Halo 3 for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I didn't start Halo 3 until Wars was already released, so I know I'm behind the times :). I got it 2 Christmases ago but was still working on Bioshock during my regulated couple of gamings hours on weekends between house projects and hanging with my wife and kid. I skipped Halo 2 but played the first in dual-player Legendary, which (like most people) is when I fell in love with Xbox and reinvigorated my love for FPS games in general.

This game does not disappoint. The gameplay and controls are as smooth and responsive as I remember from the first, and the storyline and graphics are equally as impressive. This time around I'm on single player Normal mode and picked up the game guide so I could find all the gems. I'm enjoying the campaign and haven't used Live yet so I can't comment on that experience. So why not 10 stars? Well, this is an excellent game on its own, so it's a candidate. However, as a sequel it has to stand up against its predecessors, and its hard to top Halo 1 in terms of being revolutionary and a turning point in gaming.

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to Halo 3 as much as most people seemed to, but after playing through it, there's no denying that it's a great game. Graphically, it looks much better than Halo 2, but it doesn't quite live up to what we all know is possible on the 360. Of course, there is A LOT going on at the same time that I'm sure if there were better graphics it might affect the frame rate. Given the choice between better-looking or smoother-playing, I think Bungie made the right choice.

Anyhow, the story was well paced through the campaign mode. I think fans will definitely be pleased with the overall narrative, and most importantly, the conclusion. I played through cooperatively with my brother over Live and it was pretty sweet. I'm really looking forward to some other friends getting the game so we can play 4-player co-op. Yes, that's right. I'm sure a lot of people know this already, but the story mode can be played through by 4 friends over Xbox Live - one player is the Master Chief and the rest are all Elites like the Arbiter (well, one of them IS the Arbiter). Playing with more people and upping the difficulty level definitely leads to some crazy happenings.

Then there's the multiplayer. This is a game in and of itself that'd be worth $60. There are just so many options and game modes that, like Halo 2, will keep people playing this game for literally years to come. Things don't feel as "cheap" as they did sometimes while playing Halo 2's multiplayer, which is definitely a plus.

Additionally, you have the ability to record your gameplay and share it with your friends. Not just the multiplayer either, but the story mode as well. You can even move the camera around and view things from someone else's perspective, which is pretty cool.

The only real problem I have with the game is the last level, which just wasn't any fun. I won't go into details so I don't ruin anything, but it was a disappointing way to end the game. This keeps it from a 10.