Again, Microsoft intended to shove their marketing strategies inthere. Hit that spoiler thingy underneath here to get some details. Oh, and if you nailed that button without wanting to know it. Too bad, it was you who did it. Dumbass. It's a helluva' story in that spoiler. So, well... Click it if you care. [spoiler] Well, the ending of Halo 2 was a cliffhanger to the extremes. The intro doesn't make much sense other than "Wow, he's alive. What a frickin' suprise.". The storyline is pretty basic afterall, laid out in a few sequences: Get up, and disable those towers. But before we do, try to save Cortana. That annoying broad who constantly slows down the gameplay to say "Was it worth it to leave me to die?". For so far, I would've said "Too bad you ain't dead yet. Now STFU!". In the meantime, the big-boss gets owned. The mystic "Flood" betrays you. And in the end, you are a tombstone. You lose about any ally you've had, and Cortana sadly enough stays alive. So yeah, The Chief's dead. I already hear half of the world yelling "IMPOSSIBLE! NAO! NEIN!". Exactly, you're right. Since you've already tagged this spoiler thing, I can spoil just about any ending without caution. Cause this whole thing's a friggin' spoiler on it's own. So, Saints Row. That's the next ending that will be spoiled legally. There's your caution. Anyway, Saints Row ending was a simple case of betrayal with conspiracy. Allies are enemies. Sh*t like that. A few main characters appeared at the scene of the cliffhanger. Giving us, the players enough brain-train to hold out 'til a sign of a sequel. Conspiracy or no conspiracy, it's enough room for the players to think up tons of situations. Same stuff with Halo 2. It took them three years to bring up Halo 3. In the meantime, it looked like Cortana was lost and Master Chief became a Space Flambé. Well, the sequel intro to Halo 3 was the intro basicly anyone would've expected. Master Chief's a hero, and he'll survive a tiny fall from about 5 miles high easily. Did you just shrug out of uninterest? I did. Either way, like I said. It was alot more basic than I expected it to be. I expected these "Oh snap" kinda plot-twists. And for some reason, I expected it to end the way it ended. A huge vehicle scene, on a hot location. Along with the horrific Flood to be my enemy. I figured that out by the first time I came across the Flood. All games end on a location you don't want to be at, at that time. The vehicle-system of Halo 3 was pretty tweaked, and a basic shoot-'round final mission wouldn't do. The Flood is the toughest enemy in the game, using a zombie-way to infest the entire universe. So, uh-oh-location + driving mission + Flood = Awesome. Right? Now, Microsofts' signature move in games is a ending no-one'd like. Just like Saints Row, it feeds the players just information to create somekind of situation. Well, also just like in Saints Row. The main character gets grilled in the end aswell. For our mute buddy in SR, no funural. For our badass friend Master Chief in H3, he got a funeral, along with all fallen soldiers and higher-ranked. "I can't believe he's gone.". That's just sooo epic... C'mon, it's a smack-in-the-face for just about any gamer who has played EA and/or Microsoft games. It's a smack in your face saying "Wake up, dumbass! There's a sequel waitin' to pop up!". Just like SR, how in the world can a normal dude of about 5"9' survive a massive ball of fire, that's the size of a cruise ship? Well, apperiantly, he survived. And if Master Chief can survive a fall from outerspace, 5-6 miles high. He can survive a bit of eye-bleed, RIGHT!? This. Is. Sparta. This. Is. Marketing Strategy to the ultimate. Halo 3 was a massive hit. Selling over a million on day one. That's one million times 65 dollar. 65.000.000$, atleast. Comparing it to an soap-opera. 1 million people watch one episode on Pay-per-view. And, soap-opera's are famous for "Cliffhanger" endings. Leaving the people behind with a boiling-point. So, since about anyone wants an awnser to a question, they don't wait and watch the awnsering-episode on Pay-per-view. Basic. Marketing. Easy cash. BME. And Microsoft is using that BME to the core. Preparing it fully with marketing, advertising and hitting people on the right nerve with stuff they really want. The budget of Halo 3 was pretty much infinite, making this a win-win situation from the start. Still, a cliffhanger ending for the extra-extra-extra-bonus cash. Before I totally go off-topic. Halo's storyline is awesome, in the sense of action and in the way of how it's blended in with gunfire, driving and strategy. The only problems I have aren't gamebreaking, nor are they actually affecting the gameplay at all. And if you still don't get my point, or disagree with me saying "It's fun!". Either read it again, or get your butt out of that basement. Critize their marketing st.yle instead, not what I'm saying about the gameplay. [/spoiler] That is all.