With the release of Halo 3, players will not only see the return of the staples of past Halo games, but also see some new rides that have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, and all with more details and versatility than ever before. Let’s take a look.

Mongoose M274 Mongoose ULATV

Being the smallest of all the vehicles in the game, the Mongoose has a lot to live up to and very little to do it with, but in the heat of action, this two-passenger ATV has speed and agility on its side. Easy to maneuver and fast enough to outrun other vehicles, the Mongoose serves as the best method of quick troop movement and speedy extraction from enemies. The Mongoose only sees limited use in campaign, but in multiplayer, it shines in gametypes like Assault and CTF, where a two man force can quickly get to the opposing team’s base and get the job done with little hassle.

The trade-off? Don’t get in the way of any heavy weaponry or you’ll be toast. Anyone carrying weapons like the Rocket Launcher, Spartan Laser, Brute Shot, turrets, and even sniper rifles will have no problem picking off a Mongoose. That and it carries no on-board weapons, so you’ll need to bring your own if you expect to run into trouble, and above all else, it’s best to stay low, stay fast and keep moving with this little guy.

Ghost

A long time favorite for noobin’ it up on the playing field, the Ghost still retains most of its strengths as a durable, highly maneuverable vehicle that can dish out a real beating. Not much has really changed about the Ghost itself, so if you’ve mastered it as part of your repertoire, you’re going to get more of the same.

What has changed in Halo 3 is the countermeasures that other players have been given to combat it. With the introduction of equipment, the Power Drainer, Trip Mine, Flare and even the Portable Grav Lift can pose trouble for anyone looking to rack up easy kills on a Ghost, not to mention the possibility of getting hit with the Red Laser of Death. This is a big change in the balance of the game, and while the Ghost remains an effective vehicle, it’s also now susceptible to new vulnerabilities.

Warthog – M12 LRV, M12G1, M12 APC

Ah, the trusty ‘Hog. It’s served many a Spartan well over the last several years in Halo and Halo 2. Still as rugged and nimble as ever, the Warthog is the standard vehicle of choice for moving through an area while also providing a steady dose of heavy firepower for cover. With the standard M12 and M12G1 “Guass ‘Hog”, a new variant, the M12 Warthog APC troop transport, makes its appearance in Halo 3.

Overall, the Warthog hasn’t changed much from its original Halo design. It’s still a tough customer when rolling out on a mission, but with new vehicles like the Mongoose and Hornet, it’s been my experience that the Warthog has become more of a standby transport, as players are taking to the field with the newer vehicles.

Chopper

As menacing as the Brutes themselves, the Brute Chopper shows little remorse for anything that gets in its way. It is a formidable beast to encounter on the battlefield if you’re on foot (or even in other light vehicles, for that matter). While it’s not as fast or maneuverable as other vehicles (in fact, it can be a pain sometimes if you get turned around), it makes up for it in sheer strength and durability. In most cases, simply ramming another vehicle is enough to take it out, and racking up splatter kills is a breeze, assuming you’re good enough to dodge all sorts of fire that will be most definitely coming your way.

Prowler

An obvious cousin to the Brute Chopper, the Prowler has a feature set all of its own, including a heavy plasma turret near the front and the ability to carry three passengers. Probably the closest equivalent of any other vehicle is the Warthog, considering the capacity and weaponry on board. Something to keep in mind, however, is that the Prowler doesn’t so much roll on wheels as it does slide across the ground. It can make for some troublesome handling, but if you’re in wide open spaces, you should have no problem.

Hornet

In campaign, the Hornet gets an especially extravagant introduction, and this vehicle certainly lives up to its potential. A three-passenger flying vehicle, the Hornet is capable of carrying a pilot in the cockpit and two players on each skid. And with dual rocket launchers on-board, the Hornet makes easy work of targets on the ground. While it’s highly effective at moving players across a map in relative safety, it’s still vulnerable to heavy weapons and with passengers fully exposed, even snipers. And going up against a Banshee can be a risky proposition, considering that the Hornet has none of the aerobatic tricks up its sleeve.

Banshee

The one vehicle that you’ll encounter immediately in campaign as you’re taking your Hornet for a spin is the Banshee. While it doesn’t seem as big of a threat in campaign as it was in the past games, should you manage to snag one from the Covvies, it’s still a useful tool. In multiplayer, the Banshee excels once again as a prime nuisance to anyone on the ground, as it now returns with the built-in Fuel Rod Cannon, in addition to the two plasma guns.

For some players, the Banshee is the vehicle of choice to take flight and lay down covering fire, while also being extremely agile and tough to knock out of the sky. Unfortunately, with new weapons like the Spartan Laser and turrets, as well as the new limitations on how far down the nose can point, in the hands of an inexperienced pilot, the Banshee is now a sitting duck.

Wraith

There aren’t many instances in Halo 3’s campaign when you’ll need to pilot a Wraith, but it still poses a threat as the Brutes bombard you with plasma throughout the game. And while you’ll probably get more use out of it in multiplayer, the Wraith has been given a facelift and even some performance enhancements for making killy-kill on your enemies.

The new Wraith also has a manned turret, which allows a second player to board the vehicle and lay down covering fire. It’s also been made a bit speedier overall. It’s still a lumbering giant, but the boost seems to have cranked up a bit and the main cannon also seems to be a little easier to handle and level at close-by targets.

Scorpion

Arguably the most powerful vehicle in any Halo game, the Scorpion also returns in Halo 3, but with some subtle changes. Gone is the secondary-fire machine gun turret, and performance and speed are adjusted up just a notch, presumably to help players make their way around maps like Sandtrap a bit easier. Like the Wraith, the Scorpion now comes with a manned turret, but beware of snipers when you jump in that seat .

While these changes seem unnecessary at first, they significantly affect how players use the Scorpion during the game, even in campaign. In a co-op game, no longer does one player have to simply sit on the side of the tank and take all the punishment, while the other mows down everything in sight. And in multiplayer, it’s seems clear that Bungie wanted to Scorpion to become more of a tool for team movement and cover, rather than a single player’s fantasy.