Is it over-hyped? Yeah. But when all the hype says it's the greatest piece of digital entertainment to ever grace this earth, falling slightly short isn't necessarily bad. The campaign is good, not great but good. Aside from the original halo game, the campaign has never been the strong suit of the series. What is great about the campaign is the online co-op WHICH EVERY ACTION GAME SHOULD HAVE!! However there is a sense of deja-vu you get while playing through it since not much is different from previous installments. Sure the graphics are better and there are some good action sequences but it just feels like halo 1 or 2 with richer textures and flashier settings. That's not necessarily bad but just not great. The story has gotten progressively more disorienting and convoluted as the series has gone on and lacks the mystery or intrigue you felt while playing the first one. But the story is not really the reason to get this game. The reason Halo is such a powerhouse is it's multi-player and it remains intact. Not too much has changed since Halo 2 in that area but not much needs to change. The matchmaking system is still on of the best out there, and now with a few improvements to the ranking system along with the added incentive to unlock new pieces of armor, it's just that much better. The new file sharing feature is also very cool. The only thing more satisfying than sticking a grenade to one of your friend's face, is sending them a video clip of you sticking a grenade to their face. There are a couple of cool new weapons and for the most part the maps are ok, even though a lot of them are slightly re-done or modified versions of halo2 maps. A few more original maps would be nice, especially a few more large maps for big team battle. Also it would be nice to actually choose which game type you want to play instead of leaving it up to a random (or sometimes seemingly not so random) matchmaker. It's still the same old halo fun and still highly addictive, even when you keep getting owned by a 14 year old talking smack while slashing you with a sword. It may not be deserving of the rediculous amount of hype but I don't think anything out there is. This game is solid and just plain fun.
Positives + Loads of fun multiplayer features + Wide variety of futuristic weapons + Graphics look great + Epic soundtrack + Variety of fun to drive vechiles Negatives - Without LIVE you won't get nearly as mu... Read Full Review
Not quite as good as it was hyped up to be, but a good waste of 60 bucks. It is definitely a good game, so all you people that are calling it perfect don't get mad, but based on all the hype and CONSTANT advertisements, ... Read Full Review
