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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Halo 3 is the first game in the Halo universe that is designed for the Xbox 360, with improved visuals and physics. Halo is the most successful game on Microsoft's Xbox console systems, with sales of five million and nine million copies, respectively, for Halo and Halo 2.
Bungie Studios and Microsoft's Halo 3 picks up the storyline from Halo 2. The character Master Chief was last seen riding an alien ship down to Earth to head off an invasion that would doom humanity. Meanwhile, massive halo-shaped space stations across the galaxy had just been primed for a remote detonation that would wipe out all life in the galaxy. A dramatic civil war had broken out among the aliens intent on finding and destroying Earth. Plus, there was something about a superintelligent hivemind interfacing with Master Chief's AI.
The tone in Halo 3 is a bit different than in the previous games. "Some of themes we're going to be exploring are definitely darker," said Frank O'Connor, the lead writer at Bungie. "Literally and metaphorically, the world you see at the opening of Halo 3 is pretty much in ruins. Earth is controlled and occupied. The Covenant [a confederation of various aliens] has found something on Earth that's preventing them from completely glassing it from orbit. They want to control the Earth, but they don't want to destroy it physically. That said, they don't have much respect or patience for humans on it. There has been significant loss of human life during the occupation. They don't want to control the population, or put people in jail, they just want to eradicate them wherever they're bothersome. You're going to see elements of that in Halo 3. You're going to see the consequences of what that kind of occupation and invasion has done to the populace and to the environment."
Enter Master Chief, and he's got a handful of new tricks. Instead of just packing guns as he has in the past, Master Chief is able to use special equipment. This includes a trip mine that can be deployed as a trap and a grav lift that lets him reach previously inaccessible areas. He can use an energy drain device that depletes nearby enemy shields and makes them easier to kill. A bubble shield protects Maser Chief while allowing him to fire out, but it won't stop anyone from walking into the bubble for a close-quarters attack.
There are new weapons in Halo 3, such as the Spartan laser. This is a heavy weapon that takes five seconds to charge up. There are mounted guns positioned around the map. In addition to using them from their fixed locations, players can rip powerful machine gun turrets and missile pods from their emplacements and carry them around. There are new spike grenades that will stick to walls, and the basic assault rifle has been reworked so that it is more useful as a long-term choice.
Other new toys in Halo 3 include the Mongoose, a four-wheeled ATV that was originally part of Halo 2, but was cut before the release, plus other new vehicles and weapons.
Microsoft conducted an open beta test for a month, giving over 800,000 people an opportunity to try multiplayer Halo 3. Players could see much of the new equipment in action, as well as many of the other changes in the game. The beta also hinted at many changes that should make Halo 3 friendlier to new players, and to more casual players who might have been too intimidated to jump online.
Halo 3 was released on September 25, 2007.
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