Halo 3 was one of 2007’s most anticipated games for the 360. It was one of the fastest selling games in the history of gaming and it absolutely took this nation by storm. But how did it do? After compiling all of the reviews for Halo 3 in 2007, I averaged them up to see a score of 9.6. This was quite surprising to me because I thought that the game was somewhat of a disappointment. While the story is solid, it is nothing what I was expecting it to be. In fact, I’d even go as far to say that Halo 3 is one of the biggest disappointments of 2007. Not saying that the game is bad, because it isn’t at all. It quite simply didn’t live up to the expectations that many fans were holding on to.

Gameplay:

Halo from the start has been a great game and Xbox Live has contributed partly to it, but what really makes Halo the game it is today is the single player and co-op mode. The first entry in the series had amazing balance and some of the most revolutionary level designs ever. Every time you played a level there was just this sense of excitement and chaos, all at the same time. You could play a level over and over again and it would still be exciting to play, especially with a friend.

Halo 2 really stood out because of Xbox Live, but unfortunately for me, that was about it. The story was interesting but the levels were quite disappointing. The new weapons, although fun, just seemed to be lacking a certain something. Then, finally, Halo 3 was released and it was amazing. The weapons were flawless and Xbox Live was fun to play again (after way too many hours spent playing Halo 2). The storyline was solid, audio was great, and game play, although nothing revolutionary, was a blast to play, however, the game was still lacking that lasting appeal that kept me coming back for more in single player mode. The level design just is not what Bungie could have made it to be. The levels were fun to play, but eventually got repetitive after two or three times through. The original Halo delivered something that neither of the two following games could deliver- amazing levels that caught ones imagination and attention every single time through.

There are only two words able to describe this; freaking awesome.

The one thing that single player mode does have going for it is all of the new equipment that you can use. From flaming grenades, to a freaking awesome equivalent to the Banshee, the new equipment is a blast to use. Whether or not one agrees with my opinion of Halo 3, I still believe that Halo 3 received a little too much credit than for what it really brought to the table this time around.

8/10

Controls:

The controls in Halo 3 are much better in this game than in the previous entries. It is much easier to pick up a new weapon or to dual wield. When you first pick up the game though, it can be quite tricky because if you were an avid player of Halo 2, then you’ll want to push the X button in order to pick up a gun, but instead, you throw a bubble shield. This is very annoying at first but once the controls are mastered you realize how much more intuitive they really are.

10/10

Visuals:

The visuals in this game are absolutely gorgeous! Right from the start of the game you can tell that the developers put a lot of work into the visuals. For some odd reason the water really appeals to me in this game, especially when the game is running at full capacity in HD. Halo 3 makes the most of next-gen features like HDR (High Dynamic Range) lighting, pre-computed radiance transfer, and much, much more. The game also takes full advantage of the Xbox 360′s HDTV capabilities. All of the characters in this game look great too, unlike Halo 2 where the faces of soldiers looked like clay models gone horribly wrong.

The only thing that seems to be wrong with the visuals is the fact that on some levels, the draw distance close enough to you for you to be able to see grass and vines appearing before you. This alone really takes away from the visuals because once you notice it, you’ll notice it over and over again. Overall, the visuals are still great, even with the noticeable draw distance problems.

8/10

Audio:

Just like every other portion of the game, high production values are obvious the first time you pop in the disc. As soon as you turn on the game, you’ll immediately notice the awe-inspiring theme playing. Even when searching for others on Live, the theme is playing in the background, which, as odd as this sounds, can relax you before a match.

Perhaps even more amazing than the theme song is the amount of sounds that can be heard at the same time. The new sound engine can deliver up to 100 separate tracks at a time. You’ll hear sniper bullets whiz past your ears, enemies sneaking up on you, and AI characters scream and curse during firefights, which are all supported in 5.1 surround sound.

10/10

Lasting Appeal:

I really only enjoyed single player mode one time through. Sure, the equipment is really fun to use, but it still seems to be lacking the dynamics that keep me coming back for more. Playing with another person can make game play significantly more fun but in my opinion, still not enough to make the single player truly amazing. Xbox Live on the other hand is so addicting that it’s extremely hard to put the controller down, even when you have more important things that need to be done.

 

Theater mode will let you capture and save epic moments to watch later.

With so much of the game being material used in previous games, it is nice to see the developers include a few modes for user created content. Map editing has never been so fun and easy as it is with the forge editing tools. With all the choices, there are literally an infinite amount of levels you can play on. Another feature that many will spend hours on is the video editing. After playing any mode of the game, be it single player, multiplayer, or forge, the game will save the file and then you can watch it later. The amazing part is, not only can you watch it, you can explore the entire level you were playing on. This is a godsend for users who like to create gameplay montages of themselves online. With all these amazingly fun and time consuming features, Halo 3 is a game that keeps bringing me back for more every single time.

9/10

Overall:

For any FPS or Halo fan, this is a must-have. If you have Xbox Live then you would be crazy not to get this game. While single player may not be the most amazing experience ever, the multiplayer is nothing short of incredible. The amount of features outside of the actual game will also keep this game in your 360 for many months to come. If you are currently in college and have lots of studies, I can feel your pain when it comes to your grades at the end of the semester due to Halo 3 on Xbox Live.

Gameplay: 8/10

Controls: 10/10

Visuals: 8/10

Audio: 10/10

Lasting Appeal: 9 /10

Overall: 9/10

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