Halo 3

Halo 3 is a first-person science fiction shooter game developed by Bungie that was released for the Xbox 360 console. It is the sequel to Halo 2 and finished up the current story arc that the previous two games have followed. It was released on September 25 in North America and Australia, the 26th in Europe and the 27th in Japan. It has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Release
The release date for the final game was September 25, 2007 in North America and Australia, September 26, 2007 in Europe, and September 27, 2007 in Asia. Halo 3 is officially out in stores across the world.

An internal build, the Halo 3 alpha build, codenamed "Pimps At Sea", was released in April 2007 for Microsoft employees. A public beta test, the Halo 3 Beta, was rolled out in Spring 2007 and was scheduled for online play at midnight (U.S. West Coast Pacific-Time) on May 16th, 2007 - June 10, 2007, although there were certain technical difficulties in its distribution. After that, Bungie collected all the feedback from the beta and sought to improve their multiplayer through it, with the final game coming out four months after the end of the beta. On August 10, 2007 another Halo 3 build, Halo 3 Epsilon, was released to Microsoft employees, featuring Forge and multiplayer aspects. It went gold on August 29, 2007.

There are three versions of Halo 3: the Halo 3: Standard Edition, a Limited Collector's Edition, and the very limited Legendary Edition.

* Additional content on DVD

Reviews were recently released from a number of high profile gaming websites: Gamespot- 9.5 IGN- 9.5 TeamXbox- 9.7 1up- 10.0 Gametrailers- 9.8 ComputerVideogames- 9.7 OXM Australia- 10.0 Famitsu-9.99 GamespotKorea- 4/5

Plot
Halo 3 does not begin right where Halo 2 left off. Instead, the comic mini-series, Halo: Uprising, will bridge the story gap between the ending of Halo 2, and the beginning of Halo 3.

When the game begins, John-117 is back on Earth, where the Covenant loyalists (Brutes, Drones,Grunts, and Jackals), led by the Prophet of Truth, have laid waste to most of the planet. Covenant ships are hovering over an excavation site a few miles from the ruins of New Mombasa and have uncovered a large artifact in this site (seen in the E3 2006 trailer).

The Master Chief, along with Sergeant Major Johnson and the Arbiter, make their way through the jungle towards an UNSC outpost. Shortly after they reach their destination, the Covenant mounts an attack on the facility, and it is during this time that the Chief starts receiving disturbing transmissions from Cortana. After a brief struggle, in which the outpost is lost, Master Chief receives orders from Commander Keyes and Lord Hood to clear a way into the African city of Voi, and destroy all anti-air Covenant defenses in preparation for an all-out assault on Truth and the artifact. After the Master Chief and the Arbiter destroy the defenses, Truth activates the artifact and creates an enormous slipspace portal, into which all the Covenant ships retreat. As Keyes follows the Dreadnought a Covenant ship controlled by the Flood arrives by slip-space and crash lands nearby, and the parasite quickly spreads throughout the city.

The Master Chief and the Arbiter attempt to fight off the Flood and retrieve a recording of Cortana from the Flood ship. After they have completed all of their objectives, Guilty Spark arrives by an Elite drop-ship. Once the Arbiter and Master Chief are evacuated, the remaining Covenant fleet proceeds to glass the parts of Africa that have been infected. This amplifies the hard feelings between Lord Hood and Shipmaster, the Spec. Ops Leader of Halo 2 and new leader of the elites. Once the Elites and Lord Hood decide to follow Truth, the remaining Elite ships - approximatly 9 and 3 UNSC Frigates leave Earth via the slip-space portal and find themselves near an immense artificial structure, (where they enganged a sleet 3 times thier size and won) which is soon revealed to be the Ark. They find that the Ark is in fact positioned outside of the Milky Way galaxy, just beyond the Halo rings' effective firing range. Guided by Guilty Spark and temporarily assisted by the Flood, the Chief and the Arbiter push their way to one of the communication arrays of the Ark, where they barely manage to stop The Prophet of Truth from activating the rings. Commander Keyes dies as she tries to kill herself and Sergeant Johnson to stop Truth from activating the rings.

In the meantime, a flood-infested High Charity arrives by slipspace jump. After executing The Prophet of Truth, the Arbiter and the Master Chief discover that a replacement ring has been constructed by the Ark to replace the one destroyed by Master Chief. The Chief decides to activate the ring so as to destroy any chance the Flood has from spreading even further. However, the Chief and the Arbiter first take a detour through High Charity to recover Cortana, who, under the grasp of Gravemind, had the activation Index for the replacement Halo. After rescuing the AI, they destroy the Covenant home world as they make their escape, which seemingly kills Gravemind.

When they arrive on the newly built Halo, they quickly discover that Gravemind is still alive, and attempting to reconstruct itself on the new Halo. The Chief, Arbiter, and Sergeant Johnson quickly make their way to the control room, where they attempt to fire Halo. Guilty Spark realizes that this will destroy his new ring because it is not fully ready yet, and kills Sergeant Johnson as he tries to activate the ring. Master Chief destroys Guilty Spark, activates the ring, and barely manages to escape with the Arbiter on Forward Unto Dawn, a UNSC frigate ship.

Back on Earth (March 3, 2553), a memorial service is held for fallen UNSC personnel. A memorial has been constructed from part of a spaceship, atop a hillside which Lord Hood orders will "remain barren". Affixed to the memorial are flowers, photos, and messages. Among the images seen on the memorial are that of Miranda Keyes and A. J. Johnson. After the service, Hood tells the Arbiter that although "I rember how this war started, what your kind did to mine, i can never forgive you but you have my thanks for sticking by him till the end", in which the arbiter replies "were it so easy". It is implied that John did not survive to make it back to Earth. Following this, the Arbiter and Shipmaster depart, bound for the Elite homeworld above a Covenant cruiser. Further alluding to Master Chief's death is the numbers "117" scratched into the space ship fragment.

After the credit roll, footage is shown of the Master Chief and Cortana on-board the rear section of Forward Unto Dawn, which had apparently torn off during the slip-space jump; the pair are drifting through space. Cortana tells John she will drop a distress beacon, but that it could be years before they are found. The Chief makes it 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 the Legendary difficulty, the section of Forward Unto Dawn that Cortana and the Chief are aboard is seen drifting towards an artificial looking planet after an unknown amount of time since he put himself in cyro. Some assume this to be Onyx, but this is impossible, as the Milky Way can be seen in the background, meaning the planet is still beyond the rim.

The ending seems to imply that Bungie is in the works on a sequel to Halo 3, either as a video game, possibly Peter Jackson's Halo project, or the third novel from Tor in Bungie and Tor's three book contract.

This ending also draws an interesting parallel with the opening scene of Marathon, leading some to jump to conclusions and say that Halo 3 is in fact a direct prequel to Marathon. However, this is false since Bungie has on several occasions stated that Marathon and Halo do not occur in the same universe.

Halo 3 Levels

 * 1) Arrival - Brace for impact.
 * 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.

Halo 3 Walkthrough
A Halo 3 Walkthrough/Guide has been released alongside the actual game. The walkthrough/guide, as of September 25, is available in stores.

Controls
Because of differences between the XBOX original and XBOX 360 controller, and the addition of the new "equipment", there are a few differences on controls.
 * Right bumper: Click-Reload, Hold-Pick up weapon, exchange equipment, get in/out of vehicle, activate.
 * Left bumper: Click-switch grenades, reload(if dual-wielding) Hold-duel wield(when available).
 * Right trigger: Fire weapon
 * Left trigger: Throw grenade, Fire secondary(if dual-wielding)
 * 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 scope/zoom
 * D-pad: Scroll through menu, up-team talk channel (Multiplayer), up-toggle monitor/spartan mode (Forge), toggle flashlight(Campaign)
 * A button: Jump/Select
 * B button: Melee/Back, pick support weapon up if in stationary mode.
 * X button: Deploy/Activate equipment
 * Y button: Switch weapons
 * Right Bumper, Left Bumper, Click-in Left Analog Stick, A, Down on D-Pad for 3 seconds: Lowers weapon    (proof its real: )
 * Right Bumper, Left Bumper, Click-in Left Analog Stick, A, Up on D-Pad for 3 seconds: Makes current camera angle/position coordinates visible.

You may also change controls to Halo Classic, as the control scheme as in Halo and Halo 2. Many other layouts have return such as the Southpaw and etc.

Weapons

 * Spikers: New to the game, and used exclusively by Brutes when the player hasn't got them. Dual-wield, rapid-fire handguns with spikes running underneath used to enhance melee attacks.
 * UNSC Sniper Rifle: The sniper rifle no longer has an exact replication of the screen on its visor, now only displaying a "night-vision" style screen.

Vehicles

 * Mongoose: UNSC. A quad-bike with room for two people, a driver and gunner. Light and fast, but leaves the driver rather exposed to enemy fire.

Multiplayer

 * The Man Cannon is an addition capable of catapulting a player across a multiplayer map. It seems to have replaced the teleporter for Halo 3. In the new Halo the man cannon can send you half way across Valhalla. All though it shoots you far you can still be shot mid air.  if you go through the man cannon with a vehicle it will send the vehicle as far.
 * Energy Shield doors have been added to some multiplayer levels, which allow players to pass through, but cannot be shot through. Spike grenades can stick to these walls.
 * A new "Veto" system has been placed into the Halo 3 Matchmaking. Before the game starts for any game, players can choose whether to veto them out. If more than half of the player's votes are cast to veto, the game will assign a new map and gametype.
 * You now can customize the helmet and armor on multiplayer, but each of these permutations must be unlocked before they can be used.
 * Bungie have confirmed that there will be no Clan support in Halo 3. However, there may be an Xbox Live Dashboard update that supports clans.
 * The matchmaking system from Halo 2 will be revamped. The system will be based on two different ranks, skill and experience, in order to make the system more fair and to reflect the effect of experience on players' profiles.
 * Call signs will be used instead of small HUD emblems to identify allies. Example: your ID is E77, and a team mate looks in your direction an arrow saying "E77" will appear over your head; in the game, if pointed at, your gamertag will appear.
 * A female voice will be in the final multiplayer game but the male voice will be the default. This will affect what sounds the player makes when grunting, hitting, etc.
 * Bungie has stated that the MJOLNIR Armor variants will not play an important role in campaign, and that it is just for aesthetic appeal in multiplayer. However, that does not mean they won't make any appearances in other corners of the Halo universe.
 * If you are boarded when you are in a scorpion or wraith you cannnot exit the tank until you are dead or the boarder gets off.

Online & 4 Player Co-Op
The previous installment of the Halo series had implemented a 2-player Online Co-Op play (As seen in the "Switch to Co-Op" option in the Pregame Lobby). But was taken out of the final version due to balance and connection issues. Originally Bungie confirmed Co-Op play on a system with two player split screen. They later confirmed a 4 player Co-Op option over Xbox Live or System Link. Unlike previous Co-Op renditions this time each player takes on an individual canon approach. The first player will be Master Chief, the second will be the The Arbiter, the third will be N’tho ‘Sraom, with the fourth being Usze ‘Taham.

This will encourage replaying the game more and enjoying the game differently. Each player has the same abilities, with only their starting weapons differing: for example, if the Chief starts with a Battle Rifle, the Elites will start with a Carbine.

N’tho ‘Sraom and Usze ‘Taham are characters added for the 3- and 4-player Co-Op. The two new Elites, joining the Arbiter and Master Chief, both have real bios and appropriate fiction, but they will not be appearing in the cinematics and so on. They are designed to be believable and useful allies, without affecting the fictional arc in a negative way – and they do not appear in the game as AI controlled opponents during one or two player games.

Forge
Forge is an "object editor" that can be used to edit multiplayer maps. It was originally called a map editor until Bungie showed what one could do with it. In Forge, you can edit objects, spawnpoints, weapons and properties of objects on the map. And, when playing a map on forge, players may take control as a monitor and will obtain the ability to spawn weapons and vehicles in-game, as well as move/adjust them too.

Saved 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 mulitplayer match) These films can also be shared with Bungie.net.

Achievements
Halo 3 has 49 achievements worth a total of 1000 GamerPoints that contributes to a player's overall GamerScore. A game can have many more or less achievements, but it's believed that Bungie chose 49 for it's relation to their lucky number 7; 7 times 7 equals 49.

Equipment

 * Bubble Shield
 * Power Drainer
 * Trip Mine
 * Portable Gravity Lift
 * Radar Jammer
 * Flare
 * Regenerator
 * Deployable Cover

Campaign Only

 * Invincibility
 * Automated Turret
 * Cloaking

Power Ups

 * Custom Power Up
 * Agility
 * Active Camouflage
 * Overshield

Weapons
These are the weapons known to be in the game:

Covenant

 * Type-1 Antipersonnel "Plasma" Grenade (Grenade)
 * Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
 * Type-25 "Plasma Pistol" Directed Energy Pistol (Dual Wieldable)
 * Type-25 "Plasma Rifle" Directed Energy Rifle (Dual Wieldable)
 * Type-26 "Shade" ASG (Stationary)
 * Type-33 "Fuel Rod Cannon" Light Anti-Armor Weapon
 * Type-33 "Needler" Guided Munitions Launcher
 * Type-50 "Beam Rifle" Sniper Rifle System
 * Type-51 Carbine
 * Type-52 Automatic Plasma Cannon (Support)
 * Brute Sandbox
 * Type-2 "Gravity Hammer" Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-2 "Spike" Antipersonnel Fragmentation Grenade (Grenade)
 * Type-3 "Firebomb" Antipersonnel/Antimateriel Incendiary Grenade (Grenade)
 * Type-25 "Spiker" Carbine (Dual Wieldable)
 * Type-52 "Mauler" Pistol (Dual Wieldable)
 * Type-25 "Brute Shot" Grenade Launcher

Forerunner

 * Sentinel Beam

UNSC

 * AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun (Support)
 * BR55HB SR Battle Rifle
 * LAU-65D/SGM-151 Missile Pod (Support)
 * MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System
 * M6G Personal Defense Weapon System (Dual Wieldable)
 * M7/Caseless Sub-Machine Gun (Dual Wieldable)
 * M9 HE-DP Fragmentation Grenade
 * M41 Rocket Launcher
 * M90A Close Assault Weapon System
 * M7057/Defoliant Projector (Support)
 * SRS99D-S2 AM Sniper Rifle
 * W/AV M6 G/GNR Spartan Laser

Covenant

 * Type-26 'Banshee' Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-32 'Ghost' Rapid Assault Vehicle
 * Type-25 'Wraith' Mobile Artillery
 * Type-52 'AA Wraith' Anti Aircraft Artillery Usable through a glitch.
 * Brute Sandbox
 * Type-25 'Chopper' Rapid Assault Vehicle
 * Type-52 'Prowler' Infantry Scout Vehicle

Non-Usable

 * Type-52 'Phantom' Troop Carrier
 * Assault Carrier
 * CCS-class Battlecruiser
 * Seraph Fighter-Interceptor
 * Type-47 'Scarab' Ultra Heavy Assault Platform

UNSC

 * D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship
 * Behemoth-class 'Elephant' Troop Transport
 * Attack VTOL-14 Hornet
 * M12 Warthog Light Reconaissance Vehicle
 * M12G1 Warthog Light Anti-Aircraft Vehicle
 * M274 Mongoose Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle
 * M808 Scorpion Main Battle Tank (Unknown model. Possibly B, or C model)
 * M831 TT Warthog Troop Transport

Non-Usable

 * Albatross Heavy Dropship
 * C709 Longsword Fighter-Interceptors
 * (FFG-201)
 * (FFG-201)

Campaign Plot
See: Halo 3 Plot

The Ark


The Covenant has uncovered a massive and ancient Forerunner artifact under New Mombasa (The mountain in the background is indeed Kilimanjaro ) and Cortana is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind.

The Ark is mentioned in Halo 2 as a place where all the Halo rings could be fired at once. It has been confirmed in Halo 3 that the Ark is outside the Milky Way galaxy which is outside the Halo's firing range. Presumably, the Forerunners from whom all current sentient life sprung forth, were saved by being "in" the Ark (actually being outside the Galaxy). Due to the name, it may be a reference to Noah's Ark, which saved a handful of people while the Earth was wiped clean. If this is the case, then that explains how the rings could have been activated before and yet life survives. And finally it makes sense that one can activate all the Halos from the Ark, which is also confirmed, that way they wouldn't die in the process.

Again, while the structure in the trailer was originally thought to be The Ark, it has only been officially confirmed as a slip-space portal to the real Ark. Before the release of Halo 3, many people believed the structure in the trailer was THE Ark due to evidence such as:
 * At the last cutscene of Halo 2 Guilty Spark tells the Arbiter where the Ark is, although we don't hear it. In the E3 trailer we see that the Arbiter is on Earth which leads many to think that the Ark is on Earth.
 * Miranda Keyes is referring to the Forerunner artifact as "the Ark" in the recently shown Level Tsavo Highway
 * In the Halo Graphic Novel one Elite says "We need to clear this area before we can secure access to The Ark" -- Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa.
 * It is also seen in this small sketch from the DVD.
 * In Halo 2, in the Level Outskirts, Cortana says that the Covenant "weren't expecting  us to be here."  Us refers to Humanity of course, which means that they had come to earth for something else, very likely the Ark so they could begin the Great Journey.

Also, in Bungie's FAQ, they said that although they wouldn't tell what the structure is, Halo fans may recognize it. The structure looks somewhat similar to a structure seen in the Halo 2 multiplayer map Ascension, the circular structures on the exterior of Alpha Halo (visible in the opening menu of Halo 1), or Delta Halo's Control Room. It also looks like the dock that the Forerunner ship at the end of Halo 2 was stationed in, or the platform in the Halo's Library that is home to the installation's Index. Bungie may also be referring to the Jjaro station in Marathon Infinity (an artifact used to contain a being within a sun). Also, in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the Dyson Portal is described very similarly to the structure, albeit much smaller. 

Major Characters
UNSC
 * Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN John-117
 * Cortana
 * Sergeant Major A.J. Johnson
 * Commander Miranda Keyes
 * Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood

Covenant Separatists
 * The Arbiter
 * Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum

Covenant Loyalists
 * Prophet of Truth

Flood
 * Gravemind

Forerunner
 * 343 Guilty Spark

Minor Characters
Co-Op Characters
 * N’tho ‘Sraom
 * Usze ‘Taham

UNSC
 * Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker
 * UNSC Marine Infantryman
 * Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds
 * UNSC Marine Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
 * Office of Naval Intelligence Personnel
 * UNSC Citizens

Covenant Separatists
 * Elites (Sangheili)

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

Flood
 * Infection Form
 * Combat Form
 * Carrier Form
 * Pure Form
 * ‎Ranged Form
 * Stalker Form
 * Tank Form

Xbox Live
If you have the vision camera you will be able to video chat with your friends, and there are now two ranking systems, one of which is based on actual military ranks instead of numbers. This number is your total amount of games and your rank increases the more you play any matchmaking gametype (including unranked). The ranked gametypes are apparently still ranked by numbers.

Maps



 * Construct
 * Epitaph
 * Guardian
 * High Ground
 * Isolation
 * Jodrell Bank - Nickname
 * John Carpenter's Prince of Dorkness - Really long nickname
 * Last Resort
 * Moonbase Alpha - Nickname
 * Narrows
 * Sandtrap
 * Snowbound
 * The Pit
 * Valhalla

Gametypes
Players can also set up custom games. Custom game settings from the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta give us an idea of what can be defined in custom gametypes.
 * Assault
 * Capture the flag
 * King of the Hill
 * Oddball
 * Juggernaut
 * Slayer
 * Territories
 * VIP
 * Infection

Custom options
In Halo 3, there are a number of options that can be changed.


 * Damage resistance
 * Shield multiplier
 * Shield recharge rate
 * Immune to headshots
 * Grenade counts (grenade regeneration, on or off)
 * Infinite ammo
 * Weapon pickup disabled
 * Player speed
 * (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%, 110%, 125%, 150%, 200%, 300%)
 * Player gravity
 * (50%, 75%, 100%, 200%)
 * Vehicle use (passenger only)
 * Motion tracker range
 * (10m, 25m, 75m, 100m, 150m)
 * Indestructible vehicles (on, off)

Player Customization
Originally discovered in the Halo 3 Beta code by hackers, high levels of player customization have now been confirmed by GamePro's June issue.
 * "Halo 3's online mode offers new armor permutations that allow players to customize their persona's from head to toe." it has also been confirmed that you can unlock armor permutations via campaign and online.


 * ''IGN AU: "How do they actually find it? Is it linked to multiplayer or single player?"


 * ''Lars Bakken: "It's linked to the entire game, and the way it's unlocked is through milestones that you hit, with achievements. It's linked to a point total basically, in your achievements."


 * ''IGN AU: "Through single player and multiplayer."


 * Lars Bakken: "Yep, for both, it's combined."

Spartan

 * MJOLNIR Armor - Mark VI
 * EVA Armor - Extra Vehicular Activity armor
 * CQB Armor - Close Quarters Battle armor
 * MJOLNIR MARK V - Mark V (Same armor from Halo: Combat Evolved)
 * EOD Armor - Explosive Ordnance Disposal armor
 * Recon Armor - Powered Assault Armor/R variant|For Use By Bungie Only (Helmet only)
 * ODST Armor
 * Scout Armor
 * Security Armor
 * Hayabusa Armor
 * Rogue Armor

Elite

 * Elite Combat Armor - Standard Elite armor.
 * Elite Assault Armor - Similar to Ranger Elite armor. Worn by Usze 'Taham.
 * Elite Flight Armor - The Elite Flight armor. Worn by pilots.
 * Elite Commando Armor - Similar to Elite Assault Armor, but more smoothed. Worn by special commando forces.
 * Elite Ascetic Armor - Similar to Elite Assault Armor, but with fan like protrusions. Worn by the Ascetics.

To unlock these armor types certain achievements and single player actions must first be taken. A lot of them come naturally from completing the campaign on various difficulties. If you have your eye on a particular one, a guide can be found here.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack is slated for release this holiday season. Unlike the Halo 2 Soundtrack, it does not feature any third-party band songs.

Microsoft did host a band contest, however. One of the songs, created by Director, can be found here.

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 arrives at 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's being activated.

Starry Night Trailer
Starry Night Trailer was released on December 4, 2006 with its format designed for TV Ads. It shows two kids 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.

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 tagline, and appears to be honoring the legacy of SPARTAN-117, citing himself 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 messageboard Neogaf.

Arms Race
Arms Race 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 collectables

 * Mountain Dew Game Fuel is a new version of Mountain Dew soda which was released on August 13th, 2007 and will be available for 12 weeks.
 * Bungie has worked with Jasman Toys and they will be showcasing the new Halo Laser Tag Replica Guns.
 * Tod McFarlane's line of Halo 3 Action Figures.
 * There will 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.

Trivia

 * In one screenshot, the word "Puma" can be seen on the tires of the Warthog, this is possible homage to the popular online Machinima series Red vs Blue, which uses the Halo game engine. "Puma" came from Episode 2, where Red Team was discussing what to name their new LRV (a warthog), and "puma" came up as a suggestion.
 * In screenshots in the campaign mode and the Halo Trailer, there is Master Chief armed with the new MA5C Assault Rifle, and in the middle of the gun, there is the Marathon symbol, Click here for Image.
 * For Christmas 2006, Microsoft & Bungie gave the U.S. soldiers in Iraq a chance to play the Halo 3 multiplayer public pre-alpha.
 * Halo 3's release date is two more 7s. September 25 is 9+2+5. 9-2=7. 5+2=7. 9+2=11+5=16. Then, 1+6=7. Also September 25, 2+5=7.
 * On Cops & Robbers commercial for the 360 at the XBL Marketplace one of the license plates says HA LO307 aka Halo 3 07.
 * From Bungie.net weekly update (9/14/2007). Car Number 40 driven by David Stremme has been decked out for Halo 3. He is, allegedly, a big Halo fan.
 * From Bungie.net weekly update (9/14/2007). For the Halo Project, they have in fact built a fully functional Warthog, with a working chain gun and everything.
 * Hollywood Arts announced an auction for a voice cameo in Halo 3 on Febuary 6, 2007. The auction was held from Febuary 17, 2007 to Febuary 24, 2007. The auction was won by the members of Rooster Teeth Productions, the makers of Red vs Blue..
 * The above cameo can be found in the second level, Crows Nest, where you can find a man beating on a door and demanding to get in. The conversation changes depending on your difficulty level; here is a “Youtube” video showing all the conversations

Internal

 * Halo 3 Announcement Trailer
 * Halo 3 Credits
 * 60sec ESPN Commerical Starry Night
 * ViDoc: Et Tu Brute - a 7 min documentry 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

 * H3Customs - Find Halo 3 custom game matches
 * Online Campaign & Multiplayer Guide
 * Skulls Guides - Skull guides with pictures
 * Bungie's Announcement
 * | IMDB Entry on Halo 3
 * Halo 3 Easter Eggs
 * Halo 3 Website - Main Halo 3 Website
 * Halo 3 at MSN.com
 * Halo 3 News
 * The Halo 3 Custom Match Finder - The next best thing to the now non-existant XBL Public
 * Halo 3 Photoshop Brushes - Very detailed high resolution brushes.
 * Halo 3 Trilogy blog

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