I'll make this quick and to the point. Halo 1 was an amazing game. Halo 2 was average at best. Halo 3 is simply more of the same thing. It's somewhat fun, but you feel as though you've played this all before.

Bad:
-Started first campain run-through on heroic. Took me around seven hours to complete. Second run-through on legendary took me eight hours. Co-op with my bro took me five hours on heroic. Not a very long game. Feels like "Gears of War" all over again.
-Small variety of enemies. You will be fighting Brute after Brute. Then some flood (how original) No bosses either. Basically, you get no sense of accomplishment for anything you do. (Achievements don't really count, they're useless IMO)
-Same weapons as the previous games. There's a Brute Hammer, and Slicers to add to the bunch. But they're nothing ground breaking. They're just... More weapons that all feel the same.
-Very outdated A.I. Enemies will stand there if they can't see you. They never search for you, or flank you out. If you have a long range weapon, you can fire at them from a distance and they will never move. Even after being hit numerous times. They simply act like robots.
-Fellow officers drive like a drunk on Xmas day. They crash into rocks, trees, and any other type of terrain that can easily be maneuvered around. So terrible A.I for those boys too.
-Plenty of driving. While the vehicles are the best parts of the Halo trilogy. I was expecting something else in Halo 3. Halo 1 already had plenty of all this. Were seeing stuff we played five years ago. Can they not think of anything original?
-Last level involves shooting a small, floating, metal Orb. Thats the big finale to the Halo trilogy!? You shoot a small silver ball, that shoots lazers at you! You'll also drive the Jeep (Warthog) as things explode. Thats actually the very last thing you do (shortly after the orb battle) You drive a jeep while broken bits of building conveniently make passage for you. Some ending indeed.

The good:
-Smooth controls. The controls have yet to change since five years ago. But thats for a reason. It's no Metroid Prime 3, but they are some of the best.
-Good looking graphics. Nothing to brag about by any means, but curtainly nothing to complain about. Plenty of bright colors here and there. And decent physics to top it off.
-Lots of driving. This is also a complaint because it's nowhere near being original, but it IS fun. And thats what counts. You will be driving atleast half the game. They give you plenty of choices too. I prefer the Warthog to all others.
-Good multiplayer. I don't really like playing online. I play games for the story. But If you're a fan of online. This is a game for you. There's plenty to play around with. Halo allows console gamers a taste of what PC gamers have been getting for years. (I'm talking about Forge) Plenty of freedom to do what you want. So I have to give it props for that. Even if I'm not a fan of that stuff.

There ya go! I may be a bit harsh on it. But I play a lot of games. After playing Halo 3, I really don't see a reason to revisit it. It doesn't bring a single thing new to the FPS genre. It's not a bad game, but it just doesn't have what it take to be a such a highly rated game. I still love Halo 1, but Halo 3 feels like an updated version of a five year old game. Even a game like Metroid Prime 3 (Wii) has more going for it then Halo 3. So buy that instead because the single player campain is much more engaging, and took me 25 hours to beat. Or better yet, wait for the Orange Box edition of Half Life 2 (PS3, 360, PC) and pick that up. Even by todays standards, you will find a much more unique experience in both those games.

Just have fun playing, thats what counts.
After tons of hype, Halo 3 has hit the stores. However, I'm finding a really odd phenomena: everyone I talk to isn't that into it.

Don't get me wrong, these people are hardcore Halo fans (loved every second of Halo 1), and that's to their own right. Personally, I enjoyed Halo 1 for what it was, 2 was okay as well. Halo 3 itself wasn't anything special in my book.

Pros: Graphics, Multiplayer
Cons: Story, price, generic experience

The graphics (more so than the sound) are a delight in Halo 3; it really shows that this is, in fact, a next gen console. The environments and the overall feel of the maps make you feel pretty good throwing down your money on an Xbox 360.

Multiplayer (while other than some additions) is generally the same, ignoring the "tweaks". Bungie didn't really mess too much with multiplayer for good reasons, most of which is that it is fun as is. As for the tweaks, it only helped the Halo 2 weapons be less useless (lets face it, some were too overpowered or underpowered).

However, as the main complaint with Halo has been since the 2nd, the story blows. Without spoiling anything, the game kind of disregards trying to make the story new and exciting (or showing any effort on its behalf). The ending will be leave you saying "uhh, what? REALLY? That's... terrible". Another sign of no effort was the length of the single player campaign. Very short, very dull.

I mentioned before that it's a generic experience, and by that I mean if you've played Halo before, LOOK OUT.. cause it's the same thing again. Really, nothing has changed in this installment, for better or for worse. If you want a new experience, play Metriod Prime 3. At least that game mixes it up a little.

Lastly, the odd comment of price needs to be addressed. I say that the price of basically every new 360 game is 60+ dollars. Sure it's a little steep for some, but it's almost insulting considering how this game isn't anything new. It's like buying a Madden game. Sure, they have up to date stats and players, plus some useless features, but it's still the same game as last year. Nothing is different. So saying that Halo 3 is a brand new game (therefore costs a brand new price of 60 bucks) is outrageous. At least, the game should be 40 (after all, they did add some new things and graphics are nice) but, again, nothing new happens.

Overall, I'm very disappointed with Halo 3, and I really hope (though it doesn't look likely) that it will be the last in the series. They should just stop releasing Halo games at full price and just release new multiplayer maps from time to time. Why try to hide the fact that the game is so shallow in story? Work with it! Clearly, the mobs of Xbox Live halo players is a clear sign that Halo is an institution, even though the story is an obvious throwaway. If you are a fan of Halo in any capacity, I suggest you play this game (mostly if you are a multiplayer fan). But don't expect much. If you think you can, wait for a price drop. By that point, new content and a wider variety of players online should be out and the real fun can begin.
I'm not a gamer, just a regular 30something who wants an easy way to take out my frustrations. This review is probably most helpful to middle aged men like me, not hardcore gamers.

I have tried many other games but Halo is the only one that doesn't tax me too much with choices and complicated controller requirements. I give the Halo franchise 5 stars because it is so simple, one mission, kill everything in sight. You don't need to investigate, open your pouch, choose between a million weapons, read maps, or think for even a second. It's the only game I've found which I can stand for more than 5 minutes and which is completely uncomplicated. And you can skip the story and all that nonsense by just hitting the main button.

As compared to other Halos: I'm not crazy about the weaponry. The needlers run out of ammo and the other guns don't do much. You also need to press a button to reload some weapons, it seems, whereas before they would reload if you walked over the same kind of weapon. THere are 3 kinds of grenades, which is unnecessary and just harder to switch between. You can also only carry 2 of each instead of 4. Since the new grenades stick like the plasmas, they don't add much and just add another layer of choice and button-pushing. Too complicated. Also, the little bonus things like flares and landmines are gimmicky and add too much comlpication. Again, advanced gamers probably love it, but I'm too old to learn all this new stuff. Just give me a gun and some grenades.

In previous games you'd come across more types of things to do, like a lot of sniper rifles so you could sit on a hilltop picking off aliens or use other strategy. In this game you don't find a lot of useful weapons, so there's a lot more direct hand to hand, on the ground type combat. I've also found that it's easier to kill things and easier in general to solve the levels. Also, it uses the "follow me" arrow and the voice gives you suggestions if you seem to be missing the point, which I like, since in previous Halos I've spent hours wandering around wondering what I'm supposed to be doing. No such problems here. They've sufficiently dumbed it down.

I've had a few graphic glitches in this one, which has never happened before. I've also gotten stuck and unable to get out of things twice. THe sound and graphics are great, of course. I've never paid any attention to the story, unless it required me to, so I can't comment on that. Kusdos to Bungie for making it easy to skip over.

Overall, this is the same experience as the others, though it seems easier than Halo2. As little thought as that required, this one requires less. I've not had to think at all about weapon choice, strategy, or anything, Just pull the trigger and kill! I wish there were more FPS games like this -- fast-paced, completely intuitive hand controls, easy storyline, simple mission, and FUN.I just finished the campaign yesterday and played the online for a while last night. I thought I'd give my 2 cents. First of all I'm not a fanatic Halo fan. Halo 1 was a break thru however many things have happened since. I just wanted to see how the story ended is why I bought the game. I do like it though and I'm sure I'll play it for a couple months or so before I get bored of it which is more than I can say for a lot of releases I take back within a week.

I wish I had more to say about the online mode but I haven't played that much yet but I'm sure someone will cover it. Some of the complaints I read on other review...

Graphics: My first thought was the same as most. Wow...the graphics aren't that great and looks cartoonish. After playing the game all the way through I liked the graphics a little more. Halo 3 had `different' graphics than anyone else. Bungie did develop their own game engine so you have to realize they did it to their specification. What is Halo? A room full of kids pumped up on cola and candy. The game needs to be fast so I think Bungie developed according. It's a give and take. What is lacking in Bungie's game engine is the particle effects that all the next gen games have to add dimension to the map. (Fog, smoke, debris in the air) Halo 3 didn't have those. Their maps were crisp and clear but...flat to look at? For example you see a wall on the other side of the map. It looks clear as hell but no depth which makes it end up looking comic bookish and not realistic. They had some really large looking maps though which I took a second to look around but still wasn't awed like some other recent releases. They are a contender though. No doubt about that. You pop in Halo 3 and you know it was supposed to be a big title. Oh..I read in a couple reviews that the graphics are the same as Halo 2. Umm...hell no. That's some dramatic emo kid whining. Don't listen.

Peopel say that it is the same as Halo 2: Yes. But more vehicles and weapons. I'm not sure why people thought Bungie would completely regut the 3rd in a series of games. This game was made for Halo fans. The ones who will be playing it for the next year or 2. Halo wasn't my game but didn't you ever have a game you loved so much that all you wanted was a sequel? Add some maps, update the graphics and gimme a couple more weapons and I'll play it for another year or so. That's what Halo 3 is.

Some say the campaign too short: For me it was perfect. I buy games for their online value, not their 30 hours of offline play. I solved it in 5 hours on easy. FYI - it is impossible to die on easy. The maps were nice and the placement of the AI characters seemed like it would be challenging. Beats me I just moon jumped over them. I just wanted to see the story. I'll save my good moves for online. I hate games where I get stuck. It disrupts the flow of the story.

It was a good ending by the way. There were a lot of cut scenes that were nice. I think games should have more cut scenes to keep you in tuned with the plot.

Sorry, I only played online for about two hours. But yep...this is where you determine whether you are a true Halo fan or you are the other type "Yeah...I'm getting Gaylo when it comes out just to look at it". Halo is Halo. Mastercheifs bouncing around small maps at mach speed cracking people in the back of the skull. Boing...smack..crack. "You got owned!!!" (13-yr old voice)

In my opinion they should have made it more "adult". Times change. 5 yr old are gutting people in GOW and walking thru endless hallways of blood in Bioshock. Microsoft should have acted accordingly. Rated PG-13 equals boring. Rated R is the way to go today.


Link: http://freeonlinebusiness.info/