Halo 3: ODST

[Flawless]

Re: Bungie's New Game

Eurogamer: Halo 3 Recon Interview

As you've undoubtedly gathered, Bungie got to show off Halo 3: Recon for the first time yesterday. It was a big deal for the studio, not least because the expansion was originally down to be unveiled at E3 - until Microsoft pulled the plug at the last minute.

But all that's in the past now, according to community and PR director Brian Jarrard. We sat down with him and writer Luke Smith to find out more about exactly what went on there, and more importantly what we can expect from Recon. Read on.

Bungie: Recon is our last Halo trilogy project

US-based developer Bungie has revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that the newly-announced Halo 3 Recon, set for release next Autumn as an extension to the super-selling Halo 3, will be the last project in the first-person shooter trilogy that the company plans to undertake.

Bungie is currently working on three separate projects, of which only the Halo title is so far known to the public, but according to community and PR director Brian Jarrard that team currently working on Recon won't continue to work on Halo projects in that series once the game ships.

[Flawless]

Re: Bungie's New Game

Joystiq

• "It will be a standalone disc sold in stores in boxes next Fall. It's also going to include some multiplayer maps."
• "It is a first-person shooter still ... It's not a squad-based shooter."
• "As an ODST, compared to playing as in invulnerable Spartan, you are going to have to sort of pick and choose your encounters a little bit differently."
• "It is going to very much feel like Halo. Full feature parity."

Woot the vets are working on it.

That out of the way, Jerrard explained that Recon isn't the only thing Bungie's been up to since jumping off the Microsoft Express this time last year: "This is one of a few projects that we're currently working on. This is the first time at Bungie we've actually had multiple things happening at once and not just, every three years, doing the massive game release." In order to develop Recon, Bungie used a "small agile team" made up of a "bunch of elders" who started the Halo: Combat Evolved franchise some seven years ago. Who better than to deliver a "bit of a departure" from the last three titles?

They're not revealing much in the way of story, but Smith gave us a short primer: You play a lone ODST soldier in the now Covenant-occupied city of New Mombasa. The story begins just after the Prophet of Regret disappears through a Slipspace portal en route to Delta Halo, with Master Chief & Friends in hot pursuit. The portal's closure destroys the city of New Mombasa and then, enter stage up: your character. When asked if the mysterious "superintendent" spotted in all the teases leading up to the game's announcement would play a sort of Cortana-esque role and serve as a guide (note the messages displayed on the screens at the end of the below trailer), Jerrard told us "I think your observations seem pretty spot on. It certainly seems like there's a guiding hand of some sort there."

While Jerrard is quick to point out that Recon is a fully featured campaign experience, it's tough to hold it up against Halo 3, a project that required the whole of Bungie's development team over a three-year period. "This is definitely a subset of [Halo 3]," Jerrard explains. "I think this is going to be a good value and a lot of content but we're not viewing this as sort of a full game release in the sense of Halo 3." When asked about the potential future pricing of the "expansion pack" Jerrard said it was too early to say for sure, but that they were leaning towards something a little more "value-oriented."

Though Recon shares the Halo 3 engine, with all new assets – think new textures and models for the new, darker urban environment – the team at Bungie would have been hard-pressed to cram the entire experience into a downloadable content wrapper (although they certainly would have an easier time explaining the product that way). "This is going to be a pretty huge file. The amount of content alone is probably bigger than anything that's ever been released as a DLC." On the other hand, the standalone model gives the team at Bungie another 1000 Achievement Points to distribute, sure to please the hardcore Halo fan.

If this all sounds straight up your alley, don't get too excited: This is "definitely not a new franchise" they say. It's "an exclamation point" on the end of the Halo trilogy while the rest of the team is hard at work on something that is, it would seem, not a part of the Halo trilogy.

1UP

Jarrard used phrases like "not an indestructible one-man army like the Master Chief" and "ODSTs are fragile and make for a more vulnerable hero than Master Chief" when discussing Recon's protagonist. Smith quickly interjected with, "He's one lone soldier in a Covenant-occupied city." Even though the trailer (and fan speculation) seems to imply that Recon is a stealth-based game, Jarrard cleared the air a little bit: "This isn't Splinter Cell -- Recon will still feature Halo's patented high-octane combat. It's just that you'll have to maneuver through the battlefield differently."

When asked if Recon's campaign will span multiple planets and installations a la Master Chief's journey, Smith replied, "The ODST is on less of a galactic romp than in Halo 2 and 3." When asked about Recon's relationship to the whole canon, Jarrard noted that Recon "will paint in some nooks and crannies, but is mostly a tangent to the overall story arc." He ended by explaining how Recon is going to be "a different take on the Halo experience," while Smith joked that halfway through the game, the player switches perspectives to control a Grunt.

[Altimus]

Re: Bungie's New Game

Sounds pretty interesting.

Maybe one day they actually will make a Halo meets Rainbow Six type game to switch it up.

Also, I've changed the thread title to the name of the game.

[Flawless]

Re: Halo 3: Recon

Interview with Luke and Brian from Bungie.

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[Candyman5]

Re: Halo 3: Recon

So the Mythic Map pack releases early next year than.

[Beantown]

Re: Bungie's New Game

So pumped for this "expansion."

[Miles_Yuhas]

Re: Bungie's New Game

So it appears that the mythic map pack will be available from marketplace early next year, but if you don't buy them they will also be on the Halo 3 Recon disc. Recon will also have a few more maps that cannot by aquired without buying the Recon disc.

Also, I was looking through the new halo 3 achievements the other day and there appears to be 5 maps in the Mythic pack. Assembly, Citadel, Heretic, Longshore, and Orbital.

[sportsdude]

Re: Bungie's New Game

So it appears that the mythic map pack will be available from marketplace early next year, but if you don't buy them they will also be on the Halo 3 Recon disc. Recon will also have a few more maps that cannot by aquired without buying the Recon disc.

Also, I was looking through the new halo 3 achievements the other day and there appears to be 5 maps in the Mythic pack. Assembly, Citadel, Heretic, Longshore, and Orbital.

I believe there's six new maps:

Assembly
Citadel
Heretic
Longshore
Orbital
Sandbox

[Miles_Yuhas]

Re: Bungie's New Game

I believe there's six new maps:

Assembly
Citadel
Heretic
Longshore
Orbital
Sandbox

Oh your right, I didn't see that. I guess Sandbox doesn't have a special achievement where you accomplish something on that map. I saw that map in the skulls though.

[Jon22]

Re: Bungie's New Game

No, thanks

A game set in the future. The main character has amazing armor and plasma grenades, shields, and what not. But, yet he carries a little machine gun. When every other creature/alian has an amazing plasma/needle guns. Great thinking... Maybe that could be the reason why it takes millions of bullets to take down an enemy.

[Sandman42]

Re: Bungie's New Game

No, thanks

A game set in the future. The main character has amazing armor and plasma grenades, shields, and what not. But, yet he carries a little machine gun. When every other creature/alian has an amazing plasma/needle guns. Great thinking... Maybe that could be the reason why it takes millions of bullets to take down an enemy.

Then...

just pick up their guns and use them?

[Beantown]

Re: Bungie's New Game

Then...

just pick up their guns and use them?

Way too logical.

Not to mention the fact that the human weapons (BR, Shotgun, Sniper) are more powerful than the alien ones.

[The C]

Re: Halo 3: Recon

to be honest, I never use the alien stuff unless I must. The human weapons/vehicles all sound cooler

[Altimus]

Re: Halo 3: Recon

to be honest, I never use the alien stuff unless I must. The human weapons/vehicles all sound cooler

You don't mess with the needler and live.

[Beantown]

Re: Halo 3: Recon

Yeah, I rarely pick up an alien weapon.

I'll grab a needler here or there, but only on Snowbound(Boundless). Other than that it's BR/AR/Shottie/Sniper for me.

Hell, I'd use the Magnum before using a plasma rifle.