More details have emerged about Bungie's upcoming standalone expansion Halo 3: Recon (360) from Game Informer magazine and CVG.

Players control The Rookie, a silent character part of a five-man ODST team dropped down to New Mombasa during the events of Halo 2.

The five members are split up throughout New Mombasa, and it's the player's responsibility to hunt down the four others in an open world. Upon reaching one teammate's last known location using new equipment like a PDA, players are presented with a crime scene "such as a sniper rifle hanging from a street light."

From there, a "Lost-style flashback" is triggered and players take control of the missing squadmate for a more traditional, linear Halo level.

Each of those levels is said to last 30 minutes, contributing to Bungie's estimations that the whole game is a "3 to 5-hour expansion."

The ODST troopers are reportedly shorter and slower than Halo... Read more

New details on Bungie's standalone Halo 3 expansion Recon (360) have arrived via the latest issue of Game Informer magazine and fansite Halo.Bungie.org.

Hitting retailers next fall, Recon--following the exploits of an ODST drop soldier before the events of Halo 3--is a "a three to five-hour expansion pack," according to Bungie's Paul Bertone. Bungie's Joe Staten added that "we do not view this as a $60 title."

The magazine also revealed that, after the release of Recon, all players will be able to earn the Recon Armor by completing the Vidmaster Challenge achievements. Currently, that armor is only available to hand-picked members of the Halo 3 community.

Bungie PR director Brian Jarrard hinted in an interview that Halo 3: Recon (360) may have some overlap with its base game, Halo 3, implying that the multiplayer features of the games may be cross-compatible in some places.

"The multiplayer stuff is interchangeable in that regard," said Jerrard to Joystiq, referring to multiplayer maps. The maps are "still considered 'regular' Halo 3 content," he explained. The Halo 3 world is set to get at least two more sets of multiplayer maps, one from the standalone Recon DVD and another from the Mythic Map Pack DLC expected sometime next year.

Jarrard used a hypothetical situation to illustrate that DLC maps, at the least, may play nicely no matter which version of Halo 3 is being played: "If you ... Read more

Bungie's Halo 3: Recon (X360) has been the subject of much rumor and speculation for months, and some of that still lingers after the game was made official during the Tokyo Game Show this week. With that in mind, let's look at what's set to enter into the standalone Halo series that arrives in Fall 2009.

Destructoid attended a TGS conference where it was made clear that the game takes place "during the events leading up to Master Chief's return to New Mombasa," meaning that the game takes place between the last two Halo games. The official launch trailer shows an Earth setting, and Bungie's Luke Smith echoed that fact: Recon is "less of a galactic romp" than the original Halo 3.

What isn't so clear is how gameplay might change. Promotional writing ... Read more

Expanding upon last night's official announcement and trailer of Halo 3: Recon (360), publisher Microsoft has confirmed that the Bungie-developed expansion will be a standalone DVD release that does not require the Halo 3 (360) to play.

Set prior to the events of Halo 3, Recon follows the exploits of a ODST drop soldier, which Microsoft claims will "greatly resemble that of previous Halo experiences" but "will require players to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before."

Packing exclusive new multiplayer maps, the title will sport all of Halo 3's community features, including four-player co-op, the Forge map editor, and Saved Films.

Halo 3: Recon is currently scheduled for a fall 2009 release.

Here now is the official Halo 3 Recon announcement trailer, fresh from TGS. The video builds on Bungie's original teaser, offering a few glimpses of the game's reconnoitering premise.

The prequel is slated for a fall 2009 release, bringing a new Halo 3 campaign and an unspecified number of multiplayer maps. It is unknown whether Halo 3 Recon will be a standalone expansion, downloadable content, or both.

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Microsoft has announced that the recently-teased Halo 3 campaign will be released in fall 2009.

The Halo 3 Recon campaign will serve as a prequel to the original Halo 3, featuring an USNC recon soldier as the hero, according to Kotaku. The expansion will also bring new multiplayer maps.

It now appears that Halo 3 Recon may receive a full retail release. Check back later for more details.

After months of teasing, speculation and delayed announcements for its next project, Halo creator Bungie continues the mystery with the below teaser trailer.

Though the video isn't explicitly clear as to what it is teasing, the Xbox Live Marketplace offers the following clarification: "High action and deep mystery await players in this new Halo 3 campaign experience. Prepare to drop!"

The video ends with a mention of Halo 3--which hit Xbox 360 exactly one year ago today--along with the phrase "Prepare to Drop." It also hints at something occurring on 01/06/09, as seen in this screen capture provided by NeoGAF user Tapiozona, with many speculating that the new campaign may arrive on that day.

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