Bungie's big reveal teased: A Halo 3 campaign expansion
by Xav de Matos 
{ Sep 25th 2008 at 10:17AM }
After an unfortunate false-start at E3 2008, Bungie has finally revealed its hidden agenda for world domination. Today at 7:07am PDT, Bungie teased what appears to be a story expansion to Halo 3. Details are scarce but the trailer begins with falling escape pods onto a city landscape that seems ripped right out of Halo 2's infamous E3 in-game demo.
The trailer showcases a giant explosion that levels the clean city into a burning pile of rubble ending with the tag lines, Halo 3. Prepare to Drop.
If you ask us, this screams ODSTs! Not that we're swayed by the itchy typing fingers of hardcore fanboys and girls but we're all excited for whatever this title or expansion could mean for the Halo universe! Expect every morsel of information here on X3F as soon as it becomes available.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dadidito @ Sep 25th 2008 10:21AM
ODST has to be with that reference
rewind @ Sep 25th 2008 12:17PM
I definitely think ODST. Before the Spartans, these were the original Bad-A$$'s of the UNSC, and still a big staple of the defense forces. In any scene when MC comes in where there are humans alive and shooting, if they aren't crapping themselves they are the drop troopers.
Cr4sh Dummy @ Sep 25th 2008 3:36PM
I concur with what you guys said, this is going to be about ODSTs.
msusig @ Sep 25th 2008 10:22AM
Bub Rub says, "woo woo!!!"
Christy McGrory @ Sep 25th 2008 10:22AM
FUCK YES. I WAS ABOUT TO SELL MY 360 ASWELL. Whatever this is, it looks fucking awesome.
I DeX I @ Sep 25th 2008 11:10AM
Why on earth would you be "just about ready to sell you 360" with all of the great games coming out this holiday season. You serious?
Donald @ Sep 25th 2008 10:24AM
Why would they land in a city and destory it? I have a feeling it could be a new enemy.
david @ Sep 25th 2008 10:25AM
The city is New Mombasa and it was most likely before the covenant attacked it. Notice the tower is still standing...
Could this be the battle of New Mombasa?
Also, if you pause the video, during the explosion the screen says "EMP trip detected"
david @ Sep 25th 2008 10:28AM
and just in case you don't believe me...
14 seconds, look on the upper left of the video. It says City Of New Mombasa as well as Evacuate.
At 23 seconds you can clearly read EMP trip detected.
CB17 @ Sep 25th 2008 10:34AM
Good catch on the New Mombasa part. That's pretty critical info.
zelderman @ Sep 25th 2008 12:29PM
Also at about :38 it says "Danger Flood Zone". You have to keep playing and pausing really quickly. Now I don't know much about Halo(yet to play 1 and 2) but I did beat three, but could this be where they first incounter the Flood or does that happen in Halo 1?
Just trying to help. I'm very excited. Gives me an excuse to play Halo again.
BerNasty @ Sep 25th 2008 10:24AM
In the trailer, when the messages are scrolling really fast. One says "Maddie, Where are you", anybody know what that means?
David @ Sep 25th 2008 10:26AM
oh man im hoping that they do ODSTs , i always thought they were badass in the books, it would be kind of sick if they did a new type of MP and 1p. if they did use the odsts then the game type should be a little slower because i dont think they are modified humans, just a thought
Jitaroo @ Sep 25th 2008 10:26AM
that was a waste of my time. talk about teaser.
Steven M @ Sep 25th 2008 10:28AM
woo hooooooooo
DBoyFlex @ Sep 25th 2008 10:30AM
Ok, anybody else agree they should just tell us already? I am tired of hearing about new stuff from Bungie without them actually saying anything. So this new stuff deals with Halo 3, but them dragging it on is ridiculous me thinks. Just tell us.
Andrew @ Sep 25th 2008 10:45AM
Jesus Christ, my thoughts exactly. I really hate mysterious shit like this.
Josh @ Sep 25th 2008 11:14AM
Hate it or not, they are masters of hype. Only J.J. Abrams and Apple really compare. You have to give them credit, the gaming community is turning its focus entirely on Bungie right now.
Conor @ Sep 25th 2008 11:55AM
yeah,it's like I'm a rabbit and bungie just tied a carrot on a stick to my head.
John @ Sep 25th 2008 10:30AM
What a lame comment.
Cal @ Sep 25th 2008 10:31AM
ODST's FTW!
It is def an ODST add on to single player. Drop in, is the line and the ODST's (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) are known as hell jumpers. Can't wait!
The Dom @ Sep 25th 2008 10:36AM
Can you explain this a bit more? I never read the books (although I want to). Is this a new race? new enemy from the Covenant? Human army?
Thanks
Cal @ Sep 25th 2008 10:45AM
Sure, the ODST's are in Halo 3. I am pretty sure they are on levels Cairo Station and the Ark. Essentially they are comparable to today's marines and paratroopers. They travel in human entry vehicles (HEV's) which look just like the pods that are dropping in the video. They wear a suit that is all black and have lots of serious communication equipment in it (Like the stuff seen in the video) They take on the most dangerous missions by the UNSC and work directly with Master Chief. Basically they are really badass!
Carbonize @ Sep 25th 2008 12:09PM
ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troops) are the elite. They are who you drop with in Halo 2 at the start of Delta Halo level. The pods you drop in on that level arr how they get to the action planetside.
Swede33 @ Sep 25th 2008 10:32AM
You can see Covenant ships in the background in the beginning of the trailer.
Jason @ Sep 25th 2008 10:34AM
I googled Traxus, the name on the building, and it came up with Marathon. So new marathon game??
Kevin Gass @ Sep 25th 2008 10:56AM
nope. Traxxus was the name of the Warthog manufactor in Halo 3, in fact theres two levels where you fight your way through a traxxus warehouse
The Dom @ Sep 25th 2008 10:35AM
Man all this buildup for a teaser? wtf? And still nothing about what the "Mythic" achievements are? I'm sorry but if you build this up for 2-3 days all for nothing but more teasing, its just a waste of time.
DBoyFlex @ Sep 25th 2008 10:35AM
What as the differences in endings if you beat it on Legendary? I did but do not remember anything different. maybe I skipped it accidentally...
bdawg51 @ Sep 25th 2008 10:36AM
its on marketplace now. the description says its a new halo 3 campaign experience
david @ Sep 25th 2008 10:45AM
My bet is that it's the battle for New Mombasa. Right before MC lands on earth. Remember the short movie they came out with?
This looks to be pretty sweet!
Blackice @ Sep 25th 2008 10:41AM
wow what a mindf*ck... id assume they're gonna tell us later within the day cause I can't imagine that being the E3 reveal without an explaination seeing as that was how many months ago. Also just a thought "Maddie, Where Are You" could that be Master Chief... just thinking out loud...
onehourcleaner @ Sep 25th 2008 10:40AM
So... the new skulls in the achievements, those have to be levels in this expansion. Plus, what is this going to cost? 1600msp? more?
Drake @ Sep 25th 2008 10:40AM
Apparently it is on marketplace now and has the description
"High action and deep mystery await players in this new halo 3 campaign experience. Prepare to drop!"
Campaign expansion...
sambob117 @ Sep 25th 2008 10:41AM
Halo universe + COD 4 gameplay = perfection!
iFester @ Sep 25th 2008 11:20AM
Funny you mention that as the Bungie crew were really impressed by Call of Duty 4 and I'm sure there was an interview where one of the devs said they (Bungie) "could learn a lot from CoD4's gameplay".
ryan @ Sep 25th 2008 11:54AM
wait, wha? am i missing some coded trailer message here?
we can now sprint in the game, have a better melee attack, smoother zoom function and call in Pelican strikes??
Dadidito @ Sep 25th 2008 10:43AM
On the bungie.net forums somepeople found a reference to 1117... some believe it might refer to 11/17.....
puh_fifer @ Sep 25th 2008 10:52AM
I'm going with it being ODSTS, or Spartan III's landing after the last of the spartans leave earth. The scene is like ghosts of onyx when the spartans go up the space elevator and nuke the covenant ship, while stealing another ship to jump to onyx. Notice the huge line running in the background from ground to space, kinda how I pictured that when I read it. The EMP could be the nukes the spartans left on the one covenant ship.
Dadidito @ Sep 25th 2008 11:02AM
I agree with puh_fifer but lean more towards SpartanIIIs. We all know they are basically Spartan II light as shown in the literature. They have to work as a team. (squad) to be equivalent to what MC does.
david @ Sep 25th 2008 11:09AM
ODST's
It's the battle for New Mombasa. The city was evacuated and the ODST's were entering the city to fight the covenant.
The tower/elevator you see in the background is the same thing you see all broken apart in tsavo highway in Halo 3.
Carbonize @ Sep 25th 2008 12:14PM
@Dadidto - The Spartan III's are never sent on any Earth based missions and are only used on high risk off world missions where their existence is not likely to be compromised. In Ghosts of Onyx it starts with three SPartan II's on Earth.
ev1lcaust1c @ Sep 25th 2008 11:05AM
yes those do look like HEV pods with Hell Jumpers inside, but could they also be the pods elites use to disembark? This is clearly an initial attack on New Mombasa, and after the explosion you can see tracers in the air as if a couple banshees flew by. having the last pod come in also shoots for a more individual experience. So yes, it could be a lone ODST individual you control trying to find his squad or its master chief coming down to defend against the Elites. The emp blast would also be a good insertion bomb if the city was getting stormed as well by infantry.
Also, the whole halo franchise is built around Master Chief's personality...or lack thereof. introducing a new character such as an ODST might really interfere with non-hardcore fanboys who don't really get the whole hell jumpers aspect.
' can ya stick it?'
MEGAHALOFAN @ Sep 25th 2008 11:09AM
[b]This is What I think...[/b]
It is set before Halo (the original). I dont think that those pod things are ODST pods (HEV)... [b]BECAUSE[/b] the first one you see hit the ground explodes (therefore probably not a HEV pod). [b]I think they are either NOVA BOMB's or ARCHER POD MISSLIES.[/b]...so why would Human weapons be bombing NEW MOMBASSA ??? Unless it was [b]the Civil War[/b] "The Insurrection" [ Insurrectionists (the Rebels) vs the UNSC], which happend before (and was still going when they meet, but on a smaller scale) the UNSC meet the Covenant.
I also think (pure speculation), that you will be playing as Spartan 1's (ORION Project), and that Superindent is a A.I. on earth, who is either incharge of New Mombassa or incharge of some evacuation protocol.
[b]OR[/b]
It is about what happened on EARTH during the events of Halo 2 (while the In Amber Clad was near Delta Halo) told by maybe an ODST or a Spartan 1. Becuase the explosion does kind of look like a slipspace rupture (Regret's Carrier ?), the things falling from the sky could be Drop pods (HEV), [b]and[/b] you do hear lots of gun fire throughout most of the trailer.
Personally I think my second idea / guess would be cooler.
itsburnsie @ Sep 25th 2008 11:33AM
What a lame comment
(this is fun)
sessioner @ Sep 25th 2008 11:42AM
What seriously, it says WHERE ARE YOU MADDIE? in the trailer? Is that a joke? That can only be a reference to the missing toddler Madeline Macann we was abducted about a year ago in spain. What time does that happen in the trailer? Naughty Bungie.
Guibs @ Sep 25th 2008 11:51AM
Single player campaign expension... Sign me on!
J @ Sep 25th 2008 12:00PM
You guys are idiots, there not going to after three games all of a sudden introduce new characters and not only that do it on an EXPANSION which wouldn't even make sense because it couldn't give good enough backstory for a new character compared to a full game which they could have done. You will be playing as Master Chief mark my words, go back and watch the Halo 2 E3 demo and everything will come together
Kyle @ Sep 25th 2008 12:25PM
i agree, a prequel expansion with a different story arch just seems bass ac wards
david @ Sep 25th 2008 1:20PM
Right, because MC didn't actually follow Regret when his ship went into slip space...
Sir, you are wrong. I'll not only mark your words, I'll bring them back up when we find out exactly what this is.