Halo 3 Review

From a certain point of view, Halo 3 is without a doubt the biggest game of the year. The combination of fan anticipation, marketing, and the skill of Bungie's design combine to create a game that's larger than life; if gaming has a blockbuster franchise to match the movie industry's punch, it's the tale of Master Chief. The importance of the Halo franchise to gaming is a very big issue, though, and one worth it's own article. Having played through the game, there's really only one question I'm here to answer today. Does it meet expectations? In a word: yes. It's not the best game ever made, and it may not even be the best game this year. Will it make the fans happy, and deservedly sell thousands of Xbox 360s? Very much yes. Read on for my impressions of Bungie's years-in-the-making epic, Halo 3.

• Title: Halo 3
• Developer/Publisher: Bungie / Microsoft Game Studios
• System: Xbox 360
• Genre: First Person Shooter
• Score: 4/5 - This game is above average, and excels in the genre it supports. A classic for the genre and well worth a look for every gamer.

The Tale

I hope you were paying attention at the end of Halo 2, because the folks at Bungie don't waste any time getting new players up to speed. The action picks up right after the Gravemind's infestation of High Charity at the end of the previous game, and the Master Chief's escape from that doomed city in the Prophet of Truth's stolen Forerunner vessel. If that makes no sense to you, I refer you to Wikipedia for a brush-up on Halo's lore. That said, once you're in the thick of things you don't need to know a lot about the past two games to enjoy 3's story. There are a bunch of references back, and continued threads, but really ... it's a first-person shooter. There are aliens on Earth, trying to dig up an alien artifact. You have to stop them. Go to it.

If you are a fan of the previous games, the story of Halo 3 is going to satisfy your need to see things wrapped up. What it's not going to do is surprise you. The plot plays out pretty much the way you'd expect, though the writers do make some very mature choices towards the end of the tale that distinguish it a bit from every other hero's journey. I'm reluctant to say more, as I'm not sure what's common knowledge at this point, but there is one storytelling choice I wanted to point out as being particularly effective. Cortana, Master Chief's AI companion, was left behind with the Flood's master at the end of the previous game. Despite this, she connects regularly with the Chief in a form of psychic connection. This allows a sense of desperation to build throughout the title, and has a satisfying payoff late in the game.

Story is a really important component of the gameplay experience for me. Though I'm no expert, I do actually like the Halo metaplot quite a bit, and I was left well pleased by Bungie's conclusion. Suffice it to say that while you're not going to be blown away by any revelations, there are no cop-outs, no cheap tricks and (best of all) no meaningless cliffhanger endings. Just make sure you watch to the end of the credits.

Beware the Scarabs

In Halo 2 there's a sequence where you attack a building-sized walking tank in the shape of a multi-legged bug, with a giant laser on its front. It's an elaborate experience: rushing alongside it on rooftops, jumping aboard, taking out its crew, and finally destroying its core. It was, for me, one of the highlights of the game. In Halo 3 you take on these tanks at least three times, and at one point you're fighting two at once. That pretty much sums up the experience of gameplay in this title: it's like the other two, only a lot moreso. Everything is bigger, better, and very, very polished.

That polish is something that exists across the title, from moment-to-moment combat through to 'set piece' battles like the Scarab tanks. There are several set pieces like that spread throughout the game, areas that are more than just the movement from point A to point B with enemies in between. None of them are any more particularly challenging than the rest of the game, but provide exclamation points on areas of hard work and forward progress. There are also several vehicle sequences, more (it seemed) that even in Halo 2. Fast action in the Scorpion tank and Warthog return, but there are also sequences designed specifically to show off some of the new vehicles in this title. I felt these were much more seamless experiences than in the last game; jumping in a vehicle seems like the natural thing to do, not a decision forced upon you by game design.

The vehicle sequences - and the whole game, for that matter - would have benefited from some extra time in NPC boot camp. Once again, your AI assistants prove to be poorly equipped at driving, shooting, or doing pretty much anything other than getting in the way. This, frustratingly, is a step up from Halo 2, where they were incapable of driving without continuously flipping your vehicle. The AI is at least smart enough to get from point A to B now, but you're not going to enjoy the journey. The continued incompetence of the AI in moment-to-moment fighting is particularly frustrating because the Elite known as the Arbiter is your constant companion through most of the game. This is a shadow of the co-op play component, a reminder that it's always possible. All the Arbiter was good for in my experience, though, was waving around his energy sword ineffectually. The AI here wasn't as dumb as the grunts in Gears of War (who enjoyed mantling onto the side of cover the enemies were firing at), but they weren't much better.

The enemy AI, at least, isn't entirely ineffective. They seemed particularly adept at using some of the new toys added in since the last game. Brute chieftains regularly came outfitted with the pleasant addition of a ripped-off turret. These mounted weapons, a frequent sight in past titles, can now be removed from their housings and carried around to provide some heavy firepower. A chieftain with one of these in a secured location can mean regular trips through respawning. The ability to dig in and hold a position was greatly enhanced by this game's addition of 'equipment'. The new use for the X button (reloading is now down with the LB and RB bumpers), most equipment allows NPCs and PCs alike to better hold an area. The 'force shield' is shown off in the E3 2006 trailer but deployable cover (a tall shield), a regeneration aura (which keeps your shields charged), and even deployable turrets all allow for positions to be maintained more effectively than in the past. Other equipment is intended to bypass such advantages, like the power-draining opposite of the regenerator, a portable hover-lift device that can allow you a quick hop over enemy fortifications, and a placeable mine great for taking out drawn-in Grunts. I'll admit it: I didn't use the equipment as effectively as I could have, but it was always enjoyable to play against. Particularly the energy shield; Brutes always seemed somehow vaguely surprised when I popped through the translucent wall.

I regularly got unpleasant surprises throughout the game, and I feel like I need to point out a frustration Bungie has managed to preserve intact from Halo 2: checkpoints. Halo 3 features an autosave system that updates your progress every time you complete a specific objective; passing a point on the map, or activating a certain control panel. Most checkpoints, though, are reached by killing enemies, and you very specifically have to kill every enemy in a group. At several points I found myself frustrated by my inability to find hiding bad guys - I'd complete a long stretch of the game and die, only to find myself further back in the game than I had anticipated. On my way back to where I'd died, I would regularly encounter a checkpoint I hadn't used before. These additional checkpoints were there because I'd missed a single hiding Grunt, or one of those stealthy sniper enemies the first time through. It's always frustrating to lose progress, and even more so when you find you lost that progress because you didn't see the point in finding a single cowering trooper.

That frustration with checkpoints, though, is really my only complaint about level design and the actual experience of play. There is a lot less back tracking here than in either of the last two games, and levels themselves feature a great deal of variation. There's a far wider palette used to put together levels, and the greens and brilliant whites used in Halo 3 stand in stark contrast to the greys and browns that have dominated other next-gen shooters. Combat itself is just as much fun as ever, and it's unflinchingly fair. You never feel cheated by gameplay in Halo 3. If you screw up and die, you usually spend the few moments after your death and before you respawn going, "Yeah, fair enough." Pro tip: The loud beeping of your lowered shields should have told you to get behind cover. While everything is polished to a glistening shine, it's great to be able to say they really haven't changed the feel of gameplay that much. Nine million people didn't buy Halo 2 because of a marketing campaign: ultimately they bought it because Bungie puts together one of the best console shooter experiences, hands down.

One Fine Looking Suit of Armor

Halo 3 looks really good, especially in motion. That said, compared with a game like Gears of War or Lair, it doesn't particularly scream 'next-gen'. The water is pretty good, the explosions are works of art, and reflections off of the Chief's visor are satisfyingly accurate ... but for the most part the game looks a lot like Master Chief's previous adventure. That's fine, though, because (unlike in that title) the framerate is pegged at 60fps and never wavers. There was never once a stutter or slowdown, even with dozens of fastmoving objects on screen, swarms of enemies, or a speedy vehicle sequence. I also saw none of the 'texture popping' that I annoyingly associate with last-gen titles. There are also almost no loading times in the game. The only time you'll see a (brief) loading screen is when you start the game or load a new chapter. Otherwise from start to finish your gaming experience is essentially unbroken. Bungie obviously spent time working on the visual elements of the game, but not to the exclusion of equally important components like story and gameplay. The look of the game is conveyed more by the art style used in the varied environments that through sheer power; the graphics here get the job done, and look great doing it.

Firefly Stars and Heavy Guitar Riffs

One game element that needs no qualifiers is the title's sound presentation. Just as in the previous two games, no expense was spared to bring the world to life through sound effects, voice acting, and music. The sound effects are essentially identical to the experience a player may have had in Halo 2, with a few subtle improvements. The voice acting is extremely well done, with the likes of Keith David, Jen Taylor, Steve Downes, and David Scully reprising their roles. Jen Taylor's Cortana has some especially challenging scenes in this game, and I thought she did a great job with them. New (but familiar) voices also add their talents to the cast. Red vs. Blue viewers will recognize the name Burnie Burns, who is one of the voices of the generic soldiery, but fans of Joss Whedon's Firefly will have just as much to enjoy. Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin are also soldiers, and Nathan Fillion takes on the role of an NPC sergeant. I noted this during gameplay, actually, as Alan Tudyk's voice is ... distinct.

Martin O'Donnell composed the game's score, reprising his role from the two previous titles. If you've heard the moving music in the E3 2006 trailer you're already well aware of what that implies. Most of his compositions are much more low key, of course, but they nonetheless provide a welcome backdrop for the game's graphics, gameplay and story. The later levels especially benefit from this subtle but important reminder of what's at stake. The music serves as an obvious but not over-the-top pacing element. Ultimately Martin O'Donnell's compositions are the kind of music you'd be more than happy to listen to outside of the game; it's hard to see how you can pay a soundtrack a higher compliment.

Playback and Multiplay

The clearest sign that Halo 3 is a 'next generation' title is its online and playback components. Most startling are the game's video editing and level creation tools. The first time you'll play through the campaign, you'll find that you can relive the whole thing by reviewing the videos stored on your 360's hard drive. There's no need to set a special setting, it just does it automatically. From there, you can enter the recording and rewatch the whole thing, stopping to take screenshots or snip video clips. These clips and pictures are then viewable from your Bungie.net profile, proving your game mastery to awed onlookers. The real awe, for me, was stepping outside of the Chief to fly around the map as action progresses. If you recall a particularly cool moment - a really good grenade stick, for example - you can see what that looked like on the outside ... and take a picture of it. I haven't had much time or inclination to play around with the level creation tool (called the Forge), but it's incredibly robust. Think something along the lines of Gary's Mod for Half-Life 2, and you'll understand the possibilities in Bungie's generous tool offering.

I've talked extensively about the game's campaign mode, but for many gamers online multiplayer is the real reason to buy this game. And understandably so: if you participated in the Halo 3 multiplayer Beta a few months ago you're already well aware of that game element's polish level. The real draw for me, though, is the campaign co-op play. I played entirely through Gears of War three times because the co-op experience was so well done. Here Bungie has provided the opportunity for up to four players to participate in the entire campaign experience. Just as with the 'single player' campaign mode (which is really just co-op with bots), the entire experience will be recorded to your hard drive for later public mockery. Unlike in single-player, by doing a co-op session you and your team-mates participate in what the game's achievements call 'the metagame'. Players are scored on their play throughout the game, and netting a certain total score during a co-op session can earn you some gamerscore points.

As much time as the team has obviously taken on the game itself, it's great to see that they've fleshed out the experience with elements like this. Graphics aside, these playback and co-op components are truly what makes Halo 3 'next generation'.

Consider the Fight Finished

Halo 3, then, is just about everything a player of the previous games in the series could hope for. It looks good, it plays smoothly, and backstory fans are going to finally have some closure. There are obviously flaws, but none are so glaring or frustrating as to be worth more than a passing mention. Even the checkpoint thing, which I'm sure I have run into far more often than the average player, never stopped me from grinning at the chance to melee some more Brutes into submission.

In essence: Bungie has succeeded marvelously at bringing this trilogy to a close. The game's tight story is complete-able in Normal mode in about ten hours, and that feels just about right. At the end of the game you're left wanting more, but not feeling gypped. Folks who have been holding their breath for this since 2004 can relax; the only thing left to do now is play and have a good time. Halo 3 is fun. Any game - regardless of platform, generation, or genre - where you can finish up and immediately want to start playing again ... it's hard to call that anything but a success.

Online Co-op not a factor?

The lack of online co-op doesn't seem as though it's a big deal any more, as we're not hearing much about it.

I'm looking forward to checking it out at a friend's house, as I haven't bought any of the new consoles yet. If it's as good as expected, it could be the kicker that gets me to buy a 360. Online still isn't an option for those of us on dial-up (too slow) or satellite (Hughes, too much lag/loss), but the single-player looks like it will be a blast.

The Ars Techinca review [arstechnica.com] strictly deals with the single-player component, for those who are looking for another viewpoint (from another tech site that's not solely focused on gaming).

Re:Online Co-op not a factor?

The official word is as such:
- Up to 2 players can play splitscreen on the same box.
- Up to 4 players can play over Xbox Live or System Link (LAN)
- The above can be combined in any way (e.g. 2 people on one box + 2 players over Xbox Live)

There is Online CO-OP

Umm....Online co-op is in Halo III. It was on then off then back on. This review says up to 4 players on co-op can play campaign at one time. I am greatly looking forward to this, as split screen even on 56 inch plasma is like kissing your sister.

Of course I could be wrong but this is from Bungie. click me! [bungie.net]

or for the lazy.

So you were probably wondering why we didn't want to commit to two player co-op online over Xbox Live. We certainly got plenty of mail asking, no, demanding that we make it happen. Of course we were working on it, but we were also working on something better. Not two player co-op. Not three-player co-op, but up to four player co-op. Online. On Xbox Live, or sure, System Link if you prefer. That is correct - up to four player co-op in Campaign mode on Xbox Live or System Link.

Re:There is Online CO-OP

I am greatly looking forward to this, as split screen even on 56 inch plasma is like kissing your sister

Hot?

Read between the lines

From a certain point of view, Halo 3 is without a doubt the biggest game of the year.

That would be the point of view of Xbox 360 owners only, correct?

Re:Read between the lines

well not sure on this...but didn't halo 3 break all pre-order records? Do you think any other game on any other system this year will match its sales? For the entire gaming industry this is the big one for this year (whether you hate/love it).

Re:Read between the lines

You're forgetting that the Wii is selling largely because of Wii Sports. It's not selling it to the kind of person who buys a system because of Halo, but it certainly is selling a LOT of systems. Probably more than Halo will.

Re:Read between the lines

You could look at it that way. But even as a non-XBox, non-Halo fan, I can see why they would call it that. There are the preorders for one, and then the merchandising. I was at Target a couple weeks ago and the had stacks upon stacks of these Halo preorder cards you coul buy. I've never seen anything like that. Nor have I seen anywhere near the level of merchandising (tie-ins at 7-11?) for any other game.

So, while I don't give half a shit about Halo, clearly somebody does, for some odd reason. And it's huge.

Second opinion.

UK Resistance has another review here [ukresistance.co.uk]

Gypped

I wonder how many people are aware that 'gypped' is a racial slur. Might as well just say jewed or chinked or niggered. Your doing the same thing. Associating an ethnic group with a negative stereo type. Maybe you should just say "not feeling ripped off" or "feeling they got their moneys worth". I am not of that ethnic group but I find it offensive when someone says "jewed" or calls me "slanty eyed".

Re:video gamers have their own version of reality

its why they play games in the first place. to escape the awful reality where they are responsible for the consequences of their actions and words. sort of like why i rant online lol.

anyways, i predict 10 seconds until someone counter 'argues' that it should be OK to say jewed, n***, etc, because political correctness is evil blah blah blah.

it is the same argument they will have if you point out that murdering prostitutes and stealing their money is not the best thing for our culture to be involved in simulating.

Perhaps I need to clarify. I wasn't saying the game mentions "Gypped" but instead the review closes with a paragraph that contains "gypped". A lot of people aren't aware thats a racial slur and I wanted to bring it to people attentions. I'm all for free speech. Say it how ever you like. But be aware it does offend some people. I know some paragons of the PC movement who say "gypped" all the time because they weren't aware it's a racial slur. I wanted to let people know.

I prefer if people made their points without racial slurs but I also believe in people being able to say what ever they want. But the right to do so comes with the responsibility for what they say.

Weird trilogy pattern developing

Anyone else notice a weird pattern with Doom 1, 2, 3... Quake 1, 2, 3... and Halo 1, 2, 3? The third one is the one that has the features the other 2 really should have, and yet all three basically peter out when the next new crazy fps comes out. How long will Halo 3 hang on until the next fps title eclipses it (but with way crappier features, like from Quake 3 -> Halo 1)? Just a thought.

Too bad the update screwed many others

Oh well ... I for one do not care about halo, but having the rainy season on us with comlete darkness at 6 makes me spend more time playing on live.

Now that said, I know that they recently updated consoles, and I suspect that it had to do something with the new big release...

Sad thing is: since then people have lag issues, connection issues all over the place..

All MS support says is: restart your modem and your router, and call support (2 hours waiting according to many).

No, I am not middle aged and my life is not video games, but I like to play multiplayer stuff RS and GRAW mostly.

Selling

Will it make the fans happy, and deservedly sell thousands of Xbox 360s?

That's the #1 problem I have with it. Somewhere in a marketing department, someone grins at that sentence because he knows what many of us only suspect: That the one and only purpose for Halo 3 is to sell more Xboxes.

And somewhere deep inside of me, there's a part that has an unspeakable problem with a game existing only for the benefit of a game console, because it feels it ought to be the other way around.

Firefly stars

Alan Tudyk's just glad he didn't have to wear a bright-green wet suit [imdb.com] the whole time he was working on the project.

Any word on production?

Is there any word on how many copies they managed to pump out for US release?

Re:Any word on production?

My latest figures indicate somewhere between a shitload and a fuckton.

Hmmmm

After these choice bits:

I hope you were paying attention at the end of Halo 2, because the folks at Bungie don't waste any time getting new players up to speed.

and

If you are a fan of the previous games, the story of Halo 3 is going to satisfy your need to see things wrapped up. What it's not going to do is surprise you. The plot plays out pretty much the way you'd expect, though the writers do make some very mature choices towards the end of the tale that distinguish it a bit from every other hero's journey.

I have to wonder if this game is for me though.

Yeah, somehow I must have been living under a rock and not played the first two Halos.

I know that a game doesn't have to cater to new followers (who may as well be completely in the dark), as well as "The Faithful", but from the perspective of the review, it seems that they aren't even a blip on the radar.

point of view

From a certain point of view, Halo 3 is without a doubt the biggest game of the year.

From a certain point of view a mouse is without a doubt the biggest animal in a forest.

Video Game Hype?

Do people still play those 'computer game' things? I suppose they have a fancy 3D Ms Pacman or something by now.

How many quarters does it take to pay a game of this 'halo' thing anyway? If i remember right, it was like a buck to play that videodisk based fantasy game. ( damned if i can remember its name.. )

From a certain point of view

From a certain point of view, Halo 3 is without a doubt the biggest game of the year.

From a certain point of view? That's like saying, "from the vantage point of having my face two inches away from the backside of a fat lady, her ass is the biggest object in the world!"

Perspective. It's all about perspective.

It's almost as if...

...Zonk WANTS to pour more gasoline on the Halo 3 fire.

I mean, I don't see what he thought reviewing Halo 3 would do. By now, he's got to realize people are going to read the first 3 lines of the summary, misquote him and proceed to flame people who don't agree with them... posting this review will change the opinions of like zero people.

Anyway, carry on with the flame war, guys.... trust me when I say I REALLY care about how you've played every FPS in existence and Halo 3 is the worst/best one ever. Seriously.

/popcorn

Well Jack...

Well, Jack Thompson hates it. It must be good. That's all the review I need anymore. Hey eepok, Butt-Darts 4 is coming out tomorrow! What's Jack think? He says it will summon the anti-christ if even one child plays it. What time does Best Buy open?

shorter & shorter

Once upon a time there were 20 hour FPS games & in times of yore even longer single player campaigns. Now a 10 hour single player campaign....

So how long is it going to be before there are no single player FPS's at all? I've never been thrilled by Halo multiplayer, TeamFortress2 looks interesting but I do like my single player, my 'stories' as it were.

I guess I was fooling myself that Halo3 was going to be anything but a multiplayer game with a campaign tacked on as an after thought.

*VERY SIMPLE* Halo 3 multiplayer question

Can someone please answer this question for me? I swear to god, I've cruised game sites for days and googled it every way I know how, and there seems to be no answer on the Internet to this most basic of all questions:

Does Halo 3 have 4-player split-screen multiplayer?

I don't understand why this answer cannot be found anywhere. It took me days (as a non-hardcore FPS gamer) to understand that co-op/campaign and multiplayer were different (okay, I get it now, multiplayer is the opposite of co-op). I have found sites that mention how many players you can have via system-link or XBox live for co-op (4) or multiplayer (I think 16). I have even seen sites that tout "split-screen multiplayer" without saying whether this is 2-player split-screen, or 4-player. I have seen screenshots of 2-player split screen, but mostly everyone goes for the eye-candy of full screen screenshots.

So, does Halo 3 have this feature? It is truly the best thing in the world to play 4-player with your friends in one room, on one tv, while you trash talk. Sure, the screen is a bit small, but 4 games on one 46" 1080p TV is a hell of a lot better than when we were doing this on 25" TVs with only 480 lines of resolution.

I thank you greatly for your response. Yeah, I've got H3 on preorder, but I'll be buying a couple more controllers if it supports 4-player split screen. I'm sort of afraid I won't even be able to tell once I have my hands on the game, unless I have a 3rd controller turned on to test..

Thanks for the warning

I hope you were paying attention at the end of Halo 2, because the folks at Bungie don't waste any time getting new players up to speed.

Thanks for the warning. :) I have not played the other games since the 360 is my first xbox.
It seemed like Halo 3 was for people who had played the other two. I wasn't sure about buying it. Now I know that I shouldn't.

Halo: The Future of Gaming

http://www.loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/228 [loadingreadyrun.com]

Halo 3 - The future of gaming

These guys have already made a short documentary about what the Halo series has meant for humanity:

http://www.loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/228/Halo%3A+The+Future+of+Gaming [loadingreadyrun.com]

Careful, Zonk

"..I'm reluctant to say more, as I'm not sure what's common knowledge at this point, but blah blah blah..."

Well, Zonk, since THE GAME ISNT EVEN OUT YET, the amount of 'common knowledge' is pretty damn close to zilch. Not that it matters all that much. I've always found the story to be kind of lacking in the Halo games. All the characters look alike. It's pretty fun mindless shooter, tho.

I'm irritatingly writing this

I also saw none of the 'texture popping' that I annoyingly associate with last-gen titles.

You mean that it's annoying that you associate 'texture popping' with last-gen titles?

You keep using that sentence construction. I don't think it means what you think it means. :-)

so, so wrong

if gaming has a blockbuster franchise to match the movie industry's punch, it's the tale of Master Chief

Give me a break. Just look at the sales numbers, production cost, soundtrack, and acting talent (and just plain GAMEPLAY, in fact!) If gaming "has a blockbuster franchise to match the movie industry's punch", there is NO WAY it's Halo. The real blockbuster has 3 letters, not 4. And they spell GTA.

Scratched discs and NO anti-aliasing?

Microsoft is going to have a HUGE number of returns on their hands if my experience at the Walmart in Gilroy, California was any indication.

When I told the customer service rep I wanted the Limited Edition, he said the last couple of customers had already returned theirs, since the discs were all scratched up. (The Limited Edition comes in a metal case.) It turns out that the case has a poor design that causes the disc to easily pop out and start banging around loose. So after I paid, they opened my box up, and found that the discs were scratched up enough that they exchanged it on the spot. We ended up opening three more of them until they found one that was in pristine condition.

With that kind of defect rate, Microsoft could easily have a huge problem on their hands.

I'm already starting to see news reports on Google News that this problem is widespread.

One other thing. I'm a bit disappointed that Halo 3 appears to have no anti-aliasing at all. It's painful to see all those jaggies on an HD display. I suppose most players are using standard def TVs to play, but it still sucks that such a supposedly modern game title is not using AA.

Halo 3 Review in Short

All About Halo 3 Over all review Halo 3 is an awesome game and well worth the R599 you pay for it (SA only). Everything about it is almost flawless. The A.I is very good although the characters friendly or not have a very "lone wolf" type mind set. Even in groups they will not work together to take you or your co-op partner down and think of nothing if their frag blows you away. But still as a whole it works well and makes game play challenging rather than just a plain shoot em up. Graphics are amazing and I have yet to see models merging into each other, the xbox does have problems from time to time where models will appear flat n mono tonal but it quickly recovers. One downfall which lies not in the game but the machine itself is that without an HDMI cable and TV or projector (Recommended) it looks crap, everything is down converted and squashed which makes it rely hard to change settings as the txt is very small soft and fuzzy cramped and soft, makes it hard to pot enemy's from a distance too. Obviously projected image is worse down converted.. This problem occurs for all xbox 360 games going through composite cables. Don't use composite on a projector rather just a very big TV. The game play is very different compared to the first two games. Everything's faster, faster weapons faster punches faster vehicles faster run speed faster everything, which is a big relief. It makes for a more enjoyable faster more exciting Halo 3 experience. Game content was vastly updated there's a load of new stuff in the game to a point where it's a bit much, none of its consistent, there's a lot of guns/vehicles you only get to try a few times through out the entire game and some weapons make others pointless.. a lot of the old weapons that were abundant are now rare n replaced by bazooka weapons(big guns) however everything seems a lot more possible in the game when in fact its harder to do, for instance taking down a scarab. A lot of the time you get given tasks to do but not the means to do it like say a flying vehicle to get somewhere would be nice and fun, unfortunately they don't supply one. Yes it makes it more challenging but not as fun or exciting and very frustrating when the check point is a while back. Check points... check points have triggers attached to them which to be honest is old now, a lot of the time you'll miss them because you didn't kill that one grunt hiding in the waterfall. So that added to the badly designed difficulty which is realistic weapon damage in an unrealistic game where you are ment to be all powerful makes you switch off. That is if you're playing heroic or legendary. The one thing where I thought Bungie would have corrected by now is the vehicle to Spartan damage ratio. Basically if your warthogs tire gets shot you take some damage, this makes getting into a vehicle suicide at times. One other thing is the new achievements the xbox 360 has, in Halo 3 most of them can only be completed during online play which is very annoying seems you just bought the most expensive game yet and you cant even unlock all its content. So most of the above can be avoided if you put in the right settings and buy the right stuff. That is a HD TV, HDMI cable and internet. Also put the game difficulty on normal or lower. For more on halo 3 and others (coming soon) Visit www.CineHD.biz/Halo_3.asp

Re:Hey Zonk

I think that if he really was a "MicroBitch", he would have given the game better than a 4/5.

But then again, everybody else is giving better than 4/5 (Metacritic rating stands at 96 currently).

Re:Hey Zonk

A Norwegian reviewer gave the game 4/6, and received death threats from fanboys. Probably not serious ones -- everyone knows a console controller doesn't teach you to aim the same way a PC with a mouse does -- but various people in the comment section advised the man to get a bullet proof vest.

Because of this, I won't dare publishing my review of the holy Qur'an, which I rate at 4 out of 7 (better than the New Testament, but not quite as good as Dostoevsky, Philip K. Dick and Halo 2).

Re:gypped? what is this 1939 berlin?

It's actually an American-coined term. Maybe if you spent less time hiding behind AC, looking for racism where none exists, and instead reading history and sociology books, you would know that. You'd also know that there are very, very few Romas (as they call themselves) in the U.S. So, the possibility that it is based on a racial slur is not only unlikely but as of yet still unproven.

But, hey, welcome to the 21st century where context means nothing as long as someone can be offended by a combination of letters.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those words, in and of themselves. They're only words. It's the context that counts. It's the user. It's the intention behind the words that makes them good or bad. The words are completely neutral. The words are innocent. I get tired of people talking about 'bad words' and 'bad language.' Bullsh*t! It's the context that makes them good or bad." -- George Carlin

Re:paid Microsoft shill reviews?

Perhaps he's still working on completing Heavenly Sword.

Re:Because of Halo

It's because of the MGS series of games that I will never, ever, buy a Sony game console. The game should be released on the PC at the same time as the console. The only reason it isn't is because Sony wants to sell more consoles. This is complete bullshit and they might as well be giving the PC gamers the finger. Fuck that. The sad thing is there are some games on the PS2/3 that I really would like to play. They chose this route, and I'm stubborn enough to sacrifice some of my own fun because of it. I wonder how many other people feel the same way?

This argument can be made for a LOT of games, not just the Halo series. Bawwwwwww a little more and maybe they'll listen.

Re:Because of Halo

I don't understand your argument. You're saying that you would buy an XBox to play some games that only exist on it, but you won't because there exists a game that only runs on the XBox? It makes perfect sense why Halo exists only for the XBox - why would they want to fragment their multiplayer fan base by releasing on multiple platforms. Years ago Bungie determined that Halo was more of a "sport" than a video game, and has been driving development of it since then with the primary focus being towards balancing multiplayer. It's not practical to have multiplayer title be cross-platform, Shadowrun notwithstanding.

Plus, the ROI for console and console game sales is far greater than PC game sales. Why should Bungie/MS waste time & resources doing joint development, jeopardizing the release date of the 360 title, just for a marginal ROI that would be seen on sales of the PC version? Face it - PC game sales levels don't justify the kinds of budgets that A-list console titles pull down. PC gaming still has a place, but that place is niche gaming, independent gaming, and strategy wargaming.

Finally, why would you want to buy the PC version? PCs are just a money pit when it comes to keeping a gaming rig current. You can easily spend the cost of a 360 on video cards alone each year just to maintain a machine that will play the latest & greatest FPS titles at maximum fidelity. It's not worth a company's time to produce massively expensive titles for a tiny fraction of the game-playing public.

-BbT

How terribly unreasonable.

Damn them for wanting to maximize profits on their product offerings.

Re:Because of Halo

The original Halo was released for the PC, and Halo 2 was also released for the PC, albeit much later than the Xbox release and as yet another of Microsoft's "See? If you don't upgrade to Vista, you'll never be able to do this" incentives to buck up less-than-stellar sales of its latest grab for control of your desktop.

Re:Because of Halo

I, too, used to be bitter about Halo. It was originally developed for the Mac, way back in the day before Bungie got bought by MS. It took four years from when it was shown at MacWorld (1999) to when it finally was released for OS X (2003), and it didn't even support basic options like co-op play.

However, you have to remember that MS doesn't really make money on the console itself. It makes the money back on games, and licensing the games. If you really, truly hate them, you can just go buy three or four consoles and no games, just to give them the finger right back!

Or you could just not worry about it and play some damn games, already.

Re:Because of Halo

Perhaps you've only discovered this about MS, many of us discovered this about BUNGIE seven years ago when they flipped off their loyal PC gamer fans.

Re:paid Microsoft shill reviews?

I don't get why Halo is a big deal on Slashdot. I think it's the most overrated series ever. To me, it seems that if it were originally a PC FPS, it would be considered completely mediocre. The only thing I see that makes it popular is that it's a decent FPS on a console.

Are there really that many Halo fanboys on Slashdot? I would imagine there would be many PC gamers here that would be aware of much better FPSs than Halo.

Re:How does it compare to PC shooters?

If you have a decent PC, you already own the best FPS platform with the best FPSes, so I would completely ignore Halo. In fact, I do completely ignore Halo.

In console terms, it's a decent shooter (but Gears of War is much better, IMO), but in PC terms, it's sooooooooo five years ago.

Just get Team Fortress 2 and forget Halo. :)

Re:Because of Halo

It's not just Microsoft. It's all the console makers. Microsoft happens to be 50% of the ones who make FPS games that I care about. Halo happens to be on a Microsoft console. I feel the same way about Sony.

They both make the game for both PC and Console. They both release games for the console way, way earlier than the PC. They both have no good reason for it.

They both piss me off because of it.

Re:gypped? what is this 1939 berlin?

Maybe if you let yourself loosen up and played some games you wouldn't be such a 1930's history nazi.

Re:Because of Halo

If there are so many games on the Xbox you'd like to play, then why don't you get an Xbox? Of course Microsoft wants to sell more Xboxes, so they withheld the PC version, in the exact same way they just bought Bungie out straight up to make Halo the "killer app" for the Xbox (as opposed to being a Mac/PC hybrid). It's called business. Unless it makes the game a steamy p.o.s, what's the harm?

Re:I'm ...

What does an Entropia Universe Fast Aid Pack (fap) have to do with any of this?

http://www.entropedia.info/Chart.aspx?chart=FAP [entropedia.info]

Re:Accurately tagged

Mod parent funny. Probably the best line I've heard about ANY video game.

Re:How does it compare to PC shooters?

I keep wondering this too, and people with PC gaming "experience" all say different things.

Sometimes it gets compared to Half Life, then they say Halo's story is unoriginal and the environments repeat. So what part of Half Life are they comparing it to?

Other times it's the "online play" that makes the game. Ugh. Finding a game to join may be easier on a console, but it's next to impossible to find a mature group of people to play with (maybe because it's easier to play online than "hard" PC FPS's). That, and I don't know how into online PC FPS you are, but mods are what make most of the good games great.

I don't think you're missing anything. If you're going to get a next gen console for a single game, look at the ones in a genre consoles really are better at. Racing, fighting, or maybe a FPS with a unique online experience.

Re:I'm ...

I may be missing something, but what exactly is the big deal about this?
Having never played any of the Halo games, I don't know why this is getting so much attention.
Is there something special about this game that makes it anything other than "just another FPS"?
Is there something innovative about it that isn't immediately obvious? Or is it just the next Halo game with better graphics?
I really don't see why people are saying this is going to be such a system seller.
What sets this apart from something like Bioshock or Gears of War?

Re:like comparing Halo 3 to Pokemon

Yeah, I guess that's why in the interviews I've seen with Asian players the vast majority of them thought it was good, but hard to play, because they like easier, more casual games. Yeah, they're really hardcore over there.

Re:like comparing Halo 3 to Pokemon

"Halo 3's target audience is 8-14 year olds"

Is that what that big "M" thingy on the cover means? Cool.. I wondered about that, one of life's great mysteries. *rolls eyes*

The unrealities of hype

Yeah, Spider-man 3 was also supposed to be the big blockbuster of the year, and Vista was supposed to be the biggest release since Windows 95. Marketing doesn't always match reality.