Halo 3 will feature a four-player cooperative mode, according to hackers. According to Bungie and Microsoft, well, they don't comment on this kind of thing.
Bear in mind the huge caveat posted by a hacker and self-confessed
Halo fan calling him (or her)-self, 7th Columnist, that was posted following an indignant posting wave. "I shall state… this is not an official announcement. I am merely reporting what we have found in the code. It’s all in there, but as with anything, the final release may differ."
While digging around in the source code of the
Halo 3 beta, the crafty code miners supposedly found the following message:
The game cannot start because all players are set to observer. Too many players for splitscreen. Only 2 players may play splitscreen coop on the same Xbox 360 console. The party size is too large to start the game. Up to 4 players may play coop on Xbox Live or System Link. Loading information from Xbox Live...
The idea that the code is "all in there" is also open to question. Remember that this was beta code under scrutiny. So, this may well have a deal of dead ends, red herrings or even code left over from "that seems like a good idea" sessions. Therefore SPOnG is far from convinced that any 'discovered' code indicates anything more than the fact the it exists in a beta that was bound to be hacked by an Xbox community that loves modding.
SPOnG contacted Microsoft for for confirmation of the co-op mode but was met with, “We can't comment on that.”
As well as the alleged four player co-op mode, several new weapons and vehicles have been found along with a list of the available game modes. New weapons include the Excavator and the Gravity Hammer, while the Hornet and Chopper offer you new ways of getting around. As for the list of gameplay modes, cast your eyes downwards for the unabridged list:
Capture the Flag
Invade your opponent’s stronghold, heist their flag, and bring it back to your base to score.
Slayer
Kill as many of your opponents as you can. The player with the most points wins.
Oddball
Find the ball and hold on to it to earn time. The player with the most time wins.
King of the Hill
Gain control of the hill to earn time. Keep your opponents off and earn the most time to win.
Juggernaught
Work together to take down the Juggernaut. Beware, you kill the Juggernaut, you become the Juggernaut, and only the Juggernaut can win.
Territories
Find and control the territories on the map. The more territories you control, the faster you earn time.
Infection
Destroy the Flood or become infected. Score points for killing flood or big points for infecting a human. The player with the most points wins.
Assault
Da bomb!
V.I.P.
Protect the V.I.P. from dying at the hands of your opponents. If you are the V.I.P., you must stay alive or your opponents score a point.
SPOnG's retaining a healthy dose of scepticism at this point, lest those cheeky hackers are yanking our chain, but our fingers remain crossed that we will see this stuff turn up in the final game.
For all the latest on
Halo 3 check out SPOnG's
dedicated game page.Source: 7th Columnist