a game by any other name would be rated average
Graphics
one of the biggest changes this generation from the last is clearly the graphics. that being said, i find it highly ironic that Halo3, Microsofts flagship title for the 360, doesnt even break the HD threshold (halo3 is upscaled to 720 and 1080). of course that doesnt mean the game looks bad, infact the game still looks great. maybe not as good as a flagship should look...but this game is a major improvement over the previous halo games on the original xbox. one of the most unappealing aspect to the graphics however, is the fact you can see the foilage filling in about 100 feet infront of your character, while not a major issue, it just doesnt look nice to see bushes suddenly appearing.
Sound
some of the explosions have a great sound to them, reloading guns also sound amazing, some of the guns sound like toy guns when they are shot tho. honestly i cant remember music playing like i do in halo2. but just the theme of the game i feel is inferior to halo2s theme.
the sound is fine, but i wish there was more stress on the soundtrack of the game.
Story
This is where i feel halo3 falls appart. where the other 2 halo games are at least 10 hours a play though, halo3 clocked in at about 5 hours on heroic. the campaign is painfully short, making it feel like your playing a action movie that some awesome sci-fi mystery movie. the game tries to add plot twists to the game, spice it up a little, but you can see the twists coming further away than nintendo announcing another mario title. the plot was weak and didnt answer any of the question the halo books and other games brought up.
Gameplay
this is the only place i feel halo3 did well at. the game play is all there, the only problem is...its nothing new. its halo2 all over again. they tried to add "equipment" to spice it up, but when the main function of equipment is portable cover...its more like a temporary annoyance than adding to the strategy.