The next Halo game, due this fall, was finally loosed in preview form today. I should yawn. I should close the browser and ignore yet another sci-fi killfest.

Then again, Halo runs about 1/7 of Microsoft's economy, and therefore 1/20th of Seattle's. Plus, uh, this new version has jetpacks. Jetpacks! Welcome to the future, people. If you're keeping track, it's been a while since a major video game has given jetpacks a shot in multiplayer, since they're usually unwieldy to control, so call this a bold move on Kirkland developer Bungie's part. Looks fun so far--and a lot more like the very first Halo game, a style change that fans have requested for years. The video, which also shows off new massively multiplayer "team" modes, is after the jump. I'll see if I can't get my hands on an early version of Halo Reach at San Francisco's GDC next week.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E95PeZ0qsLY[/youtube]