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MY RATING: 9.7

Halo 3 (2007)

DEVELOPED BY: Bungie

PUBLISHED BY: Microsoft Games

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The climax to the Halo Trilogy, Master Chief must find a way to destroy The Flood or watch all life in the galaxy die.

PROS: Improvements in gameplay; Compelling story; Diversity of environments.

CONS: Story a little confusing.

BOTTOM LINE: Halo 3 is easily the best Halo game yet and an instant classic among video games.

First-person-shooters cannot get any better. Halo 3 is awesome in more ways than one. It highly deserves the 300,000,000$ it made in the first week and the continued success it has had.

After Master Chief "finishes the fight" with the Covenant on earth, the Covenant retreat through a portal created by a Forerunner artifact. Master Chief finds a message from Cortana, his A.I., in a Flood ship that leads him, the Arbiter, and mankind, through the portal as well. They arrive at a Forerunner complex called "The Ark," from whence the Halo rings can be activated. At the Ark, Master Chief must find a way to destroy the Flood, save Cortana, save humanity, and stop the Covenant from killing them all. All in a day's work for our favorite super-human.

The story continues to be as compelling, detailed, and developed as Halo: Combat Evolved, and Halo 2. The player takes a genuine interest in the main character, Master Chief, and the story maintains a pace and diversity that will keep you playing until you can't take any more. However, it can become a little confusing at times.

There is not much to say about Halo 3, other than the fact that it maintains the amazing qualities we all love about Halo games and first-person-shooters in general. It also builds upon Bungie's previous achievements with aspects like Forge, a good story, and superb graphics. The gameplay remains basically the same as Halo 2 with the joyful return of the Assault Rifle, as well as a few minor corrections and adjustments. The environments are quite diverse ranging from creepy parasitical Flood caves, to snowy hills, to lush jungles. The art and design, continue to impress and the music has more of an orchestral ambience to it, adding to the scope and epic feel of Halo 3.

I can only say that this game is a must if you like video games. Even if you despise first-person-shooters or cannot stand the pointless mind-numbing effect of games, you should at least play this one. It is more than just a game, it's an interactive epic.