Halo 3 Gets Trio of Editions, New Weapons

It's not here until next year, but we are finally getting a few new details about the eagerly awaited sequel.

Getting information on big games isn't easy. Publishers, who do their best to stay tight-lipped, generally end up doling exclusives out to magazines. And thanks to one such Swedish publication, we now know a lot more about Microsoft's biggest weapon - Halo 3.

For a start, forget about standard and collector's editions - Halo 3 will arrive in a full three versions, according to an article in Swedish magazine Level, via scans at videogamesblogger.com.

In addition to the now more-usual two, Halo 3 will also reportedly also come in a Legendary edition. This package includes four discs - game, documentaries, fan-made content, and high-definition versions of the all the cut scenes from the series. Best of all - the Legendary edition packaging looks like Master Chief's helmet.

As for the game itself, right now we're getting fine details on the multiplayer side of the game only. Developer Bungie is showing the singleplayer portion off already, but no publications have gone live with any material yet. Bungie's Jaime Griesemer did tell magazine Level that Halo 3 has "more plot twists than any other game in the series". And considering how Halo 2 went, that's no paltry fact.

Bungie is, however, showing off some of its new multiplayer maps, which Level reportedly reckons are quite similar in feel to previous Halo maps. In particular, the Swedes liken new map Valhalla to wide-open fan-favourite Blood Gulch from Halo: Combat Evolved, while High Ground is akin to Halo 2's Zanzibar.

Getting around these maps will be made simpler thanks to two new means of transportation in the Halo garage. There's the Mongoose, an unarmed ATV-esque ride for quick trips between points, and also the Man Cannon, which, as you're probably imagining already, reportedly shoots you to different areas on the map.

Oh, and remember the bots that were added to beef up the numbers when you were playing multiplayer offline? Forget them. Bungie has axed them from Halo 3 because, as Griesemer says, it would rather spend the man-hours working on new levels, weapons and network code, rather than fiddle endlessly with their artificial intelligence.

Things have changed on the controller side too. Now that the Xbox 360 pad has both bumpers and triggers, Bungie has seen fit to refresh its control scheme. Reloading is now relegated to the two bumpers, leaving the X button for some new, unannounced feature.

Speaking of guns, expect new stuff here too. There's the Spiker, described as the Brute's weapon of choice, a new vehicle felling weapon called the Spartan Laser, and also a third class of grenades that stick to walls and explode in a hail of nails when triggered.

Microsoft has yet to officially confirm any of this through its usual channels, but with the game's release creeping closer, it won't be long until the company starts to fill the post-Gears Of War void with details on Master Chief's new adventure.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo