Halo 3: Recon to run 3-5 hours, not cost $60

Microsoft may have officially taken the wraps off of Halo 3: Recon at the Tokyo Game Show last month, but information beyond what GameSpot sleuthed out shortly before this year's E3 2008 has been in short supply. As reported then, the game will be a spin-off that resembles "a cross between Ghost Recon and Gears of War," one that reportedly tells 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.

That information was corroborated in part by Microsoft's reveal at TGS, where the publisher said the game would feature a new hero and campaign. The game will apparently serve as a prologue of sorts, seen from the eyes of a UNSC shock trooper marine who has crash-landed behind enemy lines.

Now, the next wave of substantive information appears to be on the way, courtesy of the December issue of Game Informer. As reported by fan site Halo.Bungie.org, the magazine, which will hit newsstands shortly, has a 10-page spread devoted to the game.

While devoid of actual gameplay footage, the cover story does shed a bit more light on Microsoft's carefully worded billing of a "new Halo 3 campaign experience." Namely, Bungie design lead Joe Bertone says the game is "a three to five-hour expansion pack," with cinematic director Joe Staten saying "we do not view this as a $60 title." The article also claims that the limited-release Recon Armor will also be available to anyone who completes the Vidmaster Challenge achievement series.

Halo 3: Recon is currently slated to arrive exclusively on the Xbox 360 in fall 2009. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.