Halo 3
Platform: Xbox 360
Even with the disappointing single player mode, Halo 3 is one of the best multiplayer games ever to be released.
Review by Dack

In the past months, anywhere you ventured to had the Halo 3 logo somewhere on it. Wanted a Slurpee? You got some Master Chief with that. Shopping for a Pontiac? Well, you'll be going home with a new mid-ranged car and 360 game pre-order. With all of the references in the United States, what started off as Xbox's first killer-app has become a full blown cultural phenomenon. Unlike the world of Music, usually when a game gets popular it actually deserves to be (I'm looking at you Soulja Boy) and even though it may not be innovative, the Halo 3 trilogy has really been a great series that has provided players with countless hours of blasting things.

It was 2001, and the Xbox was launching on shaky grounds. With the large controller being panned, and the fact alone that it was a Microsoft system, many gamers were skeptical if the big black box could succeed in being the next must-buy console. Even though solid games like Oddworld and Dead or Alive 3 were launching with it, our beloved master chief was who won the hearts of many neigh sayers, and made the Xbox successful. Halo is still one of the best First-Person Shooters of all time, with a single player experience that is long, fun and superior even to its two sequels. It wasn't until Halo 2, though, that the Halo franchise became a staple in gaming. Although its single player was uninspired and disappointing, it had a full-blown deep online experience that still have people religiously playing to this day. Just about a year later, the Xbox 360 was released to strong sales and critical acclaim. Already selling well and established, Halo was no longer a franchise that was necessary to launch the system, but it is playing a big part in who will win come out on top in this very close console war. Lucky for Microsoft, Halo 3 is a great-looking game that improves on the Halo 2 multiplayer substantially.

Taking in consideration that Halo 3's main draw is the robust Multiplayer mode, it delivers in spades. Up to sixteen people can participate in the many multiplayer modes that have evolved from Halo 2. “Team Slayer” and “Slayer” are still the most popular multiplayer modes, but besides just fragging each other you can again play fun modes such as “Capture the Flag” or “King of the Hill”. A really interesting tool/gametype called “Forge” premiers in Halo 3. In Forge, up to eight players may insert game objects and randomly move them around in the map, or change settings of the map -- all of which will surely result in ensuing hilarity.

Although it's certainly not going to be paraded as a big feature in Halo 3, “Saved Films” adds to the addicting online experience. This feature allows you to save a replay of any multiplayer match to your HDD to watch at any time. But that's not all. You are able to rewind, edit, shift cameras, and even take still photos you can upload to Bungie's website. With all of these video features,“Saved Films” is sure add about a hundred- thousand new machinima makers.

Although the multiplayer is very impressive, not as many kind words can be said about the lackluster single-player campaign. Although it's more solid than Halo 2, the six-hour experience seems like it's over all too fast. It ultimately seemed like an excuse to end the story, and for Bungie to be able to say “Look, Halo 3 has a single a player mode!”. It's an overall throwaway plot, that disappoints for such an epic series. What is there is fun, though. It's a linear experience that makes sure that you use all of the new vehicles and weapons. One of the coolest new weapons is the detachable turret. Many Halo fans know how disappointing it was to jump onto a turret blasting your enemies away in a storm of bullets, only to be quickly blown away. All of that is now just a distant thought, as you can rip off the the turret and walk around blasting your foes into piles of alien goo.

If you're a 360 owner, there is a good chance you will play Halo 3 at some point. Although superior games (Like BioShock, or Gears of War) deserve the hype more than Halo 3, the game is worthy of hype and is one of the best multiplayer games ever to be released.

			9.5/10 - Killing things shouldn't be this fun and easy.
		9/10 - Not revolutionary, but one of the 360's best looking games.
	9/10 - Beatifully composed music and masterfully done sound effects.
				9/10 - Slick menus and controls make up for the mediocre story.
					10/10 - You'll play the fleshed-out multiplayer for years.
						9.2/10 (Marvel-Ous)