Halo 3: ODST landing down under on September 22

LOS ANGELES--With the first public demonstration of Halo 3: ODST completed at this morning's Microsoft E3 press conference in Los Angeles, the software giant's Australian arm was quick to follow up, confirming that Australia would also be receiving the highly anticipated expansion pack when it lands around the world on September 22.

In the game, which is set a few weeks before the events of Halo 3, players will step into the shoes of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) called Rookie. As plans have a habit of doing during war, things go wrong when Rookie's drop capsule is separated from his squad, and he's left to fend for his own in New Mombasa. As previously stated in last year's announcement of ODST, our hero will be relying more on stealth to make up for his lack of the supersoldier skills that Master Chief boasts. To help him along the way, Bungie showed off some of the Rookie's new gear, including night-vision goggles and a sound suppressor for his guns, which lets him take out opponents quietly. Halo fans will also be excited to hear that the M6 Magnum from the original game will also be making an appearance.

For the full rundown on the Halo 3: ODST demonstration, be sure to check out our impressions here. For more from the show, check out GameSpot's complete coverage of E3 2009.