The A-Z of Halo 3

W is for Weapons

It goes without saying that Halo 3 will introduce new weapons to the series. In fact, one of the main causes of controversy in the announcement trailer was the fact that Mr Chief was grasping what seemed to be the discontinued Assault Rifle from Halo. The Halo graphic novel also hinted at a few other changes to his arsenal showing pictures of silenced SMG's and the infamous Flamethrower. Fans are currently going nuts at the idea of these making an appearance. The original Assault Rifle was a fan favorite, andmany were up in arms at its removal from Halo 2. Recent updates from Bungie confirmed that we'll be seeing a new incarnation of this beloved gun, a more powerful version with increased effective range anda smaller clip - sort of an Assault Rifle/ Battle Rifle hybrid. Also confirmed is the Spartan Laser, a super-high powered death ray that's so badass, it doesn't fire for a full three seconds after you pull the trigger. Three seconds to fry an incoming Warthog? Not too shabby. As for the Flamethrower, PC users have been torching enemies for years... it's about time us console owners had our turn.

X is for X06

With the steady flow of information coming out of Bungie HQ these days, development of Halo 3 is much farther along the line than originally thought. X06 proved that last September with even more Halo 3 reveals, and further tastes of what's in store for us this year. Excited? Yeah!

Y is for Yellow Hog

Infamous civilian version of the Warthog, only ever realized in in-game billboards in Halo 2. With the adventure actually taking place predominantly on Earth this time round, maybe we'll have a little GTA-style any-vehicle-will-do kinda play. The streets of New Mombasa were littered with civilian vehicles in Halo 2. It'd be nice for them to serve more purpose than simply blowing up.

Z is for Zombies

The fan-created gametype known as Zombiebecame quite popular onXbox Live. One player starts on the green team (Zombies), with everyone else on the red team (Humans). Zombies can only use swords, but Humans may use pistols or shotguns. When a Human dies, they switch teams, and the last Human player alive wins. This gametype is expected to make a proper appearance in Halo 3. It's thought that the Flood will be playable now in multiplayer along with a handful of other characters, such as Marines and Brutes. The only question left is with regards to balancing. It wouldn't be very sporting to pit a regular Marineagainst a super-strongSpartan, now would it?