PC Magazine takes issue with a few flaws in Halo 3; the Arbiter's seeming invulnerability and the enemy AI's inability to see you coming (what difficulty did they play at?) bothered them. Nothing positive, in particular, seemed to stand out for them:
It's not the best looking Xbox 360 game (Gears of War has its number, there), and it certainly doesn't have the best story (BioShock), but Halo's (and Bungie's) skills lie in synthesizing all of the above to produce games with maximum appeal and minimal compromise.
They seem to grudgingly give the game a score of 85.
Game Informer liked almost, almost everything about Halo 3:
With a satisfying campaign closure to the series' epic story arc, unprecedented multiplayer options, an innovative video recording feature, and heretofore unseen console mod tools, Halo 3 lives up to every bit of its ever-expanding reputation. However, a few small disappointments chip away at the game's shot at perfection.
One might say it's a good thing Halo 3 has one strand askew; nothing in this life has any business being perfect.
Halo 3 is worth waiting for, says Pro-G. Good thing the wait is short:
But don't worry. We can finally end the heart-ache, the anticipation and the unbearable need to find out for yourself. Halo 3 is everything we hoped it would be, and much, much, more.
Your patience, such as it is, will be rewarded with a game that scored 10 out of 10 according to Pro-G.
GamesRadar is pretty unqeuivocal in its praise. If you're asking if Halo 3 is good, or as good as they say...
The answer to both is yes - a huge and resounding yes. Every type of Halo fan, from the hardcore to the casual to the brand new, will find something to satisfy them in Master Chief's third adventure. Rest assured that no matter what you expect out of this series - epic single player, massive multiplayer, insane coop, robust community and editing tools - you will not be disappointed. Halo 3 is an overwhelming success.
Final score: 10 out of 10 from GamesRadar.
Destructoid doesn't think Halo 3 quite lived up to its predecessors.
The problem, then, is where exactly do you go when all you've got to do is cover a handful of unknowns? The game sarges onward on with battles that, in the end, remain largely irrelevant to the story; they happen and you move along towards what you're hoping will be a moment pivotal to the plot. It's bound to satisfy many gamers just looking for some good, solid action, but in an age in which engaging, well-constructive narrative is possible even beyond the big mystery reveals (or the "Would You Kindlies", which I'm demanding everyone call them), Halo 3 falls short. Story should remain distant second to gameplay, but not so distant as demonstrated by a game like this, particularly when the developers have had two previous titles to develop such a rich backdrop to build upon.
They gave the game a respectable 8.5 out of 10; the summary might be "flawed but enjoyable".
Calling it a treat from end to end, TeamXbox also quite liked Halo 3:
Perhaps more than anything, we were particularly blown away by the scope and scale of the environments. The Halo series has always been known for its grand scale, and Halo 3 only makes things that much bigger and better. You won’t be spending hours exploring underground complexes or anything here, as the development team decided to focus their attention on creating rich, immersive worlds. The level of detail is truly amazing, as you’ll be able to notice individual blades of grass in fields, broken twigs on the floor of a forest, and tiny pebbles on beaches. It’s truly a sight to behold.
Although they graded the music higher than the graphics (and who can blame them, giving what Marty puts out?) the game overrall nabbed a 9.7 out of 10 score.
Matt Peckham at PC World liked Halo 3 a bit more than last year's blockbuster shooter on the Xbox 360:
But long story short, I dig Halo 3. Maybe not every single last tiny score point as much as a few of the dedicated game sites, but I certainly dig it a smidgen more than I did Gears of War, which, someone please explain to me why, people keep calling a "tactical third-person shooter" while Halo 3 gets branded "tactical light," whatever that means.
Speaking of Gears... how come Major Nelson stopped tracking the XBL Top Ten late last month?
What sounds like damning with faint praise from Eurogamer...
So far, so good; you could, if you were trying to review this game in a 200 word box in a newspaper, probably reduce the last section to "more of the same, but with some well considered tweaks which we like a lot". On the strength of Halo 2, that alone should guarantee a copy in the hands of every first-person shooter fan on the planet.
...turns out to be a perfect 10 out of 10.
If there's one thing IGN says about Halo, it is this: it has an ending.
There is no cliffhanger ending that will have you screaming at your television, no doubting that this is Chief's tale and everyone else is along for the ride, and no question that it is a worthy conclusion to the most successful trilogy in videogame history. But just like that girl you dated in college, Halo 3 has some issues. Don't' worry; the good far outweighs the bad. This is Halo 3, and it is indeed the game you've been waiting for the past three years.
When the smoke clears, Halo 3 gets an "incredible" 9.5 points out of 10.
Press Start Online gives Halo 3 a gold ranking.
Everything has come together in Halo 3 to form a comprehensive product that has been developed without fear of failure; a game that corrects the vast majority of the mistakes of the past; a game which combines user creativity and interaction across the campaign itself and Bungie’s own website to an extent never before seen in a console release. It’s not a Return of the Jedi, then, but a triumphant Return of the King.
It is the site's first gold ranking.
Despite its name, Xbox 360 Fanboy somehow finds it odd that they can't find much wrong with Halo 3:
I never intended to write a review filled with nothing but praise for Halo 3, but it's just damned hard to criticize. Sure, there are things I could point out that are disappointing. The graphics aren't perfect. You can't save clips in campaign. The story will be confusing to newcomers. Yeah, I can pick nits all day if I wanted to, and doubtless many Halo detractors will do just that, but the game is good.
Halo 3 is good. Glad that's cleared up.
GameSpy gives Halo 3 5/5 and calls it "the reason the Xbox 360 exists". They also say:
What was funny to us was that the staggering quality of Halo 3 is apparent in nearly every single aspect of the game, regardless how trivial. The magnificent voiceovers featured in the cut-scenes (Ron Perlman does a great job) spill over into the gameplay in the form of an all-pervasive combat chatter that will surprise you with how entertaining it is. By the time you're through with Halo 3, you'll have witnessed insane zealotry at its finest as well as the best Warthog driving level ever.
Not surprising there, as with the possible exception of Halo 2's rough edges, attention to detail is what distinguishes Bungie, and Halo, from the crowd.
Some of you may have spent rather more pennies on Halo 3 than on other games, but GamePro thinks at least the regular edition is worth the price, ranking it 4.8 / 5.
CVG says that Halo 3 doesn't mess with success:
Halo 3 is the gaming equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster. It's not going to revolutionise the genre - it's not meant to - it's meant to be great fun, which it is. Never lose sight of that. The visuals, guns, vehicles, enemies, set-pieces, musical score... they've all been cranked up to 11 to create an experience up there with the best sci-fi properties.
They gave the game 9.7 out of 10.
