Halo 3 Reviews Have Arrived

Halo 3 is aimed to be the biggest entertainment release in modern history on Tuesday, September 25. The press machine of magazines and web sites have had their review embargo of Bungie's epic final chapter removed as of Sunday at noon, and the general consensus is very positive for Halo 3. The lowest score so far has been an 8.8 out of 10 according to gamestats.com, still an exemplary rating. The highs and lows that the gaming press has collectively agreed upon of Master Chief's final fight are divided into categories as follows:

Story:
The press feels that the game delivers a solid conclusion to the trilogy. The concluding narrative is more streamlined, but does not offer a refresher on the story so far, which could leave first-time Halo players grounded. The story is presented through the Chief (a feature fans wanted a rebirth of) yet the larger struggle and characters still offer their stories in intriguing ways. They are a little let down by the "awe" moments in Halo 3. For a conclusion, they say it feels pretty routine now with few encounters equaling jaw-dropping past forays in story and action that Halo and Halo 2 presented. Though not the most satisfying conclusion it could have been, Halo 3's story delivers a worthy ending for casual and dedicated fans of the universe.

Graphics:
Most gaming magazines and sites agree that while Halo 3 is not quite as strong a graphical powerhouse as the Xbox 360's Gears of War, the visuals, effects, and style are very complete and shoulders above claims that Halo 3 looks like Halo 2 in high definition. The few qualms about the graphics are that certain textures of buildings and characters are plain and not as detailed as the surrounding environments. There are still occasional frame rate hitches, especially during four player online co-operative play. The press is universally impressed with the particle system, including water effects, dirt and debris, and lighting. Halo 3 is one of the 360's most beautiful games with few shortcomings, and the press knows fans will not be disappointed.

Music and Sound:
Fans and reviewers know that the Halo games would not be as epic or memorable during campaign levels if it was not for top-notch voice work, sound effects, and musical interludes. Reviewers agree that the sound of Halo 3 is the best in the series. It is a wonder to hear during multiplayer matches and the music and dialogue completely set the blood-rushing and touching tones of campaign game play and cut scenes. They urge people to have surround sound systems to fully appreciate what Halo 3 does with sound and sound quality, but also say that the sound rings true and near perfect on any setup.

Campaign:
The single player (often 2-4 player) campaign levels of Halo 3 have the press both engaged but a tad disappointed. The levels shift between large-scale battles to close interior fights with relative ease and smart, fun design; one type does not outweigh the other. There is still a small amount of backtracking and repetitive structures, but nothing to hinder having a great experience. The levels are alive with activity, very smart enemy AI, and new features such as game scoring to keep competitiveness alive, which the press loves and claims will add replay value to the missions. Finding skulls that change how the game plays will also add hours of enjoyment for players. The difficulty has been both ramped up and lessened since the last game. The press encourages players already familiar with Halo play to start on Heroic difficulty in stead of Normal or Easy. The enemy encounters, strategies, and numbers are more challenging on higher difficulty levels and to experience how well the enemy AI plays fans need to begin on the harder difficulties. The co-op, with two to four players, is very enjoyable though a little easier even on hard settings. Reviews claim that even on the hardest difficulty setting, Legendary, four-player co-operative play is easy.

Multiplayer:
The Halo community knows that multiplayer game play is the pinnacle of the Halo franchise, and reviewers are stunned with the new features in Halo 3. They collectively agree that the eleven maps offered are the strongest in the trilogy. The new weapons, vehicles, and equipment are both fun and functional, though occasionally too overpowering during certain game types. Several reviews claim that slowdown does happen every so often during large scale online matches, but nothing debilitating. Players can still earn medals and new awards for playing online, which offers more customizable armor settings that the press say really fleshes out online matches with more unique players. The Forge feature, allowing gamers to warp rules, make game and share game types, change and add positions of weapons, vehicles, and spawn points, is an awesome and functional feature. The press is very excited to see what game types and unique settings fans will create, and agree that Bungie has set a new gold standard for what multiplayer console games offer in terms of customization, ease of use, and sheer gaming bliss. The refined play of multiplayer and Forge will ensure, says reviewers, that Halo 3 surpasses Halo 2 for longevity and enjoyment over online play for years.

Features:
Halo 3 also offers players to save films of their campaign and multiplayer games with different camera settings and playback features. Saved film settings are very easy to use, claim the press, and will make fan tutorials, machinima, awards, and memorable moments available online for the entire connected Halo community. The press also says it is fun to prove your epic Halo moments true because of saved films, and love to play back clips in slow motion. They say that you cannot rewind saved clips during single player games, but it is a minor inconvenience that Bungie might fix in the future. As well, players can take screenshots from any of their saved films and post them at www.bungie.net. The online connectivity of the community, players, and the Bungie staff really has magazine and online reviewers excited for the slew of content available in the future, for new game types to play, films to watch, and pictures to view.

In summary, the collective gaming press have very minor qualms about Halo 3, and it seems that the game may go on to win several yearly awards at different sites and magazines. Every feature has its minor problems, but the press agrees that the Halo trilogy has gone out with a very complete, exciting, and re-playable way in terms of music, story, and single and multiplayer game play. For more reviews and scores of Halo 3, visit www.gamestats.com.