Considering that I don't really play first-person shooters, I was actually very excited to be getting my copy of Halo 3. I had messed around during the beta, but like with previous Halo games, my experience was only limited to the multiplayer matches. I had never played any of the campaigns. Maybe because of all the hype, it started to rub off on me. I needed to find out what the big deal was about Master Chief.
Before I popped in my Halo 3 disc, I thought about maybe playing through Halo and Halo 2, just to see the storyline. After 30 minutes of Halo, I couldn't handle it anymore. My head was spinning, and I felt like I was going to be sick. It's times like these when I wonder why I do this to myself. I knew that Halo 3 was going to be much smoother in terms of gameplay, so I decided to forget the first two and jump right into the action. After watching the intro scene to Halo 3, I got a "disc unreadable" message. It didn't matter how clean and unscratched my disc was, it wasn't working. Microsoft had announced earlier that the limited edition copies had problems, but mine was just a standard edition. Luckily, my friend had spent the last few days playing Halo 3, so he let me borrow his copy.
Other than the fact that my copy didn't work, Halo 3 was better than what I had expected. For someone who doesn't play FPS games, it was relatively easy, on easy mode of course. With four difficulty settings, there's something for everyone. Halo 3 is fun because of the multiplayer component. Not only do you get to go through campaign mode with help, you can spend countless hours playing online with others. I wouldn't recommend using the headset, mostly because the online world seems to be flooded with kids who constantly are swearing at each other.
Halo 3 picks up where Halo 2 left off. Master Chief, the last of the Spartan II, is needed to save humanity from the Covenant, an alien race intent on killing every last human due to their religious fervor. The Covenant are not only committing genocide, but they also believe that if they were to activate these artificial worlds called Halos, they'd go on their "great journey." They're completely deluded since the truth is that they release the Flood, a parasite that turns living creatures into monsters. Master Chief has a lot on his hands, but a section of the Covenant known as the Elites have left, and are now allied with the humans.
The story unfolds by each mission and periodic cutscenes. Getting from one point to the next is easy, since you constantly have someone telling you where to go next. As long as you keep coming across things to shoot at, you're going in the right direction.
Halo 3 introduces some new weapons and vehicles. Part of what makes Halo fun is the mode of transportation, and you can virtually ride any vehicle that hasn't exploded. If you're lazy like me and would rather the artificial intelligence drive, you're really better off driving yourself, because the AI can't drive at all.
Some new ideas include the fact that turrets can now be ripped from their foundation and lugged around. You zoom out into third-person view at this time, and your speed is reduced. You also can pick up equipment, such as bubble shields or a regenerator, and activate them by pressing X. You can only hold one at a time, but they can come in handy when you need it.
The different environments look fantastic, and there is a lot more detail in Halo 3 than the previous games. The characters are decent, but I find that the humans look likes zombies at times. You really get to appreciate your surroundings when you visit the various maps in multiplayer mode.
Up to sixteen players can join a game of free for all or capture the flag via Xbox Live. If you can't handle the random people online, there is always the option of playing over a local area network or up to four players on a single console. The user interface has been streamlined to make changing options and starting new games or new campaigns incredibly easy. In the Forge lobby, players are able to arrange any object and equipment within any of the multiplayer levels to change the dynamics of the map. Trying to shoot my husband and my friends by playing 4 to 8 player Halo is really the only reason I bother with this series.
Another strong point is the music. Halo 3 has one of the better video game soundtracks I've heard in a long time. Martin O'Donnell did an excellent job with this highly emotional score. Familiar themes return but are redone with a large orchestra and choir that changes everything.
This isn't the best game I've come across all year, but it certainly isn't a bad one. For any Halo fan, you already should have gotten this game by the time you read this. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, it's worth a shot. I find that FPS games on the console are much harder than games on the PC, but at least with Halo, the multiplayer options are endless, so you can always get the practice.
I am a Canadian living in California with my husband and my precious baby Bailey (95lbs of labrador fun). I work full time and go to school, so finding the time to play video games is tough. I still manage to sneak some time in, whether it's playing on my GBA while I wait in line or sitting in the back seat of my car so I can use our dvd player to play the Gamecube on long trips. I've always been fairly decent at playing games to give my younger brother some competition. I started at the early age of 6 when I inherited an Atari 2600. I played any computer game I could get my hands on during those Commodore 64 days. Now I'll play anything from RPGs to first person shooters, racing games or basically anything that's fun and allows me to play with at least 3 other people.
