The teaser trailer takes a turn for the cinematic. As the black lingers, strings can be heard, marking a sharp contrast from the impersonal camera playback that has been seen thus far.

An image fades onto the screen – rain on rubble.

A hand reaches out… and a gun:

The awkward position in which the character points his weapon here seems to indicate that it can be used to gain a better perspective in certain situations. Although a departure from Halo’s traditional combat mechanics, the gameplay element is in sync with the “stealth” premise the trailer has alluded to.

He steps out onto the rain-soaked concrete. The camera pans around him, and pulls upward. His armor, his helmet are recognizable – this is an ODST (although the character has not been identified as a male or a female, for the purposes of this article we will refer to him as a male).

He readies his weapon, and takes in his surroundings. His gun is not immediately familiar to the Halo series. It appears to be an SMG with a few modifications.

Definitively being revealed as a prequel to Halo 3, the trailer’s context, derived from various sources, furthers the notion that these ODST units might be looking for the reason the Covenant came to Earth – the Ark’s gateway portal.

It is most probable that the gun seen above is an M7S Submachine Gun – featured in Halo 2 Vista, it was also known as the “suppressed SMG.” The suppressor attachment is obvious on the tip of the barrel in the teaser trailer. And it is possible that the scope on top of the SMG is actually the camera that was linked to the ODST’s HUD; a scope in and of itself is not of great use for a submachine gun.

Lightning flashes and lingers slightly too long… the Phantom’s search lights are circling him. The all-too-familiar hum of a Phantom’s plasma engines cause him to quickly sidestep – almost a stumble – as he scans the skies for the enemy. His posture and actions already differentiate him from the Master Chief: it is not often that the Chief’s first reaction upon seeing an enemy is to hide – and even less often that he is taken by surprise.

The ODST’s identity is a mystery.  Some speculate that it may be DARE himself, while others theorize that he is simply a part of the squad that DARE requested in the second Bungie.net transmission.  Regardless, he does appear to be the protagonist for this next game.

He makes his way to the street – still scanning the sky, he catches a glimpse of a pack of Brutes moving nearby. He raises his gun and the view changes to one from his HUD. At first, it appears to be a normal zoomed view. It quickly becomes obvious, however, that this ODST sees things very different than what we’re used to as the Chief or an Elite.

Bungie has admitted that a smaller splinter team which includes vets from the first Halo game is heavily involved with this project. Given this context, some have already noticed familiarities with the HUD’s diamond-shaped directional nav-point, and many have also considered the possibility of a health bar – both which have only appeared in Halo: Combat Evolved. Now what about the M6D?

Brightly colored lines trace the edges of everything seen – they pop into view, a few parts at a time. This looks very much like the “vector shot” seen in a Bungie Weekly Update prior to Halo 3’s release. This type of view can also be seen in Halo 3 when holding a sniper rifle (unzoomed). The viewpoint we see here may well be a form of “night vision” for our new protagonist.

Also of interest is the nav point on his HUD, 3/4ths of the way from SW to W.  This navigational icon is very similar to ones that we’ve seen throughout the Halo trilogy.

At this point, the music has intensified into a completely new, but still very Halo-like theme. And the ODST does something unlike anything we’ve ever seen the Chief do. As the pack of Brutes pass by – led by two Stalkers – he does what any non-Spartan would likely do: he steps backward and fades into darkness.

The confirmation of a new and central hero seems to fuel speculation about the curious “Where are you, Maddie?” text seen in the teaser and the possibility that this story may be far more personal than its predecessors.

While seven Brutes would certainly pose a challenge for the Chief, it is entirely plausible that he could defeat them. For a man with no genetic alterations, and, more importantly, no Mjolnir, energy-shielded armor, taking on seven Brutes would be suicide.

The final Brute pauses, looks around, and coughs out a growl that steams the cool air. He, like the rest of the pack, pass by the ODST; and he remains alive, for the time being.

He is intently watching the Brutes’ exit when a red light flashes in front of him; we see it reflected in his armor. He lowers his gun and hops across the rubble… the camera reveals to us what he sees – the “LINK ACTIVE” billboard from earlier. Now that the Brutes have passed, it has come back to life, and it displays a message – one that fits right in line with the Superintendent’s normal speech…

The Superintendent’s “directional advice” has suggested to many that his role will be similar to that of Cortana’s from the trilogy: a helpful voice to guide the player. It is also possible that the quirky AI could know more about the mission than even the character himself.

More billboards blink on, and join the first, blinking arrows pointing to the ODST’s right. Paper, or parachutes, or lights can been seen in the sky.

The ODST takes a quick look to his left…

The streetlights that had been off now flicker back to life. The billboard flashes a final warning:

Although he is alone in the trailer, Bungie has confirmed in interviews that four-player co-operative play will be available for this game.

The soldier turns to his right and takes a step…

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