New weapons and features
Halo 3 chronicles the final chapter of the series with style, emotion, and a flamboyancy that die-hard fans should be happy with. The game features a number of excellent cut-scenes, which take you by the hand and slowly drip-feed you important morsels of information throughout the game, leading you perfectly to an emotional ending that leaves you wanting more. The excellent script coupled with strong voice acting effectively gives the incessant battles that you encounter throughout Halo 3 both purpose and credibility.The gameplay itself, for the most part, is identical to Halo 2, combining frantic free-flowing on-foot battles with vehicle-based combat as you attempt to see off the onslaught of Grunts, Jackals and Brutes and, quite literally, 'the Flood' of parasitic aliens intent on scuppering your galaxy-saving mission.
The intensity of the single player campaign is a trademark of the Halo games and once again you'll want to complete the game in one sitting. Even if you have to put the controller down to pop to the loo or get some sleep, you'll be thinking about it, replaying those in-game scenarios in your mind and looking forward to getting back into the action as soon as humanly possible. The addictiveness of Halo 3 is undoubtedly down to the superb balance of pace and non-stop action, in addition to some great game mechanics.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageDespite a few new game mechanics and numerous additions to the series, if you played Halo 2 you'll feel right at home with the assortment of weapons on offer and the pace of the game. Many of the weapons from Halo 2 are back, but have undergone minor enhancements and power adjustments (these are more obvious in the online component) to balance the gameplay. Enemies respond differently to certain weapons and as a result Halo 3 encourages you to experiment and use the whole weapon set in order to discover what works best.
Even with the return of these old weapons, such as the assault rifle, brute shot, shotgun, carbine and familiar range of grenades, there are a hundred and one different ways to kill an enemy and play through the campaign. Variety is the spice of life as they say, and in Halo 3 it's just bloody good fun testing out the whole range of weapons and watching how the impact of these different weapons affects both the environment and the enemy.
