The inevitable Halo 3 review
Though Halo 3 starts on somewhat of an anticlimax: learning that Master Chief can survive re-entry, followed by a crash at terminal velocity, into a rocky surface, on fire, without needing so much as a plaster or good T-Cutting; it soon throws you into the series’ mainstay of frenetic combat against overwhelming odds. Building on and prettifying everything that Halo 1 and 2 brought to the series Halo 3 is, for the most part, Halo in a new frock.
This incarnation adds a few bells and whistles to the existing mechanic, but sensibly keeps control alterations to a minimum. The most notable of the new additions is the ability to carry and deploy an array of support equipment such as shields and energy replenishers. Feasibly such artefacts could bring a new element of strategy to the gameplay, but I found myself neglecting them throughout the single player missions; opting instead for the old-fashioned blasting that has become the game’s forte.
It also adds a slew of new weapons and vehicles to the fray. Despite the developer’s indecision about how heavy the guns are (apparently the ‘Needler’ was heavy in Halo, light as a feather in Halo 2, but has once again porked-up for this instalment), the new weapons are a welcome expansion to the arsenal. Indeed, the gravity hammer alone deserves plaudits for the comedy value it introduces.
The new vehicles are also a worthwhile inclusion. While there may be questions over just who’s responsible for designing the Covenant’s new motors, moving as they have from sleek Ferrari lines to Massey Ferguson stylings, they’re certainly a lot of fun provided the right environment. The most successful of the new collection by far though is the ‘Hornet’, a human aircraft that is responsible for many of the highlights of the campaign.
Following the proven Halo formula, showing off more polygons than ever before and boasting some gleeful moments of pure brilliance (all the sections involving the Hornets for example) the single player campaign should be an outright success. However, with all that said, I still find myself having to put away the praising duster and brandish the criticism hammer.
Sadly, Halo 3 is an enjoyable and entertaining experience for only around two-thirds of the single player campaign. After this point it becomes a tarted up version of ‘System Shock 2‘; not in the atmospheric ‘BioShock’ sense, but in the let’s-rip-off-the-tedious-bit-at-the-end-that-no-one-ever-talks-about-because-it-was-terrible sense. Suddenly the fun of the previous six or so hours is replaced with an arduous slog through a glistening and parasite-infested bowel. Even going so far as to replicate Shodan’s taunts with interjections from the under defined ‘Gravemind’. This endoscopic adventure is an outing that Master Chief, combat proctologist, could and should have done without.
Once beyond that section (and believe me there were times when I thought I really wouldn’t bother), there is only a little respite before the ‘boss’ ‘fight’. Here the game proceeds to segue into another familiar gaming experience and in some bizarre time shift we’re taken out of the 360 generation and back to the days of ‘Duck Hunt’ on the NES. A game, for those who haven’t played it, in which the player need only stand still and shoot; though this recreation lightens the demand on the player somewhat by insisting that the ‘duck’ stay perfectly motionless for the duration. This ‘battle’ while poorly conceived is at least blissfully short, but moving past the boss we’re again shunted through space-time into another deja-vu encounter from yesteryear.
As with the first outing, Cortana’s ultimate exit strategy is devised with the help of Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart, who believes off-roading hasn’t played a large enough role in the game thus far. To rectify this the player is forced to make his escape in the driving seat of the ‘Warthog’. As I previously mentioned, all the vehicles are fun to use provided they’re given the right environment. To be more specific, the right environment should be defined as any playing area large enough to accommodate their boat-like handling. In spite of this, the final level of the game is lifted from Atari’s 1986 classic ‘Marble Madness’; though the developers were kind enough to replace the Slinkies and acid pools of the original with endless hordes of Flood.
Taking your leave through an unstable and infested maze; doing your best to keep the car on the black stuff, out of the Flood and away from the Hoovers, you find yourself forgetting all of the great moments that lead you to this point. Your thoughts are instead full of bowel and Flood and frustration; desperate for this not-so-excellent adventure through time to be over and done with just so you can collect the gamerpoints you’re owed and get out.
Not only does this result in a disappointing conclusion to series, but it repeats the mistakes seen in the previous games. While Halo had its Library, Halo 3 undoubtedly trumps it with its frustrating and hollow end-game. The crying shame however, is that this irritating and lazy last couple of hours unfairly detracts from the enjoyment of the rest of the campaign.
7/10.