spacer
spacer Returning Riptenner: Login Now

New to Ripten? Join our community
The Ripten Community is an open forum for both hard-core and casual gamers alike. We will never spam you or sell your information.
spacer
spacer Start Tab spacer 360 Tab spacer Wii Tab spacer PS3 Tab spacer PS2 Tab spacer PC Tab spacer DS Tab spacer PSP Tab spacer Retro Tab spacer Forum spacer
Ripten Logo
A Z Game Index
spacer
spacer
spacer

spacer left All Reviews Interviews Previews Trailers Events News Right Spacer
Save the world today! Send us tipsspacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer Dylan Cuthbert Talks PixelJunk Eden and More
NES Belt Buckle Video: Now Your Accessorizing With Power!
Castlevania Wii Fighter: A Stake Through The Heart of Koji Igarashi
The Biggest Explosion in Gaming History Video
EA CEO Interview Hints at Dead Space for Wii
Hands-On Preview: Pro Bull Riders: Out of the Chute
spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer
Managing Editor
Andrew Podolsky | Bio | Posts
Senior Editor (UK)
Patrick Steen | Bio | Posts
Editor (West Coast)
Emily Balistrieri | Posts
Editor (West Coast)
Dylan Duarte | Bio | Posts
Editor (East Coast)
Dan Landis | Bio | Posts
Editor (East Coast)
Jonathan Zungre | Bio | Posts
Contributors (US)
Geoff Haugan | Posts
Roly Reyes | Bio | Posts
Michael Geslani | Bio | Posts
Beau Rosser | Posts
Rangebar Merani | Posts
Wade Larsen | Posts
Contributors (UK)
John Kershaw | Bio | Posts
Kev Lochun | Bio | Posts
Ian Enniz | Bio | Posts
Contributors (Japan)
Kat Bailey | Posts
Contributors (Canada)
Nadia Oxford | Bio | Posts
Founder/Publisher
Chad Lakkis | Bio | Posts
Write for Ripten
spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer spacer

Halo 3 Multiplayer Review

by Andrew Podolsky on October 5, 2007 at 4:56 pm

halo3_review_mp_header.jpg

Halo 3’s multiplayer mode, along with Microsoft’s entire strategy for domination in the console wars, can be summed up in two beautiful words: Endless replayability.

This is a desert island game–assuming you had an HDTV and Internet connection on the island, and didn’t use team chat to send out an SOS. It’s a game that you could easily spend weeks, months, and years perfecting without getting bored. The online matchmaking system ramps up the challenge so smoothly that after you learn the ropes “powning noobs” you’ll be experiencing a much greater difficulty playing against Halo experts.

And there’s no shortage of competition either. By hyping this game as the “biggest entertainment launch in history”, Microsoft brought nearly 3 million Halo 3 players into the fold in the first week. The result is that at any given time you can find between 250,000 to 750,000 people playing Halo multiplayer all over the world, and all of them want to kick your ass.

Halo 3 multiplayer options include slayer (deathmatch), team slayer, oddball, king of the hill, crazy king, capture the flag, and melee weapons only. Variations such as shotty snipers, where every player starts with a super-long range and super-close range weapon, require players to use the maps in different ways. And then there’s vehicles, like the new Mongoose which is useful for little more than making a getaway with the flag, or the Ghost, which is very deadly until it’s stuck with a couple of plasma grenades.

These “standard” multiplayer options are staggering, but it’s the custom games built using the Forge map editor that really gives this mode marathon legs. Bungie will feature some of the best level designs, so don’t be surprised if variations on racing, baseball, and VIP end up becoming popular hits.

Matchmaking uses two different types of scoring–an experience level, which goes up and up at seemingly random times, and a skill level which can go down if you’re not performing well. You are awarded medals and rankings for your experience and skill level, so everyone will be able to tell if you’re an easy target or a seasoned slayer. Plus if you’re really hardcore, you can review videos of every match played online.

It’s easy to buy Halo 3 and completely ignore the single player campaign, just because the multiplayer is so damn good. This makes multiplayer only games like Shadowrun look pathetic in comparison, and Team Fortress 2 and Call of Duty 4 will be hard pressed to match Halo 3’s brand of longevity. Halo 3’s closest comparison might actually be World of Warcraft–a massively multiplayer, mainstream experience that can entertain for years.

It could use more maps (but hey, that’s what downloadable content was made for), and some Xbox Live players need to come pre-muted, but those are literally my only complaints for this landmark achievement of an online console game.

Multiplayer - Reviewed by Andrew Podolsky.
ripten_score_10.jpg

Campaign - Reviewed by Rob Way. (click here to read)
ripten_score_54.jpg

Overall - Rob Way & Andrew Podolsky fight it out…results below.
ripten_score_78.jpg





Related Posts:

3 Comments »

  1. Default LCA Avatar Image
    Halo 3 Campaign Review | ripten
    on October 5, 2007 6:32 pm
     Add karma Subtract karma  +0

    [...] Halo 3 Multiplayer Review [...]

    [ Report Comment ]

  2. Default LCA Avatar Image
    Squaguna8
    on October 17, 2007 10:52 pm
     Add karma Subtract karma  +0

    Score 7.8? wow that was cheap call!! i call it 10!

    [ Report Comment ]

  3. Default LCA Avatar Image
    Edge Scores Christmas Edition - SMG, Uncharted, Mass Effect, & More… | ripten
    on November 26, 2007 4:17 am
     Add karma Subtract karma  +0

    [...] out five 10/10 scores in nine years, but in the last three months there have been three additions; Halo 3, The Orange Box, and [...]

    [ Report Comment ]

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Comment Now


Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user.

Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks.

Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.

spacer spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer  
spacer
spacer  
spacer
spacer  
spacer
spacer  
spacer
spacer  
spacer
spacer  
spacer
spacer Video Game Rentals Delivered  
spacer
spacer
spacer
Advertising  • Privacy Policy  • Copyright © 2007 ripten  • Drop us a line at ripten@gmail.com

  • Microsoft Xbox 360  • Nintendo Wii  • Sony Playstation 3  • Sony Playstation 2  • Personal Computers  • Nintendo DS  • Sony Playstation Portable
spacer