There's no question the most anticipated game of 2007 is Halo 3. While much of the world experienced what the game will have to offer for multiplayer fans in its beta last month, few have gotten the opportunity to see what revelations await in the single player campaign. Bungie finally delivered the goods during E3, showcasing the single player campaign and new features in the multiplayer games.
For anyone living under a rock for the last few years, Halo 3 will see the conclusion of Master Chief's battle against the Covenant invasion of Earth. Following directly after the events of Halo 2, the third and final game in the trilogy promises to wrap up dangling plot threads and serve up more of the intense first-person combat for which the series is known.
We weren't given the chance to play Halo 3 hands-on, but Bungie representatives did showcase the first level from the single player campaign. Entitled "Sierra 117," the level is set deep in an unnamed jungle on Earth with the Master Chief weaving through the foliage to battle Covenant forces. Navigating through the thick of the jungle proved harrowing as Master Chief was constantly assaulted by grunts and Covenant elite forces. He appeared to be accompanied by the Arbiter, which Halo fans will recount as the second playable character from Halo 2. The demonstrator wouldn't elaborate on exactly who was by Master Chief's side, only confirming that he was being aided by a Covenant solider.
Once Master Chief clears a few spots in the jungle of Covenant, he reaches a river to meet up with incoming UNSC forces. Flying down to the river's edge on transports, the disembarking marines are taken by surprise by a group of banshees. With many of the transports settling at the bottom of the river and few men to support him in combat, the Master Chief has to contend with several banshees and Covenant infantry—solo.
Changes have been made to the heads-up display, which are an improvement over the previous two games. The entire screen has been remixed to look like the inside of Master Chief's helmet with a visor traced on the screen. Your shield is displayed at the top of the screen, in the center; just like Halo 2, you have no health meter and must solely rely on your shield. Stand still without getting hit for a few seconds and your shield recharges. Other changes to the display include placing an icon of your currently equipped weapon and ammunition levels on the lower right, whereas your grenades are shown on the lower left. Overall, it's a much cleaner look and should work well in high definition.
The new heads-up display appears in both the campaign and multiplayer, which we were also shown. Bungie representatives showed us a new map, "Sandtrap," which they're touting as the largest map ever created for the series. Several vehicles populated the map including the newly announced Brute Chopper, a single person vehicle with huge rotating blades that can slice up enemies and other vehicles. It definitely did its share of damage as it careened across the sand dunes dotting the map.
Bungie confirmed during the demonstration that saved films will be a feature shipping with the game in September; surprisingly, it'll be available for use in both the campaign and multiplayer. You'll be able to save footage from any multiplayer match and single player level. Additionally, you can capture screenshots from these videos and then save them to your hard drive or post them to Bungie.net. Even cooler, you can edit your saved films with camera angles and share them with friends. While it won't make or break the Halo 3 experience, being able to create personalized films should support an already substantial community behind the game.
