Halo 3

When a sequel offers little in the way of innovation or stops short of a major revamp, I'd normally deduct a couple of stars in the name of tardiness. But this is a Halo game, and what makes it console dynamite isn't so much what's new, what's different, or even what happens as you play - instead, it's all about how it makes you feel.

Within an hour of starting the game you'll be leaping onto futuristic motorbikes and ripping the alien driver from his seat, then flipping the bike around and mowing the monster down with his own ride. In tight spots you'll be snapping stationary gun turrets from their mountings, then wading into the chaos of battle as your chunky cannon shreds legions of shrieking invaders. As you go ever-deeper behind enemy lines your allies will dive for cover when firefights turn to stalemate, compelling you to steam into impossible situations and sort them out with not much more than a pea-shooter. And when it finally comes to switching off your console and going to bed at night, finding the will to sleep will be impossible as you'll still feel ten-feet tall and able to punch holes in solid concrete.

Thrilling action aside, Halo 3 is also one of the best-looking games on the shelves and surpasses all expectations; from the slick, Hollywood-quality movies that flesh out the story and introduce cannon-fodder characters you can't help growing attached to, to dense forests where you can spot enemies fleeing through the undergrowth as trails of saplings get pushed aside, Halo 3 boasts an epic sense of scale and keen eye for detail, its stunning art direction helping to create breathtaking worlds that are a joy to explore and the perfect stage for tense and imaginative shootouts. The new battle gadgets and retooled Covenant enemies - each of which look more terrifying than before, especially when you're standing toe-to-toe with a Brute Chieftain intent on caving your skull in - also make this instalment absurdly exciting, and the fact you can stick with Master Chief throughout rather than being forced to control a crappy alien like in Halo 2 will be enough to tempt back players who were disillusioned by the last game.

But while the single-player adventure doesn't disappoint, Halo 3's biggest draw is its multiplayer carnage. As well as the traditional deathmatch clashes where players can tear their buddies limb from limb, Halo 3 boasts a selection of Xbox Live cooperative challenges, allowing players to hook-up, choose from a quartet of unique characters, then work through the entire single-player quest as a team. The sprawling online mode also features clever 'matchmaking' options where you're paired with other players of similar skill across the world, avoiding the frustration of becoming the whipping boy for a gang of experienced nutjobs.

While a tangible sense of déjà vu pervades the whole adventure, Halo 3 does what it does extremely well, and what it loses in originality it more than makes up for in stellar production values and delirious, balls-out blasting. And while players looking for a solo shooter may find BioShock's bleak atmosphere more intriguing, Halo 3's blistering blend of anarchic battles and team-based challenges make it worthy of the 'game of the year' tag so often thrust upon it.

Halo 3 is a must own game. It has everything you could want in a FPS game. It is one of the best FPS ever made and that title will not soon be taken away.

Halo 3 has online play which is an experience itself and put together with the campaign, all i can say is... wow. Online play does not get boring at all as there is so many types of games you can play such as slayer, team slayer, 1 and 2 flag capture the flag, oddball, the double exp. weekend and many others.

Halo 3 has proved to be one of the most very successful games ever. With its great graphics, storyline, easy to control game play and its awesome actual game play it tops the rest.

Unfortunately it is the last of the halo series in the FPS genre. Any Xbox 360 owner should have this game on their shelf.

10/10

My goodness.... Well, this game is simply amazing. It has everything; sleek, refined graphics, generally improved game play, a multitude of awesome weapons, an incredible storyline, excellent voice acting,......... Truly, the list just goes on and on. This finale to the triumvirate cements both Halo and Bungie's place among the all time greats in the video game world. Whether you're a tried and true hardcore Halo fan, or a newbie just getting into the craze, you must get this game. It is truly an incredible experience, not only to behold, but to be the most integral part of. Plus, there is online Co-op play, so you can go through the story mode with an online friend, or more than one!

Of particular note are the voice performances of Keith David (the Arbiter) and Robert Davi (the Ship Master Elite, a very cool returning minor character from Halo 2).

The only downside, I suppose, is that Michael Wincott, who voiced the Prophet of Truth in Halo 2, does not return in the role for Halo 3. While his replacement is by no means poor, the new voice simply does not have that metallic, sinister quality that Wincott's does.

That being said, long live the Arbiter and Master Chief!!!! Halo 3 is everything it was built up to be, and more.

It was only recently that I played the original Halo; the game had come out in the generation I skipped and when I eventually rejoined gaming with the 360, I had all the shooters I needed with COD4 and anything I saw of Halo was of a multiplayer with big beasts that seemed to take a lot of hits to die – basically it never appealed to me. I loved the first game and due to a broken disk of Halo 2 which kept dying midway into the campaign, jumped right into Halo 3. The graphics were a nice change from the original Halo (even the updated version) and although I missed the final half of Halo 2, the story was not too hard to pick up since essentially the players are all the same.

The gameplay is a lot of fun – more than I expected. The world terrains are large with nice open areas where you have options in terms of the fight and where you can see others battling with you or alongside you. I started the game on Heroic and found the game to be perhaps a bit too challenging to be fun for a casual player such as myself. On Normal setting it is perhaps a bit too easy but it still has a challenge – you cannot hold the trigger while running forward. The flow of enemy and the structure of levels is really good and I continued to be forced to use all sorts of weapons since ammo is not always readily available for any one weapon. The use of music and the large cinematic landscapes produce great moments but also a real sense of excitement; the best example is the final level, which is a drive against the clock like the first game, however this time the clock is not real but a warning triggered by progress – so not a real heart-in-mouth race, but it is exciting and the urgency helped by the scale of the surroundings and the music. The cut- scenes are not overly used but when they are they add to the cinematic feel, being dramatic and looking very good – the only thing I think they did badly was the ending as it is misleading and doesn't make too much sense unless you sit through all the credits (which we all know we should but nobody does); it would have been better to deliver it all properly. Otherwise it is generally a very well put together game though.

The downside of it is that the game is not as long as I would have liked – it is plenty fun while I played but even for someone only grabbing a few hours every few evenings, it was done quite quickly. The reason for this I assume was the multiplayer experience being the bigger part of the sale. For me I don't pay for Gold to play online, so I cannot comment on that – but for the very low price I was able to pick this up for, I felt the solo campaign was more than good enough on its own – shortness aside.

A strong game then – even some 6 years later it stands up very well. Very glad I checked the franchise out at last and I'll probably carry on with the next game at some point.

This game is absolutely amazing. I remember looking back last year at the first main trailer shown with master chiefs bubble shield and the hype since then has just been building and building. Last night 26.9.07 at midnight i queued along with nearly 100-150 people to purchase halo 3 luckily for me and my friend we were around about the 5/6 people to purchase it :D The game as a whole is just amazing as i said. Visually its like perfection not a single thing wrong with the graphics. The game-play many have said is similar that of which it is however i found that controlling master chief has been improved slightly. it maybe is just me but i think that moving master chief and controlling his actions has been improved brilliantly. new vehicles and weapons and newly formed enemies halo 3 is "the" game to buy The hype over here in england has been incredible i have friends asking about the game all the time because they really want to get it but either cant afford or the place is sold out I would have to say i finished halo 2 and as soon as the ending was shown i wanted halo 3 now 4 years on it has been the biggest wait but it is really worth it :)