Design Exploration - Halo 3: Believe

A lot of hype surrounded the release of one of the most anticipated games of the decade. So basically, there was essentially no need to advertise Halo 3, since most of the hype and fan base had built up since the release of the first Halo game in 2001. So the question was, how do you promote and inform those who had never heard of Halo 3 or its two other games?

Microsoft and Bungie created a promotional campaign called Halo 3: Believe. Its main purpose was to promote and inform new audiences without them having to play the two previous prequels of the game. Additionally, it allowed the fan base to build up even more hype around it and ‘enjoy’ it up to the release dates.

The marketing ads revolved around a large, hand-made diorama depicting a battle that is featured in a location in the game. It features hand-made figures of humans and aliens in an all out epic fight with terrain scarring and also features the protagonist (the main character whom the fans get to play as) in it. A website was listed at the end of each TV ad.

After seeing several TV ads I decided to check out their website at: http://halo3.com/believe/shell.html. In essence, the website is an interactive flash tour of the diorama. It allows people to explore the diorama through a series of controls and, of course, interact with certain elements in the diorama.

Initially it asks you what country you are in and also asks for age verification since the game is rated M for Mature and contains a lot of blood and violence. When you go past the loading screen, you are greeted with a very nice intro movie. This movie includes several masking methods (with parts of the diorama in the background) along with text that appears and informs the viewer a little bit of what they are going to expect afterwards. After the text, the ‘camera’ flies you into the diorama of the city and leaves you at the beginning of the tour essentially. It gives you instructions on how to move around the diorama, basically dragging your mouse in a certain direction or even using the arrow keys to navigate around the diorama.

This site features an interactive viewing of a fly-through of the New Mombassa diorama, including areas with 180 or 360 degree views rather than just a linear tour. Throughout the tour, there are figures you can interact with that give information about the alien species, weapons, vehicles, and other essential items that are featured in the game. There are also videos that feature a mockumentary "Making Of", detailing the making of the diorama and also “first person accounts” of who ‘were there’. This website also features the ability to take 1280x1024 screenshots of any moment in the diorama, including the 360 degree views, as well as downloading wallpapers of the character profile views.

The color and the music contribute to the theme of the site, which is a dark and grim future where man is struggling to survive against a coalition of alien species bent on seeing man’s extinction. The color used is mostly dark, with varying shades of dark colors throughout the diorama as well. The music revolves around a sad and depressing feeling, and along with the sounds of gunfire, adds the feeling of struggle and determination to survive.