Halo 3

It was only recently that I played the original Halo; the game had come out in the generation I skipped and when I eventually rejoined gaming with the 360, I had all the shooters I needed with COD4 and anything I saw of Halo was of a multiplayer with big beasts that seemed to take a lot of hits to die – basically it never appealed to me. I loved the first game and due to a broken disk of Halo 2 which kept dying midway into the campaign, jumped right into Halo 3. The graphics were a nice change from the original Halo (even the updated version) and although I missed the final half of Halo 2, the story was not too hard to pick up since essentially the players are all the same.

The gameplay is a lot of fun – more than I expected. The world terrains are large with nice open areas where you have options in terms of the fight and where you can see others battling with you or alongside you. I started the game on Heroic and found the game to be perhaps a bit too challenging to be fun for a casual player such as myself. On Normal setting it is perhaps a bit too easy but it still has a challenge – you cannot hold the trigger while running forward. The flow of enemy and the structure of levels is really good and I continued to be forced to use all sorts of weapons since ammo is not always readily available for any one weapon. The use of music and the large cinematic landscapes produce great moments but also a real sense of excitement; the best example is the final level, which is a drive against the clock like the first game, however this time the clock is not real but a warning triggered by progress – so not a real heart-in-mouth race, but it is exciting and the urgency helped by the scale of the surroundings and the music. The cut- scenes are not overly used but when they are they add to the cinematic feel, being dramatic and looking very good – the only thing I think they did badly was the ending as it is misleading and doesn't make too much sense unless you sit through all the credits (which we all know we should but nobody does); it would have been better to deliver it all properly. Otherwise it is generally a very well put together game though.

The downside of it is that the game is not as long as I would have liked – it is plenty fun while I played but even for someone only grabbing a few hours every few evenings, it was done quite quickly. The reason for this I assume was the multiplayer experience being the bigger part of the sale. For me I don't pay for Gold to play online, so I cannot comment on that – but for the very low price I was able to pick this up for, I felt the solo campaign was more than good enough on its own – shortness aside.

A strong game then – even some 6 years later it stands up very well. Very glad I checked the franchise out at last and I'll probably carry on with the next game at some point.

So so good. probably the greatest game i have ever played. both the muliplayer and the campaign are some of the best ever created.

Halo 3 is amazing, a fantastic ending to the greatest trilogy ever made.

The main gripe I have is the often janky looking in-game and cutscene character models, such as Miranda Keyes, Lord Hood, Truth, Johnson, and others.

Halo 2 greatly benefited from updated graphics in its Anniversary edition. Halo 3 needs and deserves one as well. Please give it one!

This game is absolutely amazing. I remember looking back last year at the first main trailer shown with master chiefs bubble shield and the hype since then has just been building and building. Last night 26.9.07 at midnight i queued along with nearly 100-150 people to purchase halo 3 luckily for me and my friend we were around about the 5/6 people to purchase it :D The game as a whole is just amazing as i said. Visually its like perfection not a single thing wrong with the graphics. The game-play many have said is similar that of which it is however i found that controlling master chief has been improved slightly. it maybe is just me but i think that moving master chief and controlling his actions has been improved brilliantly. new vehicles and weapons and newly formed enemies halo 3 is "the" game to buy The hype over here in england has been incredible i have friends asking about the game all the time because they really want to get it but either cant afford or the place is sold out I would have to say i finished halo 2 and as soon as the ending was shown i wanted halo 3 now 4 years on it has been the biggest wait but it is really worth it :)

The campaign, which is very good, is Halo 3's weakest point. It doesn't capture the cavalier spirit of the original Halo, but you'll still have fun playing through it. There's no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3's blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay. Look beyond the gameplay and you have a rich feature set unlike anything ever delivered in a video game. The Forge and the replay functionality raise the bar for console shooters so high, it may never be surpassed this generation. There will be plenty of aspects for fans to nitpick, but it's hard to argue against Halo 3 as the most complete game available on any console.

PRESENTATION - 10/10 An amazing replay editor, four-player online co-op, map editor, and community support make this the most robust feature set ever in a video game.

GRAPHICS - 9/10 Despite a few moments of slowdown, this is a gorgeous game, especially considering the demands of the replay function. And it's to die for in 1080p.

SOUND - 10/10 This is the reason God created Surround Sound. Halo's theme is a futuristic anthem that inspires the troops. The chatter during combat is fantastic.

GAMEPLAY - 9/10 There are a few questionable design choices in the campaign, but this series remains the most fun first-person shooter on the planet. Multiplayer and the Forge are fantastic

LASTING APPEAL - 10/10 The campaign won't take you long to complete, but this is a game that can be played for years. There are so many things to do, and it's so much fun to do them.

OVERALL - 10/10