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New Halo 3 weapons revealed, no online co-op
Yeah, you read that right. As of right now, Halo 3 co-op remains an offline only experience. CVG has the scoop from the latest issue of EGM. According to Bungie's Frank O'Connor, the team is still working on a way to properly implement online co-op. As Frank puts it, it's possible for players to be nearly a mile apart at certain points in the game, which makes online co-op a challenge. He notes that measures could be put into the game to prevent such vast separations, but that it "would make it not feel like Halo anymore." He concludes by saying that "If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't." Considering that the Bungie crew is currently putting the finishing touches on Halo 3, we imagine online co-op won't make it into the retail disc. Any hope of such a feature likely rests in the possibility of downloadable content. So, if you've been waiting to try out some four player online co-op, you may be waiting for a while.In happier news, EGM confirms several new weapons and vehicles. There is a dual-wieldable Brute shotgun called the Mauler and the gravity hammer we saw at E3 is confirmed as well. New equipment includes the Flare -- essentially a flashbang -- and the Regenerator, which refills shields (presumably for all those near the device). Three new vehicles, the Prowler, Hornet, and Elephant, which is described as a Jawa Sandcrawler. Halo fans will know that a Prowler is a recon ship with stealth abilities, though it is probably too large to be a playable vehicle. Finally, the article reveals that there will be a remake of the popular Halo 2 multiplayer map, Lockout, called Guardian.[Via Joystiq]
X3F interview: Bungie's Frank O'Connor
In another 4 minute E3 round robin interview (check out our first session with Peter Moore), we got the chance to interview Bungie's Frank O'Connor, better known simply as Frankie to Bungie fans. We made sure to ask him about Halo, of course, but we also asked him about Peter Jackson's project and Bungie's magnum opus, Pimps at Sea.First of all, when did you actually start Halo 3's production? Was it almost immediately after Halo 2?Some of it was even before, you know, some of the concepting and design stuff was done before then, but pretty much three years of development.When you were doing Halo 2, was there a time when you were thinking Halo 1, Halo 2 and that was it, or were you always thinking trilogy?We were thinking of a trilogy. I can't say that we felt that during Halo 1 but certainly during Halo 2. That became very apparent that there was more story to tell than could fit into a 10 hour, 11 hour game.The last trilogy you did for Mac was the Marathon games. And Halo 1 you were originally doing for Mac ...There's some symmetry there, yeah.
Joystiq interviews Bungie's Frank O'Connor: Peter Jackson details
During a late night Microsoft interview session last Friday, we had a few minutes to chat with Bungie's head writer and (handsome) public face, Frank O'Connor. As was the case with our previously mentioned Peter Molyneux interview, we only had four minutes before being shuffled off to the next interviewee. The next interviewee, as it turns out, was Peter Molyneux. We'll let you sort out this blog writing time paradox on your own. For now, it's time to focus on the subject at hand: Pimps at Sea. Oh, and we asked a few questions about Halo as well.First of all, when did you actually start Halo 3's production? Was it almost immediately after Halo 2?Some of it was even before, you know, some of the concepting and design stuff was done before then, but pretty much three years of development.When you were doing Halo 2, was there a time when you were thinking Halo 1, Halo 2 and that was it, or were you always thinking trilogy?We were thinking of a trilogy. I can't say that we felt that during Halo 1 but certainly during Halo 2. That became very apparent that there was more story to tell than could fit into a 10 hour, 11 hour game.The last trilogy you did for Mac was the Marathon games. And Halo 1 you were originally doing for Mac ...There's some symmetry there, yeah.
Surprise! Halo 3 soundtrack on the way
While speaking with Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard about the chaos that is currently Bungie Studios -- what with all the finishing touches being crammed into Halo 3, you see -- he mentioned that Marty O'Donnell is busy implementing the music (which was missing from our E3 demonstration). Turning to the subject of music, we asked whether or not Bungie had plans to release the Halo 3 soundtrack as a standalone product. "I'm sure that's a safe bet," said Jarrard, adding, "It'll happen. Sure." So there you have it, a Halo 3 soundtrack to listen to on your Halo Zune while you play with your Halo ActionClix, action figures, comics, graphic novels, and maybe the actual game itself.
Halo novel Contact Harvest cover art exposed
This week's Bungie Weekly Update is full of witty banter between Luke and Frankie, a lack of Mister Chief and the cover art for upcoming Halo novel Contact Harvest. The novel's cover art, as seen above and even larger after the break, features Sgt. Johnson sporting some badass shades, his iconic cigar and is looking more ripped than ever. Indeed, the cover may be one of our favorites coming oh so close to our Ghosts of Onyx and its bubbly Spartan helmet dude. Contact Harvest will be available this October and is a a prequel to the previous novels telling the story of how the covenant came to be and how war on humanity began.
Halo 3 four player co-op semi confirmed
In a video interview with Xbox.com's Major Nelson, Microsoft's Vice President of Global Marketing Jeff Bell just might have let one of Halo 3's long rumored secrets slip. Towards the end of the interview, while talking about his gaming habits, Bell said that he loved playing Halo 2 co-op with his son and then said that "we're really looking forward to playing with my three sons, all together on Halo 3". All together playing Halo 3 eh? Sounds a lot like a four player campaign co-op Halo 3 experience to us. But, to be fair, he didn't specify how he and his children were going to play Halo 3, although his remarks came right after he was talking about the teamwork he and his one son experienced while playing Halo 2 co-op. So, it's not "officially" confirmed, but darned if it doesn't make for some great water cooler material.[Via UNSCleric, Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Joystiq hands-on: Marathon Xbox Live Arcade
Being the last day of E3, we were bound and determined to finally lay our greedy little hands on Marathon: Durandal for Xbox Live Arcade. Having been turned away from Marathon's suite thrice yesterday, we were eager to finally get a hold of Bungie's seminal shooter (being developed for XBLA by Freeverse). Seeing as we only had a short time with the game, we decided to set off into multiplayer immediately. There were several maps to choose from, but "Giant Flaming Pit of Lava" caught our eye, so off we went.
Bungie's podcast rises from the ashes!
Has it been nine months since we've had our last taste of sweet, sweet Bungie podcast nectar? Frankie says so, so it must have been that long. Anyway, after a nine month hiatus lukems forced the Bungie team into the podcast booth as they talk about E3, Halo 3, and all kinds of other topics that reference to the number three. Some coolio new information revealed in the podcast are such things like the rename of multiplayer map Shrine to Sand Trap (which 22 Oblivions will fit in), saved films/screenshots will work in multiplayer AND campaign, and Frankie admits he freezes when on stage. This podcast is overdue and busting out after nine months of hibernation, go download now!
Spotted in E3 Halo 3 demo: gravity hammer
We were lucky enough to snag a second look at Bungie's E3 presentation and, lo and behold, we were treated to a new weapon ... sort of. During the saved film portion of the presentation, we saw a Spartan soldier wielding what was clearly a gravity hammer, similar to the one wielded by Tartarus in Halo 2. While we didn't get to see the gravity hammer in action, we saw a still shot of a Spartan brandishing it and another of a Spartan with it slung over his back. Brian "Ske7ch" Jarrard of Bungie Studios suspiciously pointed the weapon out during a freeze frame and then promptly pointed out that he couldn't talk about it. He did this twice, so we get the feeling it may have been intentional. So, there you have it folks, hammers abound inHalo 3. Now all we need is a clever name for hammer whoring n00bs. Any suggestions? [Image via Halopedia]
Halo 3 Rumors: New grenade type and map editor
E3 has produced a few Halo 3 rumors that have been brewing deep inside the internets for the past few days. One of the rumors comes straight out of the Halo 3 E3 trailer when it was quickly noticed that a few of the trailer's video clips include what looks to be a new grenade type. The grenade type, as seen above, was mentioned in Joystiq's Halo 3 trailer analysis where they referenced the icon's look to The Art of Halo book, and it looks very similar to what is called the Supa Double Cap Bomb. Though, the art book's description of the Cap Bomb is nothing more than a flash grenade that shoots out sparky sparks, but here's to hoping said flash grenade has a Gears of War "stun" effect.The second rumor comes from 1UP and their Halo 3 campaign impressions writeup. In their article, they mention that while watching the demo they saw a menu option called "Forge" and when they asked Bungie about it, they received no comment. Well, any good Marathon fanboy would know that Bungie used a program also called Forge to create levels in their Marathon series. So, does this Halo 3 Forge menu option confirm some type of multiplayer map customization? Possibly. What we do know is that some of these rumors could be cleared up in the September issue of EGM which will include brand new Halo 3 details. We can't wait.[Via Live-360, Thanks Daniel Allen]
Free music download from Halo 3 E3 trailer
Bungie's music man to the stars Marty O'Donnell decided to offer fans a free music download straight from E3, into lukems' inbox and landing onto Bungie.net. So, click your way over to Bungie.net for the complete music track from the lovely and very satisfying Halo 3 E3 campaign trailer. We've seriously been listening and looping this track all morning and are currently on our sixth helping of Halo 3 musical bliss. Yup ... it's butta.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Video: Halo 3 and Halo Wars make us salivate
Fresh from E3 are two Halo videos that made us salivate uncontrollably and just may make some fanboys become giddy little school girls. Yup, they're that good. Embedded above is the trailer everyone and their grandma is talking about and is the the new Halo 3 campaign trailer shown at E3. The Arbitor, Cortana and the entire Covenant race make an appearance in the trailer and be sure to watch for the Brute Chopper ... it's teh badness. After watching the trailer we think we can all agree that Halo 3 is looking a lot prettier and will feature one epically awesome campaign. Also, be sure to check out Joystiq's Halo 3 E3 trailer analysis. The second video is embedded after the break and is Halo Wars' coming out video featuring gameplay footage. Not only does it look graphically impressive, but it looks darn fun to play too. Ensemble Studios has done a fantastic job on this one as we can't wait to get our hands on those little Warthogs and Grunts. Adorable little guys. Halo 3 and Halo Wars ... this is gaming my friends.
Marathon: Durandal confirmed for XBLA
The torrent of Xbox 360 news from the E3 press conference continues as, Microsoft confirmed in an Xbox Live Arcade reel that Marathon: Durandal is indeed heading to Xbox Live Arcade. Given that the game was rated by the USK and subsequently pulled from the USK's database, this should come as no surprise to X3F readers. The brief clip showed off at the press conference revealed improved graphics over its aging PC/Mac counterpart. For those unaware, the Marathon series is something of a spiritual precursor to the Halo series, featuring many similar plot and design elements. In essence, Marathon is the primordial ooze out of which Halo born. No price or release date have been announced.Oh, and, for the record, we totally called it (last year even).
Is this the rumored Halo 3 Excavator?
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/xbox_360/Is_this_the_Rumored_Halo_3_Excavator'; Recently, the guys over at the 7th Columnist did some digging and stumbled upon what looks to be a render of the rumored Halo 3 Brute Excavator weapon. If you aren't familiar, mention of the Excavator was discovered while digging through the Halo 3 beta code a while back, but Bungie has been quite mum about any details or acknowledgment of its existence. The Excavator render could easily be a fake, but it looks eerily similar to a weapon that was held by a Brute in the "Et Tu, Brute?" ViDoc. It's up in the air and for you to decide if this is our Excavator rendered in the flesh or if it's all hogwash. Now we just want to know if we'll be able to wield a Gravity Hammer come September.
Time for an update, Iris ARG is still kicking
It's time for another Halo 3 ARG update and we actually have news to discuss since our last downtime report. So, here we go. On July 4th args.bungie.org discovered a mysterious glyph symbol on a cardboard Halo 3 promo item further linking our Halo 3 to the ARG fun. July 5th brought news that the 100 lucky souls who "unlocked" the first server back on June 20th received packages from Microsoft. These packages included a sweet Halo 3 Iris tshirt (yeah, we're jealous), a gamer picture download code, and some Society of the Ancients materials. On July 6th a member on the args.bungie.org forums used the power of Google to find numerous job listings by a company called Flood Containment Control. The job listings referenced to the glyph and listed cell number (888) 778-5672 which is a voice recording of a conversation. And that's where everything sits right now. The conversation on the voice recording is being analyzed (transcribed here) as everyone is trying to put these confusing pieces together.This ARG has yet to kick into fourth gear and is still moving at a slow (but steady) pace. But we're watchful and hopeful that the goodness will come together soon and the missing pieces will be put into place. Until then, keep an eye on the Halo 3 Iris Wiki for up to date recapped info. And Iris, we love you too.
McFarlane previews Halo 3 action figures
As you know, McFarlane is busy working on creating a set of Halo 3 action figures for release next Spring and so far all we've seen has been a Master Chief prototype. But yesterday McFarlane decided to reveal their work-in-progress models and boy are they beauts! Viewable after the jump are unpainted sculpts of the Brute Chieftain, Jackal Sniper and the Puma Warthog. Just look at the detail on these little guys! Analyze these work-in-progress models and agree with us that they are not only pretty, but will totally be worth the cash.[Thanks, TMD]
Special Bungie goodies on XBLM tomorrow
Tomorrow, whether you know it or not, is Bungie day. Fans of Bungie will know that the number 7 has a special significance to the company and its games. As such, July 7 (7/7, get it?) has become known as Bungie day. Seeing that tomorrow is 7/707, this year marks a super special Bungie day (so special, in fact, that it won't happen again for one hundred years). To celebrate, some extra special Bungie goodies will be appearing on Xbox Live Marketplace tomorrow. What sort of goodies exactly? We don't know. All we do know is that it won't be related to Halo 3 and is "of a more decorative nature." Naturally, we're guessing themes and gamer pictures. You'd better act fast though, as these downloadable morsels will only be available tomorrow. At the stroke of midnight, they will vanish into the intertubes.
Bungie offers Halo 3 campaign screenshot love
Bungie, being the thoughtful and kind hearted souls they are, decided to share some Halo 3 screenshot love with the Halo community today. Above (and even bigger here) is the campaign screenshot featuring Master Chief in front of a mountainous backdrop standing in his signature heroic pose. Admire the reflective armor and scan every pixel to see if you can find any secret campaign dirt embedded somewhere in the screenshot. Ooh! Wait! We think we found something! Oh no nevermind, it's just a smudge on our computer screen.[Thanks, Vic]
Freshly picked Halo 3 details and screenshots
Here's something we haven't seen for a while, fresh, juicy, and satisfying Halo 3 news and screenshots ... oh joy! The guys at IGN secretly made their way over to Bungie Studios to learn more, see more, and get a feel for what we'll be playing in September. Among the things they got to experience were the three recently announced multiplayer maps Epitaph, Last Resort and Shrine, which was shown in video form. Epitaph sounds claustrophobic, intense, and should allow for great close quarters combat with a dash of vertigo. Last Resort is Zanzibar on crack (the good kind of crack) coming back bigger, more wide open, and wearing a prettier dress. We love you Zanz ... erm, Last Resort! And then there is Shrine which is being called the desert map that is big, really big. It involves a lot of vehicle combat and should make for some intense Brute Chopper battles. Overall, those maps sound and look Splenda sweet.Also, IGN got to see a glimpse of the new armor permutations that will supposedly be unlocked during campaign for use in multiplayer. Though, details are still very vague. Most intriguing is that the saved film option will allow for sharing more than films. Not only will you be able to save and upload video, but Bungie will allow players to upload and share custom settings or gametypes so others can download and try out your latest custom gametype. If taking screenshots is more your thing, Bungie has you covered by allowing you to take shots and upload them to Bungie.net for all to view.Need more Halo 3 goodness? Well, IGN posted a bunch of new Halo 3 renders, screenshots, and aerial views of the new maps. We recommend the graphical comparison of Zanzibar and Last Resort, this shot, this, this and this. Yeah, it's like we died and went to Halo 3 media heaven! Give everything a look over and tell us what you think.
Bungie Update hints at vehicular gametype
In the most really Bungie Weekly update, Frankie started off to talk about a vehicle based gametype in Halo 3. Apparently it had everyone suited up with Rockets, a bunch of vehicles, and the "greatest Halo experience ever experienced." Frankie went on to say that Halo 1 fans would really have a bunch of fun with it. To us, this means one of two things: They're either bringing back Rally and Racing gametypes, or they're making an official version of "Warthog Jousting". Rockets, infinite Ammo, Indestructible vehicles, and increased health would definitely do the trick, based on the options seen in the Beta's custom matches. The update also touches on them knuckling down for the retail build, and polishing and tweaking the game. A good read, and that gametype sounds like it could make Randy Glass proud.
