Halo 3 multiplayer: what’s old is new again

As promised, 1UP has emerged with their close-up, exclusive coverage of Bungie‘s Halo 3, today with a peek into three multiplayer maps in the game. And this sneak peek offers some of the new things you’ll see when you lock-and-load with the Master Chief – or your Red/Blue teammates, such as the new weapons, environments, and vehicles. And vehicles… er, read on.

A multiplayer map called Snowbound, for example, has automated gun turrets. Yes, automated gun turrets. How do you like your Spartan: Swiss Cheesed or freshly grated? And the “Shield Doors”. They’re what they say they are: Shield Doors. Spartans can check in, and they can check out, too. Explosions and gunfire won’t, however. We foresee a legion of camper ****s hanging near one of these doors one day.

Next map 1UP got to play in is called “High Ground”. Reminiscent of Halo 2‘s Zanzibar (except more compact), this map features multiple ways to infiltrate its defending base, from blowing the front hatch open to infiltrating through side paths and out-of-the-way bunkers.

This map was also 1UP’s first look at the Spike Grenade. It’s a shaped charge grenade that explodes in a certain direction, as opposed to all over the place, and is covered in spikes so it can impale itself to walls. Just walls, 1UP? Someone’s itching to impale this Nail Bat on someone’s head. We wonder what the effect would be.

Valhalla is the last playground in the preview. Here be the Man Cannon, which will launch players, vehicles, and boxes halfway across the map. Here be the Spartan Laser, which is actually more of a big energy orb of pure pwnage with a red laser aiming sight rather than a laser weapon per se. Treat it like a makeshift rocket launcher.

And here be the Mongoose ATV, which will be the fastest ground ship in the multiplayer fleet, says Bungie. And where Halo 3 players can, by pressing RB, “ride Brokeback.” (A minute of eternal silence as the crickets chirp in the background). We have no idea what Bungie was thinking.

As promised, 1UP has emerged with their close-up, exclusive coverage of Bungie‘s Halo 3, today with a peek into three multiplayer maps in the game. And this sneak peek offers some of the new things you’ll see when you lock-and-load with the Master Chief – or your Red/Blue teammates, such as the new weapons, environments, and vehicles. And vehicles… er, read on.

A multiplayer map called Snowbound, for example, has automated gun turrets. Yes, automated gun turrets. How do you like your Spartan: Swiss Cheesed or freshly grated? And the “Shield Doors”. They’re what they say they are: Shield Doors. Spartans can check in, and they can check out, too. Explosions and gunfire won’t, however. We foresee a legion of camper ****s hanging near one of these doors one day.

Next map 1UP got to play in is called “High Ground”. Reminiscent of Halo 2‘s Zanzibar (except more compact), this map features multiple ways to infiltrate its defending base, from blowing the front hatch open to infiltrating through side paths and out-of-the-way bunkers.

This map was also 1UP’s first look at the Spike Grenade. It’s a shaped charge grenade that explodes in a certain direction, as opposed to all over the place, and is covered in spikes so it can impale itself to walls. Just walls, 1UP? Someone’s itching to impale this Nail Bat on someone’s head. We wonder what the effect would be.

Valhalla is the last playground in the preview. Here be the Man Cannon, which will launch players, vehicles, and boxes halfway across the map. Here be the Spartan Laser, which is actually more of a big energy orb of pure pwnage with a red laser aiming sight rather than a laser weapon per se. Treat it like a makeshift rocket launcher.

And here be the Mongoose ATV, which will be the fastest ground ship in the multiplayer fleet, says Bungie. And where Halo 3 players can, by pressing RB, “ride Brokeback.” (A minute of eternal silence as the crickets chirp in the background). We have no idea what Bungie was thinking.