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With Bungie debuting Halo 3: Recon at the Tokyo Game Show this week, the press has been all over trying to get info on what the game’s all about. Thankfully Brian Jarrard and Luke Smith have broken the cone of silence and shared some details about the upcoming title. Here’s what Smith had to say about the general concept and theme behind Recon:
"In a nutshell, Halo 3: Recon is essentially an expansion, but it is also a standalone retail product. It will be sold in a box available next fall and will include hours of new campaign content, and an experience from an all new perspective. You will be playing the role of an ODST [Orbital Drop Shock Trooper], and the Master Chief will not be featured in this game in any way.
"So the events of the trailer take place just as the Covenant blasts out of the city in end of Halo 2. So while the Master Chief is off on Delta Halo, which is where the original ’Helljumpers’ [ODSTs] were introduced, you’re back on Earth in the Covenant-occupied city of New Mombasa."
Jarrard and Smith then went on to talk a bit about the gameplay elements of Recon, stating that while it might not be the traditional stand-and-fight gamers have come to expect, this definitely isn’t a stealth game. The duo reiterated that this isn’t going to be Splinter Cell: Halo, and it’s also not going to be squad-based. However, due to the fact that ODSTs are not as invincible as Spartans, players will have to pick and choose their battles more carefully, and strategy will often be just as important as firepower.
For those worried about how this new play style will translate to multiplayer, don’t. The team has promised that all the "traditional" Halo 3 multiplayer matches will be present, and the game will ship with not only its own set of maps, but all the Mythic maps which will be debuting soon for Halo 3.
The pair also stated that this will be the last Halo project from the studio, and Recon is simply a one-off game as opposed to some new spinoff franchise. Jarrard noted that, "Halo 3: Recon is our answer back to our fans. This is a game we felt like we needed to do. Our fans want more Halo 3 content and they want to do more in the Halo universe, and this is really our way to continue to support the Halo 3 fan base and given them something a little bit different than what they were expecting.
"From Bungie’s perspective, this is just us giving back to people who are currently playing Halo 3 and keeping that trilogy and that saga going a little bit longer."
Recon is scheduled to ship next spring, giving you one last chance to step into the Halo universe as Bungie sees it. You may have finished the fight, but the battle isn’t over yet.
"In a nutshell, Halo 3: Recon is essentially an expansion, but it is also a standalone retail product. It will be sold in a box available next fall and will include hours of new campaign content, and an experience from an all new perspective. You will be playing the role of an ODST [Orbital Drop Shock Trooper], and the Master Chief will not be featured in this game in any way.
"So the events of the trailer take place just as the Covenant blasts out of the city in end of Halo 2. So while the Master Chief is off on Delta Halo, which is where the original ’Helljumpers’ [ODSTs] were introduced, you’re back on Earth in the Covenant-occupied city of New Mombasa."
Jarrard and Smith then went on to talk a bit about the gameplay elements of Recon, stating that while it might not be the traditional stand-and-fight gamers have come to expect, this definitely isn’t a stealth game. The duo reiterated that this isn’t going to be Splinter Cell: Halo, and it’s also not going to be squad-based. However, due to the fact that ODSTs are not as invincible as Spartans, players will have to pick and choose their battles more carefully, and strategy will often be just as important as firepower.
For those worried about how this new play style will translate to multiplayer, don’t. The team has promised that all the "traditional" Halo 3 multiplayer matches will be present, and the game will ship with not only its own set of maps, but all the Mythic maps which will be debuting soon for Halo 3.
The pair also stated that this will be the last Halo project from the studio, and Recon is simply a one-off game as opposed to some new spinoff franchise. Jarrard noted that, "Halo 3: Recon is our answer back to our fans. This is a game we felt like we needed to do. Our fans want more Halo 3 content and they want to do more in the Halo universe, and this is really our way to continue to support the Halo 3 fan base and given them something a little bit different than what they were expecting.
"From Bungie’s perspective, this is just us giving back to people who are currently playing Halo 3 and keeping that trilogy and that saga going a little bit longer."
Recon is scheduled to ship next spring, giving you one last chance to step into the Halo universe as Bungie sees it. You may have finished the fight, but the battle isn’t over yet.
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