The release of "Halo 3" last week completed the six-year story arc that began with the release of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001. While the first installment in the series seemed more like a playable action movie, "Halo 3" takes the franchise up a notch, adding a sense of desperation absent from the past two games. But the plot isn't the only thing that's gotten sharper.
"Halo 3" is the first in the "Halo" series to appear on the Xbox 360. Thus, with the added processing power and high-definition television options, "Halo 3" is much better looking than its predecessors. Running at 720dp HDTV, one can see the water reflecting and trees swaying in almost every environment imaginable, from jungles and snow-capped peaks to deserts and alien cave systems.
Graphics are just a small part of the game. "Halo 3" takes lessons from its predecessors and builds upon them. The game play is still fundamentally the same. As the Master Chief, you run, jump and shoot weapons with either one or two hands, and if your nondominant hand isn't wrapped around another weapon, you can either throw grenades or give the enemy one nasty headache with your rifle butt. Despite a few new changes, vehicle combat is much the same as well.
The series does however include a few new changes. While they don't alter the game play, they enhance it. You can now rip a mounted turret off its hinges and carry it around with both hands. This brings the camera out to the third-person perspective and makes you slower, but also puts a ton of firepower at your disposal. Think Jesse Ventura from "Predator." You also now have equipment that you can deploy, like a bubble shield or a turret, to aid you in combat.
Going with the epic feeling, battles are also much larger in this installment. While in the first two games it was a treat to get to fight alongside some AI companions, in "Halo 3" you will hardly ever be fighting alone. Only one mission requires you to go it alone, while the rest supply you with a healthy amount of teammates, making for very exciting battles. There are tank battles reminiscent of Desert Storm and aerial battles that could be a high-tech version of the Battle of Britain. The much-vaunted multiplayer is back, and it's never been better. For starters, the starting weapons are more fairly balanced than in the previous two, while the new weapons, equipment and turrets add an entirely new dimension to the game play. These new items promote squad tactics both in online team matches and in cooperative campaign play, which can now be done over Xbox Live.
Another new feature is the Forge. The Forge lets you edit the multiplayer levels, adding weapons here and there, vehicles, excess junk and spawn points. This allows users to create practically any situation they want. If you don't feel like using the Forge, there are a host of new multiplayer options that give you a large amount of custom options.
"Halo 3" is everything one can expect and then some. While there are some issues such as certain weapons being grossly underpowered, they are few and far between. Bungie Studios and Microsoft were smart in realizing that they already have a great game and were even smarter by taking it one step further. The wait is over and the most anticipated game in history is here. Like true love, it was worth waiting for.
