Halo 3, belongs to the most hyped series of games ever, deservingly so? Not really, but after Halo 2's Cliffhanger ending, I was damn excited about Halo 3 coming out.
[Played on]
Played on Xbox 360 hooked up via VGA to a monitor @ 720p.
[Gameplay - 8/10]
The first couple level or 2 look great, and they are different than usual, but afterwards it becomes a little more of what we are used to from Halo, however, they brought back a bit more of a open world like in Halo 1. I can't complain much about the levels, because, besides the amazing first level, its what I expected from a Halo game.
This game features some new weapons and tools. They brought back the assault rifle from Halo 1, and there is this bubble thing you can drop and it will sorround you, and no weapons can penetrate it, however, enemies can walk into your buble. There are some new grenades I haven't used much yet. They have changed some of the aliens a bit, there are a couple of new ones, which is good. I think they added a couple grunt sayings too. (Anybody who played Halo has to love the grunts!)
The game plays like most standard Halo games, get 1-3 friends to play co-op with you, and you'll have a blast!
[Sound 10/10 - Tested on cheapo 5.1 system]
Nothing to complain about here. Good weapon sounds, amazing soundtrack like usual. The sorround sound is great, I can hear people running behind me and stuff. Pretty nifty.
[Graphics 7.5/10]
Okay, it's not the messiah of next, err.. current gen games, but it looks pretty good, and is definetly not a last gen game. The textures are somewhat improved, it definetly looks prettier, and seems to run smoother for the mostpart, but sometimes I notice minor frame rate drops. It's not the best next gen game so far, but it IS comparable to some of the nicer ones.
Also, it's worth noting, it does not actually run at 720p.
Quote:
|
"Halo 3 uses not one, but two frame buffers - both of which render at 1152x640 pixels. The reason we chose this slightly unorthodox resolution and this very complex use of two buffers is simple enough to see - lighting. We wanted to preserve as much dynamic range as possible - so we use one for the high dynamic range and one for the low dynamic range values. Both are combined to create the finished on screen image."
|
I know some people will make a unnecessary big deal out of that.
[Replay Value 9/10]
Multiplayer, not the best Multiplayer ever (IMO Unreal Tournament is), but it's still pretty awesome. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, get a couple friends over and kick back and play some multiplayer is awesome.
Online play has the great matchmaking that many fans loved about Halo 3. Matches always seem pretty fair and competitive (and it will get better over time). Multiplayer seems realitivly low-lag.
Also, 4 player online/system link Co-Op is more fun than going thru the mission alone. They put a lot of hard work in to the co-op, and it shows.
[Overall 8.8/10]
Is it the most amazing game ever? No, but it is pretty damn good, if people would give up thier Halo-Hating and give it a chance, they might like it. Unfortunently I don't see this happening soon. If you have an Xbox 360, at least pick it up when you can get it for cheaper, it IS a pretty good game, give it a chance, have an open mind.
I only want constructive replies, please. No "Halo is teh sux lol".