Like a Summer Blockbuster, you can't expect anything more than just a good time, and that's what Halo 3 offers...
Because I don't have Broadband, and I've no access to Xbox Live, I can't provide much in the way of Multiplayer, but judging from Campaign and playing Death matches with my friend offline, I can safely say that if the opportunity arises, I will play this game on Multiplayer, no questions asked. For now, however, I will focus on the Single Player, the features, and my overall feeling on the words, "Halo 3."
For starters, Campaign mode; I played through Normal and Heroic with a friend, and man, I have to say, Campaign's better with a friend.. SIngle player doesn't do it any justice at all, which is why I can understand why a lot of players expressed disappointment with the Single Player Campaign, and the storyline.. Speaking of the storyline, I found it typical and standard for most games of this mould; save humanity from an epic invasion, twists in alliances, and more danger abroad. However, what the story lacked in substance, it made up for it in scope. It's like a summer blockbuster; you don't expect a masterpiece, but what you should expect, is some ambitious storytelling, though not of a literary standard. I didn't expect anything else, and I suppose that's why I'm perfectly content with the story. It was immersive and epic, but not anything of worth to those whose standards are set specifically high for a Sci-Fi piece such as this.
The fight against the Covenant and the Flood wasn't long, either. On Normal, me and my friend finished the game within several hours, and on Heroic, it took us thirteen. The campaign was far too short, and for a game of such hype, I expected a tad bit more. A couple more hours of fleshing out the war's end, and the characters' plights towards peace would've sufficed, but it seems a bit rushed. Several levels were inconsistent in length, some being shorter or longer than others, and it detracts from the overall flow of the campaign. The inconsistency, however, didn't bother me as much, but a little more polish and detail, concerning the story, to the campaign, couldn't hurt, though it might be a little too late for that...
Regarding the gameplay, my first Shooter game was Gears of War, so I'm a bit new to the genre, but I'm starting to ease up a little more to the formula; I suppose you think that because of my apparent inexperience at FPS games, that I'll be lenient with the gameplay issue, but I won't be. To be honest, the control scheme was pretty easy to remember, but there were a few occurences where I would forget what button did what, and vice versa. Nonetheless, my ineptitude at FPS games didn't hamper my enjoyment of the gameplay, and I found it fun. It's one of the reasons why the game has scored an 8, because of the gameplay. There are plenty of actions to choose from, and the variety of weapons and vehicles just makes it more diverse for the player. Controlling the vehicles were, for the most part, a bit of a chore, but that didn't stop me from crushing those Jackals and Grunts with my Brute Chopper!
The gameplay really took off during the final levels of the game, for which my adrenaline and anticipation were reserved. One thing of mention; the Covenant vehicles were far more impressive and easier to control than humanity's vehicles, but that's a blessing, as the challenge to steal a vehicle from the Covenant offered much more fun and realism than I bargained for.. As for the weapons, the Brute Hammer and the Flamethrower were by far the most powerful, but it's easy to overlook the more smaller and weaker, but much more potent firearms. In fact, the firearms saved me more from disaster than did the powerful equipment, but the sheer choice to wield a powerful weapon was a breath of fresh air from the tedium of standard firearms.
With the story wrapped up, I can safely say I wasn't at all disappointed, but perhaps that's because I never truly played Halo and Halo 2 all the way through, which is why I'm still relatively new to the genre. One thing I can say is, the features Halo 3 offers are engrossing; the new Forge editor is easy to ascertain and the option to save game data on Film is a welcome addition. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched me and my friend get pummeled, over and over again, on Heroic difficulty.. On playback, it is indeed a sight to see.. I don't see many gamers finding humor in FPS games, but I found it in Halo 3, and after watching Film mode, a smile crept through my face as I saw my friend, playing the Arbiter, get his butt kicked by a horde of oncoming Flood. The same happened to me, and I laughed at myself as well.. It's that same kind of experience and camaraderie, laughing along with your friend while playing a game, that adds to the gaming experience. I'm glad that Halo 3 was one of those games, as I didn't expect it to be, so it was totally unexpected, but greatly appreciated.
So, it goes without saying; I had a good time with Halo 3, on Co-op Campaign mode, and I hope my fellow 360 brethren can see and approach it in the same way as I did. Though not a classic experience, Halo 3 offered laughs, thrills, scope, and overall satisfaction, like a Blockbuster should. If you were expecting a bit more, I don't know what to tell you. Since I'm kinda new to the Halo universe, my unfamiliarity gave me quite an advantage in knowing what to and what not to expect.. It was very unexpected, and I suppose the unpredictability helped me along the path to enjoying the game a little more than I what I had originally anticipated. I can see where some of the dissent comes from, as this is suppose to end a highly successful trilogy, but gamers shouldn't fret, as Halo 3 is a good time, if nothing more...