How many maps will come on the new Halo 3: ODST when the game ships later this year? I’m glad you asked. 24. Twenty Four. This gem of info comes courtesy of the Bungie weekly update:

Just some minor housekeeping this week. We wanted to address an oft-asked, but pertinent question about the Halo 3 Multiplayer content that will ship with Halo 3: ODST this Fall. All twenty-four Halo 3 Multiplayer maps will be in the box. All shipping maps: The Heroic Map Pack, The Legendary Map Pack, Cold Storage, The Mythic Map Pack, and three brand new exclusive maps are included.

- urk from Bungie Weekly Update: 02/06/09

Spray and Pray

One other thing that is “similar but different” in Halo 3: ODST is the M7 Submachine Gun.  You first held this bullet hose in your hot little hand back in the glory days of Halo 2, where you quickly learned that a single SMG on its own probably wasn’t the best implement of war you could bring with you onto the online battlefield.  It was always much more effective when wielded in matching pairs or complemented with plasma in the other hand.  In the Halo 3 multiplayer space, The SMG occupies a similar position in the overall sandbox – though many of its shortcomings as a starting weapon were addressed by way of the Return of the Assault Rifle (BR aficionados, start your foruming).

But even the least astute observers among us should have noted that the SMG showcased both in the Official Halo 3: ODST trailer, and in the recent crop of delicious concept art, has been augmented with a sweet, sultry silencer.  It’s also been retooled in a few other significant ways.  It’s still a bullet hose, no doubt about it, but let’s just say the nozzle’s been turned just a touch to narrow the stream.

That little piece of kit latched on top of the receiver assembly isn’t for show, it’s a Reflex Sight to facilitate increased accuracy. And just below the barrel you may notice there’s a housing for the smart-linked scope that allows an ODST to get an even better look at his targets while squeezing the trigger. That doesn’t mean the custom SMG operates as a Battle Rifle clone – it’s still most effective in CQB scenarios, doing its dirty work up close and personal, but it is much more effective at midrange than ever before. Buggers beware.

-taken from Bungie.net