- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Well, if I got my way, all the UNSC weapons would be in Halo 3, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, just for the story's sake. I doubt Bungie'll do that, and the SMG will probably be replaced with the Assault Rifle, but hey they may come through.
My theory is this: the MA-Series assault rifles in the Halo universe are like the AK-47 (and their variants) of the world today. They're mass produced, cheap, and are used by rebel factions and whatnot, since the UNSC rendered it obsolete and adopted the Battle Rifle. Now, the Chief is in Africa, and what does Africa have a lot of today? Militias and AK-47's.
But then again, that conflicts with Bungie's statement of the AR in Halo 3 being different from the one in Halo 1. Still, they could just call it the MA5B for name's sake, but tweak it's performance, gameplay-wise.