“Finish the Fight” is the tagline to the final installment of this critically acclaimed series The Halo series has been a juggernaut to the industry and has slaughtered thumbs, GPA’s, and careers for players both young and old. Unless you have been under a rock or in a stasis field for the last few years, you have heard about the Master Chief’s exploits, and if you haven’t, surely you’ve heard about it leading to this game’s much heralded release, from movie screens to soda cans to billboards. Does Halo 3 deserve the hype machine place behind it? Not quite, but is it worth a purchase? No doubt.
Fans of the series will be relieved that the Campaign is as interesting as it ever was. Even with few twists, the pace is exciting and is enough to make sure you shoot with a purpose. Your Human allies aren’t really worth keeping around this time around as they provide decent cover fire at times but seem to be the same old glorified human shields. The same can be said about The Covenant forces and The Arbiter, because they are a few lucky shots away from useless. The “help” isn’t too inhibiting though, and the single player campaign is worth playing through. The story finishes the trilogy with a sense of closure.
Multiplayer, the crown jewel of the franchise, remains at the top of its class. The new additions of turret ripping, support weapon systems, additional grenade types, as well as new weapons and vehicles create more havoc that is sure to wreck any gamers free time. The inferno of insanity is fun on Xbox Live or offline, amongst linked 360’s to recreate the experience for those who are on slow connections. The forge mode adds another layer of creativity and fun to the experience, as you can change the game in game, allowing one player to play god within the arena. The game remains smooth and the weapons have been tweaked a bit that allows a little bit more variety that should slow down players grabbing the same weapons.
The upgrade to the 360 is a welcomed one, as the graphics, while not the best have been augmented. The game’s single and multiplayer maps are large full environments that are very nice on the eyes. The Havok engine is on full display, especially when the shotgun blasts across anyone’s body, as bodies fall in an entertaining fashion. The visual created by this is definitely appreciated in the brand new theater mode, which allows any gamer to play cinematographer with their Halo journey. The mode, available in both single and multiplayer, captures your entire experience and does so without killing your HDD space. The feature adds a level of fun when you feel like showing your homies just how much of a surgeon you are with that battle rifle, as you can watch it on the couch or send it to them over Xbox Live.
Halo 3 does an excellent job of not fixing something that isn’t broken and adding some new features. The campaign mode has wrapped the story up well and the multiplayer has the same qualities that made both Halo and Halo 2 so addictive, while adding features like the theater and the forge give fans something new to manipulate. It isn’t hard to see Halo 3 being played on Xbox live for the next couple years. Will halo fans ever “Finish the Fight?” Halo 3’s almost flawless execution will keep them hooked long enough to try
Courtesy of the Gamer Studio at www.gamerstudio.com
