Halo 3 Campaign Review
by Rob Way on October 5, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Halo’s storyline finally comes full circle, and not the good kind of circle I used to draw in math class with a compass — the bad kind of circle I used to draw on the asphalt when I was five!
If Bungie’s mission was to make us feel like pigeons, preordering the game, waiting three months, and ultimately paying $60 for a game that doesn’t deliver anything that remotely resembles a decent story, then CONGRATULATIONS!
If I didn’t preorder it, wait three months, and drop $60, I would throw the Halo 3 game disk into my bathroom sink and set it on fire, then use it to line Pirate’s (my cat) cat box.
If you think I’m being harsh, lets take a trip down memory lane. There I was sitting at my computer watching the first CGI trailer for Halo 3 (you know, the one with the two kids staring at the stars asking philosophical questions) then BAM, in comes Master Chief caught up in some massive battle putting on his helmet. The first thing that crossed my mind was “are we finally going to learn about Master Chief’s past?” The answer: Of course not! I mean, why would I ever think that?
And the actual storyline (I use that word loosely) is a much bigger letdown than being denied a glimpse under the Chief’s helmet. For starters, how about the fact that they cut the entire “Arbiter” storyline right out of the game? Heck, why not — it’s not like he had a role in Halo 2 or a big part in Halo 3 — he’s just your right hand man for the entire game!
Let’s not forget about Cortana. In fact, you couldn’t even if you wanted to since she pops up on your screen every 15 to 30 minutes slowing your gameplay down. Her random babble annoyed me and didn’t have a direct connection to the story at all. Oh, and does anyone remember Gravemind from Halo 2? Well, you might as well forget him, because he’s not in Halo 3 — unless you count his one-sided dialogue, which like Cortana, slows down your gameplay.
As far as weapons go, there are few new additions, and what was added wasn’t very impressive or useful for that matter. I found myself using the Assault Rifle throughout the majority of the game, that is until I ran into a tank, then I would either use the rocket launcher or run into it with a Ghost, firing repeatedly until it exploded.
There are some new vehicles as well, like the Chopper (the brute version of an ATV) which closely resembles a 1980’s Big Wheel, and the Hornet (the human version of the Banshee) which looks a lot like the Turtle Glider from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .
One new feature they added, which I thought was awesome, was the ability to destroy the Scarabs, the giant spider like tanks featured in cut scenes from past iterations of the game. Of course that lost its luster once I realized all you had to do to destroy it was stand underneath its leg joints and fire away.
Graphics are what you would expect from a next gen Halo game, as it features bright shiny colors throughout. In terms of sound, though, it didn’t take long before the same Halo theme beat me into submission. Although with new renditions of the theme added, there were moments where I expected a Brown Coat or Reavers to jump out (yea a Firefly references — I’m a nerd).
Overall, I was not impressed with Bungie and Microsoft’s agenda to make more money by milking a franchise for all its worth (did you get your Halo themed Xbox 360?), and I can assure you this won’t be the last time we all see Master Chief.
Campaign - Reviewed by Rob Way.
Multiplayer - Reviewed by Andrew Podolsky. (click here to read)
Overall - Rob Way & Andrew Podolsky fight it out…results below.
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on October 5, 2007 9:27 pm
I agree I beat it in 7 hours aprox. and it blew goats
on October 5, 2007 9:58 pm
halo 3 felt like more of the same only in HD. Multiplayer is fun but most def not enough new maps or big maps. And what is with the 12 player limit in matchmaking? EA understands what its like to devolve a franchise. Now that Peter Moore is at EA, did he pass the notes on to Bungie? Last time I checked, H2 had a 16 player limit in matchmaking.
I’m also a bit concerned over Bungies answers to the ongoing issues with H3. They appear to be arrogant asses knowing that everyone bought there game so it must be perfect and they no longer have anyone to answer to. Kind of like M$ customer service.
I hope Nintendo busts out a true next gen system in 5 years.
on October 5, 2007 11:29 pm
I haven’t finished it quite yet, but it seems like it will be rather short. It’s a good game, but true, there’s not much storyline. After all the junk that happened in Halo 2, there’s hardly any unfolding story going on here. Come on Bungie, you’ve had almost 3 years here.
on October 6, 2007 3:18 am
Nice! Its good to see a seperate review for the campiagn, as a lot of players like me end up playing just the campaign. Also, you have reviewed it without any bias. After all its just a game. Nothing New!
on October 6, 2007 8:17 am
right so…
one of the view fitting reviews of an overhyped game.
halo simply is a disappointment. the first one made me buy a xbox, the second was ….um….playable..but halo 3 just sucks…after playing the campain for about three hours ( coop) we were close to sinking the game down the toilet. unplayable with more than one coop partner..weapon sounds are lame, graphically the same as halo 2 (just hd this time around) and a story that could be created by every drunk nerd in just the same time it takes to drown a couple of beers..
halo sucks
on October 6, 2007 7:42 pm
What!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes it will not change the FPS world but it is an excellent game, I don’t remember the last game I enjoyed this much. Not even Bioshock.
And I agree on the multiplayer part, the best one ever.
Try finishing the game on legendary.
on October 8, 2007 1:17 am
Ok dude well lets look at your thoughts here…..first off your right about one thing we will be seeing master cheif again in halo 4 and either the forerunners or the third race who created the flood to combat the forerunners as a biological weapon..and if you were to actually listen to the rambles of cortana and the Gravemeinf they hint on some very big things about cheifs future and past…..and yes trying playing halo 3 on legendary with all the skulls activated……if you think that sucks then just stop bashing halo 3
on October 11, 2007 6:55 pm
the story mode is weak lots of potholes and too shorts also anyone new to the game will be lost plus what happen to the brutes at the end
on October 11, 2007 8:22 pm
the story was yes… really damn bad… but the game play was tight and in co op damned fun when played on the apropriate difficulty and ofcourse decently skilled players. halo is full of hiden gems that ammaze you while on the front it stinks of crappy writing. i dont know how 3 full time employees worked on that AND one was a MANAGER.
looking at the halo 3 marketing one can only get even madder about the lack of a halo story.
on October 17, 2007 1:48 am
Halo 3 is only worth one word:
BLLLLEEEEEEHHHHHH!!!
More of a sound, I suppose.
on October 22, 2007 5:18 am
Oh it wasn’t that bad. There is always a humble truth at the core of any interesting mystery.
Can I ask exactly what you were expecting ?.
It’s a solidly fleshed out storyline with a reasonable pace with a few decent concepts and even the odd twist.
I personally found the storyline of the lesser but still prominently hyped Bioshock more disappointing.
Of course there are other games which put both Bioshock and Halo 3 back on the shelf.
on October 26, 2007 3:47 pm
i think by saying “halo is disappointing” you actually meant “halo is phenomenal and I am jaded and hard to please.”
For anyone who plays this game alone, your experience isn’t going to be as rich. Because really, you didn’t play Halo 3 the way it was meant to be played.
Halo has always been about rocking the covenant with someone else at your side or killing that very same companion in multiplayer. How great is it to flank some brutes while your best friend is laying down suppressing fire? One time, to take out a Wraith that was pulverizing us when we got close, I stood on the wing of my buddy’s ghost as he sped me up to it. I jumped off, boarded it and beat it down. It was an amazing feeling that couldn’t have been felt in single player.
For you guys who finished the game in under 8 then you played it too easy of a difficulty level. If you took the time to notice the descriptions of the difficulty levels Bungie basically makes you feel like a little girl if you play the campaign on anything less than heroic or legendary.
I will give you this: the story was almost incoherent and master chief if about the least charismatic protagonist in video game history. But it wasn’t as bad as the story from Gears of War. Gears of War was like 5 year olds doing improv.
on October 26, 2007 3:55 pm
Bones,
First off, thanks for the comment. This was the first time we attempted to do a tandem review, and while the score on the single player version of the game was low, I make it a point to never strong arm any of my writers into changing their opinion of a game or their score.
That said, Andrew who reviewed the multiplayer, absolutely loved it, (hence the 10). I understand that many fans of the series may be upset with the score of the single player, and even the overall score which was averaged out based on a discussion between the two writers, both explaining their sides.
Please understand that with the magnitude of this game and the amount of hype behind it, we wanted to dedicate two people to the review.
Rob, who has been a fan of the series for many years, was disappointed, and I find it hard to believe that he was the minority. Andrew, more of a casual player when it comes to the Halo franchise thoroughly enjoyed the multiplayer.
In the end, I support their reviews and stand behind the final score of the game. If you are a die hard Halo fanatic, then it is probably safe to assume you were somewhat let down with the single player mode, and if you love multiplayer, this game will rock your socks off.
Chad-
on October 28, 2007 6:25 am
I Bought My 360 only for DIS Game . And it a complete Dismol sheeesh. I thought it could have been much much BETTERR but now i dont want my 360 any more . i am gonna by A PS3 an change my name .
6.4
Could have been better