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Halo 3 review
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 (pssh... 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.
GOT GAME
Most of those moments are brought to you courtesy of whipsmart A.I. - occasionally frustratingly so. Mid-level Brutes dodge, duck, and throw down Regenerators in mid-firefight until your clip is nearly empty. Grunts, the most cowardly of the bunch, strap grenades to themselves and run straight at you at the most inopportune times. And worst of all...Brute Chieftains have no fear. They’ll run directly at you, Gravity Hammer in hand, with temporary invulnerability unless your clammy, sweaty palms are expert enough to keep a good bead directly on their heads with a steady supply of ammo.
And this says nothing of going toe-to-toe with the massive Scarabs in sprawling land battles. Sure, you’re on the back of a Mongoose and you’ve got a rocket launcher strapped to your back, but can you rely on your driver to keep the already shaky, swervy three-wheeler on a steady course to take down that Scarab? This is what Halo is all about - not knowing what exactly is waiting around the corner, or if you’ll have enough firepower to face it.
But a word of warning: Keep the walls around you padded for that penultimate mission. All the skills and armory you can muster might not be as important as the patience you’ll need to fight your way through it. We won’t spoil any plot points - but rest assured, if you find yourself not having as much fun on that mission, you’re definitely not alone. The enemies you’ll face and the length of the level (it’s looong) combine for a sometimes joyless plod through the valley of “Live through this, chump!” But the reward at its end is sweet and a major high-point in the story. And even this Drone on the windshield doesn’t dampen the rest of Campaign’s wildly frenetic spirit.
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edmanhobo
November 19, 2009 at 12:05pm
The armor you get for getting all the skuls is so cool i love it!!!!!!!!!
jezus_of_the_xb...
September 16, 2009 at 4:29am
i fully played the game on legendary and that is realy hard stuf... i liked the campain but i hope there's a better one at halo3 ODST
Biiiilly
August 02, 2009 at 10:20am
This game is totaaly awsome, the multiplayer is way better than call of duty 5's because in all honesty that game totally sucks.
Chese203
May 05, 2009 at 1:03pm
Hello i love this game this game is my life i play it all day except for school eating and sleeping!!
iamalex13
April 04, 2009 at 10:55pm
@purdued microsoft doesnt own Bungie anymore fucktard. Bungie split on October 5, 2008. MS just owns the "Halo" Franchise. P.S. OXM doesnt have to give anyone a ten. They can give anyone anything. GTA IV didnt even deserve a 9.5 either. It was a boring piece of shit.
MyNtYfReSh
January 22, 2009 at 4:53pm
Forgot to ask why you dissing the game the pretty much created the XBOX FRANCHISE?
MyNtYfReSh
January 22, 2009 at 4:51pm
ok halo 3 is amazing so is cod 4 halo 3 campaign is better than cod 4 NOT ENOUGH MAPS??? WTF two words USER CREATED another few words LIKE 20 FROM BUNGIE both of these games deserved an 11 FOR ALL YOU LITTLE BABIES OUT THERE JUST BECAUSE YOU SUCK AT HALO 3s MULTIPLAYER DOES NOT MEAN IT SUCKS IT MEANS YOU SUCK
brumak21@gmail.com
January 12, 2009 at 3:15pm
brumak21 simply put buy this game because it is the best game ever made
Legolas12280
December 30, 2008 at 4:18pm
Halo 3 is an astounding game. It will blow your mind and it is never tiring. Only thing about it was that the campaign gets stupid eventually because you know everything that is going to happen. Should have gotten an 11...
Gamerboi666
December 28, 2008 at 8:13pm
Finally the the Halo Trilogy: Halo 3 is amazing, if your a true gamer you will buy this game and never get bored. Playing as master chief killing invading aliens especially in co-op is omg out of this world 100stars out of 10stars
xPaCxMaNzX
December 01, 2008 at 6:54pm
i play this game everyday and it never gets boring. I don't think that the stroy was boring i thought i was a little better than halo 2. In my opinion this was definite 10.
shadowover93
December 01, 2008 at 4:14pm
I hated this game this game sucks compared to COD4 and COD World at War,boring story,i hated the online play, this game in my opinion should of got a 6.0(I wont try another halo unless it is made by a different Company)
lespaulbarona
July 28, 2008 at 10:12am
I got Halo: Combat Evolved a few years ago for my PC and it is nothing like Halo 3. I have been playing Halo 3 for a few months for my 360 and it is an awesome game!!
Toutso
July 15, 2008 at 11:24pm
Well.... a 10? Really, I was very dissapointed in this one. First off, I thought the story would run a little smoother. In fact, after I first beat the game, I forgot what just happened.. so I beat the next day and got it. I was thinking it would also be more intense, aside from destorying Scarabs (Favorite parts) all that you did was drive some vehicle, blow up enemies, and flood(Which I thought was improved), then get out of it, shoot up Brutes, and continue through the story line. Multiplayer, it's alright.. I was excited, for the first month. Then it all died. So, my score, at the minimal, 8, and at the max 9. Sorry Halo 3, but I am looking forward to Halo Wars.
DAN741
July 05, 2008 at 12:02pm
amazing game still is awsome no matter what even if cod 4 is almost perfect and has graphics that you can compare
rundownkid
May 08, 2008 at 3:07pm
Bungie has come a long way from Halo 1 to now with Halo 3. I think it was the right thing to do giving halo 3 a 10.GtA isnt as great as it seems it can get boring after a while.
puredude3
May 05, 2008 at 2:42pm
Wait kind of a dumb question because Microsoft owns Bungie and of course they want to give there game 10/10.
powergloveman
April 23, 2008 at 6:39pm
To Axe Argonian WTH DO YOU MEAN? HALO 3 AND COD 4 ARE ZE BEST GAMES ON 360, BESIDES BIOSHOCK, GEARS AND GTAIV
neo56695
April 13, 2008 at 10:59am
In my opinion i think halo 3 is the best game on earth but yes there are flaws like any other game. 98% of me was buying halo 3 for the campaign to Finish The Fight to save the human race from the Covenant and wipe out the infectious disease The Flood and reunite Chief with the lost Cortana. With people constantly compering Halo 3 to Call of Duty 4 what is a mainly online game i don't think this is a fair comparison because sure Halo 3 has online and loads of fans still play it but thats not the point if we look at it like that COD4 campaign is exactly the same as the rest follow a strict predetermined path with not much of a story jumping between different characters and not giving enough time to build a connection with players unlike in halo were youve been with 117 for 3 games now with more or less the same characters.
a_goat
April 09, 2008 at 9:59am
While Halo 3 was indeed a good game, it is no way a 10. The game itself was quite short and multiplayer gets old very quickly, as there are only a handful of maps available (despite how Bungie led us to believe that there were going to be so many maps to choose from). The best part of this long-awaited conclusion to the saga is the 4-player, on-line co-op mode: very cool. The graphics themselves were absolutely beautiful. But one needs to ask thereself a very important question that many have never even bothered to think about: if this were not part of the Halo series, would it have even received this type of praise? My response: absolutely not. Halo 3 is over-rated: fun, but over-rated none the less.
Boopeeps
April 02, 2008 at 8:41pm
Ok will someone answer the question of whether or not theres gonna be a Halo 4...? I mean i think we finished the fight with the cov. but what about the Forerunners..? What about the creators of the Flood? And WTH kinda ending was that...MAster chief just floating towards some strange planet.... Is it just me or did they set that up pretty good for a halo 4...?
Bakino
March 25, 2008 at 5:23pm
One of my top 10 games...around #3 for me. #1 is The legend of Zelda Ocarina of time!! sick game...
damashiuchi
March 14, 2008 at 2:52pm
halo single player is better than cod ... halo multiplayer is crap ... it boggles my mind that it's so popular ... i can't even FATHOM grasping an IDEA anywhere NEAR an understanding of why so many people play it online ... remember: millions of people can't all be RIGHT either ... halo mp is garbage ... i'd have given it a 5 ... since half the game is crumby MP ...
dcs_360
March 09, 2008 at 9:37am
any one who says cod 4 is better than halo 3 there is somthing wrong with them atleast halo 3 has a longer story than cod 4 ( i beat cod 4 in one day ) halo 3 is way better and always will be (also spartan 117 does not die he goes into the freez chamber) (watch after the credits are done)
dcs_360
March 09, 2008 at 9:33am
any one who says cod 4 is better than halo 3 there is somthing wrong with them atleast halo 3 has a longer story than cod 4 ( i beat cod 4 in one day ) halo 3 is way better and always will be
wrathoftheninja
March 06, 2008 at 1:18pm
ah crap! just wen i get halo3 call of duty 4 comes out and turns out to be better...will i ever keep up with the next gen??
xxMr_Adictxx
February 26, 2008 at 11:01pm
its a good game imnot laming it i loved it but after playing it for like 2 months it got a bit repetitive and boring the campaign is the best in that game tho (4-player co-op =]) but yea COD4 has more replayability still i wonder the day i will get back into halo 3
jeffyboy0035
February 25, 2008 at 4:44pm
Halo 3 isn't that great..i did liked it before cod4 came out but i rather not say much cause theres some players still play halo 3 and then end up playing cod4.Why do we have to pay for those maps?i mean really i would thought its free from xbox live..actually we had to buy points to buy maps.I think we should get those maps free cause we're paying xboxlive for their services..well back to my call of duty 4.Great game and better game play than Halo 3!!!
dietcoke4fatty
February 11, 2008 at 5:27pm
amazing game, i got hooked then picked up cod 4 and now im hooked to that game, but this still is awsome no matter what even if cod 4 is almost perfect and has graphics that you can compare to crysis
striker95
January 31, 2008 at 6:37pm
in my opinion the game was pretty good but to tell the truth it was smart of bungie to leave halo because i think if they made another halo it would go downhill. i dont like the story all that much, and i was expecting better how everyone was talking about how insane it was going to be. the multiplayer was the only thing good but they make it a little bit to easy ur crosshair follows a little bit and i bet if u took a really good halo player they wouldnt do that great if u put them in a real fps game such as resistance and killzone or unreal tournement 3
Dapson
January 20, 2008 at 9:59pm
yeah spartan 012 is right man. I'm not trying to be an asshole to you ace of spades (or whatever your name is) but if you watch the credits at the end of the game it will show you another movie scene where Master Chief goes into a "sleep" or "gas" chamber like the one he was in when the he first awoke in Halo 1. Here is a link for you tube to see the end. Not very good quality but it had the best sound i could find at the time. Turn up the sound a little and it will be fine. Here it is: http://youtube.com/watch?v=U5aX-yJrGio&feature=related
Gen Crucial
January 16, 2008 at 8:15am
As a Halo 3, multi-player wreck shopper, I dont believe the series needs to go further with a Halo 4, but instead more more in a direction of upgrading Halo 3. Great Exsamples would be, New Map Packs, New Emblems, New Armor, New Achievments, Online Ranks. For increased joy in multi-player, add new tactics, a great one i came up with... Imgagine if someone threw a grenade at you (wether it be a sticky or not) imagine hitting the melle at the right time and bunting that grenade back at thier general direction, or even onto them. What if you could dual wield swords? If they do decide to make a Halo 4 it better be one for the books, I love this game, but the hype the brought about Halo 3 and how insane it was going be, made me real upset not hearing everyone talking about it after its release date. This game is to big of a succes for them to just leave it alone and not come back to it. Im positive that there will but updates and new content if not a Halo4.
spartan 012
January 09, 2008 at 1:44pm
xace of spades wtf do u mean. he does not die from cancer he goes in the freeze (forget what it is called) chamber when cortana dropped the beacon
honour warrior
January 05, 2008 at 12:00am
IAN halo 3 is a great game mainly because there is so much to do when you are playing with a party
lluc
January 03, 2008 at 1:27pm
Game boring no fun like halo 2. They sould of made it like halo 1, it would of been a lot better.
rainbow man
January 02, 2008 at 7:19pm
Everyone but "thelastspartan" are losers because this guy said that halo 3 is the best game ever made yet, no doubts about it. If you want to argue with me feel free.
Dapson
December 22, 2007 at 1:22pm
The game was fun and all and i give it a 10/10, but there is somethings that were not what i expected. First, the campagin was WAY TOO SHORT and still it wasn't that hard on legendary. Second, the online hasn't change from Halo 2. IT is still fun and kick @$$, but it would be nice to see some change. Whoever it is was that was saying all of the media stuff about the game and how good it sold in the first day. No one gives a shit about the media stuuf. They care about the actual gameplay. There are games that sell good for the first week b/c no one has an idea of the game but it is the next game in the series. They go out and buy it only to figure out that it is really dumb and they just wasted their money. All in all though the game is good and i would advise you to buy it, but don't go in thinking that it is the best game ever. Another game that i found was really good and if not better than Halo 3 is COD 4, but it is a diffrent style of a game and it all depends on the person that is playing it. If you like shoot the F out of people, then go with Halo 3. If you like a game that is more of a tatical or more realistic game, then go with COD 4. Both of these games are awesome, but it is up to you to decide which one is better.
thelastspartan
December 20, 2007 at 5:28pm
Guys(who don't think halo 3 is the best game EVER!), why do you even argue? I mean, books are stronger than words. Last time I checked, Halo 3 holds the multimedia record(yes, including music and movies) for biggest profit made within 24 hrs. of its release. That is, halo 3 made $170 in just one day. As for rating, I give it a 10 out of 10. It is the best halo, with countless stuff to do and customize, and I think there will be a halo 4. If not, the soon to be released Halo movie will(hopefully) act as Halo 4 by filling in the final gaps(like, we know they exist, but wtf do forerunners look like, and wtf does Arbiter mean by "let's go home" when he speaks to The Fleet commander? Also, how can the covenant and the flood possibly have been defeated when there's still 3 more halos left-there were originally 6 before 2 were blown up and one was deactivated).
oO-OxygeN-Oo
December 12, 2007 at 3:47am
Halo3 shows just how much of a money machine the halo franchise is... Oh look! Bungie gave us the same old thing in campain! Oh look! the multi player is good yes, but wow, isnt that legendary ending a real cliffhanger? lol, there WILL be another halo, whether its halo as we know it is another question bungie has said marathon and halo are closely linked, so maybe halo 4 will follow the marathon story, even though halo and marathon's stories are practically identical.. Or they could just make up another enemy, and said halo 4 is born
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