Halo 3: Recon [Fall 2009]

[supafreak]

I am looking forward to whatever the game is. It's Halo and Bungie is making it so you know it will be good.

[Quo]

Originally Posted by Wondermonkey

Recon's multiplayer, however, is essentially Halo 3's multiplayer. That means saved films, four-player coop and the map editor Forge will work seamlessly with the expansion. But outside of a new bundle of maps, expect the proven same-old, same-old online play that currently satisfies some 900,000 unique Halo 3 players a day.

Not sure I get that. So will people with the Recon disc in be able to play against people with the H3 disc in? (I suppose there will be a new playlist that allows Recon players to play with normal H3 players, but not the other way around??)

And what about the criss-crossing. If as an ODST you're not as beefy, will the multiplayer be different? It seems like it has to be different in SP based on what they are saying. It just seems hard to believe that they would abandon the new character for multiplay in his own game... so you end up with 2 different things: 1) a new SP game with a less beefy character and 2) new maps for H3. I just don't see how they can have the two totally unrelated.

[Wondermonkey]

Originally Posted by Quo

Not sure I get that. So will people with the Recon disc in be able to play against people with the H3 disc in? (I suppose there will be a new playlist that allows Recon players to play with normal H3 players, but not the other way around??)

And what about the criss-crossing. If as an ODST you're not as beefy, will the multiplayer be different? It seems like it has to be different in SP based on what they are saying. It just seems hard to believe that they would abandon the new character for multiplay in his own game... so you end up with 2 different things: 1) a new SP game with a less beefy character and 2) new maps for H3. I just don't see how they can have the two totally unrelated.

I think all that means is that Recon will have it's own multiplayer, but it will still feel like Halo (FPS, weapons spawn on map, etc.). I don't see Halo 3 multiplayer cross-platforming with Recon multiplayer.

[2Times]

Found this on Bungie website. You guys know a lot already, but this may answer some of your questions and speculations.
Bungie.net : Inside Bungie : News

Adrift in Tokyo

Since Brian is still wearing his Sailor Moon costume and having his picture taken at the show and Shishka is overcome with jealousy at the costume’s authenticity, here’s a bit of information in yet another slow newsweek for Bungie.

Bungie happily announced Halo 3: Recon, earlier this week at TGS during the Microsoft Keynote speech to attendees of the Tokyo-based show. In the keynote’s wake there’s been a whole mess of questions about Halo 3: Recon that we’re going to clear up below.

What is Halo 3: Recon?

Halo 3: Recon is a standalone, disc-based campaign expansion to Halo 3. It will be available at fine retailers around the globe in Fall of 2009.


I read on some Liveblog that Master Chief got out of the drop pod?

Negative, ghost rider. Instead of playing as the Master Chief (like players did in Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3) in H3: Recon, players take control of an ODST (an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) who entered orbit just after the slipspace rupture on New Mombasa (that event, you recall, took place as Regret left the planet – and in Halo 2, you followed him as the Chief). Now, players will learn more about what happened on New Mombasa during some of the events of Halo 2.



Is Halo 3 : Recon a 3rd person / squad based shooter?

Nope. "Recon" is definitely first person and it's definitely still a Halo game as you've come to know it. That said, playing as an ODST in this new setting will bring some new twists to the gameplay.



How much will Halo 3 : Recon cost?

The price point has not yet been determined. While there will be a lot of content to enjoy and a great deal of replayability, this is still viewed as an expansion to Halo 3 more so than its equal.



We saw Assembly at PAX 2008, when will we get more downloadable content for Halo 3?

The Mythic Map Pack will be made available via Xbox Live Marketplace in early 2009. “Winter,” as they say. As soon as we have more details we will certainly share them.



Will the Recon campaign content or the other multiplayer maps be available through Xbox LIVE Marketplace?

Beyond the Mythic Map Pack early next year, there are no plans to release other portions of the Recon package outside of the retail box.


Is there a multiplayer component to Halo 3: Recon?

There are multiplayer maps that will appear as a part of the Halo 3: Recon package. This includes the aforementioned Mythic Map Pack in addition to a few others. You can also experience the entire Recon campaign cooperatively with up to 4 players.



Will we get to play as ODSTs in multiplayer now?

No. The multiplayer maps included with the retail package are straight up Halo 3 multiplayer maps. The ODST and other components that make up the Recon campaign are in a separate bucket and not crossing over into the competitive multiplayer realm. Think of it as two games in one.



Will the Halo 3 : Recon multiplayer maps work with "regular" copies of Halo 3?

If you purchase the Mythic Map Pack early next year via Marketplace and your friend waits and gets them with the Halo 3 : Recon retail package next Fall, you can still play together. The multiplayer maps are all part of the Halo 3 "title ID" family, regardless of where or how you get them.



What about other features from Halo 3?

Halo 3: Recon will still make use of Screenshots, Forge and Saved Films just like Halo 3 does.



Will Halo 3 : Recon have new achievements? Are these the same as the ones already "leaked" online?

There are actually two separate buckets for new achievements. The multiplayer achievements will be considered additive to your existing Halo 3 gamerscore. Some of these will be available when the Mythic Map Pack is released on Marketplace early next year. The Recon campaign will include a complete set of unique achievements and a full bounty of 1000 gamerscore to obtain.



This dude at 7-11 told me that there’s a new Campaign version of Forge coming?

Get your Slurpee somewhere else. The maps included with Halo 3: Recon certainly support Forge and the functionality it affords players. But, there isn’t a new Campaign Forge being added to the Halo 3 experience.



I read somewhere that this is the last Halo game Bungie is making. Say it isn't so!

We're not ready to discuss the other projects underway within the studio right now but Halo 3 : Recon does represent the final basket of goodness that we will be delivering for the Halo trilogy. There are no more offshoots or side stories in the works.



Is this the game that Bungie was intending to announce at E3?

Yes, we are happy to finally be able to pull back the curtain and share our latest project with our fans.



Will Halo 3 : Recon still use the Halo 3 engine?

Yes, this is very much an extension of the Halo 3 you have come to know and love complete with all the features included with the original game.



Is this all Bungie has been working on since becoming independent last October?

"Recon" represents one of several projects that we have underway within the Studio but it's the nearest to release and the only one we're able to talk about for now.



If this is an expansion built on top of the existing Halo 3 engine, why will it take two years to create?

Development of "Recon" actually just began in earnest this past Spring. This project is in the hands of a small team and represents our most ambitious release cycle yet as a Studio.

[Justintiime]

Quo, this is my spin on it:

Halo 3 Recon and Halo 3 multiplayer both are the same. Halo 3 Recon will hav e the same maps on the disc as halo 3, and may even have all the new/recent maps included too. So yes, players of both games can play against each other.

The file share/screen shot/bungie pro etc all will be the SAME with recon.

I also think that they may include "specific" map packs that will launch with Recon, but will also be available as "DLC" for Halo 3 so they can all play the same maps.


I could be far off, but its fun to guess

[Wondermonkey]

Thanks for posting that 2Times.

Ok, so here's the deal. Recon doesn't have it's own multiplayer. It doesn't have any multiplayer. The only multiplayer will still be in Halo 3.

That kind of sucks, but I can see why the do it. So the only thing we're really getting in Fall 2009 is new campaign content from the ODST's POV.

[Thornes70]

Is there a multiplayer component to Halo 3: Recon?

There are multiplayer maps that will appear as a part of the Halo 3: Recon package. This includes the aforementioned Mythic Map Pack in addition to a few others. You can also experience the entire Recon campaign cooperatively with up to 4 players.

This is all I needed to read to be interested. But if the TrunkMonkey is right about there not being any mp... is that gonna be worth it? I mean, how can a Halo game NOT have mp?

[Epyon MX]

There will be MP. My guess is that it'll use the same maps, but you'll have a bunch of ODSTs on the map. That works because they're both FPSs.

[Thornes70]

I'm gonna try looking around for some info about how the Halo chiefs will be different than these ODST characters... I mean, is it going to be the same ol' same ol' with jumping and frenzied attacks, shields, bomb throws & swords... Or are these guys gonna be weaker than the spartans or whatever the hell MC is?

[Aftrthought051]

Confused about Halo 3: Recon? Apparently some folks still are, so Bungie reps Luke Smith and Brian Jarrard wanted to get a few things out of the way, right off the bat, in our lovely afternoon Q&A session. Halo 3: Recon is not a tactical squad based shooter. Halo 3: Recon is not Splinter Cell: Halo. Halo 3: Recon is not Brothers In Arms: Halo. And there's a very, very good chance you'll never, ever run into Master Chief.
He, and the rest of the familiar Halo cast, won't be popping up for cameos. They're busy "relaxing" on the Delta Halo, saving the world and stuff. So what is Halo 3: Recon?
Halo 3: Recon is a first-person shooter, one that's going to feel very much like a Halo game; if it ain't broke, don't fix it, basically. Instead of playing a super space marine, however, you'll play an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), one who's not quite so burly or bad-ass.
That means you'll have to pick and choose your battles a bit more carefully than one faceless Spartan would.
Recon is a standalone release, not part of a title update or downloadable content. It will come with new Achievements totaling 1000 Gamerscore and a new aesthetic. The single player campaign, in which your ODST will clean up a Covenant infested city in New Mombasa, will feature plenty of dark, nighttime play.
That said, Bungie says "We're not viewing this as a full game." How that affects Recon's pricing, however, is still to be decided.
Should gamers view it as Bungie's metaphorical Half-Life: Opposing Force, giving Halo fans an alternate look at the events of previous games or merely a contract obligating Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s?
"I would think of it as our Frozen Throne," Luke Smith told us, pointing to Warcraft III's expansion as the best comparison.
Recon's multiplayer, however, is essentially Halo 3's multiplayer. That means saved films, four-player coop and the map editor Forge will work seamlessly with the expansion. But outside of a new bundle of maps, expect the proven same-old, same-old online play that currently satisfies some 900,000 unique Halo 3 players a day.
And now for the bad news: it appears that there are no plans for a Legendary-style Orbital Drop Shock Trooper helmet that one can trick out their cat with. Shame. What will our nation's retailers clog up their warehouses with, come Fall 2009?

What Is Halo 3: Recon? Here's What It's *Not*

this article answered my questions that alot of you are having. Will have multiplayer, essentially the same maps of Halo 3, but w/ the ODST, no cross game playing (Halo 3 Vs Halo 3 Recon) and the same gameplay. Was really hoping for squad gameplay or at the very least a cover mechanism.

[Thornes70]

one who's not quite so burly or bad-ass. That means you'll have to pick and choose your battles a bit more carefully than one faceless Spartan would.

That's what I was looking for, thanks!

It sounds to me like it's basically Halo3 but with different skins and toning down your shields (or removing them entirely), to be honest. That's cool, because I like playing versions with no shields and more powerful weapons... I'll probably wait to see what other people think before I buy it - but I'm def. keeping my eyes on it.

[KEEZY]

Fellas! I really think that Recon is single player. There will be MP on the disc, but it will be the Halo 3 multiplayer we know and love. Spartans, jumping and clemming. No ODST players in MP. The Mythic map pack is "part" of Recon, but is the OG Halo 3 MP. That's why the Mythic achievement points are part of Halo 3, and Recon will have it's own 1000 point SP achievements. It's all very confusing... I hope they have a podcast that explains it a bit better.

[Thornes70]

I think I get it now. They are giving us a new singleplayer/coop campaign and just using an additional game to put you into halo3 multiplayer.

I had to read that crap a few times to get that - I thought it was saying it would have a Recon mp that is built on the Halo3 engine (sort of like CoD4 and CoD:WaW). Yes, it's very confusing.

[mrsako]

Originally Posted by Quo

Not sure I get that. So will people with the Recon disc in be able to play against people with the H3 disc in? (I suppose there will be a new playlist that allows Recon players to play with normal H3 players, but not the other way around??)

And what about the criss-crossing. If as an ODST you're not as beefy, will the multiplayer be different? It seems like it has to be different in SP based on what they are saying. It just seems hard to believe that they would abandon the new character for multiplay in his own game... so you end up with 2 different things: 1) a new SP game with a less beefy character and 2) new maps for H3. I just don't see how they can have the two totally unrelated.

From the sounds of it, it will be not unlike valves series of half life/cs games. Where each game is essentially the same game (gameplay wise), but they all have different characters,weapons,and graphics. So even though it's released as a separate game, it will not feel like a different game.

This also means you could only play people who have the same disc in, but the experience would be seamless (ie when you "switch" over to the other game, you just pop in the appropriate disc). Not saying halo will be this way, but this is how Half-life was (and almost any PC game who release games in a similar fashion)

This sort of release doesn't really excite me, in Halo 1 I was all into the story, in halo 2 and 3 I felt the story drift away from me, it simply just got less exciting as the time went on (not sure why). Since I was not real into the 2 and 3 stories, I don't think I'll be too informed of the story to play a game that takes place in between halo 2 and 3.

Playing this game from the perspective of a marine does sound cool, It would be even more cool if there are other spartans in the game, and your just one of the expendables with an assault rifle. From the sounds of it though, your just going to be a protagonist like MC, but no shields or something, which sounds lame.

I'll probably end up buying it anyways just because it is halo though.

BTW that trailer analysis video was insane. That guy had to of watched the entire trailer over and over in 1/10th regular speed or something to point out some of that stuff. I'm sure bungie is laughing their asses off (assuming there are no secret messages in the trailer)