Yeah, you read that right. As of right now, Halo 3 co-op remains an offline only experience. CVG has the scoop from the latest issue of EGM. According to Bungie's Frank O'Connor, the team is still working on a way to properly implement online co-op. As Frank puts it, it's possible for players to be nearly a mile apart at certain points in the game, which makes online co-op a challenge. He notes that measures could be put into the game to prevent such vast separations, but that it "would make it not feel like Halo anymore." He concludes by saying that "If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will - and if it works badly, we won't." Considering that the Bungie crew is currently putting the finishing touches on Halo 3, we imagine online co-op won't make it into the retail disc. Any hope of such a feature likely rests in the possibility of downloadable content. So, if you've been waiting to try out some four player online co-op, you may be waiting for a while.

In happier news, EGM confirms several new weapons and vehicles. There is a dual-wieldable Brute shotgun called the Mauler and the gravity hammer we saw at E3 is confirmed as well. New equipment includes the Flare -- essentially a flashbang -- and the Regenerator, which refills shields (presumably for all those near the device). Three new vehicles, the Prowler, Hornet, and Elephant, which is described as a Jawa Sandcrawler. Halo fans will know that a Prowler is a recon ship with stealth abilities, though it is probably too large to be a playable vehicle. Finally, the article reveals that there will be a remake of the popular Halo 2 multiplayer map, Lockout, called Guardian.

[Via Joystiq]