Halo 3

This is it. The reason why you spent money to upgrade to an HDTV and plunk cold, hard cash on an Xbox 360. The moment we find out whether Cortana lives or dies, and whether we get to finish the fight as Master Chief or (god forbid) some other character. A lot’s riding on this moment – not only for Microsoft and Bungie, but also for millions of gamers who’ve pinned countless hopes and paychecks on this very release.

And Halo 3’s clearly got a lot of ’splaining to do. Even with Halo 2’s marvelous light-year leap in multiplayer, we still didn’t get jazz-handed enough to not notice the major anti-ending. Will Halo 3 make the same mistake or deliver an all-around experience befitting the end of a major trilogy? Will the multiplayer raise the level for other games like its last chapter did? That’s what we’re here to find out. And so, with our rears firmly planted in our seats for the mother of all marathon gaming sessions, we flicked on our 360s for answers.

THE BIG BANG

Let’s get down to business: Halo 3 is about stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. Big, small, mysterious, epic, outrageous – Halo 3 is like that bottomless basket of yummy, warm, buttered bread you get at a strip-mall chain restaurant. It gives, then keeps on giving until you realize you might never be able to play another game ever again if you want to experience everything it has to offer.

Wanna test your mettle with Campaign? Do it. You’ll find that the enemies are Ph.D.-smart, the vistas loom with bigger-than-life battles for humanity, and the variety of weapons and vehicles spans the spectrum from whimsical (The Brute Mauler shotgun-style firearm? Cool-looking, but pretty meh…) to downright indispensable (Plasma Rifles? Yes, please!). And after you’ve battled your way through the sci-fi melodrama and finished the fight, Campaign beckons you back for more punishment in the form of online co-op — can you and your friends beat Legendary? The game lures you with higher difficulty settings and new ways to conquer old enemies, and then traps you with its often-silly but brutal meta-game involving collectible skulls.

When you’re tired of that? That bottomless breadbasket also comes with infinite drink refills. There’s the gargantuan joy of multiplayer with its countless numbers of different game types, sub-game variations, and subtle map strategies. If that gets boring (pssht…like that’ll happen), then Forge gives you the chance to tweak levels and ways to play beyond what you expect. It’s almost as if Bungie has concocted some sinister plot to never let you leave the dinner table. Settling in isn’t a polite suggestion – Halo 3 orders you to.

THIS IS HOW THE WORLD BEGINS…

We’ll put your anxious, Arbiter-riddled mind at ease right now: From the minute you first load up the starting cinematic in the single-player campaign, you are Master Chief and you remain in his green helmet until the ending credits roll. Good, great – forum meltdown averted. But even wearing the big guy’s recharging-shield suit won’t save you from the ultimate beatdown that those hundreds of very well-armed, very intelligent Brutes (and company) are about to hand you throughout Halo 3’s 10- to 18-hour Heroic-difficulty-level campaign trail. Bungie has increased the lack of peace, so to speak – the pacing of every stage is constant, as if Halo 2 just went on an energy-drink binge. You are humanity’s last hope, and you’re about to pay for that privilege with gun shells, sweat, and (in the case of the grueling and arduous penultimate level) tears.

But this is what also makes Halo 3 an incredible rush in Campaign. From the hide-and-seek guerrilla warfare that blazes through lush green jungles (as seen in most of the beginning stages of the game) to wide-open, vehicle land-battle-happy deserts (“The Ark”) to the inner corridors and warehouses infested by all manner of Covenant critters (“Crow’s Nest” and a few others), you’re always pinned down and you’re always fighting to survive even the most seemingly small skirmish with the enemy.

There’s nothing small or insignificant when it comes to battle. You’ll always be fighting – from the minute you take control after the opening cinematic to the minute you crash-land into the ending, every portion is crammed with indispensable white-knuckled “moments,” both epic and exhilarating.

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