“Hey… check it out!” “No way! A Spartan?” “For real? You better not be…” “No, man, he’s here! We’re gonna be alright!” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
The second level of Halo 3 starts out – for me, at least – reminiscent of the second level of the first Halo game. Upon hearing those lines by the marines, I was immediately reminded of the dialogue spoken by the marines on Halo, the second level of the first game: as you finish off the first battle with the Covenant, and approach the marines, one of them expresses disbelief that a Spartan is there. The idea of the marines’ godlike view of the Spartans is prevalent throughout the Halo series, both in the novels and the games.
I like Johnson’s answer to Miranda’s question of where he found the Chief: “Out back. Nappin’.” And I find it interesting that only the three of them are in the conversation; the Arbiter is neither addressed, nor does he speak. The interaction between the humans and their new allies is definitely interesting to watch.
Miranda quickly summarizes what Bungie had been telling us in the months leading up to Halo 3’s release – that the Covenant came to Earth not to wipe out humanity, but to seek out an artifact buried beneath the African soil. Behind her, Johnson tends to an injured marine.
In fact, Miranda pretty much summarizes everything that’s taken place during the end of the last game and the time leading up to this one: that Delta Halo did not fire, but that the Covenant are seeking out “the Ark,” which can fire all of the Halos at once, which, by the Chief’s own description, “will kill us all.”
Lord Hood is brought into the discussions, at which point the Chief, and you, as the player, are given the first major plotline of the game: to neutralize a Covenant anti-air battery, so that Lord Hood can initiate a low-level strike against the Covenant Dreadnought. Halfway through the conversation, the power is cut, which I thought was a great device to catch your attention and break away from the past few minutes’ worth of pure dialogue.
“You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking, what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No, your world will burn until its surface is but glass. And not even your demon will live to creep, blackened from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage – the culmination of our Journey, for your destruction is the will of the gods! And I? I am their instrument!” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
A great speech, drawing upon the essence of what the Prophet believes. The final line contains the very first words that humanity ever heard from the Covenant, after the destruction of Harvest:
“Your destruction is the will of the gods… and we are their instrument.” [The Fall of Reach, pg. 98]
At this point, Miranda orders the evacuation of the facility, realizing that the Covenant have their location.
“Ma’am, squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?” “To war.” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
Ouch. Miranda walks away, leaving the Chief, the Arbiter, Johnson, and the marine that had asked for a rally point, staring at her. A friend of mine commented that the marine should have said, “No, seriously, this isn’t a joke, where should I tell them to go?”
The player is given control at this point, even though directions haven’t been given regarding what to do about the incoming assault. I thought that this was a good way to decrease the length of the cutscene, while still providing the guidance and story elements that the player requires. You’re able to move around while the marine informs Miranda that their motion trackers are going offline, and that Phantoms are inbound. Another marine says there are more wounded than he expected, and that they all have to be evacuated.
Use this chance to grab the Black Eye skull.
It can be seen in the center of this screenshot, on top of the pipe. Use the structures at the bottom center of the screen to jump up onto the pipe.
Nathan Fillion’s character makes another appearance here, barking out orders to his subordinates.
Marty’s music here is very fitting, with the repeated melody overlaid on the rhythmic snare beats which seem to fit the UNSC base environment quite well.
I feel bad for the marines on the Warthog that you encounter as you enter into the battle; I’ve tried to save them, but have never been successful. According to , it is very hard, if not impossible, to prevent the ‘hog from exploding.
It is impossible to save the warthog here. We didn’t want the player’s first experience with a driveable warthog to be underwhelming if someone got it accidentally. There isn’t that much room to move in this corridor. [DMiller, Bungie]
Instead of taking the left into the corridors, continue down and to the right. You’ll find two marines, voiced by actors from the popular machinima, Red vs. Blue. One of them is attempting to get past a door, with the other marine responding from inside.
“Hey! Open up!” “What’s the password?” “Password? Oh man, I forgot.” “Forgot… what?” “I forgot the password.” “See, that was almost right. See, the password begins with “I forgot,” but ends differently. Try again.” “No, I mean, I forgot the password.” “No, okay, see, you – you got it wrong again. See, you said the same thing as last time.” “I’m being serious; I don’t know the password!” “No, no, no, see, you changed the first part. See, that – that part was the right part. See, now you’ve got the whole thing wrong!” “No! I forgot what the password is, and I just need you to open the door!” “Alright, come on, man, now you’re just guessing!” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
This dialogue changes based on the difficulty you’re playing on.
Moving into the next area, I’m reminded of the excellent job Bungie did with the marines’ random dialogue in this game; I really enjoy the marines’ responses to the Chief’s actions; the timing is perfect. In the hangar area, I was climbing up a staircase, and as I passed a Grunt, I shot and killed him. I continued up the staircase and passed a marine who casually said, “Nice shot, Chief!”
You also have the chance here to grab a turret. The third-person animations for the Chief are perfect – the Chief’s movements really seem to convey the idea that this incredibly strong man is carrying a massively heavy item. The Chief looks like a real killing machine holding a turret (or any support weapon).
The turrets spawn randomly – but one always spawns on the lower level and one always spawns on the higher level. [DMiller, Bungie]
It’s in the hangar that I first noticed Adam Baldwin’s marine – he played Jayne Cobb in Firefly. His lines in Halo 3 are fitting of his character from the show.
I’m also fairly positive that Alan Tudyk (Wash) can be heard in this area.
Watching the Pelican pull out, pick up the marines, and fly out of the hangar is a rewarding finish to this encounter. It gives you a sense of accomplishment to see the marines that were fighting with you escape to (relative) safety.
Johnson calls you back to the Ops Center, beginning your first set of backtracking. I think that it works in this case for multiple reasons: it works for establishing the base as a military base, rather than a level; it’s less like you’re linearly moving through a level, and more like you’re just defending the installation. Secondly, the backtracking is very short. It doesn’t take more than a minute to retrace your steps, and get back to a previous location. I think that providing a sandbox environment like this level does, does a good job of harkening back to the days of the first level of Halo 1, even though you can’t choose which area you want to tackle first.
Wow, are Drones introduced well in this game; the marine giving you instructions and then getting pulled into the air is awesome. Too bad we knew what was going to happen because of the E3 trailer. Providing a crate of BRs and plenty of cover makes for a great encounter with Drones, and unlike most Drone encounters in Halo 2, I really enjoy playing this one. Although, on Legendary, there do seem to be slightly too many Drones at this section.
Most people ignore the Covenant shield. If you place one in front of a turret, you can murder the drones pretty easily. (Covenant shields can be shot through one-way with most bullet-based weapons). [DMiller, Bungie]
Arriving back at the Ops Center, you see the bomb, and hear Miranda tell Johnson, “you might want to put that out,” referring to his cigar. He actually tosses it to the ground and stamps it out.
This encounter is one of my favorite in the game; eight Brutes, one with invincibility and a Hammer, all of them with the higher ground, and no way for you to flank them – it all makes for a tough fight.
As you leave this area and drop down into the pipe area, Cortana flashes in with a line.
“You have been called upon to serve.” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
Here’s an excerpt from The Fall of Reach; Dr. Halsey has just had the seventy-five children that will be trained as Spartans abducted from their homes, and taken to the planet Reach. Following is the first thing she says to them upon their arrival:
Dr. Halsey took a tentative step forward. “You have been called upon to serve,” she explained. “You will be trained… and you will become the best we can make of you.” [The Fall of Reach, pg. 30]
The Drones flying through the pipes and crossing your path were a nice touch, because, in the novels, their primary purpose is not fighting; Drones are technicians aboard the Covenant ships, able to excel in their duties due to their ability to fly and their multiple limbs. Their actions here seem to reinforce that idea; they don’t want to fight you, they are just trying to get to where they have been ordered to go.
I called this ‘Halo frogger’ during development- you can sneak by the drones if you so chose. This used to be far more unforgiving, where if you were spotted, 15-20 drones would come out. We toned it down because this area is meant to be more of a ‘cool down’ area than a hardcore battle- especially between two of the bigger brute encounters in the game. [DMiller, Bungie]
Before you leave this section, be sure to grab the second skull of this level, Grunt Birthday Party. Right before you drop down the pipe at the end, inch your way over the edge; there’s a lower area that you runs underneath the grating that you’ve just been walking down. Drop onto it, and turn around – the skull is easily seen.
“The prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Or all your hives will perish.” You can hear the Arbiter shout these lines to a group of Drones that he’s fighting, as you drop down the pipe into a large, cavernous area.
“Spartan. The Brutes have taken some of your soldiers; as prisoners or meat for their bellies, I do not know. In case some yet live, we must be careful where we shoot.” I can’t praise enough O’Connor, Staten, or whoever wrote the Arbiter’s lines for this game. Everything he says is so well-written, and Keith David does a perfect job voicing him.
Entering the barracks is rough; not because of actual fighting, but because it’s terrible to see the marines being held upside down by their ankles, and thrown about by the Brutes. It’s always a good feeling to stick a Spike grenade to a Brute holding a marine, or to headshot one in time for the marine to escape. The first marine you have the chance to save in this encounter is voiced by Alan Tudyk. Be sure to kill his Brute captor if you want to hear him throughout the rest of the encounter. I’m not sure if it happens every time, but in this area, I’ve been lucky enough to have Fillion, Tudyk, and Baldwin all three with me at the same time.
The music in this area is taken from the first level of Halo 1; you can hear it at the very end of that level, leading up to your escape from the Pillar of Autumn.
At one point in this section, you round a corner, and on the left, there are a group of marines sitting down. While you’re battling, you can hear them muttering; it can actually be pretty eerie at first, since you can actually hear them before you see them, and their voices are so low that they’re almost inaudible at first; you hear them just as slight whispers, so soft that it can be hard to tell if you’re imagining it. When you’ve cleared the area of Brutes, the marines are ordered to their feet and the mutterings stop. It was pretty odd, the first time I heard it. It still is.
As you exit the barracks, the Arbiter consoles you, saying, “we did all we could. Let us move the survivors up to the hangar.” I find it interesting that he is attempting to keep the Chief from feeling guilty over the deaths of any marines.
Not many people know about the vents and side door in this encounter that can be used to flank around enemies. There are seven marines here to save. Try to catch them all! There are a ton of weapons in this part, make sure you are fully loaded when you leave. [DMiller, Bungie]
This next encounter is really fun; a packof Brutes with jet-packs attack. Damaging the packs on their backs will send them careening away.
Next, Johnson informs you that you’ll have to clean up after him again – last time, he was captured by the Brutes, and required rescue. This time, a pack of Brutes overpowered him, and forced him out of the Ops Center. You’re told to regain control and rearm the bomb.
Before you leave the jet-pack area, head through the door on the right; the one that a few Brutes came out of during the jet-pack fight. If you follow the hallways up to an overlook-area, then you can grab a cloak that will make the Chieftain fight much easier.
The door is on the right; the area you’re heading towards is at the top. You can actually break the glass and drop back down onto the pad, rather than backtracking through the hallways. Watch out for the Pelican on the way down!
Yes, if you look carefully, Miranda is in the Pelican Driver’s seat when she comes to pick you up. [DMiller, Bungie]
Another Cortana flash occurs at this point:
You will become the protectors of Earth and all her colonies.” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
Again, taken directly from The Fall of Reach – actually, from a section I quoted earlier, but left out the last line. Here it is in its entirety:
Dr. Halsey took a tentative step forward. “You have been called upon to serve,” she explained. “You will be trained… and you will become the best we can make of you. You will become the protectors of Earth and all her colonies.” [The Fall of Reach, pg. 30]
I find it really interesting that the word “protectors” is kept plural for the game, since no other Spartans have ever been mentioned, or seen, in the games. The marines often refer to the Chief as “a Spartan,” but there has never been a direct reference to the fact that other Spartans exist. However, Cortana is clearly speaking to a group of individuals, here, rather than just the Chief. For those who have read the books, this is nothing special, of course.
Fighting down through the corridors, you can hear a great piece of music; known as “Brutes,” in Halo 3, it draws on a theme that is reused often in the game, but originally heard in Halo 1 as “Under Cover of Night.” The melody is soft enough at this section that many players may miss it.
Entering the Ops Center, if you hold off on attacking, you can overhear a conversation between a Brute and the Prophet of Truth:
“Success, Holy One. We have taken their Command Center!” “Have you discovered how they plan to stop me?” “Not just yet, Noble Prophet.” “Find out what I need to know, or your place on the path is forfeit. Tell me you understand!” “Yes, Holy One. It shall be done.” “Have the Drones scour these machines! Find out what these heathens know about the Ark!” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
Use the cloak you grabbed earlier to assassinate the Chieftain. I’ve noticed that sometimes, after assassinating the Chieftain, one of the Brutes will say: “He’s got camouflage! Be careful…”
Sometimes I prefer not to use the cloak; the fight in the Ops Center is a great example of a really well done “boss battle.” The Brute Chieftain wields a Fuel Rod Cannon, and he has a finite amount of health – there is no special tactic required to beat him, such as waiting for another character to bring down his shields, or acquiring a certain weapon that he is vulnerable to. You have the higher ground, your space is limited – and his weapon has a wide area of splash damage. And when you’ve defeated him, you’re rewarded with his Fuel Rod Cannon.
For a long time during development, the Hammer Chieftain once again appeared here. He had problems with this environment and a lot of the other designers were using a Flak Cannon Chieftain, so I threw him in there and he worked pretty well. [DMiller, Bungie]
The escape section of this level is great – the flashing lights and alarms force a sense of urgency upon you, and the game allows you to acquiesce to this feeling by only placing panicked Grunts and a few Jackals and Drones in your path, which you can kill, or simply run past.
The buggers were a welcome last-minute addition to this scene. I originally wanted a timer on the bomb so the player actually felt pressure to get out, but a lot of people at Bungie reacted pretty strongly against this idea. [DMiller, Bungie]
Cortana makes another appearance here:
“There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead.” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
This is, again, taken from Dr. Halsey’s first meeting at Reach with the group of young, in-training Spartans.
“The training will be difficult. There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead, but I know you will all make it.” [The Fall of Reach, pgs. 30-31]
After encountering another group of fleeing Grunts, accompanied by some Drones, Cortana speaks again:
“You will become the best we can make you.” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
This is taken from a speech by Dr. Halsey that I’ve already quoted twice before:
Dr. Halsey took a tentative step forward. “You have been called upon to serve,” she explained. “You will be trained… and you will become the best we can make of you. You will become the protectors of Earth and all her colonies.” [The Fall of Reach, pg. 30]
The final escape through the hanger is relatively easy, too, with only panicked Grunts and a few more Jackals standing in your way. The Phantom, which dropped them off, flees as soon as you enter the hangar.
If you notice in the background (on the hangar floor) you’ll see grunts running back to the phantom that’s fleeing the scene. [DMiller, Bungie]
As you enter the elevator and begin your descent, the bomb that you armed detonates, and Cortana speaks one last time. Let me first quote Dr. Halsey’s version:
“This place will become your home,” Dr. Halsey said in as soothing a voice as she could muster. “Your fellow trainees will be your family now.” [The Fall of Reach, pg. 30]
What Cortana says here is made more powerful by its variation from Dr. Halsey’s original lines.
“This place will become your home… This place will become your tomb.” [Crow’s Nest, Halo 3]
Crow’s Nest ends while casting further confusion on Cortana’s current mental state. However, there’s not much time left to dwell on that – the next level is Tsavo Highway, where you’ll finally be set free of the confining spaces that have been placed upon you so far.
Check out the for the Legendary saved film and a few gameplay tips; and stop by the Ascendant Justice to read discussions regarding various aspects of Halo 3’s campaign.