Halo 3 (Xbox 360) Review
Posted by Rod Oracheski on 10.01.2007
It's time to finish the fight at long last.
When Halo 2's 'now you're playing, now you're not' ending left gamers shaking their heads, and more than a few shaking their fists as well, Bungie was immediately put on notice: Halo 3 must deliver.
To their credit, Bungie didn't make excuses for the poor received that Halo 2's twist-filled storyline received. They didn't spend time worrying about what they couldn't fix, and instead devoted that time towards making certain that Halo 3 would be a better experience.
And now, nearly three years later, we get to experience the benefits of that devotion - and what an experience it is.
Note that all the images accompanying this review were taken via Halo 3's ingame screenshot option. They are representative of what the game looks like, only from a third-person viewpoint.
Gameplay: single-player
Starting up the single-player game reveals Halo 3's first flaw - there's no recap for new players. Instead gamers are tossed into a mission following a brief cutscene (and possibly a quick 'this is up, this is down' controls orientation, depending on the difficulty level) with no idea what's come before. Even if you had played Halo 2 all the way through to the end in the week leading up to launch (not that I did, mind you) you might undergo a brief period of 'what's going on here?' before realizing it really doesn't matter and getting down to the business of shooting alien scum.
The storyline this time around is far more focused than Halo 2's mish-mash of storylines and viewpoints, and rockets the gamer through at a breakneck pace. The main storytelling is done through cutscenes, though there are also times when Cortana and the Gravemind will pop in to say hello during gameplay. There are also seven Terminals, a nod to Bungie's Marathon series, that provide considerable side-story narrative.
Ultimately, while the lack of a 'story so far' clip to intro the history isn't a major problem, and not knowing the background won't diminish the enjoyment you take from the game itself, it certainly doesn't reflect the careful thought that seems evident in every other aspect of the game's design.
Once in the game, players will find things much as they left them in Halo 2. The controls, aside from using the X button for equipment and Right/Left Bumpers to reload, haven't really changed at all. It's very much a case of 'if it ain't broke...' however, as the Halo controls became the de facto standard for console first person shooter (FPS) games. The controls are still as responsive as ever, with everything seeming to just be where it should be. Driving vehicles, including the new Brute Chopper and Mongoose ATV, works pretty much the same as in the past, but why would they change the fun-as-hell powersliding action?
The game's pacing is similarly changed very little, with Bungie's self-professed aim of '30 seconds of fun, repeated over and over' hitting very close to the mark set in past games. You'll find the same sort of sequences in Halo 3, only the encounters are bigger and more challenging than before. There are few moments where there's nothing happening, and those moments are generally used to advance the storyline or draw your eye to an environmental setpiece.
Once again you'll find encounters with enemies that are a touch more difficult than the endless legions of Grunts, Brutes with limited invulnerability and giant gravity hammers, for example. These fights are generally pretty well set up in advance - you can see the hammer-wielding Brute at the end of a hall or walkway, and have to fight your way through lesser enemies to engage him in battle. Sometimes they'll wait patiently for you to arrive, but often you'll be fighting one or two other enemies and be blindsided by a hammer shot. It really pays to maintain awareness of your surroundings, something aided by the excellent surround sound.
In addition to the mid-level encounters, there are some of the more epic variety against the giant walking Scarabs that were first seen in Halo 2. The Scarabs were a non-interactive enemy in the past, with nothing you could do to slow or stop their progress - not so this time around. In some of the game's most entertaining battle sequences, you'll take on the monstrous machines directly.
Still, the word that comes to mind when describing Halo 3's campaign is "refined" not "revolutionary." The game is a direct continuation of what we've all seen before, just a bit bigger and a considerable amount better looking. Some of the previous games' flaws are still around - backtracking through locations, for example, though it's been cut down to such an extent that it's really more of a nitpick than a problem.
While the game has only nine levels, each will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour to finish, which gives the game a decent length. It's obviously faster to run through on Normal or lower difficulty, while Heroic and Legendary will ramp up the playtime thanks to the more careful approach they require.
The single-player mode also gets some replay value thanks to the ability to play through it in 2-4 player co-op mode, though calling a four-player excursion 'single-player' seems a bit wrong. You can also add competitive scoring, as well as ramp up the difficulty by collecting the Skulls hidden in each level. When activated they make the game more difficult by implementing a player handicap or enemy boost, also adding a multiplier to your score for the level.
Once you're done a level, don't forget to hit the Theater to check out the game film - take your time, it will automatically store the last 25 games, whether a campaign level or multiplayer action. You can watch your progress through the entire level from a third-person camera, fast-forwarding and pausing the action at whatever spot you want, though for some reason you can't rewind footage. You also can't save film clips from campaign mode, though you can in multiplayer.
What you can do however, is pull the camera free of your character and roam the level, or set up more dramatic angles to take screenshots. Screenshots are saved to your hard drive, as well as uploaded to Bungie's site for others to check out. As mentioned earlier, the images included with the review are all taken via the ingame replay system.
The bottom line of the single-player campaign is that it equals, at the least, what's come before in the series. It improves on its predecessors in every way possible, refining the smallest nuance of each gameplay mechanic until there's virtually nothing substantial to complain about. There's same-screen co-op, Theater and Forge modes to extend the playtime, so if you're a FPS fan who's all about the single-player, Halo 3 won't disappoint.
Gameplay: multiplayer
Like Halo 2 before it, Halo 3 will have a multiplayer community that's still very active in several years - and for good reason. The multiplayer component is just as refined as the single-player mode, with the gameplay surviving largely intact. The addition of the equipment creates some new tactical decisions to make on the fly, but nothing that's too earthshattering.
The weapons have been tuned once again, and the Needler - as most players noticed in the beta - is no longer a terrible, soul-crushing joke of a weapon. The biggest change comes with the Energy Sword, which is no longer the be-all, end-all of melee weapons. You'll find a totally new gameplay mechanic here, with sword-on-sword "clash" combat. Two sword-wielding players swinging at the same time will have their swords lock together and force a quick 'smash the button to get the killing blow' match. The sword also has its own ammunition system this time around, and when its energy runs out it's time to find a new weapon.
There are still some redheaded stepchildren here, the submachine pistols when compared to the Spikers, for example, but for the most part you can expect to see opponents wielding a wide variety of weaponry this time around. Two of the new weapons will be particularly noticeable: the Spartan Laser and Gravity Hammer. Also found in the single-player campaign, these two weapons are to be feared for their destructive capabilities, but loved for their amazing effects in Theater mode.
You can play with as many as 16 players on the game's 11 maps (with more rumoured to be coming as DLC, Bungie has said they see a need for smaller, symmetrical maps already) in a variety of gameplay modes. Perennial favourites Slayer and Team Slayer make a return, and it wouldn't be a FPS without Capture The Flag action. You can also play a node-controlling game called Territories, with the solo version Crazy King. Already popular is Infestation, a kill or be killed variant of a last-man-standing-style match, in which sword-wielding zombies infect the normal players until only one remains.
Each gameplay mode can be tweaked, of course, changing the gravity, speed, weapons, powerups. If you played Halo 2, you're already familiar with all of that. The Forge, however, is all new and brings a great deal to the multiplayer side of things.
Though it's "only" a spawn point manipulator, controlling where things spawn and how often, and not able to make changes to the level geometry, Forge allows for a remarkable variety of customization to static level layouts. Tired of having the sniper rifle spawn where it does? Go into Forge and move that spawn, or eliminate it entirely. You can add vehicles, move player spawns, even create infinite-loop chains of exploding fusion coils in the middle of your map. When your creation is finished, you can save and upload the creation to your File Share for others to download and play. If you're not happy with your own creations, you can browse Bungie's Map Forum to queue up some that others have created.
The bottom line for the multiplayer side of things is that there's really nothing better out there for FPS fans. The gameplay is as solid as ever, and the integration of Forge and Theater modes makes for serious long-term potential here. Smash a friend with a Gravity Hammer or nail them from a mile away with the Spartan Laser, then send them the screenshot or film clip as a keepsake. Good times. The integration with the Bungie website is top-drawer, something that even exceeds the work done by 2K Sports on their line of titles, and represents a 'must-have' that future games should aim towards.
Graphics
While the beta drew a lot of "Halo 2.5" comments, they couldn't be more off the mark. In action, the game is stunning to watch on a high-definition display and easily among the best-looking on the 360. While it's not as detailed as Gears of War, it sports far more open environments and yet maintains a solid framerate. There's one point early on in the campaign where you emerge from a tunnel into a wide-open plain that is a stunning revelation of the scope of the battles that lie ahead.
The graphics are, of course, reminiscent of Halo 2 in that they share the same 'not aimed at photorealism' sensibility. The Halo series has always been more of a coherent artistic vision and less of a technical showpiece, and Halo 3 is no exception. It's a solid, if unspectacular, engine that they tuned for solid framerate first, and amazing visuals second.
That's not to say there aren't still some standout graphical elements, however. The HDR lighting, in particular, is extremely well implemented. The opening level will inspire a lot of looking around the first time through, seeing the way the sun plays through the treetop foliage and shines off your weaponry. The first time you leave a tunnel and see the HDR lighting white out the landscape, then gradually fade back in, you'll probably turn around and go back into the tunnel to see it again.
In addition, the environments are fantastic, especially in the first few levels where you deal with a variety of terrain styles, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the outstanding water. Not only does it splash when you walk or shoot into it, the ripples seem to propagate realistically away from the impact. Bodies float in the water, with ripples forming around them, and the way light plays across the surface is no doubt the result of hours and hours of work.
The best way to truly judge the graphics is to hop back into a level in replay and inspect the smaller details that go overlooked while playing - the way each machine gun shell is marked, for example. After inspecting the grass and small brush that move with the wind, or nearby explosions, zoom out to see the size of the level itself. It becomes easier to see the tradeoffs between super-detailed small environments and merely well-detailed larger environments. Halo 3 chooses the latter, and does it very well.
Sound
It wouldn't be Halo without the Marty O'Donnell soundtrack, and Halo 3 doesn't disappoint. When you fly over a hill on the Warthog and spy a large group of enemies below, then the music kicks things up a notch, you know you're in for a fight. Those are the moments that you remember most, when the elements all come together perfectly.
Like every other aspect of the game, the audio is similar to what came before, but refined. The effects are all improved, from the chatter of your allies to the echoing sounds of gunfire in the distance. If you die and fall into the water, you'll even hear the audio distort as though underwater. It's a small touch, but it points to the overall effort that went into the smallest detail.
For those with an HDTV and surround sound setup, Halo 3 hits the spot perfectly. The Scarab battles, in particular, feel considerably more epic when you're being hit by that wall of sound from every side.
Lasting Appeal
Typically it's been the multiplayer that carries a FPS past the first few weeks of its life. Halo 3, while not entirely an exception to that rule, gives you quite a bit of longevity even in the 'single-player' campaign. The mode can also be played with scorekeeping, adding some life as you try for higher and higher scores using the Skullls to gain multipliers, and co-operative play adds a bit more life as well.
The Forge also adds to the replay value, with some truly inspired creations already appearing on Bungie's file sharing forums. Even the Theater mode adds a surprising amount of replay value, as you try to set up the perfect picture or clip. In the end, however, it's still the multiplayer modes that will extend the lifetime of this game.
Like Halo 2 before it, there will be people playing Halo 3 in a year, two years, three years... There are very few games that have the longevity of a FPS, and Halo has fans that are dedicated even by FPS standards.
Fun Factor
Just having a solid single and multiplayer modes wasn't enough for Bungie, and the addition of Forge and Theater modes really push Halo 3 over the top. It doesn't matter whether you favour campaign or combat, the game will have what it takes to keep you occupied long into next year. As mentioned before, the ability to land an amazing killing shot on your friend, then send them the clip or screenshot is a startlingly compelling addition to what is already a top-notch FPS.
The 411
Though it could easily have been swamped by the hype and buried by unrealistic expectations, Halo 3 weathered the storm very well. The game, even with the few flaws, is as close to the perfect FPS as you can expect to see this console generation. Not only does it have a very solid single-player campaign that improves on every aspect of the past two, but it takes real steps forward in both multiplayer and additional features. It's quite possibly the best all-around game that the 360 will see this generation, with features that other games will be forced to imitate and gameplay that will still be entertaining far down the road.
Graphics
9.5
Though not as detailed as graphic whore's flagship Gears of War, Halo 3 has incredible detail, large environments, stellar lighting, and still maintains a solid framerate. Impressive achievement.
Gameplay
10.0
It's Halo, the control scheme that replaced all others in console first person shooters, done better than ever. The addition of Forge and Theater to an already substantial single and multiplayer package puts this one at the top of the class.
Sound
9.5
It wouldn't be Halo without a Marty O'Donnell score, and it's everything you'd expect. The overall audio package is well delivered, with a few weapon effects that could be stronger.
Lasting Appeal
10.0
The addition of scoring to the single player, in addition to Forge and Theater modes, means even the offline group will be playing this one for a long time. For multiplayer, it will have the same legs as Halo 2 - which people still play.
Fun Factor
10.0
It's as refined a FPS as you'll find, with rock-solid online and options that will have even the most jaded Halo hater saying pass the controller.
