Bungie just announced the new maps that are going to hit the XBL marketplace and the Halo: Contact Harvest Novel continues to climb the New York Best sellers list. With both news items happening so close together, I wanted to get my review of Halo 3 up. I have to be honest and say Halo 2 was a complete disappointment to me as far as the single-player campaign mode. In fact even on one of our podcasts I said whoever thought it was a great idea to end the game with the “To Be Continued” should have been fired. I know I was not alone on my thoughts of the last game. It was good and had a solid online play. It just seemed like the game should have been called Halo 1.5. There were also issues with the constant onslaught of cheaters over Xbox Live.

So when the Halo 3 hype started, I wasn’t gung ho. Yes, I wanted it to be great and I hoped the game would finally deliver something different. With the online beta, it looked good, but I still had my doubts considering the single-player mode from the previous version. My mind set soon changed after Microsoft and Bungie confirmed the four player Co-Op campaign. Read on to see why the third time was definitely the charm for the series.

Gameplay

Bungie didn’t recreate the game or formula. In fact Halo 3 plays out like the other two games for the most part. Only this time the story finally makes complete sense and answers questions that Halo 2 only made worse. From the start of the game until the last mission, it kept my interest and I loved the game. I want to be careful and not go into the story as I know some have this on their Christmas list and really there is no need for spoilers. The main thing in the single- player and Co-Op campaign is that it makes sense. Each level builds to the story and is a challenge unlike a few of the levels in Halo 2 where you could actually get a phone call or get distracted then look at the screen and see that the enemies have destroyed each other for you. Instead this time Bungie takes you on a roller coaster ride and at times will play with the gamer’s emotions.

Everyone likes the characters in the Halo franchise. We have learned to want to cheer for the good guys and hope they succeed. Bungie was clever in the way they designed each level. I have to admit a few of the flood levels really are frustrating and are best when played with friends in the Co-op feature. You will also, at times, need to grab weapons both human and alien and while some of the weapons are better than others, the mix of having to use almost all the weapons at least once during the game really made it more exciting.

So we have new weapons and great levels to go through. So far it sounds great, right? It is great, but the only thing that can be a royal pain is when you need to allow the marine AI characters to drive you to a certain point. You will want to get out and run after them and throw them out and do it yourself, which is what happened several times while we were playing through it on Co-Op. I think Bungie made the AI this way to add a challenge but that is just a guess. The AI is really good at watching your back, but they just can’t drive. The new vehicles are very cool and fun to drive. They also can save your butt during a mission.

Many fans have commented on the fact the game seemed shorter and I have to disagree. If you’re playing with four players, it’s going to go quicker but it seemed perfect it length. I also enjoyed the fact you had to fight then drive and at times which was a blast. Halo 3 has a great feel overall and the story unfolds almost perfectly. The final mission was perhaps one of the most exciting and fun things I have ever experienced in a game like this and is something anyone would love. I also think each difficulty level seemed about right. If you look at the comments on the front page, you already know about the ending, but it makes sense and not only finished the game, but gave closure. It also allows Bungie to continue the series, although this has not been confirmed or denied. Bungie made all my doubts and anger for the last version go away. For that they deserve the praise the game has received. It’s not perfect, but it will be a long time before anything comes close to repeating or topping Halo 3.

Controls

You would think with new weapons, flying and driving the controls may be an issue. I thought they were near perfect and fit the Xbox 360 controller perfectly. The learning curve is not steep but when it comes to nailing head-shots and precise hammer slams, it may take some a bit longer to get the feel for everything. I would say within the first 20 minutes most gamers will have all the controls down pat. They feel natural and really no issues even the flying missions work well. It seems Bungie really took their time fine- tuning everything this time.

Xbox Live

There are really two separate online modes to talk about. There is the Co-Op and then the regular online mode. Co-Op works great and I will suggest if you want to play this and are expecting friends to join, set it to invite only. This will prevent players from jumping in without your permission. While we all played the Co-Op mode and enjoyed it, there are a few minor issues. If someone gets dropped, you will end right there and either need to restart or wait for the person to rejoin. You may also find that you beat the game but the achievement didn’t pop for you. You have to replay the mission you stopped at from the start. I think this is due to the way the game is saved. Other than that it again proves even Halo can be improved if allowed a Co-Op feature. We have been saying this for years and I am glad Bungie decided on added this.

The normal online mode offers several new changes like the Forge a giant sad box that allows you to change and move everything for custom games. You can file share with your friends and even send them a new game variant you created. Of course Team Slayer, Big Battle and all the normal game types are back with the ranking system a bit tweaked. I am not sure if during the time of Halo 2 till now I have grown patience or what, but I actually enjoyed playing online against others this time. I still prefer the four player team, but it just seems smoother and less cheater this time around. Lobbies are easy to make and easy to join. You can even invite friends in and watch the theater mode which can be very entertaining. Solid online modes a little short on maps or should I say at times the maps repeat too often, but you will have this.

 

Graphics

 

Graphically Halo 3 looks great the cut-scenes are incredible and the details are outstanding. Everything looks polished and helps place you in the world of the Halo universe. The camera actually moves out a bit when you fire and then moves back in and never gives a bad angle while playing. The ships, vehicles and weapons all have a different look and it all pays off. Halo 3 looks great and I think that is saying all that need to be said here.

Audio

The Halo soundtracks have always surprised me. I love them and the way they use different instruments to help set the mood or tone for the action about to unfold. While I may rant about Halo 2, I loved the soundtrack. Halo 3 features new tracks and a few favorites used in Halo 2. The weapons, explosions and key elements all sound perfect. The voice over work is top-notch and really the whole cast sounds into their roles. Even the cheesy one-liners fit and makes sense. I really can’t say enough about the audio in the game and it helped to add to the gameplay.

Replay Value

Halo 3 has a lot of replay value. There are the skulls to find and the hidden terminals. Throw in the different levels of difficulty and the achievements and this is one to keep. I wanted to replay the single-player campaign again right after beating it. Of course the full replay value will depend on how much you play online or make use of the Co-Op mode. I am surprised that Bungie added everything they did and this is certainly worth the price paid to own the game.

Bottom Line

Overall Score: 9.5/10.0

Additional Comments

Halo 3 made me believe in the franchise again. It also reminded me at times that one game may go wrong to some degree and be able to bounce back in the next installment. I am glad they did not take the easy road and just make fans rehash through levels already used in the past. The fact you need to drive, fly and fight makes Halo 3 one of the highlights of the year and this is coming from a person who is not a Halo 3 fan boy. Jason, Gronar, Nadia, Christina and Alpha all have a blast and the only trouble at times was deciding how to break up the groups. I know we will want to replay it again and this is something I could never say about the single player mode of Halo 2.

Links

• Bungie

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