Halo 3

If some good came out of the Games Convention in Leipzig last week (beyond a free Sony blanket and a nasty hangover), it was the chance to be convinced that Halo 3 really is almost all its cracked-up to be, and take a fresh first-hand look at the game.

Hype is a strange beast, and, perhaps recognising this, Bungie community chap Brian Jarrard was keen to take us on a tour of the title, highlighting two of the key features you won't be finding anywhere else (though will almost certainly inspire other titles post-launch).

The new 'Forge' mode is the first thing Jarrard is bristling to show us, explaining that the new mode really has two parts: editing and community. It is, however, not a map editor, but rather a neat method of changing the way Halo 3 levels play on the fly. For example, using a multiplayer level as a demonstration, Jarrard culls health packs, moves re-spawn points (to some ludicrous locations), adds teleporters, and generally offers his vision of how the game should play.

Jarrard informs us that you'll be able to save these Forge-based reconstruction efforts to Xbox Live, for enjoying with other gamers, and Bungie are understandably keen to see how the community will change their existing level designs. But as we mentioned before, Forge is a mode of two parts, and the second is most definitely social. You see, while you can spend ages altering the balance of certain maps prior to play, using Forge you can also change stuff on the go - with up to eight of your pals.

Such editing takes place on the fly, during combat if you wish, and the social side of all this is something Bungie seem very proud of. Becoming a monitor during play and lifting yourself high above the action, you might tell your comrade to leap onto a nearby crate, which using your omniscient powers you'll then be able whizz around the level - giving your friend the opportunity to pick off the enemy from high above the map on a moving platform.

Jarrard laughs with child-like glee as he demonstrates this, and I can't help be impressed by the opportunities presented by such freedom, allowing players to be as silly or serious as they like in moulding Halo 3 into the experience they might wish it to be - were they wearing Bungie's massive loafers.

The community boss has more to show us than Forge, however, and is very keen to demonstrate a little of the singleplayer game and the opportunities it presents. Thusly, we're taken taken to the 'Tsavo Highway', the third level in the game and the first with vehicles. The singleplayer game promises to explore the reason for the Covenant's interest in the African desert, as Master Chief battles to defeat the alien race on Earth, while the whereabouts of the Flood remains a mystery.

Jarrard kicks off the level with a briefing, before which Master Chief heads to the garage to grab a warthog, our guide explaining that more vehicles will be offered in the event that you're playing in the game's much-touted (up to four player) co-op mode over Live or System Link.

Bursting out of cover we find ourselves in a vast landscape, the countryside, awash with hillsides, trees, foliage and lakes (Jarrard explains that one of Bungie's goals with the singleplayer was to create more expansive environs, with more choices). Jarrard drives while the AI mans the gun turrett, picking off the enemies dotted around that Jarrard isn't already mowing down in comic fashion. Why don't you man the gun? Asks one member of our small audience. Jarrard leaps out and switches with the gunner, explaining that he doesn't always trust to him to drive as well as he can. The mission resumes, the AI driver appearing a little more erratic, while our Bungie rep explains that if he wished to he could sit out the mission entirely, simply sitting in the passenger seat picking off enemies at his leisure while the AI soldiers take care of business.

As we race through the level, Master Chief receives updates from other parts of the battlefield, cries for help, status updates, adding to the tension. But now it's time for something new - the saved films function. To demonstrate this Jarrard switches to a saved file of the same map recorded in a previous session, he explains that the movies use in-game code and can therefore be shared rapidly and simply via Live, and they will also be made available on the Bungie website. Viewing a replay of the action presents all manner of community opportunities, linked-in with profiles, chat, ratings and other complimentary features, allowing players to share their best and worst moments or even create their own narratives, based around other characters in the game.

Halo 3 also allows you to move the camera around freely, taking in parts of the level you wouldn't normally be able to see, battles progressing that you didn't even know existed. Pausing the action, you can take artistic / daft screenshots with the flick of a button, and all in all Jarrard can barely contain his enthusiasm for this new feature - which he believes will really set the community alight with possibilities.

But time is pressing, and our demonstration must end soon. We've had less than enough time to get a proper overview of the new Halo, but the in-depth look at certain elements Bungie has offered is certainly enough to convince that at least certain aspects are going to excel. We'll bring you more Halo 3 as the late September launches draw near.