So…three days after getting Halo 3, I’ve returned to the world of the living to bring you a “review” and some thoughts on the game itself.
First, some amusing backstory… my friend Mike had preordered his copy at EBGames, and was in line there at 10:30 for the “midnight madness” sale. I hadn’t bothered preordering, and wasn’t actually that desperate for a copy, so I figured I’d just go there and keep him company. For about a half hour or so, we hung out and talked with the people in line around us, then I decided I was going to go to the Wal*Mart down the street and see if there was an equally large crowd…
In short, there wasn’t. The parking lot was nearly empty. I walk in, head to electronics, and ask the lady stocking DVDs if they were selling Halo 3, and she said “sure, would you like limited edition or regular” — being the nerd I am, I got the limited. I headed outside, called Mike, and apparently the line hadn’t moved since I left. I went back and taunted him and the guys around him a little bit. He finally got inside for his copy, and we headed to WaHo to get some food for the inevitable eight hour playfest. We headed back to his place, popped the game in, and were promptly immersed.
So, the game…it’s more of your standard franchise fair, with a few extra weapons tossed in. Your tried and true battle rifle is there, along with the old Covenant favorites (but you can’t dual wield the needler anymore? wtf!) Some new vehicles (including a new flying vehicle) and…that’s about it for the new stuff. Oh, yeah… the Flood are back, and they can apparently aim their sniper fire now with some blistering accuracy.
For those of you that are like me and are into the plotline of the Halo franchise, the ending might leave you a little bit…wanting. I’m sure in the inevitable post-release marketing onslaught for the holidays, there will be a novel or three explaining exactly what happened between the last two cinematics of the game.
All in all, a good game, although not a particular standout in one way or the other. Multiplayer might be the decision maker there, but I dunno. My XBL friends list is too short to have a regular crew to play with. Now I just have to wait for Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect and Call of Duty 4.
