Pros: Endless replay value, more addicting than crack, improved Co-op story mode, soundtrack.
Cons: Graphics don't exactly awe, maps aren't as memorable as those in Halo 2.
The bottom line: Thus far, Halo 3 is the best mutliplayer game this generation, and is a must have for Xbox360 owners.
Halo 2 was a gateway drug
I can say two things, with almost pure certainty, about anyone who's kept up with my database of reviews. 1. They've been at Epinions for far too long. AND 2. They know that I'm a long time video game nerd and former(if not current) Nintendo fanboy. I have no further comment about the former, but I can say that the latter changed sometime during my freshman year of college, when I tasted my first euphoric hit of heroin...err, I mean Halo 2.

Halo 2 immediately became the modern wonder cure for boredom. For months I was entrenched in the addictive and social nature of Halo 2's multiplayer mode. I sat in the dorms on weeknights, playing tirelessly for hours on end, mastering my tactics and talking smack to the people that lived in my complex that I was LANing with. To put it bluntly, if I would have had enough money to order out for food every day, and if Halo 2 would have been capable of satisfying a man's sexual urges, I would have never left my room.

It was an addiction that eventually led me to buy both of Microsoft's video game console, as well as go back into the past and dabble with Halo 1. So when Halo 3 hit the shelves last November, my 60$ became part of the 170million or so that has now set entertainment industry records. Did Halo 3 live up to my high expectations? Read in to find out...

Gameplay: How H3 Stacks up against its predecessors
There are certainly a lot of similarities between Halo 3 and Halo 2, but I intend to focus more on the major differences, the first of which can be seen in the Campaign mode. In Bungie's previous offerings, gamers went through the campaign mode in a series of many short levels, frequently earning check points to save their progress in case of death. In Halo 2, players were also able to play the campaign mode in a Co-Op form, with a friend, which definitely transformed the "single-player" experience into a far more social, enjoyable one. The most Notable addition to H3's story mode though is the ability to play through the campaign with up to four players, all of whom can be on different Xbox 360s over X-box live.

I personally chose to play through the story mode with a couple of my friends who attend a different college than I do, and found myself much more interested in the Campaign than I had been in H1 or H2. It's also worth noting that the final "level" in H3's story is by far my favorite of the entire series.

Other new additions include the Forge, and Theater lobby. The new Forge mode allows players to choose any one of the multiplayer maps, and edit it by adding and deleted a plethora of items, included weapons, boxes, exploding barrels, ect. I personally haven't spent too much with this feature since I've been far too busy PWNING N00BS LOLZ, but I can definitely see how it would add to the replay value of the game. I also know that there was some discussion on the Bungie Forums that hinted that Bungie may possibly take a look at creative and popular maps that users had made and even make them available to the public in a map-pack in the future, but that remains to be seen.

The theater mode is essentially like an "instant replay" feature, only for Halo, which allows you to go back and watch footage of your previous games. You can even do things like zoom in and out, control replay speed, and see the action from the viewpoints of multiple players. I didn't find the theater lobby to be particularly useful, but I must say that it's pretty damn cool. There's nothing like knocking on your roommate's door at 3am, screaming "Dude, come in here and look how hard I raped this clown."

Multi-Plizaya
Certainly the most formidable aspect of Halo games, as well as the reason that the series has caught fire, is their deep and top of the line mutliplayer mode, and Halo 3 certainly follows in the footsteps of Bungie's previous offerings. Not a whole lot has changed between the matchmaking in Halo 2 and Halo 3 on Xbox Live, as gamers can still choose between playing objective based games or enjoying the all out bloodbath of the kill to score "Team Slayer". There's also 2vs2 "double-team" mode, as well as a free for all, with additional choices as to whether you want to play ranked games or unranked games.

The 2 major differences between H2 and H3 in this category though are the new maps, and some changes in weapons and items. The biggest beef that Halo enthusiasts have with H3 regards those new maps. Although there is a nice mix of big, medium, and small maps, some of which are set up to be more strategy based, while others make for balls out charging and killing action, Halo 3 lacks the "Signature" maps that it's predecessor was known for. A few of the maps in H3, such as The Pit and Narrows, have become fan favorites, but none of the maps come close to reaching the scale of the likes of Lockout or Midship from H2. I'm not saying that the maps in H3 aren't adequate, because they are, but Halo 3 lacks a map that is perfect for Slayer, and if you asked multiple gamers which map is best, you'd probably get an assortment of different answers. Hopefully they'll come out with a downloadable map in the future that will remedy this problem.

As for the changes in weapons and items, the most notable addition here is in the new power ups. Bungie has added items such as the bubble shield, which allows you to dodge gun fire and grenades when in low health, and the energy drain, which when thrown, sucks away the shields of opponents next to it. These power ups seem to be a welcome addition to the game, adding a different level of strategy and making H3 feel like a new experience. Other weapon changes include new weapons such as the flame throwing incinerator and a smaller shutgun-like weapon that can be dual wielded called the mauler. Bungie has also revamped the needler, making it actually usable and extremely dangerous from mid range. As a final note, I'd like mention that Bungie has essentially eliminated cheating from matchmaking in Halo 3, which was a serious problem in the last game, so that's obviously a huge plus.

Graphics: It's Halo 2's prettier sister, but she's not a 10
Halo 3 looks very similar to H2, except for some improvement in background texturing, addition of detail, and an increase in scale. This isn't exactly a mortal sin though, being as though Halo 2 was very strong graphically, but anybody expecting a leaps and bounds visual improvement will be disappointed. While the graphical engine lacks in improvement over H2, it makes up for it's shortcomings by being very fine tuned and reliable. Minor framerate slowdown issues that plagued H2 has been almost completely fixed, regardless of how much action is on your screen, and the rendering across the board is very seamless. Being a reviewer from the Playstation 2/XBox1/GC era, I find myself needing to say that H3 supports full HD, but I'm starting to feel that may go without saying these days.

Audio: As it good as it gets
I generally tend to put a lot less stock in a video game's soundtrack than some of other reviewers, but I will give credit where it's due, and it's due here. In terms of the campaign mode, Halo 3 has a "good movie" quality soundtrack. The background music changes it's pace and tone almost perfectly as the story shifts and evolves, helping gamers to "feel" the gameplay. This particular Halo once again features comedic one-liners from the supporting cast of marines, as well above average voice acting in the many CGI scenes. Lastly, the sound effects are as good as in any shooter I've played. Overall, I have no complaints in the audio department.

Closing Arguments
While Halo 3 will probably never hold as firm a place in my heart as Halo 2 did, its exciting campaign mode, great soundtrack, and endless replay value because its top of the line multiplayer play, make it a must have for any Xbox 360 owner, and a "why the hell don't you already have it?" for anyone with a 360 and an Xbox live account. The fact that the Halo 3 trilogy complete leaves me both sad and excited to see which direction Bungie will take their company...we'll just have to wait and see.

thanks for reading,
-Pav