Halo 3 is getting updated with jetpacks when it appears in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Halo 3 is the next game coming to collection, following the addition of Halo 2 on PC earlier this year.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has proven to be a massive undertaking for 343 Industries, with releases of new games in the series being juggled with updates to existing entries. Fans of the game got some good news recently, when 343 announced that it was adding Firefight mode to Halo 3: ODST, after the game launched without its fan-favorite multiplayer option. Halo 3 also got some attention recently, with a PC beta test of its campaign and multiplayer modes that ran in the middle of June.
With the test finished, Halo 3 is closer than ever to being added to The Master Chief Collection. With its release getting closer, 343 Industries has revealed some exciting details about what fans can expect when it goes live. In a blog post detailing lots of technical and artistic work being done on the game, 343 Industries announced that Halo 3 will be getting a surprising addition: jetpacks. According to the developer, jetpacks were initially prototyped for Halo: Combat Evolved, but scrapped before release. A cheat remained in the game to let developers use them, but steering required some complicated button combos. For the release of Halo 3, the developers decided to make the jetpack cheat an official part of the game and change its controls to function like the jetpacks in Halo Reach. Halo 3’s jetpacks will be tied to a new skull, making them a unique reward for dedicated players rather than a core part of the game.
As 343 Industries works to port and modernize classic Halo games for new players, it’s also looking ahead to the next games in the series. The developer is also working on Halo Infinite, which will launch on Xbox Series X at an unspecified date. In addition to the anticipated next entry in the long-running franchise, 343 is reportedly working on a separate unannounced Halo project, as indicated by a recent job listing.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a project a long time in the making, but it’s worth waiting for to fans of the beloved series. Adding jetpacks as an optional skull modifier is a great move from the developer, letting purists play the game exactly as they remember it while offering something new to spice up the experience for those who want it.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available on Xbox One and PC.
Source: 343 Industries