Halo 3 for Xbox 360
- HDTV Support: HDTV Support
- Online: Online Gaming Support LAN Gaming Support
- ESRB Rating: M - (Mature)
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Genre: Shooter / FPS
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Finished the fight, got the t-shirt, now prove yourself on Live!
Pros
Campaign coop, multitude of weapons, The Forge, wonderful web integration, epic storyline
Cons
Screams keyboard/mouse integration, friendly AI sucks, single player campaign short, short graphical step up
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Halo Universe has always been immersing and fun to enjoy. The iteration is just as enjoyable, with 4-player campaign coop and great multiplayer.
Gameplay: 9.5
Graphics: 8
Sound: 10
Controls: 7
Longevity: 9
Overall: 87% (4 stars/Above Average)
The 6 year charm of Halo
Say what you will about the trilogy, Bungie LLC and Microsoft created an original innovative product way back in 2001 that has broken records time and again since it's inception. Upon release in 2001, the game became a driving force for the Microsoft Xbox and was considered by many industry analysts and game reviewers as one of the best (if not the best) first-person shooter of it's time. It received an average score of 95.5% according to Gamerankings.com, and was the best ranked game for the Xbox, for 2001, for all games ever released that year and the 7th best ranked game of all time (talk about an accomplishment!). From that point forward, 1st-person shooters were compared to Halo for the sole purpose of the determination of being a "Halo-killer," whether the reader or gamer enjoyed the comparison or otherwise. Whatever the consequence, this helped build the hype machine for the highly anticipated sequel Halo 2.
On November 9, 2004; industry sales records fell for a media release to the tune of US$140 million in 24 hours. The event was Halo 2's release for the XBox once more, by Bungie Studios, with it being one of the most highly [over]hyped game ever. Despite the hype of the game, it managed to live up to the hype in some eyes and received critical acclaim by receiving an average score from reviews of 95%. This made Halo 2 the highest ranked game of the XBox console in 2004, the 2nd highest ranked game on the XBox (2nd only to the original), the 3rd highest ranked game of the year and the 21st highest ranked game of all time according to Gamerankings.com, which once more makes it no small feat to achieve.
So with the release of Halo 3 in September of 2007, the hype machine of Halo 3 has been the mantra of finishing the Master Chief's fight. The release was met with sales records falling once more (to the tune of US$170 million in one day, beating Spiderman 3 for the crown of digital entertainment in 1 day). Despite all of these numbers being thrown around for the sake of the historical sense of it all, was it worth the wait?
To answer the question... Yes (Gameplay - 9.5)
I would have to say that the gameplay did live up to the overwhelming hype campaign that Microsoft endured the public with prior to and upon the release of Halo 3. We have all been let down before with nonsensical hype, for the sake of raising the sales numbers, and thankfully this game lived up to it in terms of what it offers for $59.99 (or $69.99/$129.99 depending upon the cost of entry you chose).
First, the single player campaign that this game offers. The genius stroke that Bungie LLC chose to instill upon it was the Multiplayer Coop., with the option of up to 4 players in all difficulties. Trust me, you will want to use the coop mode in the Legendary difficulty mode just to make it bearable, as the friendly AI does not benefit you in the quite unforgiving environment that this difficulty level is. The added benefit, as Gears of War prior to it, has shown is that having a friend (or friends in this case) will allow you to employ strategies upon the enemy Scourge or 'The Flood' in order to ensure a much more fulfilling victory against the AI opponents. Though the enemies are not human players, enjoying the victory with fellow humans is always an added benefit in the face of an adversary that is actually programmed to give you a reasonable challenge.
Second, the multitude of weapons that are present within Halo Universe has always made for an entertaining experience. This is more so now, than in prior iterations of Halo, as the number of weapons available in this iteration has increased. For example, the number of Brute weapons within this iteration has increased to the point that you have to decide which ones you want that best fits your style. You can double weld a set of energy weapons for increased deadliness at close range, or you can gain access to an energy sniper rifle for effective doom at a distance (i.e. one shot, one kill if employed correctly). The gravity hammer makes a return this time as a usable weapon by players, as opposed to what it was in Halo 2 (an unusable weapon). You also have a host of new enhancement grenades and shields (i.e. the deployable shield bubble) available to you for increased strategic placement and benefit to yourself and possibly other teammates.
What comes with new iterations also comes new balance. For instance one thing that Bungie LLC was able to solve was an imbalance with the Energy Sword that was a problem in Halo 2. In altercations involving two players (or an adversary and yourself) that engaged one another with the Energy Sword at the same time, the problem is now solved with a clash (drain of shields on both sides) rather than a 50/50 chance of death for either side.
Another new concept introduced in the fold is "The Forge." What this allows the player is to work with the current maps, and mess around with the maps to create new games or rearrange the maps in general to provide new game types (i.e. a map editor). This can add generously to the replayability of the Halo 3 (discussed later), as players can also upload this and other creations that you have spent time working on to Bungie's Halo 3-centric website for the XBox360 (which you can explore via your computer). This concept does make for an interesting work around for user mods, which might allow for Unreal Tournament 3 to do what they had intended to do... but I digress for another debate in another arena...
Tiny steps forward for graphical prowess (Graphics - 8)
What I expected were huge leaps and bounds forward in the graphical improvements from Halo 2 to 3. What I got was a slight disappointment in the improvement of the graphics between the two games. Though the environments and the art design do feature an improvement to overall art direction, this did not necessarily translate into graphical improvements overall. In fact, comparisons drawn against similar games on the XBox360 would leave a little bit of questioning as to where the graphical improvements should have gone, but sometimes much sacrifices have to be made in order to go to 60 fps.
For instance, not much self-shadowing was done with Master Chief or any of the enemies/allies as you travel in the outdoor environments. Such a demonstration of how this was done was impressively demonstrated by Gears of War, outside of cutscenes or CGI scenes. Jaggies are prevalent in all of the non-cutscenes (read playable), and is really not much of an improvement over Halo 2.
What was improved over Halo 2 was the upgrade in resolution from 480p to 720p (though even that is subject to debate). There is no noticeable slowdown, even when the action is hot and heavy. The explosions in this iteration of Halo is also more impressive and believable than that of the prior two iterations, but that is not saying much in the face of the graphical complaints. Last, the weather effects could use considerable improvement (i.e. The Storm) as you can still see sun and clear sky from where the rain should be coming from, hence reducing the believability of the event in question.
The Halo OST should be sold as an album! (Sound - 10)
The Halo soundtrack has been one of the strong points of the series. This continues to be so to this iteration, and I truly hope that an OST is available just for the music. It is epic, and truly drives home the struggle that the humans face against the Scourge and the Flood. The work, by Martin O'Donnell, has received praise and is much deserved due to the grandiose epic sweep that all the songs take. I truly encourage that those who read this review take a listen to the music by this composer if nothing encourages you to buy the game.
The sounds themselves are also definitely worthy of praise. The enemy will inform their comrades (in English of course) of when and where you are located. They will at times state to you in no uncertain terms of what they think of you (though no bad language will be spoken of it, due to the large audience Bungie LLC is aiming for) and what they'd like to do to you. The weapon sound effects truly bring home the feeling and effect of what they 'should' sound like, esp. over a Dolby 7.1 surround sound system... and it will knock your socks off.
Too many buttons to push! (Controls - 7)
At times, I've found myself (but maybe this is just me) pushing way too many buttons in Halo 3. I need to push X to deploy my personal equipment (i.e. shields), LB to throw grenades, RB to fire my weapon, push down on the left stick to duck or to move around, right analog stick to turn, A to jump... I think you might get the idea. This game is starting to sound the alarm that maybe, just maybe, Microsoft should consider allowing for keyboard/mouse combination for those who are used to it on their PC (or maybe ease up on the amount of commands necessary on the controller a la Gears of War). If you start programming too many commands to a controller, you will turn away the very people that you are trying to attract to the series in general. I know Hardcore gamers may cry foul on this statement, but I am being serious from a standpoint that I am NOT a hardcore gamer (my free time is simply too limited to allow me that leisure).
This game is worth it! (Longevity - 9)
With multiplayer coop, The Forge, web integration and a decently long single player campaign (12-18 hours), you will find that this game is worth the price of admission. What will mostly occupy your time is the multiplayer aspect of the game, and thankfully you can enjoy the 'single player' campaign with up to 3 other friends online. With the multiple difficulties that are encouraging this, the amount of time spent on the campaign could easily be doubled just for the pure enjoyment factor.
The genius stroke by Bungie LLC is the addition of The Forge and web integration. This helps allow players to create their own game types (as mentioned earlier) and add to the longevity of Halo 3. Though this series has always held a long standing of having long legs on its own accord (via multiplayer), this should make for even longer legs and allow players to gain more bang for their buck.
Conclusions
Though hardly the graphical powerhouse of the XBox360 that was hoped, and possibly still a game not exactly meant for the casuals, this game is the bread and butter for the XBox360. If you are a fan of first person shooters, know them, love them, and can hang with the best of them, BUY THIS GAME! If you are a casual player looking to get into the first person genre, I encourage you to look into buying this game by easing into it with friends over the coop mode. This game is a perfect excuse to buy an XBox360, as it demonstrates all of the aspects of Live online mode and you will be able to enjoy a first person shooter with others that you might know who have it.
However, if first person shooters has never been your forte or you absolutely hate them... I would encourage a rent to see if this could change your mind. This game receives my recommendation as a go for purchase or rent without any worries.
Graphics: 8
Sound: 10
Controls: 7
Longevity: 9
Overall: 87% (4 stars/Above Average)
The 6 year charm of Halo
Say what you will about the trilogy, Bungie LLC and Microsoft created an original innovative product way back in 2001 that has broken records time and again since it's inception. Upon release in 2001, the game became a driving force for the Microsoft Xbox and was considered by many industry analysts and game reviewers as one of the best (if not the best) first-person shooter of it's time. It received an average score of 95.5% according to Gamerankings.com, and was the best ranked game for the Xbox, for 2001, for all games ever released that year and the 7th best ranked game of all time (talk about an accomplishment!). From that point forward, 1st-person shooters were compared to Halo for the sole purpose of the determination of being a "Halo-killer," whether the reader or gamer enjoyed the comparison or otherwise. Whatever the consequence, this helped build the hype machine for the highly anticipated sequel Halo 2.
On November 9, 2004; industry sales records fell for a media release to the tune of US$140 million in 24 hours. The event was Halo 2's release for the XBox once more, by Bungie Studios, with it being one of the most highly [over]hyped game ever. Despite the hype of the game, it managed to live up to the hype in some eyes and received critical acclaim by receiving an average score from reviews of 95%. This made Halo 2 the highest ranked game of the XBox console in 2004, the 2nd highest ranked game on the XBox (2nd only to the original), the 3rd highest ranked game of the year and the 21st highest ranked game of all time according to Gamerankings.com, which once more makes it no small feat to achieve.
So with the release of Halo 3 in September of 2007, the hype machine of Halo 3 has been the mantra of finishing the Master Chief's fight. The release was met with sales records falling once more (to the tune of US$170 million in one day, beating Spiderman 3 for the crown of digital entertainment in 1 day). Despite all of these numbers being thrown around for the sake of the historical sense of it all, was it worth the wait?
To answer the question... Yes (Gameplay - 9.5)
I would have to say that the gameplay did live up to the overwhelming hype campaign that Microsoft endured the public with prior to and upon the release of Halo 3. We have all been let down before with nonsensical hype, for the sake of raising the sales numbers, and thankfully this game lived up to it in terms of what it offers for $59.99 (or $69.99/$129.99 depending upon the cost of entry you chose).
First, the single player campaign that this game offers. The genius stroke that Bungie LLC chose to instill upon it was the Multiplayer Coop., with the option of up to 4 players in all difficulties. Trust me, you will want to use the coop mode in the Legendary difficulty mode just to make it bearable, as the friendly AI does not benefit you in the quite unforgiving environment that this difficulty level is. The added benefit, as Gears of War prior to it, has shown is that having a friend (or friends in this case) will allow you to employ strategies upon the enemy Scourge or 'The Flood' in order to ensure a much more fulfilling victory against the AI opponents. Though the enemies are not human players, enjoying the victory with fellow humans is always an added benefit in the face of an adversary that is actually programmed to give you a reasonable challenge.
Second, the multitude of weapons that are present within Halo Universe has always made for an entertaining experience. This is more so now, than in prior iterations of Halo, as the number of weapons available in this iteration has increased. For example, the number of Brute weapons within this iteration has increased to the point that you have to decide which ones you want that best fits your style. You can double weld a set of energy weapons for increased deadliness at close range, or you can gain access to an energy sniper rifle for effective doom at a distance (i.e. one shot, one kill if employed correctly). The gravity hammer makes a return this time as a usable weapon by players, as opposed to what it was in Halo 2 (an unusable weapon). You also have a host of new enhancement grenades and shields (i.e. the deployable shield bubble) available to you for increased strategic placement and benefit to yourself and possibly other teammates.
What comes with new iterations also comes new balance. For instance one thing that Bungie LLC was able to solve was an imbalance with the Energy Sword that was a problem in Halo 2. In altercations involving two players (or an adversary and yourself) that engaged one another with the Energy Sword at the same time, the problem is now solved with a clash (drain of shields on both sides) rather than a 50/50 chance of death for either side.
Another new concept introduced in the fold is "The Forge." What this allows the player is to work with the current maps, and mess around with the maps to create new games or rearrange the maps in general to provide new game types (i.e. a map editor). This can add generously to the replayability of the Halo 3 (discussed later), as players can also upload this and other creations that you have spent time working on to Bungie's Halo 3-centric website for the XBox360 (which you can explore via your computer). This concept does make for an interesting work around for user mods, which might allow for Unreal Tournament 3 to do what they had intended to do... but I digress for another debate in another arena...
Tiny steps forward for graphical prowess (Graphics - 8)
What I expected were huge leaps and bounds forward in the graphical improvements from Halo 2 to 3. What I got was a slight disappointment in the improvement of the graphics between the two games. Though the environments and the art design do feature an improvement to overall art direction, this did not necessarily translate into graphical improvements overall. In fact, comparisons drawn against similar games on the XBox360 would leave a little bit of questioning as to where the graphical improvements should have gone, but sometimes much sacrifices have to be made in order to go to 60 fps.
For instance, not much self-shadowing was done with Master Chief or any of the enemies/allies as you travel in the outdoor environments. Such a demonstration of how this was done was impressively demonstrated by Gears of War, outside of cutscenes or CGI scenes. Jaggies are prevalent in all of the non-cutscenes (read playable), and is really not much of an improvement over Halo 2.
What was improved over Halo 2 was the upgrade in resolution from 480p to 720p (though even that is subject to debate). There is no noticeable slowdown, even when the action is hot and heavy. The explosions in this iteration of Halo is also more impressive and believable than that of the prior two iterations, but that is not saying much in the face of the graphical complaints. Last, the weather effects could use considerable improvement (i.e. The Storm) as you can still see sun and clear sky from where the rain should be coming from, hence reducing the believability of the event in question.
The Halo OST should be sold as an album! (Sound - 10)
The Halo soundtrack has been one of the strong points of the series. This continues to be so to this iteration, and I truly hope that an OST is available just for the music. It is epic, and truly drives home the struggle that the humans face against the Scourge and the Flood. The work, by Martin O'Donnell, has received praise and is much deserved due to the grandiose epic sweep that all the songs take. I truly encourage that those who read this review take a listen to the music by this composer if nothing encourages you to buy the game.
The sounds themselves are also definitely worthy of praise. The enemy will inform their comrades (in English of course) of when and where you are located. They will at times state to you in no uncertain terms of what they think of you (though no bad language will be spoken of it, due to the large audience Bungie LLC is aiming for) and what they'd like to do to you. The weapon sound effects truly bring home the feeling and effect of what they 'should' sound like, esp. over a Dolby 7.1 surround sound system... and it will knock your socks off.
Too many buttons to push! (Controls - 7)
At times, I've found myself (but maybe this is just me) pushing way too many buttons in Halo 3. I need to push X to deploy my personal equipment (i.e. shields), LB to throw grenades, RB to fire my weapon, push down on the left stick to duck or to move around, right analog stick to turn, A to jump... I think you might get the idea. This game is starting to sound the alarm that maybe, just maybe, Microsoft should consider allowing for keyboard/mouse combination for those who are used to it on their PC (or maybe ease up on the amount of commands necessary on the controller a la Gears of War). If you start programming too many commands to a controller, you will turn away the very people that you are trying to attract to the series in general. I know Hardcore gamers may cry foul on this statement, but I am being serious from a standpoint that I am NOT a hardcore gamer (my free time is simply too limited to allow me that leisure).
This game is worth it! (Longevity - 9)
With multiplayer coop, The Forge, web integration and a decently long single player campaign (12-18 hours), you will find that this game is worth the price of admission. What will mostly occupy your time is the multiplayer aspect of the game, and thankfully you can enjoy the 'single player' campaign with up to 3 other friends online. With the multiple difficulties that are encouraging this, the amount of time spent on the campaign could easily be doubled just for the pure enjoyment factor.
The genius stroke by Bungie LLC is the addition of The Forge and web integration. This helps allow players to create their own game types (as mentioned earlier) and add to the longevity of Halo 3. Though this series has always held a long standing of having long legs on its own accord (via multiplayer), this should make for even longer legs and allow players to gain more bang for their buck.
Conclusions
Though hardly the graphical powerhouse of the XBox360 that was hoped, and possibly still a game not exactly meant for the casuals, this game is the bread and butter for the XBox360. If you are a fan of first person shooters, know them, love them, and can hang with the best of them, BUY THIS GAME! If you are a casual player looking to get into the first person genre, I encourage you to look into buying this game by easing into it with friends over the coop mode. This game is a perfect excuse to buy an XBox360, as it demonstrates all of the aspects of Live online mode and you will be able to enjoy a first person shooter with others that you might know who have it.
However, if first person shooters has never been your forte or you absolutely hate them... I would encourage a rent to see if this could change your mind. This game receives my recommendation as a go for purchase or rent without any worries.
