Halo 3 rumours emerge

By Ellie Gibson Published 20 June, 2005

Interesting ones, if true.

Some new rumours about the third instalment in the Halo series are doing the rounds, thanks to some bloke who claims his mate's uncle works for Bungie. [As the always-enjoyable Kotaku notes, "Yeah, it's that reliable." - Ed]

According to his post on the Team Xbox message board, Halo 3 will have a "darker and more gritty" storyline, though there's thankfully no mention of urban settings or gangster turf wars as yet. The opening scenes are set "thousands of years before the timeline of the original Halo: Combat Evolved", apparently.

We're told that Bungie is "attempting to maintain an online co-operative component for the campaign supporting more than two players at once," and that Halo 3 "will have a multiplayer mode which pits players against bots in scenarios that are directly connected to the story of the game." They're aiming to support more than fifty players on Xbox Live for certain maps, too.

Zanzibar, Sidewinder and Hang Em High will be available in multiplayer mode, but "completely reworked. Zanzibar will be mangled and torn apart as though after the battle, the sky will be dark red. Sidewinder will have four legs instead of just two, with bases at each end. Hang Em High will have a massive tree at its center and the structure will be deteriorated."

The poster also says that Bungie is working on a map editor and movie maker for the game, so you can send and receive maps and movies via Xbox Live. "This would apparently be on a separate disc, and they have an entire team working just on these projects." Gosh.

He adds that he "can't confirm" whether or not these rumours are true, since he's just taking his mate's word "at face value." Hrm. Microsoft was unavailable for comment.

There's no official release date for Halo 3 as yet, but none other than Bill Gates himself has has previously suggested it'll be out next spring, to coincide with the launch of the PS3. We'll keep you posted.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (35) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • #1 7 years ago

    hell yeah!!!!!

    sweet as it gets!

  • Derblington #2 7 years ago

    :) @ arnie
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/05 @ 15:54

  • Blerk #3 7 years ago

    Have they got someone working on the single-player mode this time?

  • drumbaby #4 7 years ago

    Meh.

  • #5 7 years ago

    I notice the blatant rumour didn't say if Halo 2 - Part Duex had an ending either.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/05 @ 16:00

  • trevd72 #6 7 years ago

    the amount of time i have sqeezed from the LIVE! part of halo 2 is jsut silly. well worth the money spent so i could not give a rats arse about the one player......make the live! part the doggs nadds and thats me buying halo3 and the console to go with it. nuff said.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/05 @ 16:00

  • stormcr0wfleet #7 7 years ago

    hmm.. ive compleatly forgotten how halo2 ended..lol, it was that* good :p

  • octo #8 7 years ago

    I think the amount of sites reporting this news is interesting. Not only is it speculation of the highest order it doesn't even really contain any news.

    Old maps to return! - check.
    Those unhappy with the storyline will like the new gritty one! - check

    *Story prefaced with the word RUMOUR*

    *Me an idiot*.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/05 @ 16:11

  • ali-uk #9 7 years ago

    If these are true, I say good.

  • onyxbox #10 7 years ago

    Have they got someone working on the single-player mode this time?

    :-D

  • smelliot #11 7 years ago

    I am f***ing pissed off at developers who think their games should always be "darker and more gritty".

  • gamesb*tch #12 7 years ago

    enough grit already... meh

  • jumpdeveraux #13 7 years ago

    /contemplates Master Chief calling everyone a bitch.

  • Sorb #14 7 years ago

    And my mateīs uncle is Bill Gates! (...) I didnīt think EuroGamer did rumours. Well they shouldnīt.

  • octo #15 7 years ago

    Rumour has it PGR3 may contain some cars. Also, some cities return. Live multiplayer might also be included.

  • smelly #16 7 years ago

    why not just make the game good?

  • bumgut #17 7 years ago

    I can say for a certainty that if it comes out by Spring it will be very dissapointing. How can u write a new engine, new art assets, new weapons, AI and levels in less than a year and still expect an incredible single player game? Impossible. If Gates forces a Spring release, he's just killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

  • Nikanoru #18 7 years ago

    Yeah, dark and gritty huh...

    ZOMG WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED LOL!!11

  • Scimarad #19 7 years ago

    'Halo 3 will have a "darker and more gritty" storyline'

    Oh dear, it's gone all PC RPG on us...

  • raikov #20 7 years ago

    Half the charm with Halo is in the comedy (the way enemies react/fall, voiceovers, and so on) along with the really playable game mechanic. 'Dark and gritty' had best be in the themes of the plot and not in the direction of the game

  • laur #21 7 years ago

    Halo turns into Killzone?

  • Freek #22 7 years ago

    Next anouncement: a "darker and more gritty" version of Tetris, featuring a hip hop sound track.

  • mystic_mick #23 7 years ago

    Split arse reporting of the highest order. Eurogamer ='The new SpOng'. :(

  • #24 7 years ago

    ooh don't criticise eurogamer mate, they don't like that here...

  • Freek #25 7 years ago

    Spong posts rumours as hard facts. EG on the other hand posts rumours just as rumours, nothing more. Makes sense to me.

  • MrGrumpy.au #26 7 years ago

    Damn! And I thought this was the ending to Halo 3....?


    CORTANA: If you only knew the power of Halo. Dr. Halsey never told you what happened to your mother.

    MASTER CHIEF: He told me enough! He told me you killed her.

    CORTANA: No. I am your mother.


    Shocked, Master Chief looks at Cortana in utter disbelief.


    MASTER CHIEF: No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!

    CORTANA: Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

    MASTER CHIEF: No! No! No!

    CORTANA: Son. You can destroy the covenant. I have foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and we can rule the galaxy as mother and son. Come with me. It's the only way.


    [End lame joke]

  • Burton2000 #27 7 years ago

    well i cant wait to play halo 2 on pc as i dont own an xbox

  • Scimarad #28 7 years ago

    Arnie, have you made it your new mission in life to pop up and make idiotic comments about Eurogame and/or Sony and then vanish again? Seriously, find something else to do with your life...

  • Lothar Hex #29 7 years ago

    If true, this would be nice (Yay Halo, uhm less yay Halo 2, the single player anyway). But the chances of it are what? 500/1 at best?

  • Azu87 #30 7 years ago

    So will there be Master Chief Senior (the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great grand father of the Master Chief in Halo 1 & 2) , who's a teen and constantly saying bad-ass oneliners?
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/05 @ 08:49

  • Blerk #31 7 years ago

    Master Chief will now have long, greasy hair and designer stubble. He'll also forego guns and prefer to use large knives to decapitate people. Blood and gore will be at the forefront, and Slipknot will provide the 'soundtrack'.

    Oh shit, no. Sorry. That's Prince of Persia.

  • BeDevil #32 7 years ago

    bumgut, some parts of Halo 3 will have been in production in parallel with Halo 2, it won't be a case of starting from scratch once H2 mastered.

  • effinwooly #33 7 years ago

    If this is true it will be amazing !!! 50 players on Halo3, cool !

  • Groovicron #34 7 years ago

    BeDevil "some parts of Halo 3 will have been in production in parallel with Halo 2"

    I dunno, I remember when Halo 2 was released all the Bungie people saying that they weren't working on Halo 3 and that their next game wouldn't be Halo 3. It's only since the 360 - PS3 hype has escalated that any mention of Halo 3 has been made. I hope you're right BeDevil but I can't help but feel that it might be a very rushed product.

    Of course a rushed product from Bungie will still be better then many studios can produce but.....

  • #35 7 years ago

    Can't wait for a new set of copy & Paste level design!

    Whooooo hoooo!!!

  • Xerx3s #36 7 years ago

    More than 2 p coop would be nice, xbl coop would be even better. Senario/objective based parts that are similar to the story line but independant where one players fight against AI? Hey, isnt that like the original idea? Would be very kewl. If it has all these AND counter coop, then it would be awesome! A real killer app that would blow away any competition.

    MrGrumpy.au >>

    Cortana - MC, I'm your father!
    MC - Nooooooooooooooo!!
    Cortana - Yes, its true!
    MC - I will never join the dark side!
    Cortana - I sense another. Yesss, her name is...Arbiter!
    MC - Nooooo! /jumps off the catwalk

    This prequel stuff is most likely where you play as a forerunner (perhaps the one that activated the rings?). I hope that the dont tell to much, explaining to much has screwed up far to many good franchises.
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/05 @ 17:22

  • mcmonkeyplc #37 7 years ago

    Oh god.

    I cant deal with the same level of hype and release so quickly after the last :p

    MCM