Long before I actually played any of the Halo games, I would find myself constantly rewatching the "Believe" ad for Halo 3, and for good reason. Not only is it simple in its concept, yet wholly melancholic and beautiful in its execution, but it's also arguably the very best video game commercial ever made (next to the security camera teasers for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days). My appreciation for this commercial on its own has always been high, but rewatching it after beating the first two Halo games made it even more impactful, and now that I've beaten the game, I'd also say that this was the perfect tonal setup for Halo 3. Although I really enjoyed my time with both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, I was still blown away by how much I loved Halo 3, as it took everything that worked in those games and refined them to perfection.
In both of the first two games, a lot of time is spent telling the audience about the fact that Earth is at war with the Covenant, but Halo 3 was the first time in the series that I genuinely felt it. Not only were the painting-like backgrounds littered with dogfights, but the sprawling, open-ended battles that the Halo games are known for felt much larger in terms of scale and also appeared more frequently, which made for several moments in the game that literally left me awestruck. The gunplay here was at its absolute best, as every single weapon in the game felt great to use, including the many new ones, and having dual wielding return was also great to see. The same can be said about the game's vehicles, but I was also surprised by just how many new vehicles were added to the game, as well as how varied they were in their handling and uses. On top of improving what worked in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, Halo 3 also included two-handed support weapons and a new gear type called equipment, and I thought that these were both welcome additions to the formula thanks to how they made combat encounters feel even more dynamic than they already were. Putting my minor gripes with the first two games aside, my least favorite aspect of both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 would easily be the Flood, and even this aspect was improved by a ton here in Halo 3. Not only was their presence reduced by a lot while still having them feel significant to the plot, but their new enemy types made fighting them feel much more fresh than it did in the first two games, along with how the levels that centered around them were all incredibly atmospheric in their art direction and sound mixing.
For me, the heart and soul of all three of these games has always been the gorgeous, otherworldly music by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, and their work here in Halo 3 was the best in the series, as it was what made both the in-game setpieces and the cinematic storytelling feel so exciting and riveting. As a character, I liked Master Chief's deliberate facelessness and lack of any real past, but Halo 3 made an interesting move by making his relationship with Cortana play a larger role in the story, and this choice made me a lot more invested in this game's plot while still keeping just enough about Master Chief in the dark in order to have him stay as an effective player insert. This also applied to the rest of the game's cast, as the general sense of loss and finality surrounding the plot made me genuinely care about all of these characters, with the Arbiter being way more compelling here than he was in the previous game. My only regret with both this game and the whole trilogy was my inability to check out the multiplayer modes, as much of this franchise's identity rests on the experiences shared by people through online matches and co-op campaign runs, and since the servers got shut down years ago, I'll never be able to experience that. Even then, I still thought that Halo 3 was not only the best game in the series, but also one of the best first-person shooters I've ever played, and while I'm really not interested in checking out the games in the series made by 343 Industries (Halo 4 and onwards), I might give Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach a go in the near future.
In both of the first two games, a lot of time is spent telling the audience about the fact that Earth is at war with the Covenant, but Halo 3 was the first time in the series that I genuinely felt it. Not only were the painting-like backgrounds littered with dogfights, but the sprawling, open-ended battles that the Halo games are known for felt much larger in terms of scale and also appeared more frequently, which made for several moments in the game that literally left me awestruck. The gunplay here was at its absolute best, as every single weapon in the game felt great to use, including the many new ones, and having dual wielding return was also great to see. The same can be said about the game's vehicles, but I was also surprised by just how many new vehicles were added to the game, as well as how varied they were in their handling and uses. On top of improving what worked in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, Halo 3 also included two-handed support weapons and a new gear type called equipment, and I thought that these were both welcome additions to the formula thanks to how they made combat encounters feel even more dynamic than they already were. Putting my minor gripes with the first two games aside, my least favorite aspect of both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 would easily be the Flood, and even this aspect was improved by a ton here in Halo 3. Not only was their presence reduced by a lot while still having them feel significant to the plot, but their new enemy types made fighting them feel much more fresh than it did in the first two games, along with how the levels that centered around them were all incredibly atmospheric in their art direction and sound mixing.
For me, the heart and soul of all three of these games has always been the gorgeous, otherworldly music by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, and their work here in Halo 3 was the best in the series, as it was what made both the in-game setpieces and the cinematic storytelling feel so exciting and riveting. As a character, I liked Master Chief's deliberate facelessness and lack of any real past, but Halo 3 made an interesting move by making his relationship with Cortana play a larger role in the story, and this choice made me a lot more invested in this game's plot while still keeping just enough about Master Chief in the dark in order to have him stay as an effective player insert. This also applied to the rest of the game's cast, as the general sense of loss and finality surrounding the plot made me genuinely care about all of these characters, with the Arbiter being way more compelling here than he was in the previous game. My only regret with both this game and the whole trilogy was my inability to check out the multiplayer modes, as much of this franchise's identity rests on the experiences shared by people through online matches and co-op campaign runs, and since the servers got shut down years ago, I'll never be able to experience that. Even then, I still thought that Halo 3 was not only the best game in the series, but also one of the best first-person shooters I've ever played, and while I'm really not interested in checking out the games in the series made by 343 Industries (Halo 4 and onwards), I might give Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach a go in the near future.
2 Comments
@ChillyRama I don't have any of the systems that it's on. I'll definitely be playing Halo 3 whenever my friends come over to my flat, though.
ChillyRama
1 year ago