Halo 3: The end of the epic trilogy

I got into Halo very late in the game; in fact I only started the first game about four months ago. Since then I beat Halo and Halo 2 both on the PC and was looking forward to getting Halo 3 for the PC as well. Unfortunately for me Halo 3 is only available for the Xbox 360. I say unfortunate because I have been playing first person shooters on the PC for so long that making the adjustment to the Xbox 360 controller was difficult at best. However, I muddled through and was able to complete the game on Normal difficulty with only five or six deaths to my shame.


The story

Halo 3 is the third and final installment of the Halo saga. Earth is still at war with the alien race known as the Covenant; however, the Elites have changed sides to fight with the humans against the Brutes and the Prophets. In the first episode the unwitting Elites helped the Prophets unleash the deadly Flood (a parasite that kills its victim and takes over the dead flesh with a collective intelligence). The reason being that the Prophets knew that if the Flood were released it would cause the Halo Ring (an enormous ring with an Earth-like atmosphere and climate as large around as our moon and created by an ancient race as a weapon of mass destruction) to deploy and wipe out all life in our galaxy.

The Prophets called this "The Great Journey" and believed that they would be rushed off to receive some great reward. The Elites were supposed to escort the Prophets on the great journey but they were betrayed and the Prophets chose the Brutes as their escorts. The Grunts (small alien soldiers who flee easily) originally sided with Elites in Halo 2 but for some reason they are now allied with the Brutes and the Prophets. The Hunters (very large and heavily armored alien warriors with massive fire power) were originally allied with the Elites as well but for some reason they too are now allied with the Prophets,

The Elites discovered the true intentions of the Prophets and the truth about the Halo Rings and decided to stop the great journey eventually joining with the humans as allies against their common enemies; the Prophets and the Flood.

In this last episode the Arbiter (an Elite who was blamed for the destruction of the first Halo ring and made to serve basically as a warrior slave for the Prophets) has joined with the Master Chief (the human hero from the first two episodes) in order to rid the galaxy of the accursed Flood and the insanity of the Prophets.


The Game Play

The game is played exactly as the first two episodes. The controls are exactly the same, so if you've played either of the first two Halo episodes you will be right at home. Being as I played the first two on the PC, it took me a while to get used to the controls. The left joystick is movement, the right joystick is aiming and the right trigger fires your weapon.

The weapons are basically all the same as in the first two games with the addition of a couple new ones and you can still dual-wield certain weapons like the SMG or the Needler. One new addition is the laser guided rocket launcher and another is a spike weapon similar to the Needler but uses much larger spikes. Some of the Brutes carry a massive hammer that can kill you with one hit. Luckily they are slow and easy to avoid unless you are cornered.


Vehicles

The vehicles are all pretty much the same as well except the addition of the Mongoose, a small two person 4WD ATV or quad runner. The humans still have the Warthog (4WD ATV with mounted machine gun), the Scorpion (tread tank with machine gun and turret cannon), and Hornets (small single person flying attack vehicles with missiles and guns). The Covenant continues to use Ghosts (single person hovering attack vehicles), Wraiths (hovering tank), and Banshees (single person flying attack vehicles). I did notice a new type of tank on the Covenants side but I don't remember what it was called, I guess I was too busy trying to stay out of its line-of-fire because it destroyed a Warthog with one shot.

The Covenant also uses Scarab tanks which are humongous walking tanks with six legs that can take anything you throw at them. The only way to destroy these is to board the tank and destroy the control panel which is easier said than done to be sure. Each Scarab tank carries a small contingent of Covenant who would much rather you didn't board their tank much less destroy it.

Driving the vehicles is a little different than other games I have played on the Xbox 360. It's a little weird getting used to the controls because the left joystick is used for forward and reverse but the right joystick is used to steer. The right joystick is also used for your viewing angle so basically where you look is where you drive. It takes some getting used to but after a few minutes you can do it well enough.


Graphics

As far as Xbox 360 games go, Halo 3 definitely has some of the best graphics I have seen. The graphics are very fluid and smooth with excellent use of lighting and shading. I have my Xbox 360 hooked up to a wide-screen TV via the HDMI port and am displaying 1080p resolution and the image is sharp and clear. Even in dark scenes it is easy to distinguish what you are looking at. The in-game graphics are as good if not better than the high resolution graphics of Halo 2 on my PC.

The cut scenes are also well done and thoroughly 3D accelerated as well. After you have beat the game you can view the cut scenes in sequence, its kind of like watching a short Halo movie.


Sound

The sound is well done too. The vocal acting is very tasteful and done with integrity. The game supports surround sound and I have it running through my stereo system with Dolby 5.1 and its very cool. The sounds envelope the room and you can tell the basic direction shots are coming from just by listening. It is very helpful in a game like this to have surround capability.

The music used in-game is pretty good but I only really noticed it a few times. It's kind of like the background music of a dramatic thriller movie or something, you only really notice it if it sucks or is overbearing. I would say the music is decent and not overbearing.


Replay value

I beat the game in about a week but I am currently playing it on Heroic difficulty and it is a real challenge. There is also a Legendary difficulty which I may get around to someday. The game is fun and frustrating in a few places but the feeling of accomplishment after getting past those spots is pretty good. I will probably play the game through once or twice more but that's about it.

You can play online with other people if you have an Xbox Live gold account; unfortunately I do not and don't plan on getting one. I have a silver account which allows me to download updates and upload my achievement but I can't play against others online. If you have a gold account I would assume that this game would be fun to play for a very long time with other people.


My personal feelings

I enjoyed the game and am still having fun playing but I am a little put off by the discrepancy in the story line (with the Grunts and the Hunters changing sides without explanation). I am also a little disappointed in the length of the game; there are only nine chapters. A few more chapters would have been nice, it just seemed a bit short. I would recommend it to anyone who likes first person shooters, anyone who played either or both of the first two Halo installments and people who like fast action or military type games. At least the story has an ending. What, you don't expect me to tell you the ending, do you? You'll just have to get it and find out for yourself. :-)


Thanks for reading,
Gr8ful :-)