Halo 3 (Xbox 360)

As most people say, Halo is what makes XBOX Popular. I disagree with this statement, but thats a whole different topic. Halo 3 is the most anticipated game for the XBOX 360. Many people held off to get an XBOX 360 until this November to get their hands on a copy of Halo 3. With this in mind, there is HUGE pressure on these authors, game designers, game engineers, managers, and Microsoft. With all this pressure on them to build not just a good game but a 'Freakingly Amazing FPS Game that will blow your socks off game of the year' these individuals are going to make the best freaking game you've ever played. Plus it has the Halo name on it too, so you know somewhat to expect, but there are going to be many additional features that is going to be put into this game.

Lets remember back to before Halo 2 was going to be released, this game was one of the best selling games to date. On its launch it sold MILLIONS of copies. Thats how big the anticipation was, and the only real difference between Halo 1 and Halo 2 is: new guns, new levels, new campaign, and XBOX Live. Thats 4 things, thats nothing. When making Halo 2 they knew that they would be making not just Halo 2, but they could forsee the launch of Halo 3 too. With this in mind, they didn't go overboard on making Halo 2, they only added in the necessary features to make Halo 2 a success, and have customers coming back to buy Halo 3, three years later.

Halo 2 was mainly used to get XBOX Live really going smoothly. Honestly, how many people actually played XBOX on the internet before Halo 2 came out? Not many people, there are tons more people playing xbox live now and thats soley because of Halo 2.

Additionally since Halo 3 is going to be the final chapter in the Halo trilligy its going to finish strong, and its going to finish on a great note. I guarantee that this game will be the Game of the Year, and people will be playing this game long after the life of the XBOX 360.


Only people who have never experienced the action of Halo say this guide is not helpful.

Graphics: Breathtaking 9.5/10
The graphics great. The rumors of an upgraded Halo 2, or Halo 2 like graphics is not true. With smooth framerates and stunning effects, you will be taken aback. Take some time to watch the backgrounds and environments and the detail of that went into these levels. This is after you clear everything that moves.

Sound: Amazing – 10/10
The sounds, music, effects, and voices take you immediately into the game. Surround sound is a must so you can hear the shots, shouts, and footsteps of the your opponents in this game. The score for this game heightens you senses, and truly brings you into the game.

Gameplay: Spectacular – 9/10
Smooth animations, large levels, smart enemies and A.I., big battles, and 4-player co-op = awesome. Without giving anything away, this is some great storytelling that gives way to some genuine wow moments.

Replay Value – Amazing 10/10
Multiplayer. That is all I have to say. This game has high replay value. Choose which way you would like to play online, but with the achievements, future downloadable content, 4-player co-op, and with over 1 million copies pre-ordered, and 4 million copies on retailers shelves in the first week, there will always be someone to play with.

Overall – Perfect 9.5/10
I am a fan of First-Person-Shooters (FPS) and all that is associated with them. I enjoy the emersion, and critique them heavily. This game allows you to “finish the fight”, but this game is so much more. The campaign brings closure, but it is the multiplayer aspect that will revolutionize XBOX Live and online gaming as we know it.

Halo 3 is Bungie’s 3-year project and baby, with unlimited resources from Microsoft, that was made to send Microsoft’s XBOX 360 to the next level, and it was worth the wait and money. With over 1 million pre-orders, this epic tale concludes with the highest pre-orders of a game to date. This game in campaign feels, and plays near perfect, and allows veterans and newcomers alike to enjoy and truly experience this game. The story line finishes up the previous two games, and is just long enough to make it feel right, and not dragged out. It took approximately 8.5 hours to beat it on legendary difficulty. It may be a bit shorter, though this was played immediately after a midnight sale of this game. The co-op was well done, and creates a new feel for campaign FPS games. I look forward to the future where this will be the standard in playing games.

The online is well done. Halo 3 has once again set the standard of what an online matchmaking/playing system should be. Putting together fun maps, objectives, and customizable Advatars, this game will appeal to the “newbie”, as well as the everyday online Halo player. With the Halo 2 system being overhauled, and the Bungie stat-tracker updated, this game will quickly become the number one game on XBOX Live.

I could write a five page review on this game, the battles, the enemies, weapons, and AI, but it still would not do it justice. If you have an XBOX 360, you should buy this, and buy it now. If you have thought about getting an XBOX 360, this would be the reason to get one. Does it live up to the hype? I don’t think anything could have lived up to the hype that is game received. This game was praised as the second coming, but what it is one of the best games of 2007, and is beautiful and fun to play.

PRO'S I care, and I want it



Maybe everyone is making too big a deal about this, maybe the Halo franchise will never live up to the hype, but never before has a video game so moved me to ponder buying $3,000 in A/V equipment as Halo 3.

But the saga of Master Chief compels me to push for improvements in our home theater system - a 1080p flat-screen (uh-huh, I know Halo 3 only supports 720p), a surround-sound system, and yes, the pesky Xbox 360 itself (not to mention 60 bones for the actual disc).

Why? Call me a sucker for sci-fi. Or maybe I just like to blow off steam by blazing away on a virtual trigger.

But the Halo universe built good characters and provided great gameplay. I care whether Master Chief and the Arbiter save Earth by fighting off the Covenant and holding the Flood at bay. I want to see Cortana escape Gravemind and the In Amber Clad. And if any of that makes sense to you, then you do, too.

Halo has provided a compelling story and addictive mechanics that have influenced scads of games since the original's 2001 release. That's enough to make me want to finish the fight.


CON'S Just a whole lot of hype

The Halo craziness has as much to do with timing and hype as it does with Master Chief. What might have been a genuinely innovative or just super-polished shooter in 2002 is now one of a dozen top-shelf games. And as derivative as movie sequels are of the original, video game sequels are usually even more repetitive.

The sight of gamers lined up at midnight and the prospect of opening-day grosses that dwarf Spider-Man might be good fodder for media coverage ("Wouldja look at these crazy kids - boy, they sure are crazy for lining up for a silly game!"). But there are plenty of other, better reasons to "accidentally" spend that insurance money on an Xbox 360.

Halo 3 lives up to every bit of its ever-expanding reputation. However, a few small disappointments chip away at the game’s shot at perfection.

Every enemy type from the first two Halo games returns here smarter than ever, especially on Legendary difficulty. Since Elites are now your friends (the Arbiter and two generic Elites fill out a four-player co-op team), you won’t be fighting this classic enemy. Brutes do take on some Elite traits, like cloaking and their own answer to the Plasma Sword – a Gravity Hammer. However, an advanced form of a certain enemy group near the end proves to be the most challenging adversary.

Almost all of the old weapons are back (assault rifle ftw!) in addition to more new guns than ever. I especially like the detachable turrets, even if they do slow you down a little. A new power-up slot spices up the traditional melee, guns, and grenades mix. The Mongoose and Chopper complement previous Halo vehicles well, but the best addition is a powerful UNSC answer to the Banshee.

Halo 3’s multiplayer has really outdone itself this time. Countless modes and variants always keep the 11 maps fresh. In addition to standard modes like capture the flag, deathmatch, and king of the hill, several new creative modes abound – an especially cool one makes 25 percent of players “zombies” with plasma swords who must “infect” the remaining players.

The Forge is basically “modding lite” and makes the already expansive multiplayer even more unlimited. At any time during these unranked matches players can turn into a Monitor and add, move, or remove any object in the game. This can be a collaborative creation process, or you can have just one person with editing capabilities serve as a multiplayer DM of sorts. Think of what can happen during a heated battle when the editor decides to drop a Scorpion tank right in the middle of the fray.
Four-player co-op is fun as hell. Playing on Legendary is definitely a must, but even this extreme single-player challenge is severely watered down when you introduce other players. There’s also an unlockable campaign scoring system based on kills, headshots, and difficulty setting that can be enacted in single player and co-op. Online leaderboards provide a great incentive to come back to the campaign again and again like never before.

I also really dug the new Theater feature. It basically auto saves your last 25 campaign levels or multiplayer matches and allows you to watch them from any player perspective or from a floating camera, edit clips, take screens, and send them through Xbox Live. After playing around with this you’ll want it in every game.

However, Halo 3 does have a few small problems that are primarily located in the campaign. First off, full on boss battles are noticeably absent. Sure, you’ll fight a few massive enemies, but none of them really feel like a true boss. And the last major fight is more like a quick interactive cutscene than a knock-down, drag-out fight. This is especially disappointing because there is one obvious candidate Bungie could have used and didn’t. Also, there is plenty of trudging back and forth through the same environments in addition to the whole “Okay, we deactivated this tower. Now let’s take care of the next one with the exact same layout.” There are a few other nitpicky issues I have, but these are all relatively minor when you look at the big picture.

Overall, Bungie has crafted another masterpiece that serves as a fitting end