Halo 3

Halo 3 is a game by Bungie and, supposedly, the final game in this story arc (another company is creating Halo Wars). Bungie is notoriously secretive and only releases small amounts of information at a time. However, in Halo 3 Trailer - Behind the Scenes, Bungie confirmed that the trailer was made using in game assets and that the final product will be very similar to the trailer.

Release Date
Bungie has announced that the release date for the final game is September 25, 2007 in the US, while Europe will receive the game on September 26, 2007 one day later. (Countdown to that date) A public beta test was released (See Halo 3 Beta) in Spring 2007 and was scheduled for online play at midnight (U.S. West Coast Pacific-Time) on May 16th, 2007. After that, Bungie will take all the feedback from the beta and improve their Multiplayer through it. The final game will then come out four months after the end of the beta.
 * Halo 3 will ship in 3 different versions:
 * Normal version: includes game.
 * Collector's Edition: includes game, Halo fiction and art book, and extra DVD containing extra/bonus content.


 * Legendary edition: includes a replica of Master Chief's helmet, Halo 3 story board art, and 3 discs.
 * Disc 1: Halo 3 Xbox 360 Game
 * Disc 2: Making of the game
 * Disc 3: Spin-off material(Red vs. Blue, This Spartan Life, etc...). It will also include every cutscene from Halo 1, Halo 2, and Halo 3 in high-def.

Pre-Alpha
For Christmas, Microsoft & Bungie gave the U.S. soldiers in Iraq a chance to play the Halo 3 multiplayer public pre-alpha.

Trailer Analysis
It required long hours and hard work from many, many Bungie staffers, it utilizes real-game assets, fiction and locations from parts of the "real" game."

Cortana's line in the trailer: "This is the way the world ends," 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.

Plot Line
The details of the plot have yet to be revealed. All Bungie has confirmed is that the Master Chief has returned to Earth. 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


The Ark is mentioned in Halo 2 as a place where all the Halo rings could be fired at once. While the structure in the trailer is thought to be, but not officially confirmed as, The Ark. All evidence points to it being the Ark:


 * 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.

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 or the circular structures on the exterior of Halo which is visible in the opening menu of Halo. It also looks like the dock that the Forerunner ship at the end of Halo 2 was stationed in. 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. There is also an interesting comparison here. 

Screenshot Anomalies

 * 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.

Weapons
These are the confirmed weapons known to be in the game(all are subject to change):

Covenant
Weapons
 * Brute Shot
 * Carbine
 * Energy Sword
 * Gravity Hammer
 * Needler
 * Particle Beam Rifle
 * Plasma Cannon
 * Plasma Pistol
 * Plasma Rifle
 * Plasma Grenade
 * Type-25 "Spiker" Carbine
 * Spike Grenade

Equipment
 * Portable Grav Lift - Seen in H3 ViDoc in front of High Ground gate.

United Nations Space Command
Weapons
 * MA5C Assault Rifle
 * BR55HB SR Battle Rifle
 * AIE-468H Heavy Machine Gun
 * UNSC Missle Pod
 * M9 HE-DP Frag Grenade
 * M6G Pistol
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW Rocket Launcher
 * M90 Shotgun
 * SRS99D-S2 AM Rifle
 * W/AV M6 Grindell/Galileian Nonlinear Rifle
 * M7/Caseless Sub-Machine Gun

Equipment Other
 * Bubble Shield - Seen in "Starry Night" CGI Trailer for Halo 3. Later Frankie hinted that it wasn't a grenade during a chat on the bungie.net IRC.
 * Power Drainer - Seen in leaked Halo 3 Zanzibar video
 * Trip Mine - Seen in operation in H3 ViDoc
 * Radar Scrambler - Seen in leaked footage from Internal Beta. Once activated makes radars nearby create decoy red "enemy" dots everywhere.
 * Fusion Core - As revealed in a Weekly Update, they will be redesigned and may include an as yet unnamed feature

Covenant

 * Banshee
 * Brute Ghost/Mauler
 * Chopper - Unknown Vehicle
 * Ghost
 * Phantom
 * Wraith
 * CCS-class Battlecruiser
 * Assault Carrier

UNSC

 * M274 ULATV Mongoose
 * D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship
 * M808 Scorpion - Unknown model. Possibly B, or C model
 * M12 LRV Warthog
 * M12G1 LAAV Warthog
 * Unnamed UNSC Frigate

Multiplayer Levels



 * High Ground
 * Snowbound
 * Valhalla
 * Last Resort
 * Epitaph
 * A remake of Gephyrophobia from Halo PC
 * Icy outdoor level
 * Jub jub (unofficial name)
 * Large indoor level
 * Unidentified Forerunner level (possibly a Gephyrophobia remake)
 * Warthog INC.

---Maps referenced in Halo 3 beta tags found by modders---
 * Chill
 * Construct
 * Cyberdyne
 * Epitaph
 * Guardian
 * Highground
 * Isolation
 * Last Resort
 * Shrine
 * Valhalla
 * Warthog Inc.

Also descriptions were found for Epitaph and Last Resort in the zone tag suggesting at one time they might have considered putting those 2 maps in the beta.

Epitaph - Some believe the fore-runners prefer desolate places. Others suggest that few survived the flood...

Last Resort - Remote industrial sites like this one are routinely requisitioned and razed as part of Spartan training exercises

Xbox Live Features: According to Bungie in EGM, Halo 3 will be taking XBL to the next level, if you create a gametype, you can advertise it, and if it gets good ratings it will become a matchmade game, and if you have the vision camera you will be able to video chat with your friends, and the ranking system will be based on actual military ranks, instead of numbers. And now you can rank up in custom games.

Multiplayer gametypes

 * Assault
 * Capture the flag
 * King of the Hill
 * Oddball
 * Slayer
 * Territories
 * VIP
 * Escort
 * Koth
 * Infection

Characters

 * Arbiter
 * Brutes
 * Cortana
 * Drones
 * Elites
 * Flood
 * Gravemind
 * Grunts
 * Jackals
 * Marines
 * Master Chief
 * Miranda Keyes
 * Prophet of Truth
 * Sergeant Johnson

New Features

 * In multiplayer, players can now chose a color helmet as seen in new video
 * The physics have improved for this game greatly.
 * It seems that characters' limbs may now be severed. For in part of the Halo 3 ViDoc trailer a brute ripped the arms clean off a marine, or when the duel sword wielding elite chopped off both of a brute's legs before stabbing him in the chest. If you watch carefully the first time the chief shot a brute up close with a shotgun his limbs including head and chest flew in all different directions.
 * Some Grunts are forced to fight for the Brutes.
 * The Man Cannon is an addition capable of catapulting a player across a multiplayer map. It seems to have replaced the teleporters for Halo 3.
 * 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
 * It might be also important to note that the graphics seen in the Alpha build in the Halo 3 ViDoc are not the graphics that are going to be in the game. Have no fear, they will improve. Also the shotgun light looks to have been changed from green to blue (the light is right above the ammo gauge) and you might be able to dual wield energy swords.
 * Decorators, such as grass and weeds, will move when too close to a grenade explosion or rocket explosion. They will also be affected by the weather, such as wind.  Some of these decorators are said to be completely destructible.
 * Matchmaking will feature more customizations akin to the pre-game options from Halo. As revealed in a Weekly Update, these customizations include a feature for manipulating gravity.
 * You can turn the camera when you die in multiplayer, so you can see the one who killed you.(leaked footage n.4)
 * There is a more detailed way of changing your button layout.
 * A "Replay Feature" was explained in the EGM issue. The Feature re-creates the entire battle, you take the view of it like a "Ghost" or spectator and can watch every detail of the match-in slow motion or sped up!
 * The Gravity-Towers(blue Jackal sniping towers) are now destructible.
 * Phantom Drop-ships are now destructible.
 * The Fusion cores have been upgraded and given a new look, as revealed in the April 6th Weekly Update
 * The new ViDoc, released on 4/10/07, showed possible X-Button activations. The Bubble Shield which was previously seen in the Starry Night commercial.  And the Trip Mine, a high-explosives device that can take out an entire Warthog.  It's not clear whether the Trip Mine will make it into the final product.
 * In the new ViDoc at the 00:00:23 point, a blue Spartan appears holding what appears to be the chain gun off of a Warthog turret. This is in actuality the Machinegun Turret, which is just a stationary/portable turret.
 * 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 the map or not. If enough votes are casted to veto, the game will assign a new map for the gametype.
 * The left thumbstick can now toggle crouch.
 * The Brute Shot now carries 6 grenades, rather than 4

Confirmed facts about Halo 3

 * 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.
 * A new version of the Assault Rifle, The MA5C, makes an appearance.
 * Master Chief's gauntlets and armor have also changed noticeably.
 * Bungie says that despite several triple wielding illustrations, that is purely fictional and was drawn with an artistic license. Triple-wielding will not be a feature
 * The combat AI is said to be in testing.
 * There will be an in-game video recorder that will allow the player to send and receive machinima videos over Xbox Live.
 * Bungie has confirmed via their Weekly Update at Bungie.net that multiplayer as well as single player testing are currently in progress for the title, in varying stages of completion.
 * The Bungie website also alluded to "a devastated and Covenant controlled Earth".
 * During the Bungie Weekly update of 8-11 it mentions that the testing of the combat dialog for Marines, Elites, and Brutes was underway. So it can be inferred that Brutes will be in the game. Also it alluded to Ghosts and the dialog that would be said when one was hijacked.
 * Bungie revealed that the game would have a new "materials system" so advanced that "you could see light reflect off the ground and onto his armor", which will be able to "[show] the difference between his armor and the rubber undersuit". The site also includes that "It's so detailed that if you bring the camera close to the Master Chief's visor, you see everything in front of him reflected in it, right down to the ammo counter in his rifle" . In addition, there would be new advanced texturing to reflect permanent, persistent damage.
 * In the trailer, Master Chief's Mark VI armor is battle-worn and plasma-scored. Developer Marcus R. Lehto's response: "The Chief is shown as warrior who has seen horrific battle – and it shows. The Earth is dry, barren, ravaged by the Covenant."
 * Actress Julie Benz is not voicing Miranda Keyes for Halo 3 as she was never approached by Bungie to reprise the role.
 * Bungie has confirmed crates in the game in one of their updates.
 * The Master Chief from Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 is confirmed to be the Spartan in the Halo 3 trailer.
 * Although Halo 3 was planned to end the Halo series, future Halo games haven't been entirely ruled out. On the Halo 3 FAQ from the official Bungie website it says, "Q: Is this the last ever Halo game? A: It is the conclusion to this story arc." Fans note that it is therefore possible that future games could be produced in the Halo universe, even if this particular story arc isn't continued. This was confirmed when Bungie released that the game Halo Wars will be released and is in creation.
 * Secondary weapons are now visible.
 * Bungie has confirmed that the "face" in the Starry Night commercial was nothing more than reflections of clouds and Covenant ships.
 * In the November 11 Bungie Weekly Update, it has been stated that due to a "significant chunk" of Halo 2 players being female, there might be an option to have a female voice for the Spartan character in multiplayer.
 * In the December 15 Bungie weekly update Frankie stated that Brutes would NOT be playable characters in Halo 3.
 * Weapons can now be reloaded individually when dual wielding. The right bumper will correspond with the right weapon and the left bumper will correspond with the left weapon.  When not dual wielding, the right bumper will reload and the left bumper will switch grenade types.  The X button will be use for the bubble shield and the trip mine, as reviewed in Bungie's update.
 * Actress Jen Taylor will continue to voice Cortana, as revealed in a Bungie Weekly Update.
 * Some of the Elites, formerly a major faction of the Covenant, are now allied with the humans to fight against the Covenant and the Flood together, mainly because they recognize the magnitude of the Flood menace (as seen on the Halo 3 website). It is believed that they will be known as the Heretics (led by the Arbiter) as opposed to the Separatists, who would continue to fight the humans, like in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.
 * Halo 3 will be released on September 25, 2007 in North America, while the European release will be a day later, on September 26.

Internal

 * Halo 3 Announcement Trailer
 * Halo 3 Credits
 * 60sec ESPN Commerical Starry Night
 * ViDoc: Et Tu Brute - a 7 min documentry about the BrutesViDoc: Et Tu Brute
 * ViDoc: Is Quisnam Protero Damno
 * Halo 3 Beta
 * Mountain Dew Game Fuel - Halo 3 themed Mountain Dew
 * Halo 3 Zune - A limited edition Microsoft Zune.

External

 * Bungie's Announcement
 * | IMDB Entry on Halo 3
 * HEE - Easter Eggs and Glitches
 * Halo 3 Website - Main Halo 3 Website

Fansites

 * - Halo Bungie.org
 * - HaloFactor - First german Halo 3 Webpage
 * - Forum about Halo