Originally Posted by 1up.com

Halo 3: The 'Real' Facts
The Internet exploded last week, we're mopping up some of the mess.
by Luke Smith, 11/01/2006 65 of 65 users recommend this story.
Last week we detailed some of the changes coming to Halo 3's multiplayer and gave readers a small taste of some of the coverage that will appear in this month's EGM and during the rest of the month here at 1UP. Unfortunately, as 1UP Network Editorial Director John Davison pointed out some of that information peeked out a bit early, courtesy of Swedish magazine, Level. Those reveals were quickly translated and reported on (with some speculation where applicable) -- we just want to set the record straight and cut through some of the speculative stuff. What They Said: IGN reported:

There's also word on a new Spartan Laser, a difficult-to-control but powerful attack that can disable vehicles in a single hit.

Truth and Reconciliation: The Spartan Laser was introduced to us as an anti-vehicle weapon, but the shoulder-mounted laser showed tremendous versatility as an anti-personnel weapon, too (it's really not very hard to control at all). Developer Bungie admitted that they were looking into ways to balancing the weapon a bit better in infantry combat (weapon nerf incoming?). What They Said: IGN also wondered just how many players would appear in Halo 3's multiplayer:

But we still don't know how many players will be able to jump online at one time. We're hoping Bungie has plans to compete with the PS3's Resistance and 40-player action. Just imagine.

Truth and Reconciliation: Bungie told 1UP that they had no plans to extend the gameplay beyond the 16-player limit the previous games had. Judging from the size of the maps we saw (Valhalla, Snowbound and High Ground) -- it seems like a safe bet that the maps are being designed around the sweet spot of Halo's four vs. four multiplayer (they just served their four billionth Halo 2 game). What They Said: Gameblog Kotaku reported (and showed scans) of the Level spread, among the tidbits they unearthed:

New Weapons
Spiker: Some sort of melee weapon.
Spartan Laser: An anti-vehicle weapon.
Nail Grenade: A grenade that sticks to the wall and shoots nails out when it explodes.
Apparently the Spiker and your secondary weapon will now actually be visible strapped to your back.

Truth and Reconciliation: Like other weapons in the Halo universe, the Spiker will have a melee element (it has a small sickle on the bottom like the the Brute Shot). Still, it's useful for more than up-close encounters. On the other hand, the rifle (whose rounds fall somewhere between the bullet-hose spray of a SMG and the projectile-ejection of a needler) is far more useful than either of those -- it plugs foes full of bright orange spikes. The "nail grenade" is actually a Spike Grenade and it functions quite a bit differently than the other grenades (plasma and frag) in the Halo-verse, while combining the best parts of both. We'll be detailing the new weapons in with an in-depth look at Halo 3's multiplayer (and the December EGM has some new information about existing Halo weaponry and how it changes in Halo 3).
Technically, the Spiker (gun) rests on your hip in Halo 3. Two-handed weapons like the Battle Rifle, redesigned Assault Rifle, Spartan Laser and Shotgun are slung across players' backs when they aren't using them -- the single-hand weapons are stowed in would-be holsters on the Spartan's legs. Does being able to see all of the weapons your foes are toting around change the gameplay? Oh, it does.
What They Said: Gamespot Rumor Control'd the Halo 3 information ending their article with a plea:

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus, although we hope the term "Man Cannon" is the result of a translation error.
Truth and Reconciliation: We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but "Man Cannon" is indeed the real name. Will they be renamed "Launch Vents" or something far less interesting by the time the game ships? Maybe. But the giggles that crackled through the room when they said "Man Cannon" didn't bode too well for a name change. This is just the information that came from Level magazine, the December issue of EGM and the next three weeks of coverage here at 1UP will expand, unveil and analyze even more from Halo 3. Stay friggin' tuned.