System: X360
Dev: Bungie Software
Pub: Microsoft
Released: Sept. 25, 2007
Players: 1 - 16
ESRB Rating: Mature
The Finale
by D'Marcus Beatty
The original Halo has been called the game that sustained the original Xbox. Due to the fame and popularity of the Halo franchise and the unexaggerated idea that Microsoft's foray into gaming may have failed without Halo: Combat Evolved, the Halo series has become something like the money-making child star for Microsoft. The problem with most child stars, however, is that they cannot continue their success when their cuteness wears off. This analogy translates over to video games, where few games can continue to generate and sustain a following throughout various iterations. Halo 3, however, bucks this trend by giving gamers nearly everything that they could hope for in the finale of the Halo 3 trilogy.
Halo 3 picks up where Halo 2 left off, following Master Chief and his team as they attempt to defeat the Prophet of Truth and his Covenant followers. This time around, the Arbiter, the surprise co-protagonist from Halo 2, is also along for the ride, although his role is completely secondary. Master Chief and friends must battle their foes to recover Cortana, who was captured in Halo 2, and protect that galaxy from the threats that arise to endanger life everywhere. Without getting too in depth and revealing anything, fans of the first two titles will know what to expect. There aren't too many surprises where the story is concerned, although the trilogy is given the decent sense of closure sorely missing from Halo 2. However, anyone jumping aboard Halo for the first time will be completely lost by the story's close, so if the narrative is an important part of the game for you, consider getting backstory before starting.
One area of concern for most gamers since the beta released were the visuals. The graphics in the beta failed to impress many gamers who were expecting Halo 3 to rival Gears of War in its presentation. However, those concerns can be laid to rest as the graphics have improved considerably from the beta. There is an incredible level of detail in the environments and characters from the start of the game to the finish, and it feels great to see the characters that we all know and love given their next-gen upgrade visually. The appearance of the cutscenes has improved as well. There is a lot to appreciate as well, as the environments in the game are varied, running the gamut from a trek through the snow to the lush, green jungles that your team starts in.
The controls are probably an area of concern for the purists of the franchise. The control setup, which has been fairly unchanged since the beginning, has seen some of its biggest alterations to date. Actions have been moved to the bumper buttons, so you now press right bumper to open doors and activate switches as well as reloading the right hand weapon. Left bumper switches the grenade type that you have equipped or reloads the weapon in your left hand. This setup allows you to reload your dual wielded weapons independently of each other and also frees up the X button to deploy the new equipment. While the setup takes some getting used to for those who've religiously played the first two, it feels eventually begins to feel like a natural evolution of the series. Inevitably, there are going to be some that don't like the new control scheme and are either unable or unwilling to relearn their controls, but those willing to take to time to readjust won't regret it.
The sounds in the Halo series have also always been among the best, with an orchestral score instantly recognizable to most gamers. Halo 3 also doesn't disappoint in this respect. Each of the voice actors in the game does an excellent job in reprising their various roles and the playful banter between the marines is as realistic as ever. The soundtrack is still incredibly done and rises and falls appropriately, giving the game a cinematic feel as the correct times.
The gameplay also doesn't disappoint, giving the player an epic experience from start to finish. Most of the game you'll have a team with you, but the bulk of the fragging is done by Master Chief. There are times that you'll feel as if you're really in the middle of a battle with your team rallying behind you as you charge the Covenant teams with the scale of and types of battles shift throughout the game as well, keeping the experience fresh. You'll find yourself battling Scarabs on more than one occasion, which will give you to opportunity to take out the vehicle from Halo 2 in a non-scripted and more satisfying fashion.
The new weapons, vehicles and equipment also bring a lot to the table. The new additions are spaced out in a way that keeps the experience fresh, as you won't encounter some of the new additions until the last few stages. The new equipment, which consists of the new famous bubble shield, which protects you from projectiles but is porous to enemies, a regenerator, which replenishes your shields, and even old favorites like active camouflage, although you can carry it and activate it at will now instead of using it as soon as you pick it up. The equipment adds a new level of strategy to the gameplay, allowing you to deploy cover or initiate temporary invincibility in times of need. Your enemies can use the same equipment however, so caution is warranted.
Speaking of the enemies in the game, the A.I. is as incredible as it ever was. The enemies will do their best to outmaneuver you, acting intelligently at all times. If you kill the enemy commander, the subordinates all flee or lose focus, but you can distinctly hear the orders being barked and see the enemy doing their best to outflank you.
Beyond the single player campaign, Halo 3 also offers co-op for up to four players. This means that you and up to three friends and hop on Halo 3 using split screen or through Xbox Live and play through the campaign. This is a lot of fun and adds replayability, especially considering that many people play the Halo games repeatedly anyway. To add icing to the cake, Bungie has included a Metagame that gives each player points for kills and various actions, which basically allows you to play against your co-op team and brings a bit of friendly competition to the game outside of multiplayer versus.
The multiplayer versus is where a vast majority of gamers are planning on spending their Halo 3 time. Halo 2 is one of the most widely played Xbox Live games ever, and there is little doubt that Halo 3 will take and maintain that title, especially considering the additions that Bungie has crammed into the game. Perhaps in appreciation of their huge fanbase, Bungie has included the ability to record, save, and share video files of multiplayer and campaign. You can also create game types and share them with others online. Perhaps one of the most anticipated features, however, is Forge, which is a map editor that allows you to reconfigure the maps and share them with others. Forge is a great addition to Halo and is simple to use as well, allowing the player to switch between "god" mode and normal with a button press, so that you can create objects, move them around the map, and then test them out immediately.
All the new additions to the multiplayer greatly enhance an experience that is incredible to begin with. Halo 3 allows up to sixteen players to battle one another on eleven maps in a variety of modes, including the popular Slayer and Team Slayer as well as CTF. Each of the various modes all have different variants and different variables that you can tweak, from infinite grenades to damage modifiers to allowing the players to leech shields from one another. Bungie even included a Zombies game, acknowledging the online favorite with an actual game mode. This brings almost unlimited possibilities to the gameplay, but the game is fun if you only try good old fashioned Classic Slayer.
Ultimately, Halo 3 will not disappoint fans of the series. Halo 3 takes everything that made Halo a favorite game and tweaks it until it has achieved near perfection. The single player experience is a thrill ride from the beginning to the end and the multiplayer will probably be the king of Xbox Live until another game in the Halo series releases. Halo 3 is the undoubtedly best in the series and a game experience that shouldn't be missed.
Features:
# Experience the next captivating chapter in the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race.
# Sci-fi shooter showdown overflows with battles against several indoor and outdoor backdrops.
# Enjoy a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements that take full advantage of the power of the Xbox 360.
# Immerse yourself in a realistic world enhanced by high-definition visuals, a smarter artificial. intelligence and an advanced real-time lighting engine.
# Utilize all-new weapons and characters as you storm through death-defying battles.
# Jump online with Xbox Live and engage in incredible multiplayer action.
# Screen Resolution: Up to 1080i (Standard HDTV, Widescreen).
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Halo 3 Review
