I've captured screens from many, but not all, of the individual scenes within the Halo 3 E3 2007 Campaign Trailer. Some contain things of note that have yet to be confirmed, and others show new versions of familiar objects from the Halo universe.

There appear to be three distinct kinds of scenes in the trailer. Straight gameplay footage is recognizable because HUD elements are present, and gameplay is shown either from the first person perspective if on foot, or in third person if using heavy weapons or a vehicle.

Cinematic footage, or footage of scripted events, is usually recognizable because it presents events that do not occur within the scope of gameplay and are not presented from the perspective of the player, and no HUD elements are present.

It is likely that there is a third kind of footage shown within this video: that is actual gameplay events, presented without a HUD and from an arbitrary camera position, using Halo 3's Saved Films feature. When the events shown are actual gameplay mechanics, such as infantry or vehicular combat, but the perspective is even further away from the action than when using a vehicle or heavy weapon, and no HUD elements are present, it is likely this is the kind of footage we're seeing. Rather consistently, Halo cinematics have not included significant amounts of combat, or events that could have been part of actual gameplay, with very few exceptions (the confrontation between Johnson, Keyes, and the Arbiter, for instance).

Click "read more" from the front page for the entire text, which is quite image-heavy.

Phantom Phlyover

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A Phantom flies over a waterfall in a jungle area. This shot seems here mainly to show off lighting effects as the sun's rays as well as the many new light sources on the Phantom filter down through the leaves. The lack of HUD seems to indicate this is from a cinematic, but it could be from a scripted event where a Phantom passes over the player.

Hulk... I Mean Brute... Smash

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A high-ranking Brute toys with a marine before tossing him in the air and kicking him bodily out of frame. Two more Brutes in blue armor are visible in the background.

Note the non-repeating wall textures. Again no HUD so this may be a cinematic shot; however, it also could be just a scripted event that the player comes across. Some of the writeups of the actual behind-closed-doors gameplay demonstrations indicate that in the first level, Sierra 117, there is a scripted sequence in which the Chief encounters a Brute menacing a marine, and that the marine can be saved if the player acts quickly.

This might be that scene, or perhaps a similar one; indications are that Sierra 117 is a jungle level, and this scene appears to take place in another locale.

Beam Me Down, Scotty

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Two cruisers and a Phantom fly over a roiling red cloud with some kind of burning wreckage in the distance.

The cruisers are firing beams towards the surface, which could be attempts at excavation or the beginning of "glassing".

Almost certainly from a cinematic; there are no HUD elements, although I suppose it is conceivable a similar scripted event could be witnessed while flying a Banshee.

There Goes The Neighborhood

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What looks like a ruined industrial site with fiery wreckage all around. The object in the distance could be from a spacecraft, or perhaps a piece of Mombassa's old space elevator. The structural steel frame seen at the bottom right of the frame might indicate this is the same region of the game world as from the first campaign screen shot. No HUD here, either; this could be either a cinematic, or just a sequence using a free camera; it is possible this was made just to show off an environment, as there are no story or gameplay elements here.

Hi There. My Name Is John And I'll Be Your Master Chief For The Evening.

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A closeup on the Chief near two fires, to show off the new flame effects. This shot also appears to be a simple zoom with a free camera.

There is not much going on in the scene, so there's little reason to think this is part of a cinematic.

If it is, it might be the end of one, near to where control and point of view are surrendered to the player.

Payload Delivered

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A blue-armored Brute and a gaggle of Grunts make threatening gestures in a jungle pool.

Again no HUD, so this is presumably a staged shot or a portion of a cinematic.

In the distance, another craft or piece of equipment is visible.

I Want His Orange Helmet

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A lot to notice in this shot. First of all, it appears to be the first inclusion of a true civilian in the Halo series. While Halo 1 had noncombat personnel on board the Pillar of Autumn, it was assumed they were still members of the military. This would appear to be an ordinary factory worker wearing a safety helmet. He appears rather like similar characters used as low-level enemies in Bungie's third person action game, Oni.

The name on the shipping containers, presumably the name of a company, is Traxus. Traxus was a rampant artificial intelligence from the Marathon series of games-- an intelligence that ran amok on Mars long before the events of the Marathon trilogy, but who may have been reincarnated as Durandal, one of the colony ship's three onboard AIs. Traxus invaded the majority of the Martian planetary computer network before he was apprehended.

We can see here clearly the segmented armor worn by Halo 3's Brutes, with the small lights that were characteristic of armor worn by Elites only in previous games.

This footage is likely from gameplay with the perspective shifted; in the background you can see both the Chief and the Arbiter. Of the shots from the trailer, this is the first time we see the Arbiter (although his model was also pictured in a short scene in the Brute VIDOC, being cornered by a gang of Brutes). It's the first time in the Halo series where the Arbiter and the Master Chief are shown together in a gameplay situation, outside of fan art; prior their only meeting was during the Gravemind cinematic.

The collective judgment the fanbase has drawn from this, and repeated presentations of the Chief and the Arbiter together in this video has been that when playing in cooperative mode, one player will be the Chief and the other will be the Arbiter-- or that at least this will be an option.

If true, I applaud the effort to integrate the highly entertaining cooperative play mode into the story. When playing coop in Halo 1 or 2, despite the Master Chief being the "last Spartan" the second player was also an identical Spartan. Cutscenes only showed one in a severe break in verisimilitude. Later Halo engine games, like Stubbs the Zombie, also tried half-heartedly to deal with this problem, by giving the second zombie a name-- Grubbs. However, Grubbs doesn't fit within the story at all, and has no role to play in cinematics.

It will be pleasant to see if Halo 3 does have this feature; it was one of the more rewarding aspects of Gears of War that cooperative play and solo play not break the narrative.

Loaded For Mongoose

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The Master Chief and three marines load up on two Mongi, toting rocket launchers.

In the far background we can see what looks like a large heavy weapon, perhaps a flamethrower or a missile pod, on the floor.

Peace Through Superior Firepower

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Another shot from a detached perspective showing both the Chief and the Arbiter. Again it's likely this is from actual gameplay, but from an arbitrary perspective (no pun intended).

Both characters are wielding the removable turrets that participants in the multiplayer beta got to play with earlier this year; if the incarnation in the shipping game is similar, this weapon will have limited ammunition but serious firepower; when using it, the player's perspective shifts to slightly behind and to the side of the character, somewhat like when driving a vehicle.

The legs of a third figure, perhaps a marine or a brute, can be seen in the background just blow the Chief's turret muzzle flash. The background also shows what I believe is the Halo universe's first pile of sandbags.

Bring Smoke, Over

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Another scripted event witnessed by both the Chief and the Arbiter-- this is becoming a trend, isn't it?

With a massive Covenant artillery piece in the background, Longsword fighters fly overhead and the Chief and Arbiter turn to watch.

No HUD elements and no combat going on, so probably a cinematic scene.

Waste 'Em

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The player prepares to take out a hammer-wielding Brute at close range with the shotgun. Presumably from actual gameplay due to the HUD elements: the shot shows the primary weapon with a large icon, with ammo counts for the current clip and in reserve; secondary weapon, in this case, a battle rifle.

At the top left are the grenade counts; the three ones familiar to Beta players: frag, sticky, spike. Also note the "25m" on the radar indicator, which seems to suggest that the range of the motion detector in Halo 3 will be 10m larger than in previous games.

The interior environment here looks very similar to the multiplayer level High Ground, inside the bunker.

Word from observers of the actual gameplay demonstrations is that the gravity hammer will be a playable weapon; whether this is the gravity hammer or another Brute weapon is not yet known.

Then Monkeys Flew Out Of My Butt

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The player prepares to snipe a Brute out of the air who appears to be using a suit similar to the Elite Rangers in Halo 2. In the bottom of the shot is wreckage similar to that seen in the Announcement Trailer, which is presumably from New Mombassa's space elevator, destroyed during the Covenant attack in events chronicled in the novels, but not yet presented within the games.

As in the beta, the display on the sniper rifle's scope is no longer a full-color live image, but rather an enhanced image that outlines targets in green to distinguish them from the background.

See You Next Fall

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A sniper round takes out the flying Brute.

A few other things to note here: Brute armor seems to come off in pieces; here, and several other times in the video, the helmets come off the Brutes, revealing a visage several times more horrible than in Halo 2. Armor pieces spark when they fall off, with animation similar to shown by Elite shields when damaged. It's likely that Brute armor will perform a similar function as the Elite shields; a barrier that the player must remove before being able to deal damage to the enemy, and an extension of the Halo 2 play mechanic, which required the player to first snipe Brutes' helmets off before scoring headshots.

Also note, at the bottom of the screen, the equipment being dropped by the Brute, another indication that enemies will use equipment against the player in campaign mode.

There Was A Fourth, You Couldn't Have Known

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This shot contains several items we've seen already, and one we haven't. We've already seen the Traxus containers, the Brutes unmasked, sparking power armor, etc.

What we haven't seen is a fourth icon next to the other three grenades. Is there a fourth grenade? Or is this where the HUD now displays the presence of one or more pieces of equipment?

Into The Great Wide Open

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This shot is the first hint we get of the large outdoor areas for vehicular combat that Halo 3 is supposed to feature. Far off in the distance on the right, there is a craft in the air-- perhaps a Covenant cruiser?

A little closer, in the background to the left, is an object that is either the Forerunner ship that Truth detached from High Charity and used to travel to Earth, or an artifact that closely resembles it; some structures on Delta Halo had very similar designs.

The real danger, however, is the Wraith on the far right. Good thing the Chief has that marine toting a fuel rod cannon as his primary weapon, as well as a LAAG gunner.

Phantom Down

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The Chief uses a removable turret to destroy a Phantom. In Halo 2, you could destroy a Phantom's three plasma turrets, which would send it flying away, but the vehicle itself could not be damaged or destroyed; the same was true of UNSC Pelicans, that could not be harmed except in scripted sequences.

It would appear as if there will be more vehicles participating fully in actual combat in Halo 3 than in either of the previous games.

Note that this is also gameplay footage, as the HUD elements are present except for the grenade indicators, which makes sense since grenades cannot be used when wielding a heavy weapon.

The bunker in the background is again suggestive of terrain similar to High Ground; Bungie has historically based its multiplayer levels on environments similar to those used in campaign levels.

Breaking Stuff To Look Tough

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Of course, you could also board Wraiths and blow them up with grenades in Halo 2, but it never gets old.

The name "Traxus" appears again in the background on the side of the structure.

This is also gameplay footage, as evidenced by the HUD elements.

Hunter Becomes Hunted

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The first of a pair of Hunters opens fire, while to the right, a rocket heads towards his location, presumably fired by human forces, or perhaps by Brutes utilizing human weapons, as they did in Halo 2's campaign.

If the former, it's an indication that the schism in the Covenant has not been made strictly along species lines, and that elements from each group may be fighting on both sides, perhaps identifiable by changes in appearance, similar to the way heretic Elites and Grunts were different in appearance.

The Hunters' fuel rod cannon here seems to be a combination of those from Halo 1 and Halo 2; like Halo 1, it seems to be of short duration, with the gun discharging a mass of plasma that travels through the air like a projectile. In Halo 2, Hunters fired a longer-lasting, more coherent "beam" of plasma. This seems to be a happy medium.

Buggers, Over The Fence

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Some Drones exhibit some new behavior: picking up marines, either to be used as hostages (or, more likely, just for dropping from a great height).

Note the change in the eyes; these new drones look meaner.

Rocket Ghost, Coast To Coast

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Although the rocket launcher still doesn't track the way it did in Halo 2, it does still give you a red reticle to let you know a target is in your sights.

Here, the Chief, riding brokeback on a Mongoose with a marine, fires a rocket at an incoming Ghost. Notice that the rocket doesn't actually emerge from the muzzle of the weapon, but rather from the center of the screen as seen from first person perspective, to aid in aiming.

The equipment indicator in the top left would seem to suggest that the fourth icon seen in an earlier shot is actually a fourth grenade.

You're Gonna Break Your Arm

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Commander Keyes is surrounded by Brutes in a structure that looks very much like the control room of Delta Halo.

The object on the right looks like the rear end of a Pelican, so one can assume that this is from a cutscene that shows how Keyes escapes from the installation. It would explain how she and other members of her group meet up with the Chief during the course of the game, as he has already arrived near Earth by the end of Halo 2.

Somebody's Got To Take That Thing Out

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The Covenant artillery pieces that so menaced Sgt. Banks and his cohorts in the E3 2003 demo turned out to be nothing more than decorative in Halo 2. Seems like that's not to be so in Halo 3, as this Longsword goes down, peppered with what looks like plasma anti-aircraft fire from the turret on the right.

Excedrin Headache #777

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Cortana's had another full body job and facelift courtesy of Bungie's character animators and 3d modelers, it would seem.

We already know, from Frankie's own words and the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer, that Cortana is in trouble.

Given that the likely source of the threat is the Flood hive intelligence, Gravemind, even though there are earlier suggestions of another intelligence in the Covenant network of High Charity, perhaps a Forerunner AI.

Help Me Master Chief... You're My Only Hope

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The Master Chief, the Arbiter, what appears to be 343 Guilty Spark and possibly an Elite, perhaps even Half-Jaw himself, congregate over a holographic display of Cortana falling to her knees in obvious distress.

We don't know where this scene takes place, but presumably since the Chief is already at Earth at the end of Halo 2, the others have caught up with him there, and the display of Cortana is from a remote connection.

This could be from inside the Ark, or perhaps a Covenant cruiser, under Half Jaw's control, that might bring Keyes and her party to Earth; the structural details in the background indicate Covenant or possibly Forerunner origin, rather than human.

Firing Wave Motion... I Mean, MAC Cannon

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I wonder if someone at Bungie was a Uchuu Senkan Yamato fan; these human craft seem to be flying rifles.

Fans have noted that all the ship models in the trailer seem to be identical and are all named "Forward Unto Dawn" or something similar; the first word is near-illegible.

Ouch, My Lumbar Region

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One of many scenes showing the Chief and the Arbiter together. This would also appear to be on Earth, perhaps in the same region as depicted in the announcement trailer.

The constant repetition of these two characters together underscores the possibility of cooperative play involving a second player as the Arbiter rather than the Chief, either compulsorily or as an option.

Bigger Hammer Enterprises

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Similar to a scene from the Brute VIDOC, this Brute chieftain is bearing down on the camera with a hammer.

This hammer, however, does not look particularly similar to Tartarus' Fist of Rukt, which we may assume was a unique weapon. This hammer has a much smaller head.

The lack of a HUD indicates this is a cinematic or staged shot.

The Blue Knight Always Triumphs

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This shot again shows the detail on the new Brute armor, including the similarities to the old Elite armor.

Note the equipment indicator in the top left; perhaps a bubble shield?

A Jackal and a Grunt can be seen in the right of the frame; Jackals apparently figure heavily in the game's first level, Sierra 117, even though hardly any are shown in the campaign trailer, which focuses far more on Brutes, with the occasional drone or grunt, and a hunter cameo.

Again note the steel framework in the walls similar to the first campaign screenshot released.

A Face Only A Mother Could Love... On Payday

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Brute helmets and facemasks don't seem to be very snugly attached, since any damage at all seems to send them flying so they can menace you with their ugly mugs.

The biggest danger to the Chief during Halo 3 may come from close encounter with Brute drool.

Note again the sparks indicating the armor is powered, and may function in gameplay like the Elites' old energy shields.

That's Okay... I'll Drive

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The Master Chief boards a Chopper piloted by a Brute in another shot that seems to show gameplay from a staged perspective.

The sparking of the Brute's armor is very noticeable here, as is the Brute's missing helmet, and the Chief's secondary weapon, in this case, a fuel rod cannon.

The Chopper appears to have one large wheel up front, with the rear of the vehicle supported by some kind of field, similar to a Ghost.

Spanked

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Here the Chief is smacking down a Brute from close range with the rocket launcher, but the interesting thing is the holographic image of a Prophet on the left.

The only hierarch presumably left alive after Halo 2 is Truth; this could conceivably be some other Prophet, or perhaps a replacement for Mercy or Regret, but the logical assumption here, based on the headgear, is that this is the Prophet of Truth.

It is likely that Truth, if this is him, still needs to direct the Brutes combat operations in securing his goal, the Ark, to initiate the Great Journey.

The green arrow, which in past games has indicated the location of a cooperative play partner, is the Arbiter, according to Frankie. This neither confirms nor denies the possibility of various cooperative play modes; we still don't know if the Arbiter is AI or human controlled.

Note here again the fourth grenade icon.

Nice Equipment

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Another solid indication that your enemies will use equipment against you in Halo 3: in an environment very much like the earlier shots of Grunts and Brutes in a jungle pool, this Brute has deployed a bubble shield. Given the melee strength of the Brute Spiker he's carrying, he's probably daring the player to come to closer range.

In the distance, a Phantom appears to be leaving the area, perhaps after dropping off this Brute and his compatriots.

Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?

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It's not Halo 1's hand cannon, for sure, but the Chief still likes his Magnum... or however it's called now. From the sandbags and the "02" on the wall this is the same room from earlier shots.

In the background you can see the Arbiter, wielding a battle rifle.

Ouch... That Hurts

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Descriptions of the private gameplay demos have indicated that when the player takes damage in Halo 3, a hexagonal pattern is overlaid on the HUD. This would appear to be that pattern.

In the distance, several bright explosions are detonating, although the cause is not entirely clear-- perhaps some new weapon?

In any case, they are certainly not caused by the pistol the Chief is wielding here, and the scene does not appear to show any grenades being thrown or other weapons in use.

We're In For Some Chop

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Here's where things start to get funky.

Not in this shot.

In the next shot.

This is just to set the next shot up-- we've got a Pelican cockpit with the Chief and a couple marines in it...

What The Hell Is That, Lieutenant?

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...and in the next shot, presumably from the Chief's perspective in that same Pelican, what appears to be a view from above another Halo ring artifact.

The ring structure can be seen receding into the distance in the center of the Pelican's windscreen, with star-pocked sky on either side.

Structures in the foreground rise high above the horizon despite its pronounced curve; a structure on an Earth-sized terrestrial planet would have to be truly massive to appear this way.

So the question becomes, is this just another Halo installation? Is this some other Forerunner structure? Is this Delta Halo again, or another ring?

Would it even be a Halo game without at least one Halo in it?

Express Elevator To Hell, Going Down

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Pelicans spiral downwards from a Covenant cruiser towards the surface of... something, possibly the ring-like construct in the previous shot.

Are the Pelicans emerging from the cruiser?

Is it an Elite-controlled cruiser, allied with UNSC forces?

Are the Pelicans attacking the cruiser?

Nobody knows yet but Bungie.

Again no HUD elements, so unless Halo 3 includes space combat sequences, this is probably a cinematic.

Okay, I'm Officially Weirded Out Now

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This shot seems to be contemporaneous with the previous three; we've got Pelicans, a Covenant cruiser, and... umm... something.

To the far right, we see the surface of something that has an atmosphere. In terms of what we've seen in the Halo universe, it could be a Halo ring or a planet.

Between the two Pelicans we see what looks like the ribbon of a Halo ring stretching off into the distance...

...until it uncharacteristically terminates, with a dual pronged structure resembling something from the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer.

Stranger still, these two structures seem to meet at the bottom of the frame, as if the ringlike portion was extending from some other object, or perhaps emerging from it.

Is this some Forerunner structure that shares design elements with the Halo rings, but is somehow more complicated in its design?

Is some massive Forerunner structure prehaps emerging from inside the Earth-- or from inside a slipspace bubble, the gateway to which was on Earth, beneath the African sands?

Is this on or near Earth, or somewhere else entirely?

They're Alive

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In what appears to be a continuation of the previous sequence, we see a Covenant cruiser under attack above the surface of some world or structure.

In the break in the clouds to the right, we see a grid structure that seems decidedly nonhuman; perhaps Covenant or Forerunner in origin. They also resemble circuit board etchings.

The bottom of the Halo ringworlds were covered with similar patterns, but not the inhabited side, that resembled the surface of a terrestrial world.

Could this be Earth? Are these patterns simply the road and structural networks of future humanity?

Is this a Halo ringworld that is inhabited not just by dormant Flood and mechanical Flood defenses, but actual intelligent life?

Is this a Covenant world or structure, perhaps the homeworld that Master Chief and his Spartan compatriots were intended to assault before Reach fell?

We've Got Sharp Sticks

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The missile pod with its target-locking features in action, taking out a Phantom.

It seems as if in Halo 3 we'll finally have the chance not just to pepper these dropships with ineffective fire, but take them down and blow them up.

Yikes, It Shoots Back

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Of course, Phantoms won't be defenseless, either.

Here it looks like a Grunt has set up a plasma turret on the side to fire back at these marines.

Some observers have considered these three marines trying to lay fire on the Phantom evidence for dumb AI in Halo 3; however, perhaps they're trying to take out the gunner, or enough small arms fire can eventually take out even a Phantom in Halo 3.

Three's Company

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A new wrinkle on the Warthog, this one has no LAAG gun in the back, but has room for two passengers.

Is marine AI good enough now to make up for the lack of a chaingun with unlimited ammunition? Only time will tell.

The more rabid speculators among us use this shot as further proof of extended cooperative play features; after all, if the game supported cooperative play with, say, four players, either via splitscreen, system link, or Xbox Live, you just might find a use for a four seater Warthog.

The purple structure at the top left seems to be a sniper tower; in the far background there appears to be some large Covenant energy shield covering the entrance to some large structure.

The Honeymoon Is Over

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Ah, momma warned you there'd be days like this.

The human-Elite alliance, such as it is, was bound to be tense and limited. While the Chief and the Arbiter sometimes worked towards similar goals in Halo 2, although always separately, there's little reason to assume they are always going to see eye to eye. Here, it appears the Chief is trying to enforce a slightly closer meeting of the minds with the aid of his sidearm.

It's only natural to assume that the Arbiter might not be wholeheartedly supporting the human cause. After all, simply discovering that your Prophets were lying about the Halo structures and the Great Journey does not necessarily mean that humans aren't vermin who don't deserve to live.

And should our two heroes somehow manage to stop the Flood from infecting every intelligent life form in the galaxy without killing everyone, it seems logical that there will still be some scores to settle between the remnants of humanity and the Covenant species.

The New Hotness

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Of course, just because its primary job is earth-moving (do they call it earth-moving if they're not on Earth?) doesn't mean it can't look bad-ass.

From the darker colors to the additional glowing protuberances, this Scarab looks way more dangerous than the Halo 2 version, making me wonder how UNSC personnel are going to react to it, given the looks of sheer terror inspired by the last one.

Still only four legs, though.

Eat Plasma

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This shot of the Arbiter fighting on the top of a new Scarab is notable mostly because the weapon he's holding appears to be something new-- perhaps a Covenant heavy weapon equivalent; something like the removable turret or the missile pod, but plasma-based.

Either way, it looks like those grunts behind him didn't stand much of a chance, and I wouldn't hold out much hope for that brute, either.

This Is What Makes Time Travel... And Scarab Destruction... Possible

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Okay, I admit it. I was one of those anal retentive jerks who bitched about the "best boss battle" kudos that the encounter at the end of Metropolis earned.

Sure, it was probably Halo 2's best boss battle; mostly because it was the least bosslike and I hate boss battles anyway.

Still, the way the ending played out never sat right with me. You can't actually damage the scarab itself with any of your weapons, save for the two (largely useless) turrets. Instead, you kill the Covenant that emerge from the Scarab's bowels, then jump on, and fight your way to the controls.

When you do so (or, even if you don't, but simply kill all the Covenant units on the Scarab and remain on its surface) you're rewarded with a cutscene that shows the Scarab blowing up and the Chief walking away.

Wha?

How did that happen? How did the Chief destroy the Scarab? Was he carrying explosives? Did he fire a proton torpedo down its secondary exhaust shaft? Did he use his PowerBook to feed it a computer virus? Did he ask it to calculate Pi to the last digit, or tell it he only lies when he smiles?

We don't know. But for Halo 3, the answer to how to destroy Scarabs may be in this image.

Here we see the Chief firing at what appears to be a portion of the Scarab's inner workings. It seems likely that this will be the mechanism used to destroy them-- pump enough rounds into these panels, and BOOM.

You Now Have Zero Seconds To Reach Minimum Safe Distance

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And here's the BOOM. Nice, isn't it?

No HUD elements here and we're looking at the scene from far away from the Chief.

Despite that, from what I understand, this is gameplay, not a cutscene or scripted event.

That's The News And We Are Outta Here

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Covenant cruisers prepare to bug out from what appears to be the surface of Earth, above the African artifact. If that's what we're looking at, then it seems that Halo 3, like Halo 2, won't take place entirely on Earth-- or else this is near the end of the game. You may prepare to start twisting your panties now.

The Pelicans in the shot are headed in the opposite direction, so perhaps those are Brute-controlled cruisers, or else UNSC and Elite forces part ways to pursue separate objectives during the plot.

You Need To Build More AIs

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The Chief, presumably within some Forerunner or Covenant structure from the lighting, stands in front of what looks like a holographic control or display system. It looks very much like this is the same room in which he, the Arbiter, and 343 Guilty Spark witness Cortana's distress and collapse.

In opposition to the announcement trailer, which musically started quietly and built to to a crescendo, here the reverse is true; Bungie gets the blood pumping and then ends on a quiet note.