|
Web Directory Search Home
Store
Current News: a dictionary of current search terms and popular interest topics.
Halo 3
Developer(s) Bungie Studios
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Series Halo
Engine Halo Engine (Proprietary)
Picture format 480i 480p 720p 1080i (HDTV)
Release date(s) NA September 25, 2007[1]
EU September 26, 2007[1]
JP September 27, 2007[2]
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, Co-op, Multiplayer and Online multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: M
CERO: D
OFLC: M[3]
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Media DVD-DL
Input Xbox 360 Controller
Halo 3, the third video game in the Halo trilogy, is a first-person shooter
under development by Bungie Studios for the Xbox 360. An official
announcement on the developer's website states that Halo 3 will end the
current story arc of the Halo trilogy.[4] A public beta test of the
multiplayer component of the game occurred between May 16, 2007 and June 10,
2007.[5] The final version of the game is due to be released on September
25, 2007[1] in the United States, Canada and Australia, and on September 26,
2007 in Europe.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Halo 3 largely builds off of the successful previous
renditions of the franchise. It is a first-person shooter that, once again,
follows the character Master Chief and his struggle against the Covenant and
the Flood. The game's action takes place largely on foot, but there are
vehicles available for the player to use at certain points in the game. As
with the other Halo titles, the multiplayer portion of the game is one of
the game's most celebrated features, and is the primary reason for the
series' enormous success.
The balance of weapons and objects in the game has been adjusted to adhere
to what Multiplayer Designer Lars Bakken describes as the "Golden Three
Things of Halo". These 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).
The idea of "balance" (at least in multiplayer) is that 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" and realistic
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 equipment:[6] the portable
grav lift, the Bubble Shield, the trip mine, the radar jammer 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), [7] as well as other context
sensitive functions.
As with previous games however, players can still choose to change the
default control layout in their game profile to a number of pre-sets. [8]
Campaign
Only a very limited portion of the Campaign mode has been shown thus far. At
E3 2006, in "Et Tu, Brute?" and again at E3 2007. There are several distinct
types of environments that players will have to traverse in Halo 3; lush
jungles, built up towns and sparse desert environments have all been seen.
The new saved films feature works in campaign and the phantoms can now be
destroyed.
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.[9] 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. [10] ”
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.[11] 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.[12]
In the July 2007 issue of Gamepro, it was revealed that Spartan armor in
multiplayer will be customizable in look as well as color.[13] 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, as well as other, unannounced variants.
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. Also it was mentioned
in a podcast that their will be elite varients and permutations."
Bungie also stated that they have redesigned the UI (user interface) from
Halo 2, 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.[11] During an E3 2007 demo of Halo3
the people from 1UP noticed a forge option in the main menu. Forge was the
name of the Map editor in Marathon and many people believe it to be the
secret feature mentioned in the 07/23/07 bungie podcast.
In late 2006, due to a "significant chunk" of Halo 2 players being female,
Bungie was considering to have a female voice for the Spartan character in
multiplayer as an additional option.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16]
Judging from a preview Quicktime VR released by Bungie, the characters
appear to have breathing animations when standing still, moving up and down
slightly.
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 or campaign session
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.[17]
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.[17] Still pictures from films can also be taken and shared
online.
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 MB.[17] 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, Bungie run, server 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 had 25 MB of
storage space, which may change by the time the final game ships. The Saved
Film feature is described as an "excellent training aid" since players can
gain valuable tactical insight into the strategies of other players by
viewing the saved films.[18]
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. Video game montage creators can
save games to the hard drive of their Xbox 360 console for later use, so
they never have to miss a camera shot, 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.
There are more new weapons, most in order to expand the "Brute Sandbox." The
Brute Spiker, a sub machine-gun like weapon with a vicious double blade on
the front, and the Spike Grenade, able to stick to any surface and release a
controlled explosion of deadly spikes.There is also the Sparten Laser that
can be used to instantly destroy players and vehicles with one hit.
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. Vehicles cover a wide range of types,
including light reconnaissance vehicles, large, heavily armoured tanks,
troop and vehicle transport craft, plus various atmospheric and spacecraft,
though not all are usable by the player.
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, and as such is nearly defenseless. A second
player can ride on the back of the vehicle, however, to provide some
offensive capability. There will also be a new variant of Warthog, with a
rear compartment that can carry more troops instead of a gun. It can be seen
briefly in the E3 2007 video.
There is also an entirely new Brute vehicle, dubbed the "Brute Chopper".
Unlike other vehicles attributed to The Covenant in the game, that entirely
hover or fly above the ground, it has a single large and heavy wheel on the
front with a hovering driver seat behind. [19] It has been referred to as a
"vehicle smasher," able to destroy other vehicles with a single hit. Insofar
it has only been seen in the E3 2007 Trailer.
The Banshee and Wraith have been altered in terms of gameplay. The Banshee
now has the ability to fire its Fuel Rod Gun in multiplayer matches, an
ability which was formerly restricted to Campaign and the multiplayer
component of the PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved, but can no longer point
directly down. The Wraith is now a two-man vehicle. One player drives the
vehicles and fires the main cannon, while the other player fires the smaller
plasma turret. The plasma turret was formerly exclusive to AI in the Halo 2
Campaign.
Miscellaneous
Fauna is undergoing testing for inclusion in the final build of the game,
specifically seagulls and a cockatoo-like creature.[20] Both will exhibit
flocking behavior. Some Bungie employees are reportedly keen on the
possibility of going grousing in Halo 3.[citation needed]fish have also been
seen on the level "Sierra 117" and can be killed or hunted also.
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.[citation needed]
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.[21]
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 and some portion of the Grunts,
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,[9] 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".[22] 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.[citation needed] 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 (These were, however, not
present within the Beta.). Most of the dynamic 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 10 miles (16 km). Sophisticated new atmospheric models are used in the
game to replace the traditional skybox,[23] allowing several layers of cloud
and atmospheric cover, and even a pseudo "space" beyond that. 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[24] [25] (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 objects 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.[26]
Different versions
There will be three different versions of Halo 3 for retail sale: the
Standard Edition, which contains the game disc and a manual; the Collector's
Edition, which contains the game disc, manual, interactive Xbox 360 bonus
disc 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 disc, manual, interactive bonus disc, 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
discs.[27]
Version Standard Collector's Legendary
Price (USD) $59.99 $69.99 $129.99
Game Disc & Manual Yes Yes Yes
Interactive Xbox 360 Disc No Yes Yes
Beastarum No Yes Yes*
Legendary DVD No No Yes
Master Chief Helmet Replica No No Yes
* Additional content on DVD
Marketing
Various marketing techniques have been employed in promoting the release of
Halo 3. This has included various trailers of the game; real-time cinematics,
recorded gameplay sequences, pre-rendered CGI and even live action film.
Throughout the course of development several "developer documentaries" were
released, which explain the processes behind creating parts of the game. A
large scale multiplayer Beta test was played on Xbox Live with many members
of the public being able to take part and experience the game for
themselves. Beginning in June 2007, an alternate reality game began on the
internet, designed to create hype for the game while involving players in
slowing revealing some background information for the game.
In addition to high profile events, Bungie often talked about the game in
its Weekly Update, occasionally releasing media of the game on their site.
Numerous interviews with Bungie staff have been conducted by many gaming
press establishments, covering a vast range of subjects. Magazines and
journals also occasionally ran stories revealing new information.
As Halo 3 draws nearer to completion and release the marketing drive is set
to increase, to ensure it achieves the multi-million and system-selling
status that the prior two games did. Much of the advertising to date has
focused on appealing to the general public, rather than just hardcore fans
of the game.
References
1. ^ a b c Luke Smith (Lukems) (2007-05-15). Finish the Fight on September
25, 2007 (HTML). Bungie Software. Retrieved on 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”
2. ^ Microsoft Games Studio (2007). Halo 3 Page Xbox Japan (Japanese)
(HTML). Xbox.com/ja-JP/. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. “発売日: 2007/09/27”
3. ^ HALO 3 Game (Multi Platform). The Classification Board and
Classification Review Board. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
4. ^ official announcement
5. ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-04-10). Inside Bungie: Multiplayer
Madness! (HTML). Bungie.net. Retrieved on 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”
6. ^ Dustin Burg (2007-04-10). Halo 3 video questions cleared up (HTML).
Xbox 360 fanboy Halo 3 Coverage. Xbox360fanboy.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-17.
“..the new bubble shield, trip mine, are 2 of the X button's deployments
...”
7. ^ Frank O'connor (presenter), Richard Blakeley (Camera), Michael
McWhertor (News Writer). Kotaku Beta Preview Presentation (Flash video/
HTML)) [Presentation]. Kotaku.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-12. Scene occurs at
2:30.
8. ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-05-15). H3 Public Beta: Whats new?
(HTML/ASP). Guide to the Halo 3 Beta. Bungie.net. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
“The default button layout is one of four available in the Beta”
9. ^ a b Bungie Software. Halo 3 Achievement List (English) (HTML).
Xbox360Achievements.org. Retrieved on 2007-06-17.
10. ^ Lukems (2007-07-03). Way Beyond the Beta: Screenshots Galore (English)
(HTML /ASPX). Bungie.net. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
11. ^ a b Luke Smith (2006-11-24). The Five Best Things About Halo 3
(English) (HTML). 1up Halo 3 Coverage. 1up.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
12. ^ BlimBlim (2007-05-11). Halo 3 Beta Character Menu (English) (HTML /JPG
Image). Xboxyde Halo 3 Coverage. Xboxyde.com/Gamersyde.com. Retrieved on
2007-05-11.
13. ^ Sid, Vicious; Mr. Marbles & Tenacious Moses et al. (July), "Halo Goes
Supernova", GamePro (no. July 2007): 48-64. Retrieved on 2007-06-06
14. ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2006-11-10). Bungie Weekly Update 2006/11/10
(English) (HTML /ASP). Bungie.net. Archived from the original on 2006-11-11.
Retrieved on 2006-11-11. “...one of the things we’re looking at for Halo 3
multiplayer is adding a female voice to the Spartan character...”
15. ^ Halo 3 gets shutup button. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
16. ^ Custom gravity options in Halo 3 Beta menus. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
17. ^ a b c Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-05-15). Saved Films and File
Share (English) (HTML /ASPX). Halo 3 Beta Guide. Bungie.net. Retrieved on
2007-05-16.
18. ^ Denny Atkin (2007-05-11). Hands-On: Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta (English)
(HTML). Previews on Xbox.com. Xbox.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-12.
19. ^ Lukems (2007-07-06). The Brute Chopper (English) (HTML /ASP).
Bungie.net. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
20. ^ Bungie Weekly Update: March 23, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.
21. ^ Bungie Studios (2007-06-14). Halo: Uprising On Halo3.com (English)
(HTML). Halo3.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-22. “...the miniseries will bridge
the gap between Halo 2 and the upcoming release of the highly-anticipated
Halo 3 video game...”
22. ^ Kathleen Sanders (2006-05-09). E3 2k6: Halo 3 Trailer Impressions
(HTML). IGN E3 2006 Coverage. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-25. “...rendered
in real-time on the Xbox 360 using the current version of the Halo 3
engine.”
23. ^ alextotherescue. (2007, May 25). Halo 3: Sky Testing Part 2 (flash).
Clan Hat Trick. Retrieved on 2007-05-27.
24. ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-06-15). Bungie Weekly Update: 06/15/07
(English) (HTML). Bungie.net. Retrieved on 2007-06-16. “..and this isn’t a
Havok physics issue, this is a bug with the Halo melee physics...”
25. ^ Havok Inc. Havok - Upcoming Releases (English) (HTML). Havok.com.
Retrieved on 2007-07-13. “The following game titles on current and
next-generation Xbox 360 and Playstation®3 platforms will be released
utilizing Havok products.... Halo 3”
26. ^ Matt Webb Mitovich (2006-12-15). Dexter's No. 1 Gal — Julie Benz
(HTML). TVGuide.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28. “Benz: You know what? I am
actually not a part of Halo 3.”
27. ^ Frank O'Connor (Frankie) (2007-06-08). Three Versions of Halo 3
(English) (HTML). Bungie.net. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09.
Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
read the
copyright
|