The Halo 3 information simply won’t stop coming. We had a roundup post yesterday, but that simply wasn’t enough. Now we have confirmation news that custom games are playable in the Halo 3 Beta, as well as some never-before-heard information with regards to the full game, courtesy of a scanned Gamepro magazine.

Starting with the magazine, a guy over at GameFAQs has been kind enough to sum up all the information that the magazine contains about a variety of different things, as well as showing off the scans.

Weapons

• Magnum - The Magnum is much improved since Halo 2, dishing out slower, more punishing shots. But it’s still not back to Halo 1 strength, as the clip currently carries just eight rounds and you can’t zoom in. Still a nice, precise choice for dual-wield combos.
• Energy Sword - The infamous Sword gets two tweaks aimed at balancing its overwhelming power. One change is a brief weapon-switch delay. The second adjustment is more controversial: the Energy Sword now has an ammo meter that depletes with each attack, which keeps players from hoarding it indefinitely.

Vehicles

• Wraith - The lumbering Covenant Wraith returns with a new player-operated secondary turret. It’s helpful for driving off boarding attempts.
• Brute Chopper - This ugly, jagged Brute Chopper looks like something Firefly’s Reavers might drive into battle. Its twin cannons and heavy, blade-like chassis can pulverize lesser vehicles in a nanosecond.

Equipment

• Radar Jammer - Hurl this item into a fight and watch as chaos and confusion engulf friend and foe alike. The jammer scrambles the radar of all nearby players and triggers disco-like light flashes to further disorient your prey.

Maps

• Shrine - A UNSC battle cruiser looms menacingly over Shrine’s sprawling sand dunes. Shrine is the largest map ever to appear in a Halo game, so Bungie put a key emphasis on vehicle-on-vehicle combat. Shrine has few ties to older Halo 2 maps, but its massive size recalls Relic.
• Epitaph - Epitaph is an arcane Forerunner cathedral-like structure that towers above the surrounding wasteland. The central killing floor is crisscrossed with elevated walkways, exterior hallways, and lifts. It’s a spiritual successor to Halo 2 maps like Colossus, Gemini, and Midship.
• Last Resort - Zanzibar, one of Halo 2’s most beloved maps, has been rebuilt and rechristened Last Resort for Halo 3. This industrial site is almost twice as big, with a less cluttered internal layout and more paths into the flag room.
• Secret Map - Bungie sneakily sent us two mysterious concept paintings labeled only as “Work in Progress Map.” We see the icey motif and pray for a new Lockout, but only Bungie knows the truth.

Customization

Create a Spartan:

• Tired of staring at Master Chief’s ugly mug? Halo 3’s online mode offers new armor permutations that allow players to customize their personas from head to toe. Will the Covenant Elite player models be eligible for similar upgrades? Only Bungie knows.

As if all the above information and scans wasn’t enough for you, then checking out the videos below will show off some of the things that can be played around with if you can get into a custom game. There are some shots below of the Energy Sword in action, as well as a video showing the world that there is absolutely no hacking going on whatsoever.

Gamevideos have also got two High Definition videos of the Sword, Pistol and Wraith in action that you might want to take a glace at, though sadly they cannot be embedded here. We do however have some screens that you might want to check out just below of the Sword and pistol (dual wielded!), courtesy of Hushed Casket.

If you’ve played a custom game already, let everyone know how much fun it is below, and let us know if it makes you want the game even more. And in case you don’t know how to do it, get a party of eight together, then get invited into a different game where there is just one person. Take the whole party across and the ninth person apparently gets booted into a custom match. Then just invite away and everyone gets to join the fun.

Thanks to Twosixnine and SneakySnake for submitting.