Bungie intros Halo 3's ATV

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Bungie Studios is up to its old tricks. The maker of the Halo franchise is once again slowly trickling details about its upcoming game, the surefire top-seller Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. But instead of talking game mechanics, storyline, or basic release details, the developers are concentrating on one new vehicle--the Mongoose. The brief, posted on Bungie.net, on the M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle (as it is formally known) is written as part of a Legends of Halo series, a faux military report on the "Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present." The hard details for gearheads see the two-man vehicle with a top speed of 60mph (96kph), a weight of 896 pounds (406 kilograms), and a "1,000cc liquid-cooled, longitudinally mounted, four-stroke, hydrogen-injected ICE." As mentioned in previous reports, the Mongoose won't feature a mounted weapon ("The (M274) is definitely the most Buddhist land-based motive system in the UNSC's arsenal," harps one marine). The vehicle is intended solely for reconnaissance or quick transport of infantry, but in a pinch, its speed makes a great escape pod for a flag carrier in a game of capture the flag. Though veteran drivers of Halo 2's Warthog should be fairly familiar with the Mongoose's handling, one space marine cautions that the vehicle is "unarmored, noisy, and prone to rollover." The report stresses the Mongoose's speed and acceleration, saying that it's too quick to be damaged by small-arms fire. On the other hand, Bungie does not consider the Spartan laser--a new shoulder-mounted energy weapon that takes three seconds to power up before discharging--"small arms." "The Mongoose's biggest foe on the battlefield will likely be the Spartan laser," reads the article. "The laser's three-second warm-up can make all the difference between a kill and a wasted shot, however...As soon as you see the little red beam following you (and if you're near enough, you'll hear the weapon heating up), it's wise to count off a second and then swerve the hell out of the way to make as difficult a target as possible." Bungie also gives a few examples of the proper use of vehicles on two of the game's multiplayer maps, Valhalla and High Ground. However, details on these maps are sparse, with Bungie only copping to a user-controlled "protective gate" (which allows speedy Mongooses to take control of the map when opened) in High Ground and a downed Pelican in the center of Valhalla. Halo 3 is due out later this year, with a public beta test beginning this spring.