Halo 3

Halo 3 is the climactic finale for the original Halo FPS trilogy, often considered one of the most popular and successful series of all time. Similar to other modern FPS games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Destiny, Halo 3 offers both a stunning campaign and explosive online multiplayer. Set in the distant future, this sci-fi adventure sees humanity battling for survival against an invasive alien species known as the Covenant, as well as parasitic creatures called the Flood. With odds stacked against them, it's up to the super-soldier Master Chief to save humanity and end the war for good. With an iconic story mode and endlessly fun multiplayer, it's obvious why Halo 3 is one of the most popular FPS games of all time.

Main Game Features

• Solo or cooperative campaign mode
• Addictive online multiplayer
• Custom map creator

Story

In Halo 3's main story campaign, players control Master Chief, a super-soldier in the United Nations Space Command military. Taking place in the distant future, Master Chief must save Earth from total destruction after a religious pact of aliens known as the Covenant invades the planet. Following a religious prophecy, the Covenant plans to activate a series of weaponized rings known as Halos, which eradicate all organic lifeforms in a set solar-system. After the events of the first two Halo games, Master Chief saddles up with a few ex-Covenant officers and aims to take down the leaders of the Covenant before they destroy Earth. Although it's straightforward in its presentation, Halo 3 has a dense and intriguing narrative with plenty of lore to learn. While it might be a bit convoluted for some, sci-fi fans will surely appreciate this epic tale of intergalactic war.

Gameplay

Halo 3 continues the series trend of offering exhilarating, futuristic combat on a huge scale. Over the course of the main campaign's 10 levels, you'll drive tanks, fight in space, and participate in giant battles. There's a wide variety of weapons to wield, including both human and alien guns. Human guns range from shotguns and pistols to snipers and assault rifles, while the alien weaponry gets a bit more experimental. Halo 3 also introduces equipment items, which are handy one-time-use abilities. You can set up a protective bubble shield, place explosive trip mines, pop out an anti-gravity lift, and more.

This exciting FPS gameplay translates well into Halo 3's multiplayer modes, which can be enjoyed both online and locally. There's a decent variety of match-types, including classic Deathmatch variants, objective modes like Capture the Flag, and more. In the new Forge mode, players can also create custom multiplayer maps, expressing their creativity with a bounty of useful map-making tools. Forge maps are great for private matches with friends, making up your own game modes, and experimenting with wacky ideas.

Conclusion

Although Halo 3's main campaign is shorter than some of the previous entries in the franchise, it makes up for it with some truly entertaining multiplayer modes and a brand new map creator tool. The shooting mechanics feel refined and weighty, giving a visceral and exciting tone to battles. New weapons and items keep the playing field fresh, so Halo franchise veterans won't feel any amount of repetition.

Pros:

• Excellent arsenal of weapons and gadgets
• Addictive and fun multiplayer modes
• Forge creations are unique

Cons:

• Campaign feels short
• Lack of multiplayer progression
• Occasional rough difficulty spikes

It's the final act in Bungie's "epic trilogy." The developers have likened it to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It's the sequel to the Xbox 1 game that made more money in a day than blockbuster movies make in a weekend. With Grand Theft Auto going multiplatform and Sony pumping the brakes on Gran Turismo, Halo 3 is unquestionably 2007's biggest exclusive gun. And Microsoft wants you to know that fact...now! The marketing bonanza for this first-person shooter has already begun, with its preorder campaign in full swing, a mystery-filled CG trailer, and this spring's multiplayer beta (for which you may have to pay to participate).

Now, about some of that trailer's ambiguities: Cagey Bungie reps posted on the Halo.Bungie.org message boards about the Chief's pistol, which in some images looks to be the overpowered M6D pistol from Halo: Combat Evolved. When one poster believed that the pistol was just the Magnum from Halo 2, a Bungie employee replied: "You sure? I've seen some other angles supporting the contrary belief which are far more convincing." The good pistol returns? "The official name for it is actually the MJOLNIR Spherical-Shield-that-bursts-from-ftefum-of-fhe-Jed-like-thermal-deto-nator. It doesn't actually roll off the tongue, so there's a high likelihood that the name will change." The "it" Bungie Community Lead Brian Jarrard is talking about is the trailer's greatest enigma: a big bubble that protects the supersoldier from an incoming salvo from one of the retooled Wraiths. Is this shield generator the secret to the X button? Is it just one item from a new school of ONI-powered gadgets? Ninjas from inside the "Pimps at Sea" (a codename for Halo 3) alpha said that, right now, "the X button is just Teamspeak." Expect that button's functionality to change...if Bungie wants their trilogy to end as strong as Mr. Jackson's did.

A recent interview with composer Marty O'Donnell revealed that developer Bungie is indeed working on stuff besides Halo3 could itbethat long-rumored Xbox Live Arcade game?

Anyway, the studio's weekly website update at lbunqie.net has trickled out an obvious Halo3 bit: the return of the Warthog. As for not-so-obvious info, Franl O'Connor the ;iBungie Weekly Update scribe, has confirmed that, in addition to daily Halo 3 multiplayer sessions, the guys around the office are now meeting on a regular basis to run through some of the game's campaign scenarios. Also, Weapon Designer Tom Doy e recently confirmed the return of the Beam Rifle (the Covenant sniper). "The Covenant sniper is one of my favorite weapons it just feels so powerful," he said. I wanted to emphasize that in the new version, so we're adding some detail that will really show off the building energy in the weapon." Now, could you pay that much attention to improving the wimpy Needier?

And in Halo movie (2008) news, author DB Weiss sa d he's now working on a second draft of the script.