Cell phone scans are no replacement for the real thing. This week, Electronic Gaming Monthly subscribers started receiving the latest issue, which, as you already know, has the first hands-on experience with Halo 3's shrouded-in-secret campaign mode, reveals of new weapons, vehicles, levels and game modes, and the latest update on where Bungie's going with the game's incredibly ambitious multiplayer--needless to say, they're going all out.
You'll want to pick up the issue for the whole shebang--it's a whopping 19 pages, half penned by Bungie fanboy Jeremy Parish, the other by Shoe--but we can't help but let you in on some of the big reveals, for starters, Forge. Bungie let this one start to slip at E3, but wasn't clear what it actually was. Turns out it's not a level editor. Instead, Forge allows gamers to drop into a multiplayer level and turn it into a playground, not unlike Garry's Mod for Half-Life 2. Sounds boring, but it's one of those "have to be there" options. You can even create a Halo-style game of Jenga -- Bungie did.
New Weapons
Mauler: This Brute shotgun comes with an extra-deadly bonus: dual wielding. "It's not quite as powerful as the shotgun," sais Sandbox Design Lead Jaime Griesemer.
Gravity Hammer: Halo 3's Gravity Hammer -- based on Halo 2 final boss Tartarus' weapon -- should make players as giddy as Halo 2's plasma sword did. "It will do a short lunge like the sword does, but mostly you use it to do area-affect damage," said Griesemer.
The Fourth Grenade: We also saw hints of a fourth grenade type, though it never actually appeared in action and Bungie won't give any details, including whether it will even be included in the final game.
New Vehicles
Hornet: This Marine aircraft zips around and takes on Covenant Banshees in Campaign mode.
Brute Chopper: A fast, single-man ground behicle, the Chopper spits out exploding concussion rounds.
Prowler: This Brute craft holds a diver, a man on a forward-mounted turret, and two passengers.
Elephant: A three-story-tall behemoth that's crawling along the sand much like a Jawa Sandcrawler. It's drivable (but indestructible), has a mounted turret, can respawn troops, holds your home flag, and is the return point for the enemy flag. Whoa.
New Gear
Radar Jammer: Mostly useless in Campaign mode (enemies don't use radar), this device tricks enemies with false signals.
Personal Shield: A stationary version of the Jackal's handheld deflector, it only protects against attacks from one direction.
Regenerator: Its green field instantly recharges players' shields.
Flare: The Flare merely blinds, rather than hurts, anyone (friend and foe alike) who sees it.
Invincibility: Brute chieftains would be intimidating enough with the ability to command legions, but their temporary invincibility power puts them right over the edge.
Oh, and the inevitable question for the hardcore: will there be another ARG? There's not much time between now and the game's September 25th release date, but there will be another Internet mystery, and this time Bungie's involved from the get go. "We were too busy to be involved with I Love Bees," said Jospeh Staten, director of cinematics at Bungie. "We told [ILB creators 42 Entertainment], 'If you want to do something, it can't have anything to do with the game.' Which sucks. This time around, we have the bandwidth to go, 'Sure! Here's a cool artifact buried beneath the savanna, and here's an idea we have for a story you might do about that. It touches on Halo 3," he said.
