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
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Plot
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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 multiplayer 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 Reconnaissance 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 February 6, 2007. The auction was held from February 17, 2007 to February 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 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

 * 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-existent XBL Public
 * Halo 3 Photoshop Brushes - Very detailed high resolution brushes.
 * Halo 3 Trilogy blog

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