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Halo 3 Hype

August 28, 2007 – 4:24 pm

DeeJ and L Askan tag-team to bring us more drool-worthy bits from the upcoming Halo 3. It’s almost a sensory overload with all the promotions and advertisements and previews out there right now with this game. Mountain Dew is even in on the action with their Limited Edition Game Fuel drink with Halo 3 labeling.

Like DeeJ, I am, for the most part, in a self-imposed Halo 3 blackout until the 25th. I know enough about what’s going to be in the game to be positively hungry for this game – Spartan laser, flamethrower, two or three new types of grenades, special items, gorgeous maps, beautiful gameplay, online co-op, Forge, Saved Films, and so much more. I’ve little desire to find out much more, though, for fear of ruining the story, but I know I can’t wait to play.

Bungie has done something with the Halo franchise that I love to see in video games – they’ve built a beautiful and fun video game that also has a solid and intriguing storyline. We have characters that we actually care about in the forum of Master Chief, Cortana, and even Sergeant Johnson. Halo 2 ended in a cliffhanger that had gamers all around the world throwing their controllers across the room in frustration (but not me – I loved it), and Halo 3 promises to wrap up the current story arc and answer all (or at least most) of our lingering questions. As I’ve said before, I can’t wait.

But like I said, it’s actually pretty hard now to avoid all the information coming out everywhere about Halo 3 – pirated scans from magazines, Bungie-released previews, IMAX-powered gameplay previews, and more. Heck, there’s even a new Halo 3 Xbox 360 and a Halo 3 wireless headset that will available before too long. A number of websites are also giving away various Xbox 360 and Halo 3 packages as part of the gear-up for Halo 3’s release. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a marketing campaign this ambitious – but it sure is a heckuvalot of fun to watch.

Sorry, I think my geek is showing again. Carry on.

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Betalicious

May 11, 2007 – 10:46 am

Bungie released a beautiful little video of the Halo 3 beta, as recorded by Mr. Jukes. It’s a mouth-watering, tantalizing bit that promises an even more awesome multiplayer format for Halo 3 than we’ve enjoyed with Halo 2. So, Halo 3 is really going to be something.

There has already been a lot of analysis on the video leaks we’ve already seen, and I’m no interest in trying to rehash any of that. Most of the guys who’ve captured screens and shots have written up a much better analysis of stuff than I ever will. But I did nab a view quick captures that I either haven’t seen already or that I’m particularly intrigued by.

Silver helmet with red armor?

This was possibly the first thing I noticed that looked “out of place.” I wonder if it’s going to be possible to set up armor colors to be able to make one’s helmet a different color from the rest of the armor. Or, if the helmet will be all the secondary color. I suppose it’s also possible that this was some sort of glitch, but I’m thinking it’s probably not. Naturally, this isn’t a functional thing – it certainly won’t affect gameplay at all – but it is intriguing, nonetheless.

New feature – mines

We know we’re going to get a couple of new toys in Halo 3. I missed seeing the mine the first time I watched the video, but I noticed it the second time. I’m guessing that it’s either a proxy mine or some sort of triggered mine. My money’s on the first option, though, since it looked like it only exploded once the other Spartan got near it. I wonder if you can accidentally blow yourself up on your own mine. Probably.

Only six shots, instead of – what was it? – 12?

The shotgun in Halo 2 holds quite a few more shells than it does in Halo 3. Unless it was a shotgun gametype, I don’t think I ever used all the ammo – and you could shoot for quite a while before having to reload. Six shots to reload seems like a good way to balance this weapon. I just hope it’s a bit more reliable and predictable than it has been in Halo 2.

New medal – Killjoy

I want to know exactly what this medal is and what the criteria are to get it. It’s a new one – obviously – and it’s not clear from the video itself where it comes from. I wonder if it’s a result of ending someone’s killing spree. After all, that’d be a major killjoy for me.

Lots of good stuff coming in Halo 3, not least of which is going to be the Spartan laser, the man-cannon, the Mongoose, the personal lift, and much more. I already can’t wait to play.

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