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Graphically, the game looks amazing, but it is not in the upper echelon of games like Gears of War and Bioshock. Each area is beautifully detailed, and the lighting effects are stunning, but there is still that lack of interaction with your surroundings. Fired shots do not leave marks and very few things are destructible, but it does not detract from the game much, if any really. One awe inspiring feature was the draw distance, you can see for what may seem like miles in some cases, scouting ahead to see what may be your next fight is almost commonplace in the open environments. There is also a lot going on in the background during your travels. Ships flying around, storms raging in the distance, unknown explosions, among others will add to the overall immersion of the levels. There is no surprise pop in, something Halo 2 had issues with, nor is there any major loading issues while in the game. In fact, the loading screen is one of the coolest loading screens I have ever seen in a game. Outside the game is a little different. Levels can take up to 20 seconds to load for the first time, my first game took about 15 seconds to load before the opening cinematic to start.