What in the world happened to Halo? There was a time, believe it or not, when a substantial majority was well and truly behind the Chief. Scores of fans would line the streets in his honour, and anyone who dared criticise the Spartan would be hanged, drawn and quartered…. and for good reason! However, one day, this all changed. The admirers of old soon became the haters of today, and those who still enjoyed the series were forced underground like rats!

Maybe it was because of Halo 2’s controversial ending; maybe it was down to people wanting to be ‘cool’, or maybe some genuinely felt let down after Combat Evolved. Regardless of the category you fit into to, at the very least you must be intrigued about how the Halo saga will play out. Can Bungie live up to the anticipation of literally millions of followers, or is it destined to be remembered as a disappointment?

Despite having ludicrously high expectations, Halo 3 is the experience you’ve been craving and more: epic fights, extraordinary set pieces and the conclusion of the Human versus Covenant war; just what we hoped. There’s no doubt that what Bungie has achieved with the third Halo cements the series as greater than any other first-person shooter available – the combat is incredible. Noobs who buy into the hype and play through on Normal difficulty will find a stiff challenge awaits, but if you’ve fought your way to the end credits on previous instalments, Heroic is going to become your Everest. Covenant troops transform into near flawless warriors as soon as you make the step up, and trying to run and gun your way through a level will result in your demise. Even if it’s just a momentary lapse you’ll be punished, especially if you’re trying to toy around with a Brute. The Covenant species is the enemy to beat, and it can’t be done using 99 per cent of standard FPS techniques. If you’re too aggressive, they’ll hold back and wait for you to make a mistake, and if you’re not violent enough, they’ll charge at the first opportunity. When necessary, Brutes will even bring in their Grunt buddies to put you off. A few of the cowardly peons by themselves may pose little threat, but they can easily distract you as a far scarier foe approaches from your rear.

The same can be said for the physical act of firing your weapon, too. We defy anyone to ‘accidentally’ take an adversary down with a rogue bullet or mistimed shot. Thanks to the law of averages, you will perform the odd beautiful mistake, but there’s a reason it feels so fulfilling to pop a Jackal in the head, and it’s often referred to as ‘skillz’. The Heroic and Legendary difficulties require you to be constantly aware of your surroundings and to continually outdo what you just did – it’s nothing short of exhilarating.

Still, as we’ve said before, it would have been harder for Bungie to destroy this model than improve upon it. Even if it had simply reused Halo 2’s design blueprint, the level of combat would have been superior to many games currently on shelves. What has been gnawing away at brains worldwide, though, are, the nine single-player missions that hold the key to whether or not Master Chief can ‘finish the fight’. Many claim that even the slightest resemblance to the claustrophobic corridors of three years ago will be the final nail in Halo’s coffin. Well, tough! There are a few instances where you’ll find yourself in an area that some may refer to as a confined space, but the level of action and intensity that occurs throughout these moments is more than justification for such a choice; the same atmosphere spreads out over the entire single-player campaign. Numerous objectives thrown at the last Spartan will have you grinning from ear to ear and, like always, the game’s pacing is magnificent. Horrendously tight encounters are followed by the perfect amount of downtime – you take a breath, reload your gun and then kick down the door ready for your next clash (please note, not once did we actually kick a door down!).

Mind you, in spite of all that is good, there is one level, in our opinion, that just isn’t up to scratch. Despite our domineering appearances in the front of the mag, we’re not, cold, remorseless assholes who’ll do anything to see someone cry… unless it’s funny! So, we’re not going to spoil any of the story-related content for you. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean we can hold in our disappointment, especially as Bungie has proven its talent when it comes to designing levels. The aforementioned problem would be considered mediocre in generic shooter A, so for it to be in Halo 3 is somewhat of a shock. Still, there’s so much good awaiting you in the singleplayer that it easily makes up for this blip. In particular, a skirmish with two Scarabs ranks in our top-ten videogame moments of all time! Feel free to guffaw and tut loudly at us, but we’re actually getting excited about tackling this section again.

It’s beyond remarkable that Bungie has managed to put together an adventure that will please its desperate fans, but that truly is the very tip of the proverbial iceberg. The combination of every aspect that can’t be tied to the single-player is categorically the most innovative set of modes ever to surface since the term ‘next generation’ came into existence. Co-operative play was always going to be a lot of fun, but Bungie has never settled for the bare minimum, which is why although you can play it as one badass team, it’s also possible to keep track of individual scores. Throwaway it may sound, but we look forward to every single one of you getting addicted trying to outdo your so-called team-mates’ scores. It’s that old leaderboard obsession brought back in a different form and is the perfect excuse to continually hammer the campaign.

Multiplayer is still the phenomenal beast it always has been, and the reason why Halo 3 will still be residing within your 360 in three years time. The handful of new match types, enhanced options and maps (see Best There Is boxout) have taken an already extraordinary concept and pushed it even further up the stratosphere of joy. The strict learning curve is still very much in place, as is the preposterous rapidity, but understanding how to become a better player is now easier than ever before thanks to Saved Films. We won’t bore you with a Wikipedialike description, but those clever enough to take advantage of these clips will see their abilities progress – just like a sports team improves by watching their own performances. How the hell Bungie has implemented such a feat we really can’t tell you (it’s like voodoo or something), but watch as minutes turn into hours as you review your conquering routs in sheer admiration.

And then there’s Forge. Ridiculous, nonsensical, baffling, amazingly executed Forge. We can’t even comprehend just how it was put together, but it will completely alter your perception of what’s possible in a game, and not just because of the complete freedom to edit any map how ever you choose. Since this mode was announced, Bungie has repeatedly hinted that multiple original game modes can spawn out of it. Being the cynics we all are at heart, we listened but didn’t truly believe this would be the case when forced to share a room with numerous Americans desperate to tell us that we’re ‘gay’ and ‘stupid’. We admit we didn’t experiment with such folk, but we did go toe to toe with it and what the developer had said ran true. Whether it was our own personal jaunt of spawning vehicles and then trying to crush everyone on the map or our self-titled ‘Soaring Scorpion’ folly (which revolved around picking up the tank, getting someone to stand on it and then throwing it as far as possible) the amount of ideas that will come to fruition are going to surprise everyone, including the creators themselves. The bar has been raised when it comes to technology and creativity, and it’ll take something truly ground-breaking to surpass what Bungie has fashioned.

It’s painfully obvious that with regards to the campaign, Halo 3 does nothing new. Fans and haters alike will stick in their respective camps and spout the same arguments they always have done. However, you’d have to be completely out of touch to not appreciate the steps the third has made. The single-player is worthy of the buildup, the multiplayer will please you more than a fantastical dream, and the three new features are going to leave you in a state of disbelief. Yes, the story’s finale is a little disappointing, but it’s easy to look past this when you play through it again… and then again! The Chief has returned, and we couldn’t be happier.

Simon Miller