Halo 3 Reviewed

The release of Halo 3 had more anticipation than any other video game had seen in all of history. Halo 2 was a smash-hit for online play and Halo 3 was expected to further exceed expectations and push video game technology to the limit. The question is: did it succeed?
Graphics-wise Halo is a tad above the average 360 game, but most of the other very popular 360 games have noticeably better graphics. I wouldn't say Halo was a fail here- the graphics blow #2 out of the water, but it's not it's strong spot either. The spartans look lifelike, the natural environments look awesome and dead bodies flop around realistically enough, but actual humans aren't convincing, the brutes look a bit off and some levels lack a bit of detail. I give Halo 3 a 8/10 here.
Campaign-wise Halo has an advanced plot, but it has been continued from the two other games in the series. The campaign was fun but I believe it could have been slightly longer and the flood levels (mainly "Cortana") could have been made more enjoyable. However, Bungie did introduce the amazing feature of a four-player campaign, turning a lonely single-player journey into an awesomely social covenant massacre carried out by you and your friends. For that I give you major props Bungie. Then there's all the side tasks they included such as collecting the skulls, accessing the terminals, and finding the easter eggs. Not to mention the campaign-scoring system Bungie added which includes the option of turning on the skulls for extra points and harder enemies. The campaign in Halo 3 is definately one of the games highlights but since I don't like giving out 10's I'll give it a 9.5/10.
Multiplayer-wise Halo 3 is outstanding. With the well-organized, constantly updated and changed-for-a-more-enjoyable-experience match-making it has, I cannot think of a game that is more fun to play online. Everything is easy to find, options are easy to change (Promoting, booting and muting players), and up-to-four-player split-screen is available. But the biggest and greatest feature of Halo's multiplayer is the fact that everything is customizable! The players, the games and even the maps! For creating your own character you can make your own service tag, choose whether you want to be covenant of human, unlock, pick and choose your own armor, create and design your own emblem, and choose your own colours! This way there is an insanely massive variety of looks available so you can choose one to your liking and gain your own look and online identification. There are dozens of different gametypes that Bungie created and allow you to tweak or totally redefine and create your own game. The result of releasing these insane options to a vast community of gamers out there has caused an unheard of phenomenon of people creating entirely different games out of one disk. Bungie has also completed the effort of satisfying their fans by building an online community on their website where the games and maps can be uploaded and shared by everyone. Which leads me to the other extreme customizable feature in Halo 3- the maps. Bungie threw in a "forge" lobby where players can edit the maps they play on. Whether they just want to change the weapon layout or create an entirely different map, it's up to them. Players will have a hard time going from a game with these advanced features to playing one without them. Bungie also keeps releasing new map packs for downloadable content ensuring a variety great enough that one cannot get sick of repeatedly playing the same maps. And so with these infinitely superior customizable options Halo multiplayer is never the same, it's always updated and changing for the better resulting in the sickest replay value a videogame has ever seen. It is for that reason that I have no choice but to give Halo 3 multiplayer a 10/10.

Gameplay-wise Halo certainly exceeds expectations. From assassinating Grunts just after they shouted out a funny remark to having adrenaline-pumped face-offs with Hunters, from accidentally deploying a trip mine on your own team's warthog to landing a sweet no-scope to someone else's head with the sniper, Halo 3 has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Again all the different types of games that you can play make for a really enjoyable experience. There's slayer, team slayer, capture the flag, assault, VIP, juggernaut, infection, territories, oddball, rockets, snipers, the list goes on, and with new maps and games being made many new types of games have been created such as puzzle solving ones. The weapons in Halo are also a high point, there is a wide variety of creative and uniquely-designed arsenal in the game such as the needler and the spartan laser. On top of that Bungie added an arrangement of equipment that adds a twist to the shooter. The equipment does a number of interesting things: the bubble shield, when activated, encompasses the user in a spherical forcefield, the powerdrain takes down the energy sheilds of all players within it's range, the flare temporarily blinds those who glance at it, the deployable grav lift allows it's user to instantly access a higher level or prevent a vehicle for splattering him/her, and the rest of the equipment operates along the same lines. There are also several types of grenades that can be used in the game, the fragmentation grenade, the plasma grenade, the spike grenade and the firebomb grenade, each with their own unique uses and purposes. And so far I have not even mentioned the vehicles of Halo 3, a huge feature that sets it apart from most other first-person shooters. It has a stunning array of unique war vehicles including flyable Banshees and Hornets, powerful Scorpion and Wrath tanks, the classic Warthogs and Ghosts and many more which are all just too much fun to use in the game. Because of the vast amount of work and creativity that Bungie put into this and because it makes the game so much more fun to play I'm afraid that I'll have to give another 10/10 for Halo 3 gameplay.

Presentation-wise Halo 3 is a success. The main menu looks great and all the different sections of the game are separated into organized lobbies where it's very easy to switch from one to another. The start menu is easy to navigate through and full of cool options such as Bungie's Favourites for popular maps, screenshot, videos, maps and gametypes along with a settings page to pick your controller lay-out, character's appearance, and so on. The pre and post-game lobbies are attractive and well layed out as to which players you can hear and which ones you can't depending on the playlist you are in. In less serious playlists you can hear everybody before the game and talk trash to each other whereas in the more serious ones you can discuss plans with your team without being overheard. After the game there is a carnage report that you can view to see all the details of the game just played, giving you something to do while waiting for the next match. Bungie also gave each player their own service record and stats history available in more detail on their website. The option to "party up" is also a handy feature that Bungie included so that you can play with your friends all night in a match-making playlist. The Custom Games lobby also experienced an upgrade from Halo 2 where gametypes can be created in the lobby instead of having to pull back to the main menu and leave the party. I cannot think of anything lacking in this department of Halo 3 so I give it a 10/10.

Extra features is what really sets Halo 3 apart from all the other games out there. The Bungie staff went way overboard in this department with the developement of the Forge and Theatre lobbies. As I've mentioned before the forge lobby allows you to edit maps and have them play whichever way you desire. This achievement cannot be over-emphasised as it is an awesome feature which will give Halo a much longer life than it would have had without it. Bungie made it as easy to use as they could and some really amazing maps have been created as a result from this effort. Once again major props to Bungie for the Forge (something that I obviously could not do without). Then there is the brilliant Theatre lobby both the machinima creator's and the protesting 12-year old's dream. In this lobby you can play back any recent games that you've played and take screenshots or make videos of your favourite moments. This is perfect for movie making because it not only allows you to pause a moment or go back instead of recording live but there is a "free roaming" camera option that allows you to take a picture or record a video from any angle you want! And so yes, this can be used to show your friends that you did hit that guy first or that your sniper shot did hit his head without killing him. Genius Bungie. I really should give this one more than ten but I have to keep up my image as a tough marker so 10/10.

And that's my review of Halo 3, glad to get that one off my chest, now to review the legendary maps when they come out :(

Halo 3's total score: 57.5/60 = 96%
(Yes Halo 3 succeeded in meeting its expectations, more so if you ask me.)