Halo 3 Review
Score: 5/5
Halo 3 is one hell of a gaming package, practically unrivalled in breadth, innovation, and sheer quality. There are certainly issues with the game specifically related to the campaign: this game is not perfect. But whatever issues one might have with the campaign are quelled by the multiplayer, and the wealth of exciting new additions that will keep gamers playing for years to come.
The core shooting action, it must be said, is not nearly as impactful as it should be, and early on the game is notably underwhelming. It is a good thing, then, that Halo 3 builds up momentum and improves the further in you get. The more epic Halo gets, the better it gets. It could be said that the majority of complaints lie solely in the micro aspects of battle, the simple one on one shooting action not being where it should. But when Halo 3 pulls back from the canopy and opens up the battles, vehicular combat in particular, it provides some absolutely phenomenal thrills.
When Halo 3 does epic, it goes epically epic.
There were more than a handful of occasions when Halo 3 dropped my jaw, and I nearly shook at the task ahead of me. As soon as you see the level open up, you know you are in for something special. After you have had the thrill of your first newly redesigned Scarab arrive onto the scene, you will be thoroughly impressed and ploughing ahead to experience more. And after you have defeated your foes, you can gawk at the ridiculously huge panoramic views that stretch vast distances, and usually feature something that is not just pretty, but relevant to the story arc as well.
Halo 3 takes time to sink in. Getting more comfortable with the game encourages a more playful nature, taking time to explore the environments. If you were inclined to plough through the campaign going nearly in a straight line, you will miss a remarkable amount of variety in the levels. Halo is unique amongst first person shooters in that it carries with it a decidedly strong element of sandbox style play. The level design in Halo 3 is no different, and taking your time to discover the hidden complexity of levels will reward you with other ways to approach the combat.
Notable additions to the combat include the ability to detach gun placements like Plasma Turrets, Missle Pods, and Machine Guns (think chain gun), and carry them in third person while you unleash fury. These are very powerful and the trade-off is slower movement, but you will be compelled to go to them every time because it looks great and they dish out some serious punishment. I cannot fail to mention the Brute Hammer either, a massive melee weapon that strikes opponents down in a giant sonic boom. Yet again, Halo 3 excels when it goes big.
Some great new vehicles are introduced as well. The Mongoose, a weapon-less, two seater ATV, is easily the best of the bunch. While seemingly unremarkable, this little buggy scoots around levels with fantastic zip; running circles around enemies and flying off of jumps is just a blast. There are also a few Covenant additions, like the Brute Chopper and another unnamed vehicle that looks like a disproportioned snowmobile with a manned turret on the front of it. They look awesome, although I must say the Brute Chopper handles and manoeuvres like a drunken pig.
Now take all of this, throw in some great enemy AI, and you have a sandbox of destruction that makes playing through over again such a treat. That said, Brute Pack behaviour never really saw much advanced coordination besides one Brute Chieftain (usually the guy standing in the back with the biggest weapon) direct his subordinates to attack while waiting his turn. One thing is for certain though: if Bungie set out to make the Brutes menacing, they succeeded.
Visually the game is also hit-or-miss upon first blush. There are a number of bland environments and characters. But what Halo does well, it does extremely well. Special effects like weapons fire and explosions are really sharp and beautiful. Lighting, at times, is utterly stunning. The game is also extremely adept at creating absolutely massive spaces and objects, and that Scarab is just for starters. So here, again, we see a similarity to the game design: the bigger Halo 3 gets, the better it looks.
If there is one persistent gripe I have with Halo 3’s campaign, it is most definitely the manner in which they go about wrapping up the narrative arc. The story here does what it should and comes to a very satisfying end, no real cliff-hangers to piss off the faithful. But it does just what it should, and not much more.
One aspect of Halo 3 that is virtually without significant criticism is its multiplayer component. If you know Halo 2, then you know what you are getting into with Halo 3. Online competitive multiplayer spread across several distinct maps, multitudes of gametypes, all set up through automated matchmaking in either ranked or social playlists. All of the weapons, vehicles, and equipment are useable here, and the gameplay is as tight as it ever was.
Bungie added the Forge, a map editor and gametype rolled into one. Forge allows the player to enter onto any map and fool around with such things as spawn points and vehicles and weapons. In real time, you possess a floating monitor who can spawn any piece of equipment, hardware, vehicle, and weapon, and place it about the map. You can actively manipulate any object and lift, carry, and throw it if you like. Then Forge goes one step further and becomes multiplayer a game. Friends can join you and help you go about editing the map, or play competitively. With just a press of a button, you can transform from floating monitor to Spartan with weapon in hand. This freeform willy-nilly style of gameplay is best played with friends anyhow, and is a bit of a stroke genius.
Now take every game, record it all, and replay it in real-time. In Halo 3, you can do just that. After playing any game (including campaign), the data is stored on your hard drive and accessible through the menu. The Theatre feature allows you to choose the game you just played, and watch it unfold again. You can pause the action, detach the camera, and fly about the map freely. You can start up the action again and watch it all unfold from any angle, dynamically moving about the map as you see fit. What’s more, you can take snap shots and record portions of any game session from the angle you viewed it to create little films that you directed. After you have done all of that, you can then send them off to bungie.net where others can view snapshots and download the matches and films of others to their Xbox 360. This is an utterly inspired addition.
Halo 3 is not perfect. As mentioned, there are some shortcomings in the campaign gameplay. And, let’s face it: this is not a radical departure from what we have seen before, its impact is not nearly as hefty. That said, the campaign is a memorable Halo experience, the multiplayer is solid and all encompassing, and both of these have significant additions to their core gameplay to make them feel fresh all over again. You have, all told, one of the defining gaming experiences of this generation. Go on now, finish the fight.
peachey @ September 25, 2007