Halo 3: Recon Drops From Orbit

For some time now, Microsoft has been teasing gamers with talk of more titles set within the Halo Universe, from the upcoming Halo Wars real time strategy game to a mysterious Peter Jackson helmed Halo project. There was even an ambiguous trailer released last week from Bungie Studios about yet another mysterious Halo project. Well last night, at Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show press conference, the curtain was finally raised on that last one, as the company formally announced the development of the standalone expansion, Halo 3: Recon.

Halo 3: Recon is a standalone prequel of sorts to Halo 3. No Master Chief this time around either. Instead, the new game puts players in the role of the infamous Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs), also called “Hell Jumpers”. The storyline is said to take place during the Covenant invasion of New Mombasa, leading up to Master Chief’s return in Halo 3. Besides a new, full featured campaign, the game will also include Forge support, new multiplayer maps, different gameplay options, and new four player co-op play.

No exact date has been given for the release of Halo 3: Recon, short of a Fall 2009 timeframe. The game will be released as a standalone disc, so if you’re one of the three or four 360 owners out there without a copy of Halo 3 handy, you won’t have to miss out on the chance to “Keep It Clean”.