Halo 3 ad reveals new gadget

The Halo 3 movie that aired last night on ESPN didn't give away much, but what it did reveal will have fans of the series arguing for weeks.

Is that Master Chief as a child? And was that a dream or a flashback? Will he and his creepily animated buddy meet again? Or have we already met that other character?

What exactly does our hero use to create that shimmering bubble shield? A grenade, a charge... maybe the controller's still shrouded "X" button? Can it deflect anything? Does it really take that long to engage? Or does "X" cause Master Chief to perform a dashing move, as he does near the end?

What about those Brutes? Are they the usual breed, or do their updated assault rifles - and their leader's hammer - hint at a different sort of enemy?

We found details in each of the screens above thattease at new gameplay or story directions for the Halo universe. Click through them to see for yourself... or get a bigger look by clicking on the Images tab above and "supersizing" them individually.

We've also uploaded the movie so that you can find your own hidden secrets. Find the Movies tab, launch the video player, then select "Halo 3 - Monday Night Football TV Spot 12-05-06". You can even go full screen by double clicking on the teaser as it plays. It only ran once on TV, but on the internet, it lives forever.

Finally, if you browse your way over to Halo 3'sofficial website, you can register yourself for the upcoming multiplayer beta. Entering your info doesn't guarantee selection, as far as we know, but you should probably get counted before the whole page shuts down from over trafficking.

December 5, 2006