Halo 3 official site update: new screenshots and details

by Jared Rea { Apr 30th 2007 at 10:05PM }

Gone are the days where the official site for Halo 3 is merely a dumping grounds for your email address. Aside from the impenetrable age gate, the site now sports the well-rounded collection of content that folks typically expect from an official internet home. And like the ravenous nerds that we are, we've seen it all, taken notes and harvested as much as we can from it.

For those who are trying their best to avoid spoiling their Halo 3 experience, we both salute and respect your decision and will only place potentials after the break. We do, however, encourage you to check out the plot synopsis and new screenshots found both on the site and our gallery below.

Get your Master Chief decoder rings ready, fanboys. It's time to get fresh.

Gallery: Halo 3

[Via HBO]

The first thing we'd like to clear up is something you've probably heard by now: the M6D pistol is back, complete with 2x scope. While the pistol is indeed in Halo 3, a forum post by Bungie's own Frankie states that the zoom blurb is an error and those responsible will be killed by ninja. Sorry, folks. No zoom!
The story page confirms that the Elites have joined the Humans in the fight against both the Covenant and the Flood. Led by the Arbiter, the decision seems motivated by both revenge and responsibility. Being the former Supreme Commander of the Covenant, the decision for the Arbiter to lead seems like an obvious one.
Of the human race, their population is described as "almost nothing." It almost makes you wonder just how much of humanity is Master Chief really fighting for.
On the character page, the only one not sporting a silhouette is the Flood Gravemind. This could possibly be due to the natural enigma of the character, or to hint towards an evolution of its appearance.
Keyes? Keyes? Miranda Keyes? Anyone? Huh. We know she'll be getting a new voice actress in the sequel (yay!) but to have her completely missing at this point is a little odd.
The Needler weapon is still shown as being one-handed, though previous coverage has indicated it being a rifle this time around.
Both the Pelican and its Covenant equivalent, the Phantom, are shown in the vehicles section of the site. This is nothing out of the ordinary, but last weeks update talked about a map that was the "the single largest multiplayer map" in the series. Almost makes you think that maybe we'll need better transportation.
The two tank vehicles, the Scorpion and the Wraith are both without an image. Seeing as how they went underutilized in Halo 2, these two could possibly be up for a review.
Finally, there is one title curiously missing from the games section. Halo: Combat Evolved for the PC. No love for Gearbox, Bungie?

Tags: bungie, halo, halo3

Related From Joystiq

Rumor: First screens, details for Halo Reach leaked
3 days ago
Halo Waypoint detailed, captured on video
21 days ago
Xbox removes Nov. 17 release date for Twitter/Facebook from UK site
28 days ago

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

hvnlysoldr @ Apr 30th 2007 10:10PM

P-L-A-C-E-B-O-E-M-P-E-R-O-R-S-N-E-W-C-L-O-T-H-E-S
Err? Hmm.. . Buy more Ovaltine?

DWells55 @ Apr 30th 2007 10:36PM

The Halo series is not overrated. There isn't a single console FPS game as good as Halo 2 or with as large of a following.

wackychan @ Apr 30th 2007 10:37PM

@ Fernando Rocker

Hmm, the best console FPS of all time is overrated? I think you need to get your skull checked for a brain there buddy.

Fernando Rocker @ Apr 30th 2007 10:45PM

@wackychan

FPS?? i thought it was an "Online-battle-game-that-almost-no-one-play-the-main-game-mode" game.

Best FPS? Try Goldeneye...

NeverSage @ Apr 30th 2007 10:57PM

If we're talking multiplayer, then Halo is the way to go when your playing an fps on a console. But as far as the campaign being the best for a console fps... that's up for debate.

Also, do these screen shots represent what the final graphics will look like? They look like Halo 2 in HD, and I wasn't even impressed when H2 came out.

Einhanderkiller @ Apr 30th 2007 11:04PM

#2
Doesn't that just scream 'overrated'?
If a game is given praise for being the "best" of a certain type of system but is really not all that great when compared to other games on another type of system, doesn't that mean that, in a way, it's overrated?

Louis @ May 3rd 2007 12:29PM

The vehicles and character models look great, but the terrain looks so sterile. Play Call of Duty 3 and you can lay in the grass, but Halo is just terrain with grass patterns.

It would be cool if you could switch between FPS and Over the Shoulder like Gears of War.

Mike @ May 1st 2007 12:41AM

Halo is obviously the best game ever made in the history of the universe. But we shouldn't be debating that... we should be debating errors that have been put up on the site like this one, under Characters - The Flood:
All of these forms have an attraction to any calcium-based life form of sufficient mass to accommodate them and will try to attack/infect any they encounter.

This just screams a lack of basic biological knowledge. I mean, I realize Ca and C both start with the letter "C", but the word was written out! Calcium based life doesn't even make sense. Some scientists have speculated on the possibility of silicon based life, but carbon is definitely the way to go. They need to fix that pronto. Or if they don't, at least all of humanity will be safe from the flood, since we're carbon based :D

Kritz @ May 1st 2007 1:35AM

@ 7,

Who knows. Maybe they only eat lifeforms made out of dairy products? Man, that'd be a cheesy ending. Probably just a chance to milk the series even more.

>_>

What?

jaysins @ May 1st 2007 1:52AM

Generally Halo is considered the best console FPS shooter and this is one of the instances where majority rules so it's not like your opinion matters. That would be your favorite FPS where you only need to take your own feelings into consideration. The Halo series is the console FPS to beat period and it doesn't have much competition in that regard, though I do like the time splitters series, but I still rather play halo if I had to choose between the two.

I think you need to reexamine those shots if you don't think they look good. Everything is smooth and very well aliased, textures are very good looking especially the cliffs, shadows are well done, lighting from what I can tell looks good, no bitmap or noticeable bitmap rendering from what I can see, nice dust affects and hell, they even seem to change the posture of the spartans depending on the incline they are standing on. It's certainly not the best looking game out there but it seems to be a nice improvement over halo 2. It's not going to look photo realistic as that's not halo's style. Like zelda, or viewtiful joe, the games look good but have a very unique artistic style. Halo is very recognizable and I'm glad they kept the look. As long as they improved on gameplay and have some awesome maps it will be a classic.

Lagomorpho @ May 1st 2007 2:10AM

Is there a version of the site that isn't rendering 3D fog for the background because that nonsense is grinding my browser to a halt.

wackychan @ May 1st 2007 4:04AM

"FPS?? i thought it was an "Online-battle-game-that-almost-no-one-play-the-main-game-mode" game."

@ fernando

I'm sorry your forced to play campaign modes in all your games. Hey, maybe you'll find some friends to play with you someday. Online play is ok, but i prefer system link with my friends.

By the way, the only thing that made goldeneye so great was that it had multiplayer and some decent maps. A FPS cant be great without well designed multiplayer. The last time I went back and picked up goldeneye, I realized how shitty the controls are. And as far as halo goes it has the best controls, best maps, best weapons, and it is the best multiplayer console game of all time.

Goldeneye seemed great because it was the first FPS on a console that didn't suck. Halo not only doesn't suck, it will never disappoint.

Phranctoast @ May 1st 2007 8:44AM

Im suprised that MS is even allowing Epic/Midway to release Unreal Tournament 3 on its console. One would think that as soon as any of these "diehard" Halo fans see what a real MP shooter look and feels like they would never go back.

Not only does UT3 look so much better, We all know Epic will support with maps and gametypes for years to come as well(of course MS will charge you for them).

Phranctoast @ May 1st 2007 8:44AM

PacoDG @ May 1st 2007 9:02AM

wackychan, Goldeneye not only ruled because of awesome multiplayer (for its time), but because that one player campaign was completely bad ass (for its time). On top of just being a cool game where you didn't just shoot everyone up right away, it also followed the movie nearly exactly. I can't think of another movie game where it turned out good and/or accurate.

Other than that, you are right in just about every other point you make. I myself have yet to touch Halo 2's campaign mode, and have very little interest in it, but I have no problems playing online... every chance I get :(

Mikeawesome @ May 1st 2007 9:05AM

Um.

So it appears the information has been updated/changed since it was first released.

Check it out, it's seriously interesting, maybe they let too much slip?

One thing's for sure, this has the work of the Bungie Ninjas all over it.

Jake @ May 1st 2007 9:29AM

Phranctoast,

I can see that you are a bit naive on the subject, so I will help you out. PC shooters don't transfer well to consoles. This is in part because PC shooters are built around twitch aiming. Counterstrike is considered by many to be the best PC shooter ever. It was ported to xbox and it absolutely, positively, sucked major arse.

Hell, the original Unreal Tournament was ported to PS2 and it sucked. Console shooters port alright to PC, but not great. I've played PC and console shooters and enjoy both, for the record. On one hand, I enjoy how easy it is to aim inhumanly quickly and accurately on PC games. On other days, I enjoy the realism and challenge of aiming in console games. Aiming is the hardest part of shooting something and it doesn't necessarily make it bad if you miss once in a while.

But, in the end, Unreal Tournament won't be played on PS3 and 360 and will be loved by PC gamers. Halo3 will be loved by 360 owners and called over-rated by everyone else. whoopitty-doo. I still think Gears is better than both of them (assuming they are good when they come out). ;)

sheppy @ May 1st 2007 9:40AM

I hate to say it and agree with Frnando Rocker but Halo 2 was overrated. In fact, 1up did an article a while ago where one guy went back and interviewed the various game reviers who gave Halo 2 an impossibly high score and many believed they rated it much higher than it deserved. One even stated "we are just as prone to get caught up in the hype as any other gamer." This was about a year ago though. And truth be told, not sure if it WAS 1up or Gamasutra.

Now, having said that, I'll probably have to get this game. I have no real preference towards Halo but it's what a large group of my friends play. I suck at Halo but it's what they play.

I don't know about the story because I have honestly never beaten one. I got to the point in the original Halo where you reach the "true" end of the game then they tell you to go all the way back. My general feeling on this matter is "fuck that. What a worthless ass attempt to artificially inflate a games length." On Halo 2, it got to The Flood and I quit playing. They aren't hard, per se. It's just that they are possibly the most goddam annoyingly stupid enemies thrown in an FPS since the cybernetic frogs in Daikatana. Yes, I went there. The Flood belong in Daikatana.

However, as stated before, I'll be online May 17th with the rest of you people. In fact, feel free to "pwn" me. Gamertag NME-Se7eN. My PSN name is Sheppy7 in case you want to add me there as well.

Phranctoast @ May 1st 2007 10:17AM

"Hell, the original Unreal Tournament was ported to PS2 and it sucked."

Cant really compare a game that had no online (ps2 version) to one that will have online (ps3 verison).

Epic has also said they will support mouse and keyboard for the ps3 version. Hopefully ps3 m+k players will be able to go against pc players.

Epic also appear to be developing all the versions at the same time and not "porting" them (the same can be said of quake wars).

your also forgetting that fans of gears will be drawn to UT3 since its made my the same developer, and it will gain publicity with the younger gamers that dont remember UT.

I understand twitch gaming and I can agree on enjoying both.

Halo to me just seems like it filled a console fps void and was in the right place at the right time.

gap_tooth @ May 2nd 2007 2:37PM

@Phranctoast

Your knowledge of who decides Marketplace pricing for downloadable content is lacking. You imply that Microsoft will force Epic to charge for UT3 DLC, most likely because of the issue where Microsoft wanted to charge for Gears of War content when Epic didn't. They key difference there is that Microsoft published Gears of War, and is therefore allowed to have some authority over pricing decisions; if Microsoft is not the publisher for UT3, they will not.