Hello 'Halo'

If this is your first hop through the Halo universe, you've skipped some serious sci-fi: ancient alien weapons of mass destruction, caches of plasma grenades, parasitic hordes and the intergalactic skirmishes of the Spartan soldier we've come to love.Read below for a summation of what went down in the first two Halo games."Halo: Combat Evolved" (released Nov. 15, 2001)The 26th century isn't going too well for humanity. A coalition of alien races known as the Covenant has put holes in some of our favorite planets after years of bitter war. In an effort to turn the tide, mankind's remaining flagship, the Pillar of Autumn, hyperjumps to a mysterious, circular structure in orbit around a gas giant. This Halo is a prize of the Covenant, and they defend it well -- crippling the Autumn enough to force a crash-landing onto the loop.As Master Chief, the player emerges from an escape pod, wandering the terraformed ring accompanied by Cortana, the digitally-embedded brain of Autumn. Here, they discover the Halo to be an ancient weapon, one that the Covenant plans to use to cleanse space of lesser lifeforms so they can ascend to god-hood. Not a fan of galactic genocide, Master Chief detonates the Pillar of Autumn's engine core, shattering the Halo ring and narrowly escaping."Halo 2" (released Nov. 9, 2004)Ah, but there isn't one Halo, but seven. Still, the destruction of just one installation perturbs the Prophets, the governing body of the Covenant. The group demotes the officer that failed to defend the Halo to Arbiter, a kind of holy warrior/outcast, and sends him on a martyr mission. Initially loyal, soon the Arbiter sees the Halos for what they really are: massively-destructive devices, not the religious artifacts the Prophets hold them to be.As Master Chief and the Arbiter, the player encounters the Flood on a second Halo, a zombie-like horde that ultimately aids in taking down a few of the Prophets. Looking to close out the Covenant for good, Master Chief hitches a ride on a Covenant vessel bound for Earth, hoping to mop up the threat before it reaches home. As the ship approaches our atmosphere, an abrupt cliffhanger lets us know what we can look forward to in "Halo 3."Up your arsenalHere's a look at new weapons, equipment and vehicles in "Halo 3."Spartan LaserThis bullying beam becomes the heaviest hardware available in the "Halo 3" arsenal. After warming up with a three-second charge, the shoulder-mounted cannon is a guaranteed kill at any range. Line up a Warthog with one of these and it'll do more than pop a tire. FlamethrowerHow long does a Master Chief take to bake? If rocket launchers, detachable turrets and energy swords weren't enough, "Halo 3" puts napalm in your palms, not to mention incendiary grenades to complement this medium-range dragon. Bubble ShieldShiny armor or not, a well-placed plasma blast won't leave a Spartan standing for long. The bubble shield is meant as a last-ditch defense against the varied arms you'll encounter: Deploy the item with the X button, and a tripod will pitch a transparent energy tent that players can pass through, but munitions can't. MancannonCircus-inspired, these launch pads help replace the teleporters made popular in previous versions of "Halo." They can kick a Master Chief down the battlefield in a flash, but also leave you vulnerable to sniper fire while airborne. TripmineThe tripmine is one of four added pieces of equipment meant to act as wildcards within the already frenetic combat of "Halo." Deploying it will arm a proximity bomb that's best for dismantling vehicles or protecting a key area of the map. MongooseThe garage gets even bigger with the addition of this Warthog-lite. The two-man ATV doesn't sport a turret, but it's perfect for quick trips toward the enemy HQ. It's also handy for taxiing the flag carrier back to base.Hail Halo It has all the trappings of a summer blockbuster -- the ads, the merchandising, the hype. Only this time, you're the star.The third installment in the Halo franchise hits the shelves midnight Tuesday. What's changed? A lot, but we'll give you the skinny. Plus, coming this weekend, we'll post our first detailed look at the final version of "Halo 3" at beepcentral.com. 3 ways to pay, er, play ..."Halo 3" released not one, but three different retail packages. Here's what gamers walked away with.StandardPrice: $60 Features: "Halo 3" gameLimited Price: $70 Features: "Halo 3" game, boxed in metal collectible case; a disc of behind-the-scenes "making-of" footage; Halo fiction and art bookLegendaryPrice: $130 Features: "Halo 3" game in decorative cardboard box; miniature Spartan helmet replica with display stand; plastic stand-up case to house all three editions of Halo; documentary disc also bundled with the "limited" edition; remastered cinematics from the game on a second bonus disc, backed by developer commentary, storyboard art and content from the creators of the popular Halo machinima series "Red vs. Blue"; audio/video software for calibrating your home theater for "Halo 3"