Halo 3
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2007 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.3 \ 10.0: Excellent
Above is, from left to right, the Arbiter wielding a carbine and Master Chief wielding an assault rifle
Halo 3 isn't my favorite Halo game (that would be Halo: Reach), but it's pretty darn good, and critics certainly agree. The game is set soon after its predecessor in the year 2552. Mankind is currently losing the war against the alien alliance known as the Covenant. The game begins with Master Chief, one of the last soldiers serving in Dr. Catherine Halsey's SPARTAN-II program, crash-landing while his armor is locked in the middle of a jungle in eastern Africa. Here, is confronted by Sergeant Major Johnson and his squad of UNSC marines. Upon regaining consciousness, Master Chief notices nearby movement, and rushes toward the potential assailant to find that it's a Sangheli, a species of Covenant, better known as Elites. Master Chief holds his magnum to the alien's chin, but Johnson hurriedly informs him that that this Elite is the Arbiter, a disgraced Covenant Fleetmaster. The Arbiter was stripped of his rank by the Prophets, the Covenant's religious leaders, and made the Arbiter, a warrior who gains honor through death. However, the humans had formed a treaty with the Elites. This is because, in the previous game, the Prophet of Truth deemed the Elites unfit for duty due to their failure to protect the Prophet of Regret, and they were replaced by the Brutes. After this, the Elites discovered their religion was a lie. The Covenant believe that they can embark on a "Great Journey" by activating Halos, massive rings built by the ancient alien race, the Forerunners, the Covenant's gods. When activated, a Halo will wipe out all sentient life in a massive radius, which the Covenant are unaware of. The rings were built as a last resort against the zombielike parasite known as the Flood, which is infesting Earth. The Flood are not affected by the Halos, but without sentient life to feed on, they will all eventually starve. Master Chief's mission is to destroy the Flood and its monstrous source, Gravemind, and to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating a Forerunner Artifact called the Ark. The Ark is located outside of New Mombasa, a Kenyan port city. When activated, the Ark will fire all of the Halos, wiping out all life in the galaxy. This is one of the series' deepest and most compelling plots yet. This is a pretty bad jumping-on point for players such as myself that are (in my case, were) fairly new to Halo, but it doesn't matter. But be warned, if you played Halo: Reach right before this like me, you'll be wondering why that Spartan fell from the sky and why that Elite that you would have killed in Reach (and also, by the way, let the attack on Reach) is now your ally. The game's campaign is very fun, but it can be frustrating. The difficulty level never rises much, but is always sometimes frustrating, and the game is already pretty tough on the Normal difficulty. A nice touch in campaign is the still hilarious Covenant dialogue in battle. For the first time in the series, the game supports up to four-player co-op. This time around, everyone isn't just a carbon copy of the Chief. Every player assumes a different character, and if you're joined by someone playing as the Arbiter, the dialogue between him and the chief will become more personal. If you're tired of the campaign, players with an Xbox Live Gold Membership can treat themselves to online fun with Matchmaking in a variety of modes. As fun as playing online can be, the ranking system is very irritating. You gain experience when you win and actually rank down if you lose. This is extremely unfair, as your chance of victory relies heavily on your teammates, who can leave at any time and be penalized. Overall, Halo 3 offers both a solid online and local multiplayer. You can host a versus match with up to three of your buddies in your own home, and even more by inviting Xbox Live friends or using System Link. There's Forge mode, a new feature to the series. This mode which allows you to modify existing maps by deleting and adding weapons, vehicles, objects, and more. However, you can't place unlimited objects on your map, which is probably to prevent lag. Additionally, the mode isn't taken full advantage of, as none of the maps, are completely blank canvases. Lastly, there's Theater mode, in which you are able to view clips of recent games, and save your favorites for bragging rights. Using the new File Share, you are able to upload your Forge maps, films, screenshots, and custom game modes, of which can now be now be much more thoroughly modified. If you like what you find, you can download it for yourself. Halo 3 introduces a couple more new features. You can now detach turrets from their stands. You can also rank up in matchmaking. The game features detailed and vibrant visuals which hold up well today, and an amazing soundtrack. The collection of maps in this game exceeds the quality of that in other Halo game. The game includes remakes of fan favorites such as Last Resort (Zanzibar remade), and great originals such as Valhalla and Pit Stop. Halo 3 is an incredible game, but it doesn't hold up nearly as well as Reach. That does not at all mean that Halo and shooter fans should shy from this game, not at all. If you're and Xbox 360 owner that's allowed to play M-rated games, this is a must-have title.
Above is, from left to right, the Arbiter wielding a carbine and Master Chief wielding an assault rifle
Halo 3 isn't my favorite Halo game (that would be Halo: Reach), but it's pretty darn good, and critics certainly agree. The game is set soon after its predecessor in the year 2552. Mankind is currently losing the war against the alien alliance known as the Covenant. The game begins with Master Chief, one of the last soldiers serving in Dr. Catherine Halsey's SPARTAN-II program, crash-landing while his armor is locked in the middle of a jungle in eastern Africa. Here, is confronted by Sergeant Major Johnson and his squad of UNSC marines. Upon regaining consciousness, Master Chief notices nearby movement, and rushes toward the potential assailant to find that it's a Sangheli, a species of Covenant, better known as Elites. Master Chief holds his magnum to the alien's chin, but Johnson hurriedly informs him that that this Elite is the Arbiter, a disgraced Covenant Fleetmaster. The Arbiter was stripped of his rank by the Prophets, the Covenant's religious leaders, and made the Arbiter, a warrior who gains honor through death. However, the humans had formed a treaty with the Elites. This is because, in the previous game, the Prophet of Truth deemed the Elites unfit for duty due to their failure to protect the Prophet of Regret, and they were replaced by the Brutes. After this, the Elites discovered their religion was a lie. The Covenant believe that they can embark on a "Great Journey" by activating Halos, massive rings built by the ancient alien race, the Forerunners, the Covenant's gods. When activated, a Halo will wipe out all sentient life in a massive radius, which the Covenant are unaware of. The rings were built as a last resort against the zombielike parasite known as the Flood, which is infesting Earth. The Flood are not affected by the Halos, but without sentient life to feed on, they will all eventually starve. Master Chief's mission is to destroy the Flood and its monstrous source, Gravemind, and to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating a Forerunner Artifact called the Ark. The Ark is located outside of New Mombasa, a Kenyan port city. When activated, the Ark will fire all of the Halos, wiping out all life in the galaxy. This is one of the series' deepest and most compelling plots yet. This is a pretty bad jumping-on point for players such as myself that are (in my case, were) fairly new to Halo, but it doesn't matter. But be warned, if you played Halo: Reach right before this like me, you'll be wondering why that Spartan fell from the sky and why that Elite that you would have killed in Reach (and also, by the way, let the attack on Reach) is now your ally. The game's campaign is very fun, but it can be frustrating. The difficulty level never rises much, but is always sometimes frustrating, and the game is already pretty tough on the Normal difficulty. A nice touch in campaign is the still hilarious Covenant dialogue in battle. For the first time in the series, the game supports up to four-player co-op. This time around, everyone isn't just a carbon copy of the Chief. Every player assumes a different character, and if you're joined by someone playing as the Arbiter, the dialogue between him and the chief will become more personal. If you're tired of the campaign, players with an Xbox Live Gold Membership can treat themselves to online fun with Matchmaking in a variety of modes. As fun as playing online can be, the ranking system is very irritating. You gain experience when you win and actually rank down if you lose. This is extremely unfair, as your chance of victory relies heavily on your teammates, who can leave at any time and be penalized. Overall, Halo 3 offers both a solid online and local multiplayer. You can host a versus match with up to three of your buddies in your own home, and even more by inviting Xbox Live friends or using System Link. There's Forge mode, a new feature to the series. This mode which allows you to modify existing maps by deleting and adding weapons, vehicles, objects, and more. However, you can't place unlimited objects on your map, which is probably to prevent lag. Additionally, the mode isn't taken full advantage of, as none of the maps, are completely blank canvases. Lastly, there's Theater mode, in which you are able to view clips of recent games, and save your favorites for bragging rights. Using the new File Share, you are able to upload your Forge maps, films, screenshots, and custom game modes, of which can now be now be much more thoroughly modified. If you like what you find, you can download it for yourself. Halo 3 introduces a couple more new features. You can now detach turrets from their stands. You can also rank up in matchmaking. The game features detailed and vibrant visuals which hold up well today, and an amazing soundtrack. The collection of maps in this game exceeds the quality of that in other Halo game. The game includes remakes of fan favorites such as Last Resort (Zanzibar remade), and great originals such as Valhalla and Pit Stop. Halo 3 is an incredible game, but it doesn't hold up nearly as well as Reach. That does not at all mean that Halo and shooter fans should shy from this game, not at all. If you're and Xbox 360 owner that's allowed to play M-rated games, this is a must-have title.
Ups
Compelling story
Fun campaign
Covenant dialogue still hilarious
New modes
New abilities
Downs
Very difficult campaign
Forge item list is hard to navigate
ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood & Gore, Mild Language, and Violence Price: $14.99 (Retail / Download)
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