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If you want a Halo fans review you have come to the wrong place. I enjoyed Halo, I thought it was a pretty good game. It had some great things in it like the weapons and combat. It also had some shit things in it like the repetition and backtracking. In general though, its regarded as a great game and rightly so. Halo 2 on the other hand I found to be terribly generic, very boring and ultimately a bit shit. Given how I feel about Halo 2 I really wasnt expecting much from Halo 3. The Hype Train called at my station but I didnt get on and I ignored all the superlatives being used about the game by both Bungie and Microsoft.
Colour me surprised then if the game hasnt turned out to be much better than I thought it would. At this point I should slip in a caveat, because my expectations are probably lower than yours and Im pleasantly surprised by the goodness within the game. If youre expectations are that the game will change your life, make you a man and ultimately get you laid then you are going to be very disappointed indeed. Its a game for fucks sake, not a way of life, get over it.
Fortunately for you the game lays its cards on the table pretty much straight away. The general flow of things is as follows:
Game starts off good
Game gets fucking awesome
Game settles down into something really good
Oh fuck its just got awesome again
Game settles down into something really good again
More fucking awesomeness ensues
Game loses its way a little
Game picks up
Game Over
Not hugely scientific I know but it gets my point across. As you can tell from the above, Halo 3 is in itself a small conundrum. In many ways and occasions it really does have moments of gloriousness guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any gamer. It has enough surprises to keep you entertained and on your toes but it doesnt have it constantly throughout. I dont think any game could do that actually, and if it did Id probably be a shit eating vegetable by the end of it. In fact its fair to say that you appreciate the great moments Halo 3 throws your way all the more because of this. Graphically the game is also a mixed bag. It always looks good though and in places it looks genuinely spectacular and very beautiful. Inside areas are probably the most ordinary but some of the outside vistas and scenes the game presents are a real sight to behold and genuinely gorgeous.
The frame rate is generally solid with the odd dip and Im not going to get hung up about it for two reasons:
1. The frame rate dipping isnt actually that bad
2. The frame rate dipping isnt actually that bad
Of course if you expect perfection then you are going to be disappointed, so be realistic and accept a smooth and steady frame rate with the odd very slight dip that doesnt impact game play at all and is barely noticeable. Rest assured that Halo 3 has moments that will satisfy and even exceed your graphical expectations, but it wont do it all the time, ok?
Audio wise the game is a great success. Not only is the music score stunning, but it is rousing when it needs to be and more mellow in quieter moments. Halo 3 has one of the best soundtracks Ive ever heard in a game with a quality more usually lavished upon movies than on games. Voice acting is excellent throughout, I cant be bothered dropping any names (Keith David) but there are a few well known larynxs providing the voices for the characters.
The combat though is gripping and spectacular and Halo 3 contains hands down the best Halo fights ever. Seriously, I said that in my first impressions and I still feel that way. There are new enemies and weapons and with the fantastic AI the whole thing combines to give you some really thrilling encounters. Even on normal difficulty you will die and have to re-try certain areas, honing your tactics or changing them altogether. Heroic and Legendary will kick your ass repeatedly. I cant spoil certain encounters even though Id love to, but you are in for some really epic fights, and not always against enemy soldiers either. Your squad mates are great fun to watch and actually pretty handy with their weaponry, so feel free to hang back a little and let them help you out in a sticky spot.
One of my favourite moments in Halo was chucking a grenade into a bunch of enemies and watching them scatter or be blown in varying directions. That remains as satisfying as ever and I hope to God that there is an infinite grenade cheat somewhere in the game that will allow me to fulfil my fantasy of running around using nothing only grenades. The thought of it brings out both the big kid and the mass murderer in me.
Towards the end during a certain section I found my interest waning a little, but its testament to Halo 3 that this was really the only time during the game that this happened. While it mostly stays fresh and invigorating I found this section to be fairly generic and dare I say it slightly boring. This is a personal thing however and your mileage may vary based on how many FPS games youve played in the past.
Story wise the game is a great success and is both interesting and more importantly, makes sense. Cut scenes are numerous and always entertaining to watch and carry the story along with gusto, youll be glad when they arrive as they give you a little break from the action.
Co-op play is something I havent tried but Id be utterly amazed if it isnt even more compelling than the single player game. The thought of taking on some battles with friends fills me with excitement, I literally cant wait. Multiplayer couldnt be reviewed as the servers are down so perhaps Ill revisit these two points given that they are such huge parts of the game. Given these facts the score below represents single player campaign play only.
Its great to be able to say that Halo 3 has far exceeded my own personal expectations of the game. Its unputdownably good for the vast majority of the game. It's not all rosey in the garden mind you, there is some backtracking though and it's not as long as I'd like it to be (probably around 10-12 hours or so). If youre a Halo fan itll probably make you cry with happiness. If youre just a normal gamer then youll find that it really is one of the best games of this year and I can see it slotting into the top 10 great game lists for a long time to come. I take my hat off to Bungie, I didnt think theyd be able to pull it off but you know what? I was wrong.
9/10