I beat the single-player campaign on Heroic this weekend. I immediately started a new one on Legendary. That is a pretty good sign that I had a great time. Impressions below, outlining what I liked and didn't.
Pros:
- Graphics. I found the visuals to be pretty fantastic. They do tend to fluctuate though. Some moments they look ok, but for the most part they are gorgeous. The environments, lighting, colors, and the huge scale of everything is what ultimately makes you overlook some questionable textures and weak player models (humans mostly, not the Chief, who looks amazing). This game probably has the best use of HDR lighting to date (the effect used to recreate what happens when you go from a dark area to a bright area and vice-versa). I always judge a game's graphics with whether or not they made me stop playing and just admire them. I can safely say that I stopped to admire the visuals MANY times and I said quite a few "wow's" in the process.
There is talk now that the game does not run in true HD, that it is rendered at 640p and upscaled to 720p (mostly as a result of them implementing the aforementioned HDR lighting). That being the case, if someone wouldn't have sat there are counted pixels, I would never have noticed. It is a shame that Halo 3 will now get plenty of criticism for this, because I really think it is a great looking game.
- Audio. Halo's soundtrack has always been great and this third instalment is no different. Fantastic compositions that kick in at just the right moments. Weapon fire and dialogue is also as solid as ever.
- Gameplay is typical Halo. Same great feel. If you played the previous games, you can jump right in, all you need to do is adjust to the reload/action button being relocated to the right bumper. The new usable items are cool . . . except I would always forget to use them. I am trying to remember they are there during my Legendary play through.
- Lots of big, open levels that have you driving Warthogs or other vehicles. I LOVE these type of levels. Halo 3 does not disappoint in this regard.
- Co-op play over Live is an absolute blast. I have yet to try it with more than one friend, but I can see myself having a lot of fun with this.
- Saved Films is an absolutely awesome addition that I will be using extensively. It was a great choice to add this and I am sure it was not the easiest thing to do. Having your last 25 matches automatically save is great! I have already used this feature many, many times. Shame that many Halo 3 players who rip the game open and just go to matchmaking will never even know it is there.
- On a similar note, the File Share option is also great. Not only can you save these great films of the game (or screen shots) but you can share them with your friends or post them on Bungie.net. Simply awesome.
- In the limited time I have spent with it, multiplayer still looks to be what keeps this game at the top of Live's list until the 360 is no more. The amount of options has increased and the entire interface Bungie has built is unmatched. The ease of use (once you learn how to navigate the menus) is great. Forge will keep you entertained and the levels fresh, and being able to share your levels or game types with File Share is just another example on how much work Bungie put into multiplayer. Once again, Halo will be the standard by which other game's multiplayer is measured.
Cons:
- As much as I enjoyed the single-player campaign (the best overall of the 3 Halo games) I felt the last two missions let me down a bit. Mission 8 is just awful. It cannot take the title of "Worst Halo level ever" because no one can take that away from "The Library" level in the original Halo, but it is a sure fire runner-up. The level is just so different from the others, it seems out of place. Most of all, the level is frustrating and not fun at all.
- The Flood. I know they are a big part of the Halo storyline. A necessary evil. And I like their "role" in the story, I just don't fully enjoy fighting them. In moderation they are ok. A change of pace from your regular Covenant encounters. They require a completely different approach . . . mostly because they use no tactics and just rush you as soon as they spot you. The first few Flood levels in every Halo game has been fine with me. Their very first appearance in Halo 1 was fantastic. As is their first level in Halo 3. After a while though, Bungie always seems to overdo it. I already mentioned the 8th level. So annoying. Some advice for Bungie, in any future Halo games that might contain the Flood (hopefully none, I think we are done with them), please limit them to one or two levels max. That is about all I can take of them before I begin cursing.
- Like I mentioned, I love the Saved Films feature. A few things bother me though. My main gripe is that it fast-forwards WAY too slow. There is probably a technical reason for this (it is not an actual video you are viewing after all, the 360 is actually generating a replay of your session on the fly), but it is very annoying if what you want to get to is towards the end of the film, especially if it is a campaign video, since those can be over an hour long!!!!
Speaking of campaign films, you cannot record or rewind campaign films (only take screen shots). I find this disappointing since I would have probably enjoyed saving clips from single-player even more than multiplayer. The fact that you cannot even rewind is also a huge disappointment, especially if you just spent 10 minutes holding down the right-trigger to fast forward to a specific part to take a screen shot and you missed your perfect shot by a few frames. No way to go back. Ugh!
I also wish that when you view the film in slow motion that it would adjust the frame-rate accordingly (like watching a replay in APF or Madden), so that it looks smooth and you can really enjoy the animation. As it is, viewing something in slow motion is unbelievably choppy and doesn't look good at all. It is best to view it at regular speed. Shame.
- I wish there were more "sandbox" levels, like The Silent Cartographer" in the original Halo. It will make the game feel a bit more organic. Don't know why Bungie has never been able to create another level like that.
And that is about it as far as cons go. I think Halo 3 delivered. Sure, I would have preferred a different direction with the last few levels, but overall, it is a fitting end to this great trilogy. Now, to complete Legendary and find all the skulls!
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