/Just Spooged In Pants

Despite how incredibly nerdy it may be, I can't help but find myself ecstatic that the inevitable has been confirmed - a new Halo game.

The now titled Halo 3: Recon was originally supposed to debut at E3, but there was a minor fiasco in which Microsoft requested that the heavily-teased secret unveiling be delayed. It has only made the arrival of the details that much sweeter.

About two weeks ago, a teaser trailer simply called "Keep It Clean" showed up on Bungie.net, and fueled a ton of speculation - was it an entirely new game? If so, why did Halo 3's logo appear at the end? Gamespot had a great analysis, offering a number of interpretations to the trailer:

Though nothing is official yet, the title in question appears to be the "Halo Recon" project that has been rumored for months. A source told GameSpot in July the project will be "a cross between Ghost Recon and Gears of War." Instead of following the Halo franchise's usual protagonist--the SPARTAN super-soldier Master Chief--it will supposedly follow the exploits of a squad of colonial marines in a "less cartoony" and "more bloody, violent, and grim" tale of a battle between UNSC forces and the pan-racial religious empire known as the Covenant.

Well, they hit the nail on the head so far. Although the style of the game hasn't been revealed, it has been confirmed that the title is literally Halo 3: Recon, and it is an entirely new campaign with a new hero.

Personally, I embrace the idea of getting away from the series' iconic character. Players are really just interested in his abilities, rather than his personality, which is basically non-existent. As long as this "new hero" isn't a clone of him and has a decent backstory, we may have a winner. As far as gameplay goes, I'll take anything I can get. All three of the Halo games have brought me thousands upon thousands of hours of joy, and I don't expect any less from this installment. I just wish it was coming out sooner than Fall 2009.