by Daniel Schmidt

Created on: November 12, 2007

Halo 3 may very well be the biggest blockbuster in history at this point. To gamers Halo is a cherished series of games now. To some it is a quick game and others it is a lifestyle. The last two Halo games were two of the biggest selling games ever. Halo 2 was so very hyped at its' release and for a lot of the original Halo fans it was a bit of a disappointment. As amazing of a game as it was, it had left behind too much of the original Halo. It was almost as if the Master Chief's ego had been inflated to a degree the left the game lacking a tad bit. Let's be honest though, Halo 2 was definitely a bigger game than its' predecessor and became a household icon. The question about Halo 3 isn't whether or not it is a good game but does it live up to the hype?

Halo 3's campaign mode is a breath of fresh air from the last game. The game's graphics are rather amazing even if they aren't the best you've seen on the xbox 360. The story plays very smoothly and brings a nice conclusion to the end of the series. The addition of 4 player co-op is where the campaign becomes amazing. Friends from around the globe can join each other's games and play together to save the world as a team (which is much easier than doing it by yourself.) The game's A.I. is some of the best seen on the market today. Playing on legendary is a challenge by yourself but with 3 comrades, it is much easier to breeze through the game.

But what about the multi-player?! Halo would not be Halo without its' intense fast-paced brawls. The multi-player is better than ever. It would seem that everything that Halo 2 seemed to miss Halo 3 has stuck in. With new grenades and the introduction of the equipment system which has some dramatic changes on the game play, gamers will be satisfied for the next few years. There are some additional new game types for you to customize such as infection. The customization of all the games is really quite incredible. There is so much more that can be done this time around. I would say that if you aren't a fan of the story the multi-player alone is worth the buy. People could spend hours playing games until they realize "uh-oh it's 4 in the morning and I've got work tomorrow." The one complaint I do have against the multi-player is the maps. Most of the maps are great but overall there aren't too many. I'm sure Bungie will release more throughout the year but with so much multi-player to be played I would hope that it would be soon.

One of the other nifty things about Halo 3 is the extra stuff. If Halo 3 were a cake it would have a hell of a lot of icing. Halo 3 comes with a replay camera where you can watch every game you play over and over. You can then cut the films how you like or take screenshots and send them to your friends to throw it in their face that you just stuck them from half way across the map. The other cool feature is the forge which allows you to semi customize all the maps with some buddies and play around. This feature alone will allow players to try something new for a very very long time without redundancy.

Overall, Halo 3 is an amazing game. It is one of the most polished games ever made and due to that fact has raised the bar for the entire first person shooter genre. With very few negative remarks able to be said about the game from my standpoint. It has definitely lived up to the hype and surpassed the expectations it was given. Halo 3 is that perfect blend of Halo 1's single player and Halo 2's multi-player and leaves me to say it is THE game of the season. This holiday season you will have a lot of different games to choose from that look really great but if you don't pick up Halo 3 you will surely have missed out on the greatest pick of the season.

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