The ending to the Halo trilogy goes with a bang.
Gameplay wise, it is still Halo. Run, gun, snipe, and nade to ultimate victory. Now though, equipment enters the fray, as bubble shields stop rockets and trip mines stop vehicles. While equipment does bring strategic value into the game, some aspects of it feels useless and tacked on. For example, do you really need a portable grav-lift? You can argue yes, in intense team battles, but most battles over matchmaking is completely devoid of people willing to cooperate with each other, even in objective based games such as capture the flag or territories. With or without equipment, the game still feels the same. However, it is there, conveniently mapped to the X button.
The new weapons are worth mentioning in there own paragraph. New to the game is the Brute Spiker, Gravity Hammer, and the Spartan Laser. Fans will also note a returning Assault Rifle. With such variety however, it may be hard to track down one of your favorite weapons, unless your favorite weapon is the Assault Rifle. Dual wielders will also note a harder difficulty in finding two different weapons to dual wield, let alone a good combo. The Assault Rifle is also such a good weapon that it is discouraging to pick up other weapons. The better accuracy of the Assault rifle also means that people dual wielding will always have an accuracy dissadvantage. Halo 2 brought the new dual wielding scheme to Halo. However, the controls didn't follow, as pressing X to reload reloaded both of the weapons. With Halo 3, you can press RB or LB to reload the weapon in your right and or left hand respectively. RB is also the "Action button," which means that all Halo veterans might have trouble accidentally pressing X when attempting to get into a vehicle or manning a turret. With more play time however, the new scheme will feel much more intuitive than the old scheme and will prove easier to control.
Halo: Combat Evolved featured some of the most confusing levels. Textures weren't just recycled over and over in a level, they were recycled over and over in all the levels. In Halo 3, this is noticeably less of a problem, as even similar rooms will feature completely different textures. More linear levels also makes it easier to find where to go next. However, one of the biggest additions to Campaign mode is the ability to play co-op - with as many as 3 other people over Live. While this means that Legendary is going to be no challenge whatsover, this also means that you can have a great time beating the campaign.
Also noteworthy of mention is the Forge and Theater. Up to four players can modify a map using the Forge. In other words, Instagib action is now a reality. Vehicles that never were in the original map can now be added via Forge. Theater is a way to view previous fragfests. Up to 4 players can watch the action from any angle they like. While these innovations are a great step for console gaming, they are still a little behind their PC counterparts. For example, you cannot modify the actual map in Forge, only the items and spawns. The fact that you play as 343 Guilty Spark prone to being shot by your friends mean that making the perfect map is going to be tedious. The Theater lacks the ability to add music, and is also unviewable on the PC.
Halo 3 is one of greatest games to ever hit the market, however, it does have its flaws. Nevertheless, this is a great game, and should be played by everybody.