking
Matchmaking is where people can play with and against each other through a specially designed search system and multiple playlists. In Matchmaking EXP and Skill can be earned to raise ranks. You have a highest skill which cannot be taken away. But your current skill level can decrease if you play poorly in that variant.

Playlists
Playlists are lists of different game variations from free-for-all to team games. They are split into Ranked, Social, Hardcore, Community, DLC, Tournaments and Double EXP Weekends. Though Community is currently not available, it will return in the future.

Ranked
The Ranked playlists are the more serious playlists. Skill can be raised and EXP can be gained.
 * Lone Wolves - Various gametypes free for all up to six players.
 * Team Slayer - Slayer based gametypes with two teams of three to four players.
 * Team Objective - Objective based gametypes with two teams of three to four players.
 * Team Doubles - Slayer based gametypes with two teams of two players.
 * Ranked Big Team Battle - Various gametypes with two teams of six to eight players. Double EXP during the month of June. Currently on Bungie's chopping block.

Social
The Social playlists are the more relaxed playlists. EXP can be gained and guests are allowed.
 * Rumble Pit - Various gametypes free for all up to six players.
 * Big Team Battle - Various gametypes with two teams of five to eight players.
 * Social Slayer - Slayer based gametypes with two teams of three to four players.
 * Social Skirmish - Objective based gametypes with two teams of four to five players.
 * Multi-Team Various gametypes with four teams of two players.
 * Rocket Race - Goal based VIP on race map variants with four teams of two players.

Hardcore
The Hardcore playlists are the more realistic and competitive playlists. Skill can be raised and EXP can be gained.
 * Head to Head - Slayer, Oddball and King of the Hill gametypes free for all up to two players. Coming in the June playlist update.
 * MLG - Various MLG gametypes on MLG map variants with two teams of three to four players. The MLG map variants will be updated to v5 in the June playlist update.
 * Team SWAT - SWAT and SWAT Magnums (and as of june) SHwat in which you start with a Shotgun,with two teams of three to four players.

DLC
The DLC playlists are focussed on the maps from the latest map pack (Legendary Map Pack). EXP can be gained and guests are allowed.
 * DLC Slayer - Slayer based games on Avalanche, Blackout, and Ghost Town with two teams of three to four players.
 * DLC Objective - Objective based games on Avalanche and Ghost Town with two teams of five to six players.

Tournaments
The Tournaments are temporary playlists involving prizes. Skill can be raised and EXP can be gained.
 * Living Dead - Infection up to thirteen players.
 * Valentines Day - Various gametypes with two teams of two.
 * US Championship - Various gametypes free for all up to six players.
 * INTL - Various gametypes free for all up to six players.

NOTE: Living Dead may appear to be a Social Variant, but when you check your Living Dead rank on Bungie.net, you will see it has increased after you have played effectively on this variant. However, any stats and medals gained in this variant will be found under social stats.

Double EXP Weekend
The Double EXP Weekend variants are temporary playlists involving new gametypes. The double amount of EXP can be gained and guests are allowed.
 * Grifball - Neutral Assault on a Foundry map variant with two teams of three to four players.
 * Living Dead - Infection up to thirteen players.
 * Legendary Brawl - Various gametypes on Standard, Heroic and Legendary maps free for all up to twelve players.
 * Cinco De Mayo - Various gametypes with random weapons on Standard, Heroic and Legendary Maps.
 * Team Snipers - Sniper based Team Slayer on Standard, Heroic and Legendary maps.
 * Rockets - Rocket based gametypes free for all up to eight players.
 * 3 Ball - Oddball with 3 Oddballs and four teams of four players.

Veto
The Veto system is new for the Halo franchise. Vetoing a map and game type is a very useful thing these days. It's also easy. In a game, after the map and game type loads for each player, a 10 second countdown starts. If the majority of players (more than half the players) in the match decide to veto, by pressing (X), before the countdown ends, a different map and game type from the playlist will be selected to be played on.

For Example: If there are a total of eight people in the game (a classic four versus four), and five or more people veto, the map and game type will change. If only four veto however the map and game type will remain and be played on.

If a map is vetoed, the option to veto will be lost during the next countdown. Sometimes you will see the map and game type change, but you still get the veto option, this is just because the host's connection cannot support the map, or if anyone in the party cannot play the map. When this happens, you still have the right to veto the next map and game type. However, you cannot veto on certain game types such as Grifball.

NOTE: On certain gametypes, like Team SWAT, the gametype will be rarely change from only three types, but from no lack of maps, the map will certainly change.

Ranks
The ranking system is based on real military ranks. To progess in Rank, players must earn the required amount of EXP. For Officer ranks, players must also reach a certain skill level in a ranked playlist. If a player earns a certain amount of experience, but does not reach the required skill level to reach the next officer rank, they will instead be promoted to a higher grade of their current rank (For example, A Major who earns 300 EXP but does not have a skill level of 35 will be promoted to Major, Grade 2).

Each Officer rank has a "final" grade which is represented by a unique name instead of a number.

Halo 3 uses the Trueskill system created by Microsoft to determine skill level in ranked playlists.

Enlisted Ratings

 * Recruit
 * Apprentice (grades 1 and 2)
 * Private (grades 1 and 2)
 * Corporal (grades 1 and 2)
 * Sergeant (grades 1, 2, and 3)
 * Gunnery Sergeant (grades 1, 2, 3, and Master Sergeant)

Officer Ratings

 * Lieutenant (grades 1, 2, 3, and First Lieutenant)
 * Captain (grades 1, 2, 3, and Staff Captain)
 * Major (grades 1, 2, 3, and Field Major)
 * Commander (grades 1, 2, 3, and Strike Commander)
 * Colonel (grades 1, 2, 3, and Force Colonel)
 * Brigadier (grades 1, 2, 3, and Brigadier General)
 * General (grades 1, 2, 3, and Five Star General)

Custom Games
In the Custom Games Lobby you can choose the gametypes and maps you have made and want to play with your friends, these include Custom Game types and Map Variants.

Standard Game Types

 * Slayer - Kill your enemies. Kill your friends' enemies. Kill your friends.
 * Oddball - Hold the skull to earn points. It's like a Hamlet, with guns.
 * King of the Hill - Control the hill to earn points. Earn points to win. It's good to be king.
 * Capture the Flag - Invade your opponent's stronghold, sieze their flag, and return it to your base to score.
 * Assault - Carry your bomb to the enemy base, plant it, and defend it until it detonates.
 * Territories - Defend your territory and control the land. Teams earn points for territories they control.
 * Juggernaut - If you meet the Juggernaut, kill the Juggernaut.
 * Infection - The timeless strugle of human versus zombie. If you die by a zombie's hand, you join their ranks.
 * VIP - One player on each team is Very Important. Take down the enemies VIP for points, but take care of your own.

Custom Game types
In Halo 3, there are a number of options that can be changed. Press X in the lobby to change the default options, when changing press X again to save as custom game type.

Options that can be changed:
 * Damage resistance
 * Shield multiplier
 * Shield recharge rate
 * Immune to head shots
 * Grenade counts (grenade regeneration, on or off)
 * Infinite ammo
 * Weapon pickup (enabled, disabled)
 * Player speed
 * (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 200%, 300%)
 * Player gravity
 * (50%, 75%, 100%, 200%)
 * Vehicle use (full use, passenger only, none)
 * Motion tracker range
 * (off, 10m, 25m, 75m, 100m, 150m)
 * Indestructible vehicles (on, off)
 * Player forced Colors (including black,white and zombie)
 * Meaning all players in game will be forced to the color of your choice.
 * Over shields and active camouflage can be given to a certain team/player or everyone on spawn or re-spawn.

Forge
Forge is an "object editor" that can be used to edit multiplayer maps. It does not allow as much freedom to edit/make maps as a pc map editor, such as the Halo: Custom Edition and Halo 2 Vista editing kits. You can, however, edit objects, spawn points, weapons, and properties of objects on the map, etc. And, when playing a map on forge, players may take control as a monitor (very similar to 343 Guilty Spark) and will obtain the ability to spawn weapons, vehicles and objects in-game, as well as move/adjust them too.

Map Variants
To save a Map Variant while playing forge, press Start and select save changes to overwrite the previous Map Variant or select Save As and give it a name. But if it doesn't say save changes just save it as a new one and just call it a different name and delete the other one you made.If you are interested in forging maps there is a website for it called Forge Hub.

Theater
The Theater mode allows players to save films from the Campaign, Multiplayer, and Forge, and also get film clips and screen shots. This feature of Halo 3 has been exploited for making Machinima videos and Montages.

Films
Saved Films allow a player to view any game, campaign or multiplayer, from any angle. It uses game data to re-create the games, which makes file sizes very small (5 MB for a 15 minute multiplayer match). In the film, you can either watch your own player play through the entire mission or you can go a different way: bird's eye view. You can go anywhere you want, but they will limit your movement so that you cannot fly as high as possible or go very far from your character. You can also fast forward or rewind the film so that you can relive the parts you missed. On Campaign you can't rewind the film. Only your previous 25 games will be saved under the recent films category on your console. Older films will be deleted.

Clips
When playing a film you record a particular part of the film from any angle you want. Doing this allows you to look back at your greatest moments without having to watch the entire film, however, sometimes the HUD will not show up in a first person view, or the time bar showing the elapsed time appears, which is normally a problem because it normally can't be removed or the HUD can't be brought up for the start of the clip. If you would like to make a clip in FPS mode, but you accidentally get out of it, or switch to another player, you can just click on the right thumbstick to return to FPS mode. You cannot record clips of campaign films, but you can take screenshots. If you are in a party viewing a film, you will not be able to record clips, nor take screenshots.

Screenshots
Screenshots can be taken in any kind of film; all screenshots taken by Xbox Live players are sent to Bungie.net via the Internet. You must be in single-player theater or film to take a screenshot.

Soundtrack
The Halo 3: Original Soundtrack was composed by Martin O'Donnell with the help of Michael Salvatori and was released on November 20, 2007. It is a two-disc set featuring all the music heard in-game, in order of appearance.

As the Halo: Original Soundtrack, the music is in more of a medley format. However, similar to the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume 2, tracks are divided into 'suites' corresponding to each level in the game.

A number of bonus tracks and a third-party song will be contained on the second disc of the album: 'LvUrFR3NZ' by Princeton.

Previews of the Halo 3: Original Soundtrack can be heard on the official site.

Viral Marketing
On June 11th, 2007, at 10:26AM PDT, a viral marketing campaign for Halo 3 started, called "Iris".

Announcement Trailer
At E3 2006, Bungie released their announcement trailer. It required long hours and hard work from many, many Bungie staffers, and utilizes real-game assets, fiction and locations from parts of the "real" game. It shows John-117 walking through some wreckage of the New Mombasa space elevator with Cortana appearing at several intervals to give her lines. He then stops at the edge of a cliff where the Covenant forces are hovering over a Forerunner structure (believed to be the Ark). The trailer ends with the Forerunner structure opening and firing a beam of light.

The Trailer fueled speculation about what was going to happen in the game, particularly Cortana's last line in the trailer: "This is the way the world ends," which references the first of the Cortana Letters. The line itself refers to T. S. Eliot's The Hollow Men, which ends:


 * This is the way the world ends
 * Not with a bang but a whimper.

Cortana's emphasis on "this" implies she is rejecting the poem, and that the world will end with a bang - likely referring to the Halo installations being activated.

Starry Night Trailer
Starry Night Trailer was released on December 4, 2006 with its format designed for TV Ads. It shows two children staring at the stars talking about whether there are aliens before switching to a dazed Master Chief recovering from some form of blast. Once he gets back on his feet, he uses a Bubble Shield to defend himself from an incoming Wraith plasma mortar and then charges forward, eventually jumping over a cliff into a swarm of Covenant Loyalists. It has been rumored that the two kids are John and Kelly when they where young.

E3 2007 Trailer
The final trailer for Halo 3 was released during E3 2007. Unlike the others, this trailer focused on showing various gameplay and movie clips. While the trailer did little to further knowledge about the Halo 3, it confirmed many speculations about the game, the least of which was that the Arbiter and the Master Chief will fight alongside one another in the game at some point.

Believe
Believe is a Microsoft marketing campaign for Halo 3.

It features the word "Believe" as a tag line, and appears to be honoring the legacy of SPARTAN-117, citing him as a hero of the United Nations Space Command Defense Force whose brave actions inspired other servicemen during the Human-Covenant War. It has also been cited that it has been linked to the popular message board Neogaf.

Landfall
Halo: Landfall is a trilogy of short films designed to promote Halo 3 as well as test the potential for a live-action Halo Movie.

Products and Collectibles

 * Halo 3: Collector's Edition.
 * Halo 3: Legendary Edition.
 * Halo 3 Spartan Edition Controller.
 * Halo 3 Covenant Edition Controller.
 * Mountain Dew Game Fuel is a new version of Mountain Dew soda which was released on August 13th, 2007 and was available for 12 weeks.
 * Bungie has worked with Jasman Toys and they will be showcasing the new Halo Laser Tag Replica Guns.
 * Todd McFarlane's line of Halo 3 Action Figures.
 * There is a Halo 3 edition of the Xbox 360. It was released on September 16th, and will have other things in the box like a wired Halo 3 headset.
 * The Halo 3 Zune is a Zune in a Halo Trilogy-theme. It features Halo content in many media formats. Included in the Zune, are trailers, music, and artwork, from the critically acclaimed Halo series.
 * Halo 3 scale replica weapons. These are just ornaments and are not toys.
 * Burger King announced a Halo 3 Promotion from a Microsoft press release on August 9th, 2007 including limited edition FRYPODS and 42 oz drink cups.
 * Halo ActionClix including special figures like brute jump pack, master chief with dual Spikers, brute stalkers, and a few others.

Reviews and Reaction
Halo 3 has received mainly positive reviews from both the online gaming sites and country specific magazines. Each review has praised it, stating "the winning formula is still apparent" with "multiplayer constantly surprising and engaging", while new features of Forge and Saved Films were singled out as particularly interesting new features.

The Campaign was considered by many to be a negative, with many pointing out it is "too short", the artificial intelligence of the player's allies were referred to as "Cannon Fodder" with most of the time no reason to have them on your team, and the graphics was highlighted saying some Human characters and textures were "embarrassing" to look at not to mention a little over done.

Halo 3 has won a number of awards from its first release date:


 * Spike TV Awards: Best Multiplayer Game, Most Addictive Video Game Fueled by Dew.
 * TIME: Game of the Year.
 * Geezer Gamers: Geezer Game of the Year, Multiplayer Game of the Year.
 * Gametrailers: 2007's Best Xbox 360 Game of the Year.

Trivia

 * I17 is not allowed as your service tag in multiplayer, it says it is already reserved by UNSC, in use by Master Chief Petty Officer John-117.
 * On the legendary ending after the credits, the lights on the planet form the Marathon symbol, a Bungie trademark.
 * For Christmas 2006, Microsoft and Bungie gave the U.S. soldiers in Iraq a chance to play the Halo 3 multiplayer public pre-alpha.
 * On the Cops & Robbers commercial for the 360 at the Xbox Live Marketplace, one of the license plates says HA LO307, a.k.a Halo 3 07.
 * The game has 39,377 lines of dialogue, most of them randomly triggered during gameplay.
 * In several of Cortana's messages to the Chief, she quotes Dr. Halsey's lines from the book, Halo: The Fall of Reach. This is logical considering Cortana was created with a flash clone of Dr. Halsey's brain.
 * Halo 3 is the only Halo game to feature Forge.
 * The chances of two people having the same service tag on Xbox Live is 2574 to 1.
 * Throughout all of Halo 3's storyline, the Master Chief's codename is Sierra 117, which the first level is named after.
 * We hear the Master Chief's real name "John" for the first and only time in the playable side of the Halo series on the Halo 3 level 'Halo' (i.e., Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2).
 * On the level The Covenant, a secret piece of music is played, it is called Siege of Madrigal,this is a nod to Myth, an older Bungie game. The music has appeared in the previous games, Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, and require almost similar conditions of going to obscure areas to hear. How to reach the area on Halo 3 is shown here.
 * Halo 3 contains 49 achievements, which is a seven reference 7x7=49
 * In Halo 3's legendary ending you can see a red galaxy off to the side of our galaxy. Also there is a large planet at the very end. It is rumored to either be a Flood or Forerunner planet.
 * Just as the Chief and the Arbiter enter the Citadel after the level The Covenant, Cortana will give another message, actually Gravemind, but the message will also be displayed upon the screens either side of the room where in the next cut scene, the Prophet of Truth is giving his speech.
 * Halo 3 is the only Halo game that allows you to start from specific parts in the level.
 * Halo 3 is the only game in the Halo trilogy that allows you to watch the exact same level that was previously played. (Hard Drive needed).

Articles

 * Halo 3 Announcement Trailer
 * Halo 3 Credits
 * 60sec ESPN Commercial Starry Night
 * ViDoc: Et Tu Brute - a 7 min documentary about the Brutes ViDoc: Et Tu Brute
 * ViDoc: Is Quisnam Protero Damno
 * ViDoc: Cinema Paradiso
 * Halo 3 Beta
 * Mountain Dew Game Fuel - Halo 3 themed Mountain Dew
 * Halo 3 Zune - A limited edition Microsoft Zune.
 * Halo 3 Achievements
 * Halo 3: The Cradle of Life
 * Halo 3 Official Strategy Guide
 * Halo 3: Original Soundtrack
 * Burger King

External

 * Halo 3 Website - The Official Halo 3 Website
 * Bungie's Announcement
 * Halo 3 at MSN.com
 * | IMDB Entry on Halo 3
 * halowiki.net - Halo 3 Multiplayer Strategy