Halo 3, the third game in the best-selling Xbox game franchise Halo, is a highly anticipated first-person shooter video game under development by Bungie Studios for the Xbox 360 and is expected to "set a new high water mark" for next-generation games.[3] An official announcement on the developers' website states that Halo 3 will end the current story arc of the Halo trilogy. A public beta test of the multiplayer component of the game occurred between May 16, 2007 and June 10, 2007.[4] The final version of the game is due to be released on September 25, 2007[1] in the United States and Australia, and on September 26, 2007 in Europe.
Gameplay
Halo gameplay will adhere to what Multiplayer Designer Lars Bakken describes as the "Golden Three Things of Halo", which are weapons, grenades, and melee attacks; all three of which are simultaneously available to a player at all times while on foot (unless they are dual wielding).
Ideologically, gameplay centers around the idea of "balance" (at least in multiplayer). That is, each specific weapon or piece of equipment has specific areas were it is most useful, and others where it falls far short. No matter what combination of weapons a player chooses (players are famously limited only two choices of weapons in Halo), there will be situations in which they have an advantage, and others in which they have a disadvantage. The result is that there is no one weapon/vehicle that is overwhelmingly the best overall choice for whatever type of situation they may encounter (unlike the M6D pistol in the original Halo).
AI behavior of both enemies and allies in the campaign, will be greatly enhanced in Halo 3. Marines' driving and gunning skills on the Warthog, Grunt flanking maneuvers in battle, and Brute "pack mentality" have all been mentioned by Bungie as examples of using the power of the Xbox 360 for more than just increased polygon counts. Enemy AI will also have new non-combat behaviors, rather than just sitting around waiting for players to kill them, to make them feel more "alive".
The new default controller layout will see the Right Bumper become the "action" button (pick up, reload, board vehicles, activate switches, etc), with the X button being used for deployment of special equipment:[5] the portable grav lift, the Bubble Shield, the trip mine and the power drainer. When dual-wielding, weapons can be individually reloaded using either the left or right bumper.
Other buttons are unchanged, but B (melee attack) also will be used to take a stationary gun turret off its tripod for mobile use, becoming one of the game's "support weapons" (see Weaponry below),[6] as well as other context sensitive functions.
Campaign
Meta-game
Halo 3 features a "campaign meta-game" in which a player is awarded a score for completing a level in the single-player campaign. No other information is available save for a reference to the Achievements associated with them.[7] It implies, as with the previous Halo games, that campaign levels can be replayed freely, and that single-player Xbox Live Leaderboards will be associated with the "meta-game". It has also been said that not only can players attain awards such as medals in campaign, but even more armor permutations.
The latest batch of images also lift the veil on a pair of Armor Permutations in Halo 3. These multiplayer-only, cosmetic changes to your armor are a way to add diversity, spice and flavor to Halo 3's multiplayer shenanigans. The C.Q.B. (Close Quarters Battle) and E.V.A. (Extra Vehicular Activity) variants of Spartans are two of the numerous permutations players will be able to unlock in Halo 3.[8]
Multiplayer
Like most multiplayer Xbox 360 titles, Halo 3 will use a customized version of TrueSkill ranking system for its online matchmaking facilities. Halo 3's matchmaking system will be based on two different ranks, skill and experience (Rating Points or RP). Skill will simply be the TrueSkill rank of the player in a given playlist, and experience (RP) is a linear measure of experience (1 point for each win in the online playlists). Overlaid by a Military rank; so, a player with a designation of a "General" will have played for a longer time than someone who is a "recruit". This is in order to make the system more fair and to reflect the effect of experience on players' profiles.[9] The RP system also has a mechanism built in to dissuade players from excessive quitting from matches, which became a problem for some players in Halo 2. When players quit from a match before it has finished, they will lose 2 RP. So players that regularly quit games, leaving their teammates stranded, may eventually end up having negative RP.
UNSC Service Tags (consisting of one letter followed by two numbers) will be used instead of small HUD emblems to identify allies in games. In addition to the customization of Service Tags, players can now choose three different colors (as opposed to two in Halo 2) for their armor in multiplayer (primary, secondary and detail), as well as three for their multiplayer emblem.[10]
In the July 2007 issue of Gamepro, (as well as a few other local an international magazines) it was revealed that Spartan armor in multiplayer will be customizable in look as well as color.[11] In addition to the standard Mjolnir-armor look, players can choose to swap out helmet, arm and body sections to the new CQB (Close Quarters Battle) and EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) armor types. There will be other armor types as well. Bungie has not confirmed whether or not the player can be an Elite, but Frankie says in the 06/08/07 Bungie Weekly Update, "Well, it would be kind of weird for us to add so much customization for appearance and forget about one of the major MP characters, wouldn’t it? We’ll have more news about the existence or otherwise of an Elite model fairly soon."
Bungie also stated that they have redesigned the UI (user interface) from Halo 2, apparently making it easier to generate a custom game in Halo 3 multiplayer.
Hosts will now be able to "advertise" their custom games via Xbox Live Public; making it easier to find a multiplayer match to a player's taste without having to link up with friends.[9]
In the November 11, 2006 Bungie Weekly Update, it was 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.[12]
A new feature dubbed the "A-hole button" can be used to mute annoying players in the game quickly and easily from the in-game scoreboard view.[13]
People sifting through the code, as well as those who glitched their way into the Custom Game UI, of the Halo 3 Beta have found that the strength of gravity is indeed a customizable option in multiplayer games, confirming statements made by Bungie employees.[14]
Saved Films
Halo 3 will have a feature called "Saved Films". This feature allows players to save a copy of the game data of a multiplayer match to their Xbox 360 hard drive so they may watch the match over again. The public beta's implementation will only allow viewing of the saved videos from the in-game perspective the person whose recording it is.[15]
In the final game the functionality of the "Saved Film" feature is planned to be extended. Players will be able to view the action from almost any angle and any player's perspective (including a free-roaming camera to "navigate" saved films). As well as being able to slow down the speed, zoom and even play the recording in reverse. Certain sections of the saved films could even be cut out to create a shorter clip of a particularly amazing or special moment.[15]
As the Saved Films are only the game data (not an actual video), this allows the file sizes to be relatively small. A recording for a typical "long" game is in the region of only 6 megabytes (MB).[15] Films will also be played back at whatever resolution the Xbox 360 is set to, regardless of the resolution at which the a player was using at the time of the recording. All games are recreated in real-time on the Xbox 360 using the Halo 3 engine.
Players will also be able to show their saved films to other players as well as store a saved film on a central server owned by Bungie with the new File Sharing features. Friends (or rivals) can then view it even when the creating player is not online. During the beta each player will have 25 MB of storage space, which Bungie has said will possibly increase or decrease by the time the final game ships. The Saved Film feature is described by the developers as the "Ultimate Trainer" since players can gain valuable tactical insight into the strategies of effective players by viewing the saved films.[16]
This feature will also facilitate the creation of machinima and other game-related videos, as well as give the creators of such videos advanced tools to enhance the quality of this medium. Creators of video game montages can save games to the hard drive of their Xbox 360 console for later use during the creation of montage videos, users are also able to take snapshots from their films to be shared online. While machinima directors and cinematographers will have expanded camera options, instead of having to resort to using a first-person, gameplay perspective.
Weapons
Halo 3 introduces a new-to-the-series class called "support weapons". These are a group of exceptionally large, powerful and cumbersome two-handed weapons that, when carried, change the view to a third-person perspective and cause the player to move more slowly. The only two weapons in this class that have been revealed thus far are the Machine Gun Turret and the Missile Pod, both of which were available in the public beta.
The now-iconic Assault Rifle which appeared in the original Halo as the MA5B but was absent from Halo 2 is returning for Halo 3 retooled into the MA5C. Developer Bungie hopes it will fill the role as the "ultimate spawn weapon", allowing players to hold their own in a fight straight away (unlike the SMG in Halo 2) but not be so powerful as to overshadow all of the other weapons (like the M6D in Halo). In hopes of fulfilling this, it has a smaller magazine and slower rate of fire than its previous iteration but a longer range and greater accuracy.
When a player is carrying a second weapon in Halo 3, the secondary weapon will be stored on the character's back (for larger, two-handed weapons) or on a leg holster (for smaller, one-handed weapons). This makes it impossible to "hide" a powerful secondary weapon and surprise unsuspecting foes.
Vehicles
Halo 3, like its predecessors, will also feature a strong vehicular component. Vehicles, and their countermeasures (rockets, mines, etc.), are tightly integrated with Halo gameplay. Many of the series' vehicles are returning in the third installment.
The Mongoose ATV that had been originally designed for Halo 2 but was cut out, finally makes an appearance in Halo 3. Within the games' story, it is a human vehicle in addition to the Scorpion tank and Warthog offroad vehicle. It is a small quad-bike vehicle and, like the Warthog, the driver is unable to fire any on-board weapons. A second player can ride shotgun on the back of the vehicle to provide some offensive capability.
There is also a new Brute Vehicle, dubbed the "Brute Chopper". It has been called the Brute variant of the Ghost, but is much different. It seats one rider and shoots projectiles not unlike those from the Brute Shot.
Miscellaneous
Fauna is undergoing testing for inclusion in the final build of the game, specifically seagulls and a cockatoo-like creature.[17] Both will exhibit flocking behavior. Some Bungie employees are reportedly keen on the possibility of going grousing in Halo 3.[citation needed]
Although Halo 3 was planned to end the Halo series, future Halo games are likely. 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." This refers to the two announced games in the Halo universe, including the new Halo Wars by Ensemble Studios. Of the other project, very little is known. Bungie has said that it will be on the Xbox 360, and it will be "made in partnership with Lord of the Rings and King Kong director Peter Jackson"[citation needed] and a recently formed development studio headed by him under the name of Wingnut Interactive.
The game's Achievements were revealed on June 19, 2007.[7]
Synopsis
Plot
The game will not begin right where Halo 2 left off. The new comic mini-series, Halo: Uprising, will bridge the story gap between the ending of Halo 2, and the beginning of Halo 3.[18]
When the game begins, Master Chief is back on a thoroughly conquered, Covenant-controlled Earth, and Cortana is still a prisoner of Gravemind. 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. The Arbiter, along with the remaining Elites, have allied themselves with the human forces after splitting from the rest of the Covenant in Halo 2.
The story mode will be divided into nine main levels,[7] which gives some information about the game's length and an indistinct view of the story arc.
Features
Graphics
Halo 3 utilizes a proprietary, in-house graphics engine, often referred to as the "Halo 3 Engine".[19] This engine builds upon the technologies of the Halo 2 Engine (and previously the Halo Engine) and is re-optimized for the architecture of Xbox 360.
As detailed on the Bungie Studios website, it will employ advanced graphics technologies such as High Dynamic Range, global lighting, real-time reflections and real-time depth of field effect. Depth of field however will only be used in cutscenes and not during gameplay. Certain surfaces, including the Master Chief's visor (when visible) and the armor of a Ghost, will have real-time reflections. Most of the objects in the game will cast real-time shadows on themselves and the environment around them, including the game's plant life. Halo 3 will use normal, bump, and parallax mapping to give surfaces more detail without dramatically increasing the number of polygons.
Bungie has also stated that the draw distance of the game will be in excess of Template:Mi to km. Sophisticated new atmospheric models are used in the game to replace the traditional skybox[20], allowing several layers of cloud and atmospheric cover, and even a pseudo "space" beyond that. Dust and smoke particles can be used to add to the realism of the environment, and the haze effect which is often used in video games to save processing power is so realistic that it actually costs processing power.
Water effects are also dramatically improved, and water can now reflect and refract images simultaneously. As well as being able to simulate effects such as waterfalls, water will visually flow around objects in its path and splash when players, vehicles, or other objects travel through it.
Physics
Halo 3, like Halo 2, uses a version of the Havok physics engine for much of its physics calculations.[21] Although parts of the physics, like melee, are done with custom code on top of the middleware.
A wide variety of objects are affected by physical interactions in Halo 3. Crates, canisters, objective objects, dropped weapons, characters, bodies, vehicles, and some parts of the world geometry all interact with each other and the world around them in believable physical ways. Trajectories of thrown grenades are also affected by the gravity lifts in the game (including the "Mancannon").
Some of the foliage in the game is physically reactive; it not only moves in the simulated wind, but actually reacts to the player's (or other creatures) presence and bullet fire, as well as explosions. Some flora in the game will also be destroyed after receiving enough damage.
Audio
As with all titles on the Xbox 360, Halo 3 will fully support 5.1 surround sound audio. In the game, there will be many more individual pieces of combat dialogue than in either of the preceding Halo titles (Halo 2 had over 15,000), and the AI controlling this dialogue is designed to ensure the exchanges flow naturally and convincingly. Separate recordings have been made for nearby and distant gunfire, making for a more realistic experience. Distant gunfire sounds, which may first seem like prerecorded ambient sound, may often be the result of an actual firefight happening in the distance.
Marty O'Donnell is again composing the original score. Some pieces of the game's music are produced with a much larger real orchestra than anything in the prior two games. For example, the music for the announcement trailer was recorded with a 60-piece orchestra and a 24-piece choir.
Voice actors returning to reprise their roles in Halo 3 include: Jen Taylor as Cortana and Steve Downes as the voice of Master Chief. Actress Julie Benz however, is not voicing Miranda Keyes for Halo 3.[22]
Different versions
There will be three different versions of Halo 3 for retail sale: the Standard Edition, which contains the game disk and a manual; the Collector's Edition, which contains the game disk, manual, interactive Xbox 360 bonus disk with several featurettes, and Beastarum, which is a "hard cover, bound collection of information and art covering the species, cultures and civilizations of Halo 3." according to Bungie; the Legendary Edition, which contains the game disk, manual, interactive bonus disk, Beastarum, Legendary DVD containing special content exclusive to the Legendary Edition, and a scale replica of the Master Chief's Helmet as a case for the three disks.[23]
| Version | Standard | Collector's | Legendary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (USD) | $59.99 | $69.99 | $129.99 |
| Game Disk & Manual | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Interactive Xbox 360 Disk | No | Yes | Yes |
| Beastarum | No | Yes | Yes* |
| Legendary DVD | No | No | Yes |
| Master Chief Helmet Replica | No | No | Yes |
Marketing
As the most anticipated video game in history, the marketing campaign for Halo 3 has been extensive and is planned to be epic in scope. Much of the advertising to date has focused on appealing to the general public, rather than just hardcore fans of the game.
References
- ^ a b c Luke Smith (Lukems) (2007-05-15). "Finish the Fight on September 25, 2007" (HTML). Bungie Software. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
On September 25, 2007, players will be able to finish the fight they started in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2. Halo 3 will release in Europe on September 26, 2007
- ^ http://www.xbox.com/ja-JP/games/h/halo3/
- ^ TIME Magazine, March 19, 2007, page 52
- ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-04-10). "Inside Bungie: Multiplayer Madness!" (HTML). Bungie.net. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
The Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta will go live on May 16th at 12:00 AM PDT and run through June 6th at 11:59 PM PDT
- ^ Dustin Burg (2007-04-10). "Halo 3 video questions cleared up" (HTML). Xbox 360 fanboy Halo 3 Coverage. Xbox360fanboy.com. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
..the new bubble shield and trip mine are two of the X button's deployments ...
- ^ "Kotaku Beta Preview Presentation". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ a b c Halo 3 Achievement List Cite error: The named reference "achievements" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12616
- ^ a b "The Five Best Things About Halo 3". Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ Sid, Vicious; Marbles, Mr.; Moses, Tenacious; Offender, Long-Haired (July), "Halo Goes Supernova", GamePro, no. July 2007, pp. 48–64, retrieved 2007-06-06
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ "Bungie Weekly Update: November 10, 2006". Retrieved 2007-06-10.
- ^ "Halo 3 gets shutup button". Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Custom gravity options in Halo 3 Beta menus". Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ a b c "Halo 3 Beta Saved Films Feature on Bungie.net". Retrieved 2007-05-16.
- ^ "Hands-On: Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ "Bungie Weekly Update: March 23, 2007". Retrieved 2007-03-23.
- ^ Bungie Studios (2007-06-14). "Halo: Uprising On Halo3.com" (HTML). Halo3.com. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
...the miniseries will bridge the gap between Halo 2 and the upcoming release of the highly-anticipated Halo 3 video game...
- ^ Kathleen Sanders (2006-05-09). "E3 2k6: Halo 3 Trailer Impressions" (HTML). IGN E3 2006 Coverage. IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
...rendered in real-time on the Xbox 360 using the current version of the Halo 3 engine.
- ^ alextotherescue (May 25). Halo 3: Sky Testing Part 2 (flash). Clan Hat Trick. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
{{cite AV media}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-06-15). "Bungie Weekly Update: 06/15/07" (HTML). Bungie.net. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
..and this isn't a Havok physics issue, this is a bug with the Halo melee physics...
- ^ Matt Webb Mitovich (2006-12-15). "Dexter's No. 1 Gal — Julie Benz" (HTML). TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
Benz: You know what? I am actually not a part of Halo 3.
- ^ "Bungie.net releases details on different versions of Halo 3". Retrieved 2007-06-08.
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External links
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