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Halo 3

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Template:Game Info Box Halo 3 is a first-person science fiction shooter game developed by Bungie that was released for the Xbox 360 console. Although the final game is not continuing from the end of Halo 2, you can find out about the story in between in the Halo: Uprising comics. 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

File:Halo3Symbol.gif
The Halo 3 Logo

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.

Version Standard Collector's Legendary
Price $59.99 USD $69.99 USD $129.99 USD
Game Disc & Manual Yes Yes Yes
Interactive Xbox 360 Disc No Yes Yes
Bestiarum No Yes Yes*
Legendary DVD No No Yes
Master Chief Helmet Replica No No Yes
* Additional content on DVD

Reviews were recently released from a number of high profile gaming websites:

  • Gamespot- 9.5/10
  • IGN- 9.5/10
  • TeamXbox- 9.7/10
  • 1up- 10.0/10
  • Gametrailers- 9.8/10
  • ComputerVideogames- 9.7/10
  • OXM Australia- 10.0/10
  • Famitsu- 9.99/10
  • X-Play- 5/5

*Average: %98

Plot

Template:Spoilers

"You were going to destroy my installation! You did destroy my installation!"
— 343 Guilty Spark

When the game begins, John-117 is back on Earth, where the Covenant loyalists (Brutes, Drones, Grunts, Hunters and Jackals), led by the Prophet of Truth, have laid waste to most of the planet. Humankind's population has been reduced to a mere 200 million, and is backed against the wall, fighting for its very survival. The only reason humans have made it this long is that the Covenant is preoccupied by an excavation site a few miles from the ruins of New Mombasa, where they have uncovered a massive Forerunner structure (seen in the E3 2006 trailer), buried under the planet's surface for thousands, if not millions of years.

Sergeant Major Johnson and the Arbiter retrieve the Master Chief from a hasty jump from orbit, landing in the east African jungle. The three of them manage to make it to Crow's Nest, a 21st century facility used as a local base of operations by the UNSC. 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 Covenant anti-air 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 slipspace 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 Rtas 'Vadum, 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 - approximately 9 and 3 UNSC Frigates leave Earth via the slipspace portal and find themselves near an immense artificial structure, (where they engaged a fleet 3 times their 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 then destroys Guilty Spark, activates the ring, and barely manages to escape with the Arbiter on the UNSC frigate 'Forward Unto Dawn'.

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 Terence 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, Lord Hood tells the Arbiter that "I remember how this war started, what your kind did to mine. ...I can never forgive you, but...you have my thanks for sticking by him until the end. Hard to believe he's dead.". The Arbiter then 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. Further alluding to Master Chief's death is the numbers "117" scratched into the space ship fragment, next to the insignia of a Naval Master Chief Petty Officer (John 117's rank) if read correctly it says Master Chief 117.

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 a planet which has remarkable similarity to other forerunner technology. After an unknown amount of time since he put himself in cryonic suspension. A galaxy cluster is seen in the background, leading many to believe this is the Milky Way, but as the universe has many galaxies within it, there are many possibilities as to the identity of the planet. This, however, is unlikely as Cortana stated that only part of the ship made it through the portal. It is more likely that the planet is outside the galaxy and within traveling distance of the Ark. It has been speculated that it is the Forerunner home world as their home world would be outside the range of the Halo pulses and the Terminals did refer to a Forerunner home being some distance from Earth. It also appears that the wreckage is in the Iris Nebula[1].

This ending 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, Bungie has on several occasions stated that Marathon and Halo do not occur in the same universe.

Template:Spoiler End

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

File:Controller Halo3.jpg
Default Halo 3 Control Scheme

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-dual 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: [1])
    • 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 returned such as the Southpaw and others.

Multiplayer

File:600px-Mongoose.jpg
The Mongoose, one of Halo 3's new vehicles.
  • The Man Cannon is a new feature in Halo 3 capable of catapulting a player across a multiplayer map. It seems to have replaced the teleporter from Halo 1 and 2. In Halo 3, the man cannon can send you halfway across Valhalla. Although it shoots you relatively far you are vulnerable while flying through the air. If you go through the man cannon with a vehicle it will send the vehicle just 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.
File:Spikers.jpg
Spikers and visible secondary weapons are two of Halo 3's new features.
  • Bungie have confirmed that there will be no Clan support in 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. 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 cannot exit the tank until you are dead or the boarder gets off.
  • You can attack using an enemy vehicle, for example, take a rocket launcher and jump on the back of an enemy mongoose that’s being driven. Make sure you jump onto the part you want to be on. You will then be riding it with your enemy and able to either use the given turret or your own weapon. Note: This doesn’t work for all vehicles.
  • You can also beat down the driver of a Mongoose or Warthog if you enter the driver's passenger seat. For example, if an enemy Mongoose or Warthog drives near you, board the passenger's seat of the vehicle(Mongoose:Backseat;Warthog:"shotgun" seat), aim at the driver, and melee him until he dies. Note: The driver can exit the vehicle while attempting to melee him.

Features

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.

File:One Spartan and Three Sangheilis.jpg
All four playable characters for Co-Op.
File:The Four Heroes.jpg
The four characters in action

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.[2] 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

Main article: 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, etc. And, when playing a map on forge, players may take control as a monitor (very similar to 343 Guilty Spark) and will obtain the ability to spawn weapons and vehicles in-game, as well as move/adjust them too. Players will also have the ability to set traps or create teleporters to warp their friends into other places or set traps for their enemies. The monitor also has the ability to claim the respawn points and create new ones.

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. In the film, you can either watch your own player play through the entire mission or you can go a different way: bird's eye view. you can go anywhere you want, but they will limit your movement so that you cannot fly as high as possible or go very far from your character. You can also fast forward or rewind the film so that you can relive the parts you missed. Only your previous 25 games will be saved to your console. Older films will be deleted.

Equipment

Main article: Equipment

Campaign Only

Power Ups

Weapons

These are the weapons known to be in the game:

Covenant

Brute Weapons

Forerunner

UNSC

Vehicles

Covenant

File:Starry Night by the Ark.PNG
A Covenant Carrier Battle Group

Brute Sandbox

Non-Usable

UNSC

Non-Usable

Characters

 
Screenshot of The Master Chief
 
The Master Chief and the Arbiter

Major Characters

UNSC

Covenant Separatists

Covenant Loyalists

Flood

Forerunner

File:Brutecaptain.jpg
A Render of a Brute Captain

Co-Op Characters

Minor Characters

UNSC

Covenant Separatists

Covenant Loyalists

Flood

Halo 3 Multiplayer

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

File:H3 map.jpg
A concept model of High Ground.

Heroic Map Pack

On Monday, November 19 Microsoft announced that the first Map Pack for Halo3 would be released on December 11 for 800 ($10.00) Microsoft Points. The maps included in this Heroic Map Pack are:

  • The symmetrical valley of Standoff, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types.
  • The vast, labyrinth passages of the Rat's Nest bring something completely new to the multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise. Strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, this map is ideal for big team battles.
  • Foundry is the ultimate Forge map. Players can edit nearly every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, placing stairways, walls, bridges, and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map imaginable.

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.

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

Main article: Armor Permutations

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."

Template:MJOLNIR Variations Template:Elite Variations

Variants

Spartan
Elite


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. Note: This guide does have errors.

Soundtrack

The Halo 3: Original Soundtrack album was released on 20 November 2007. It is a two-disc set featuring all the music heard in-game, in order of appearance. As the Halo: Original Soundtrack the music is in more of a medley format. However, similar to the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack, tracks are divided into 'suites' corresponding to each level in the game.

A number of bonus tracks and a third-party song will be contained on the second disc of the album, 'LvUrFR3NZ' by Princeton.

Previews of the Soundtrack can be heard on the official site[2].

Marketing Promotions

Viral Marketing

Main article: Iris

On June 11th, 2007, at 10:26AM PDT, a viral marketing campaign for Halo 3 started, called "Iris".

Trailers

Announcement Trailer

Main article: Halo 3 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,"[3] 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

Main article: Starry Night

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

Main article: Halo 3 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

Main article: 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 him 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

Main article: Halo: 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

 
Halo 3 Xbox 360.

Trivia

File:Pumaontire.jpg
Puma on Tire
  • 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. [4]
  • 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.
  • 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.[5] The auction was won by the members of Rooster Teeth Productions, the makers of Red vs Blue. [6].
  • 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

  • The game has 39,377 lines of dialog, most of them randomly triggered during gameplay.[7]
  • In several of Cortana's messages to the Chief she quotes Dr. Halsey's lines from Halo: The Fall of Reach.

References

  1. ^ Image
  2. ^ http://www.halo3ost.com/
  3. ^ Please have Cortana's lines pronounced so that I don't see 36 threads about it.

    "I have defied gods and demons."

    "I am your shield, I am your SWORD."

    "I know you, your past, your future."

    "This is the way the world ends."

    Frankie --Weekly Update May 12, 2006
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/761/761866p1.html
  6. ^ Bungie podcast Episode III
  7. ^ Halo Dialogue Statistics, from the source - HBO, November 12, 2007

Related Links

Internal

External

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