Halo 3 info leaked: new weapons, vehicles, features & Collector's Edition detailed [update 1]

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 27th 2006 at 12:40PM }

Xbox Portugal has posted scans from an upcoming Halo 3 feature to be published in Swedish mag Level. Some serious translation work is needed before the full story comes into focus, but we have gathered that the images are from an alpha build of Halo 3, suggesting that many of the details won't reflect the final version. Check out the ~~one-manned mini-Warthog~~ Mongoose!

UPDATE: Xbox 360 Fanboy has a summary of the new details:

Weapons

Spiker - a new Brute weapon
Spartan Laser - a laser that tears vehicles apart
Nail Grenade - sticks into walls, sends nails everywhere

Vehicles

Mongoose - the ATV that was cut from Halo 2; seats two, but no weapons; designed for recon

New Feature

"Man Cannon" - what it sounds like; launches you into the air (think: jump pads from Unreal, Quake Arena)

Controls

Bumpers are used to reload the right and left weapons independently
X-button has a "secret" function

Misc.

Secondary weapon is now visible when not in use (slung over shoulder)

Collector's Edition

"Legendary Edition" - box is a replica of Master Chief's helmet, includes 4-disc set:

Disc one: game
Disc two: documentaries and developer commentary
Disc three: spin-off material (Red vs. Blue, Spark of Life, etc.)
Disc four: all cut scenes from Halo 1-3 in HD
Bonus: sneak peek of Halo movie will be included on one of the discs (maybe)

[Thanks to Galls & everyone else that sent this in!]

Tags: Bungie, Halo 3, Halo3, magazine, scan, Xbox Live, XboxLive

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Will K @ Oct 27th 2006 12:45PM

Don't they have a scanner...the camera flash kinda ruins some pics.

schmalex @ Oct 27th 2006 12:46PM

mini warthogs ftw also first

Ghost Box @ Oct 27th 2006 12:54PM

We all know that these are going to be asked to be taken down.

Hope someone translates it soon.

Jonah Falcon @ Oct 27th 2006 12:54PM

Mini-warthog? Isn't that Ken Katuragi's nickname for his penis?

footlong! @ Oct 27th 2006 12:55PM

HAHA mini-warthogs..

it's called a mongoose.

BTW, i'm not laughing at you, just at the humor in the name you jabbed at

Clay @ Oct 27th 2006 12:55PM

mini-warthog = ATV "mongoose" that was scraped from halo 2. I wonder if these are the final spartan models, in halo 2 they kinda had some battle damage to them, these look so new and un used. Makes me wonder if theres going to be some kinda real time damage system visable on armor (just a thought.)

DWells55 @ Oct 27th 2006 12:56PM

Darn it, I submitted this news and didn't get credit.

This is cool, but I want someone to do a translation of the whole articles and do some legit scans so i can see those screenshots. I have no doubt Halo 3 will be absolutely amazing in terms of gameplay.

Jesse Easley @ Oct 27th 2006 12:58PM

OoOoO
http://www.bungie.net/News/Story.aspx?link=h3scans

Andrew @ Oct 27th 2006 12:59PM

After that last article about how all the next-gen games were turning brown, it's nice to see some screens with a little more color.

Steinegal @ Oct 27th 2006 1:00PM

Your comments: Level 7 is Swedish not Norwegian, but same shit I can read it:P

James @ Oct 27th 2006 1:00PM

Joystiq why did you make all this information, and screens available. This is very unfair Joystiq and I think you should think about what your doing.

My uncle is an editor for a gaming magazine (no , really) and he tells me all the time how hard it is for them to negotiate to get more money from thier publishers so they can try and get for game exclusives. Part of the problem, but not the main problem, is that as soon as you have revealed the information websites and forum users will quickly make it available online for everybody for free.

Ask yourselves just how much you think it cost them to get an exclusive preview for halo3. One of the most anticiapted games for the future. Now how much money have they lost now that all your users got the information and the screens for free.

Sure its from another country, one that many/majority of your readers will not understand, but I dont think that a good reason to make available not only the information available, but actaul screens from the magazine. It costs money joystiq, money that they recoperate from sales which you have hindered by allowing your readers to have the pages for free.

Now I know its basically un-manageble to stop this from forum users and from anyone using the internet. But such a major site like this making it publicly available and easily accesable does not help things.

Please understand I know that you want to make everything available for your readers one of whom is me. But, i feel that whats been posted is too much, and is unfair.
Please consider this the next time a magazine gets an exlcusive and you not only spoil the suprise, but affect peoples livelihood.

Ps "has posted scans from an upcoming Halo 3 feature to be published in Swedish mag Level"

Upcoming, its not even out yet? low blow.

Clay @ Oct 27th 2006 1:02PM

Joystiq editors gotta eat too...

wupperbayer @ Oct 27th 2006 1:03PM

Agreed to Steinegal, it’s Swedish. You can see that because they’re using those fancy ä and ö instead of æ and ø ;)

skwisgaar @ Oct 27th 2006 1:06PM

I was hoping for snack-size warthogs..... oh well, I can dream.

Galls @ Oct 27th 2006 1:06PM

Well since I am the great one who linked this info, can we work on my negative rating? lol

OldKnuckles @ Oct 27th 2006 1:07PM

Spartan Laser!!

Usedtabe @ Oct 27th 2006 1:08PM

W000000000000T!!! Untz Untz Untz Untz Untz

Heh, sorry, got a little excited there

Steven @ Oct 27th 2006 1:09PM

I saw this on the Gamespot forums earlier. I'm glad to see some info come out. Now, I'm just waiting on a translation.

Dan R @ Oct 27th 2006 1:11PM

I know it's common practice in the blogosphere to borrow news stories from other blogs, but posting scans from a magazine is a whole different ball game. This is copyright infringement and intellectually dishonest. You might be able to get away with stealing from some Sweedish rag that you can't find here, but you can sure as hell bet on EGM knocking at your door if the same thing happens when their Halo 3 issue hits the stands next week.

Gimbal @ Oct 27th 2006 1:12PM

Joystiq speaks for the trees.

Giant Food Monster @ Oct 27th 2006 1:14PM

i know that many have commented that its called a mongoose... i just want to point out (again) that joystiq's stories this week have been full of glaring errors such as this.

Steinegal @ Oct 27th 2006 1:14PM

Moongoose is smaller and faster vehicle than a warthog, it can only take 2 persons. There is also the "man cannon" but they didn't get any more information than the name.
There ar are som new weapons, and the have upgraded the main rifle, more firepower:D

ViEt pRiDe @ Oct 27th 2006 1:21PM

Am I the only one who thinks these graphics don't really look much better than halo 2 level? I guess I just think they are pretty underwhelming compared to what PS3 will have out by that time, titles like MGS, Killzone, Heavenly Sword, Final Fantasy, etc...

Spore @ Oct 27th 2006 1:22PM

Man Cannon? God I hope that's just poor translation....

NATO_Duke @ Oct 27th 2006 1:23PM

#19, they gave credit to the copyright holder it seems to me.

Bollenator @ Oct 27th 2006 1:25PM

Hey, Dan R ain't joking. News post on Bungie today:

http://www.bungie.net/News/Story.aspx?link=h3scans

Hate to say, Joystiq, but you probably want to remove these scans pronto.

JUJUSTSHUTUP @ Oct 27th 2006 1:25PM

BIG FATASS YAWN MAN, IM SICK OF THIS REHASH CRAP

Ryan @ Oct 27th 2006 1:31PM

#23
I agree, the graphics look on par with Halo 2.

JodyAnthony @ Oct 27th 2006 1:35PM

"Man Cannon" is one of the filthiest things i have ever heard about a video game.

I don't like halo, but I would play halo 3 with my friends just to say "here, take a ride on my man cannon"

footlong! @ Oct 27th 2006 1:38PM

vietpride,

these are scans from an alpha version of the game. many of the final textures and effects have yet to be implemented.

I guess its just a coincidence that all the games you listed as looking good are ps3 exclusives..

R to the 2 @ Oct 27th 2006 1:40PM

someone calls the waaaahmbulance - quit your crying i don't think any of us had plans to fly to sweden for a magazine, joystiq is doing us a favor and people like 11 and 19 are crying like the nancy-boys they are. someone get these guys an ice-cold whine-eken!

NATO_Duke @ Oct 27th 2006 1:41PM

Yeah does look like the folks at Bungie aren't too thrilled with the postings. I would personally error on the side of safety and yank the pics too.

T-Bag @ Oct 27th 2006 1:51PM

Spartan Laser... Does it penetrate the suits of other Spartans to ensure closeness and awkward brotherly like love? I cant believe they chose homosexual failures to represent the Halo character. Then again, what can you expect from Canadians.

ishtar @ Oct 27th 2006 1:54PM

Translated from http://www.level7.nu/texter/read.php?id=115814 which is in Swedish, not Norwegian.

Three levels were tested
Their fan boy, Thomas Wiborgh, had time to test three different multi player levels and none of them will be limited by walls. If the player goes too far from the center of the map he will be attacked by some kind of automatic defense. The text doesn't specify what the real point of this freedom is supposed to be.
One of the levels is "snowbound". It's a battlefield in a winterlandscape with large covenantbases. On the map there are bunkers protected by energy shields. They can't be penetrated by bullets or grenades, but players will be able to go through them.
Another one is called "highground", which is made for teamwork and reminds of Halo 2:s "zanzibar". One team defends a base on the top of a slope. The other team begins on a beach below the base and their objective is to attack the base. Inside the base you can open a big door that will allow a warthog from the beach to drive inside the base.
The tird is called "valhalla" and has a forest and mountains on the horizon. It's a large map made for vehicles, and has two bases.

At leas two new vehicles
One new vehicle will be the "moongoose". It's smaller than a warthog and only has place for two persons. It's used mostly for transport. The other vehicle is "man cannon" but the don't explain any further.

Many new weapons
When it comes to weapons there has happened quite a lot. Bungie has listened on the critique from Halo 2, that mostly concerned that it was so important to use two weapons at the same time, aka dual wield. Now they have made the standard assault rifle a bit more powerful, but it is still inferior to a lot of the other weapons in the game.
All the weapong the players carry aroung will be vizualised in game. Ie you will see if an enemy carries around a shotgun on his back.
One new weapon will be the “Spartan Laser”. It's made for destroying vehicles, and even if it takes a long time to use and isn't hard to evade it deals out massive damage. You don't want to let your vehicle be hit by it's glowing red beam.
Another new weapon is brutes “spiker”. It's a one hand shotgun that shoots sharp nails.
Bungie has also thrown in a new grenade. It detonates it's payload of nails in one direction and can be placed on walls or the ground

New control
The controls are somewhat new: RB and LB will be used to reload weapons. RT and LT fires them. So if our have two weapons you will reload them using the corresponding buttons.
The x-button will be used to do something that will supposedly “change the entire game” but Bungie isn't ready to say more about that at this time.

Legendary edition
Bungie will release Halo 3 in a “ Legendary edition” that looks like the Master chiefs head. It will contain four dvds. One with the game, one with a documentary and a comments-track, one contains spin-off materials like “Red vs Blue” and “Spark of Life”, and the last one with movie sequences from the game series in a chronological order.

Like the E3 trailer
One game sequnce from the single player part was also shown. According to Wiborgh it is a lot like the Halo 2 movie that was shown at E3 and was hinting that the game would be taking place on earth. But this time around it is, according to Bungie, actual game play straight from the game

ben @ Oct 27th 2006 1:54PM

Ahh! Exciting!

Sanchinos @ Oct 27th 2006 2:06PM

The whole "seeing both weapons, even the one that isn't in use" thing is sort of a big deal for Halo. It means no more hiding the fact that you have an energy sword and whipping it out at the last second just as you come into lunge-range. Now that sword will be strapped to your back for the whole world to see and you'll become an instant target.

wort wort wort!

GhostBox @ Oct 27th 2006 2:14PM

@23. Am I the only one who thinks these graphics don't really look much better than halo 2 level? I guess I just think they are pretty underwhelming compared to what PS3 will have out by that time, titles like MGS, Killzone, Heavenly Sword, Final Fantasy, etc...

---------------------------------------------------

Are you the only one that realizes that these ARE NOT EVEN SCANS? These weren't done on a scanner. They are very low quality pics taken with a low quality camera. The images are even washed out by the camera's flash.

Sloar @ Oct 27th 2006 2:16PM

"The tird is called 'valhalla'" what kind of sick game is this? I love halo, but when they start naming Master Chief's "tirds", I'm done.

Diacronic @ Oct 27th 2006 2:16PM

If it were a bit clearer to red the text I would be able to translate it but the flash and the blur of the smaller text makes it impossible to read.

Halo 3 @ Oct 27th 2006 2:18PM

UNDERWHELMINGTON...

While the game looks fun in traditional Halo fashion, Joystiq is full of so many Xbots it's no wonder no one has criticized the completely underwhelming graphics yet. This place is pathetic.

JHala @ Oct 27th 2006 2:20PM

I was certainly hoping that one of the bumpers could be used for melees. Also, with so much attention given to reloading weapons, two of them no less, it's a little shadow on an otherwise greatly appreciated dose of information. I never liked Dual-wielding, call me a pistol whore.

Scythe @ Oct 27th 2006 2:22PM

as said before now that GOW has come out and made R:FOM just another FPS COD2 with Aliens. Then that means that Halo 3 is nothing but a Halo 2 with new levels and guns and atv's. *sigh* to bad because I know a lot of fans of halo are going to be so mad when the GOW fans start posting about how GOW kicks Halo's a$$.

Let the battle begin....

lothar @ Oct 27th 2006 2:24PM

X = Real-Time Weapon switching LOL

Paul @ Oct 27th 2006 2:31PM

yeah it does look a lot like halo 2... it is an alpha build that already looks as good as halo 2... noice

Tyler @ Oct 27th 2006 2:43PM

I'm sure the Sony fanboys will laugh at this "Legendary" set because it has to have 4 DVDs while Sony has their "superior" Blu-Ray that can hold all of that on one disc. Can anyone say "Who cares?" As long as GAMES themselves come on one disc, I don't care how many separate DVDs all the EXTRAS come on. DVDs are cheaper to make and will load faster on the 360.

Galls @ Oct 27th 2006 2:52PM

x=super jump and hump multiplayer animation.

Jonah Falcon @ Oct 27th 2006 3:01PM

Note to #23: Didn't see the Halo 3 trailer that was completely IN-ENGINE, didja? I know you don't know the difference between prerendered and in-game.

So, here, let me TEACH you:

http://www.wii60.com/uploads/1851.jpg

This has been a public service announcement.