Halo: Reach is coming. Wait, you didn’t know that? Slap yourself. I’ll wait. Ok, now that we’re back to normal, Game Informer is blowing it the box in their next issue with info on the next Halo game and it looks like someone got their copy a little early.

Here’s the big details: the game will not follow The Fall of Reach book and you’ll be taking the reigns as Spartan III’s, the next iteration in the super soldier program. A ton of new gameplay additions will be there, but instead of me typing them all out, let’s just read the whole list together, shall we? Hit the jump.

• Reach will NOT follow the book, Fall of Reach.
• We play as Spartan IIIs. Jorge is the only Spartan II on the team, and as a result is larger.
• Carter 259 and Kat 320 are the only members of their original squad.
• Jorge is a heavy weapons specialist.
• “Skully” now has a name, Emile 239. He’s the silent type of the game.
• The sniper is called Jun 266. He’s thoughtful and taciturn.
• We can customise the appearance of the Lone Wolf by a small degree. Awesome.
• The game is apparently darker than any of the other Halo games, even more so than ODST.
• Human Insurrectionists are possibly in the game
• Bungie have once again made the Covenant more dangerous and frightening, as they were in Halo 1.
• Covenant soldiers no longer speak English, they speak in their own languages.
• A new enemy like a Jackal has been introduced, named a “Skirmisher.” They are deadly and cunning enemies that attack in packs, and flank secure positions.
• Graphics have been improved drastically, as proven by in-magazine comparisons.
• lites are back, and are more ferocious than ever.
• Larger scale combat will be in Reach. Where only 20 AI at a time could be on screen in Halo 3, now over 40 AI and 20 vehicles can be present at a time.
• Scenes are more cinematic.
• Noble Team splits up at a point in the story, but it seems they soon get back together.
• Health Bar is back along with energy shield.
• Single shot rifle like the Halo 2 E3 demo is in the game, named the Designated Marksman Rifle (DRM)
• Sniper, AR and Magnum make a return. Gun sounds are more realistic.
• Needler Rifle is in the game, a mid-range headshot capable weapon.
• Spike Grenades and Flame Grenades are out. Only frags and plasma remain.
• Helicopter Transport is called the Falcon.
• Civillian vehicles are now drivable.
• Fully stealthy gameplay is now possible.
• Assassinations are possible with a knife by holding down the melee button.
• Sprinting is now possible through an equipment like mechanic.
• Spirits, the Covenant drop ship in CE, return in Reach, alongside Phantoms.
• Grunts look a lot more menacing.
• Motion Tracker seems compressed, like an oval rather than the Halo 3 circle.
• Hud is yellow rather than blue.
• Marines look vaguely like Halo 1 marines.
• Phantoms now have a flashlight, like the one seen in the ODST announcement trailer.
• Elites seem taller, and are no longer hunched.
• All features from Halo 3 (Forge, Theatre, Co-op) make a comeback along with several new ones.
• We will be shown what Reach looks like before it is destroyed. We will see the levels of destruction progress as we get further through the game, implying the game takes place over a longish period of time.

Color me excited. I’m about to start reading The Cole Protocol, so I’m diving straight into the Halo Universe.