"Split-screen co-op is as ever, limited to two players per screen," wrote Bungie's Luke Smith on the developer's official site, "but they can if they wish join two other friends online or via System Link."

Entries in Bungie's massively successful Halo franchise have previously been limited to two player offline co-op. The exclusion of online co-op in Halo 2 has been a continual source of outrage for the fan community, and comments made by Bungie's Frank O'Connor in the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly initially suggested that Halo 3 could follow in that tradition.

To distinguish the numerous players in Halo 3, each is assigned a character with a unique appearance and starting weapon but the same overall abilities. The first player takes control of series protagonist Master Chief, whereas the the second handles Halo 2's co-star, the Arbiter. Joining the Arbiter are two other Elites sympathetic towards humanity--N'tho Sraom and Usze 'Taham--controlled by players three and four. Bungie supplied an image of the four-person team along with a new screenshot of single player.

"The combinations and scenarios are endless," Smith continued, "and you'll be able to enjoy them time and time again in Saved Films of your co-op exploits."