Halo 3 Single Player Impressions Thread (AKA: NO GRAPHICS TALK)

[Inquisitive_Idiot]

It seems the other Halo 3 thread has been closed due to the endless bickering over image quality and graphics. I created this thread for discussion on the campaign mode, and what peoples impression of the story have been so far. If the mods are simply just sick and tired of Halo 3, then by all means just go ahead and lock this thread. I hope that we can keep this thread on track by limiting the discussion to single area, one that I find particularly important.

REMEMBER: NO DISCUSSION ABOUT GRAPHICS!!!

I have not finished the campaign yet, but I am fairly certain that I am on the last level of the game, and so far I am enjoying the hell out of it. I initially started out playing the campaign on Legendary, but ran into some serious difficulties with the group of brutes and Wraith you have to face on Tasavo Highway. After adjusting the difficulty to Heroic, I barely managed to defeat that set of Brutes and push my way through the rest of the game.

So far, my highlights include fighting the various Scarabs ("I count two", that sent chills down my spine) and almost every encounter I have with a large number of Brutes. I would have to say that the black Brutes with the hammers are badass, and will fuck you up if you are not mindful of their whereabouts. The grunts (goddamn suicidal bastards), drones and jackals really round out the Covenant army. Bungie managed to make each characters visual appearance match the role they have in the military, which I find adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.

I think the story has been great so far, and it really seems to be reaching its climax in the section I am at. Noticeable improvements over Halo 2 include the well directed cut-scenes, engaging story with interesting characters and the total lack on any areas where you are forced to play as the Arbiter. I can only hope the ending will be as satisfying as the rest of the game! I have to hand it to Bungie for handling the campaign mode so well, as their previous effort with Halo 2 had left me a little worried with the outcome of Halo 3. If I had to rate the game solely based on the single player, I would give it a 9 for its excellent graphics, superb gameplay (dare I say perfect), audio, etc. All around, Halo 3 is an amazing game.

Anywho, I could probably write for a while about all of the great things I have experienced so far in the game. Rather than do that, I recommend anyone with an Xbox 360 to pick this game up NOW! If you do not own an Xbox 360, then I would strongly suggest considering purchasing one not only for Halo 3, but for all the past, present and future great games that the console will have.

 

[StefanS]

Just adding, please use the spoiler tags, if you're going to reveal parts of the story. usage: [*spoiler]I am a spoiler without the asterisk.[*/spoiler]

 

[CEO]

yeah. gameplay in halo 3 is amazing. some pretty f*xxored situations i found myself in, like that bubble grenade i threw an suddenly the brutes stopped firing at me. They even tried to engange in close combat once which was awesome, that brute i hit with a rifle, then his armor broke down, he gets all suicidal and tries to hit me *ROAAARS* jumps @me... just that moment i hear another load *RRRROOOOAAAR* and think to myself !shit!, just managed barely to step back then suddenly a BRUTE on a Brute CHOPPER passes and hits(more like drives him the shit over) the one that was jumping at me... i realize that it would have been my death if i didnt make that step backwards... MAN THAT HAD MY GIRLFRIEND SO FU*KING SOLD! COOP with Girlfriends COMFIRMED!!!!11 (She hates shooting shit...)

Edit: was on tasavo highway btw.

 

[PARANOiA]

I'm a little embarassed to admit this... but I started and got mostly through the first level on Heroic before restarting on Normal. I found the game to be clumsy and frustrating, with snipers killing me as I stepped out from cover three out of four occasions, while I struggled with the controls - I kept hitting X to reload, using my bubble shield.

I am having a ball now, though. It feels just like Halo 1 - that feeling of awe and excitement. Everything's much smoother, though it's a little on the easy side on Normal. I love the way you wander into a room, and soldiers pipe up with, "that's a Spartan! We're going to be ok!" and the like. Very much works its way into a sci-fi universe in a classic sense.

The subtitles in this game are awful. I usually play games without sound due to an illness called "nagging girlfriend disease" which can be quite nasty. However I missed most of the dialogue and mid-level cut-scenes on my first play-though, which sucks. Now I'm relegated to playing only when the other half is otherwise occupied. Sigh. Subtitles do work in the between-level cutscenes however.


Overall I'm thinking this is probably my new GOTY. Bioshock is amazing (as little as I am into it) however the Big Daddy fights were a little anti-climatic for me after only a couple of levels in, really taking a shine off the game for me. Halo to me seems perfectly polished, with that whole other multiplayer side to dig into when I'm done.

One thing is for sure... it's a fantastic time to be a gamer, which so much coming out... I've got one game a week I want to buy at the moment until Christmas!

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Really cool so far. I haven't had much time, but I'm about 2 levels in on Heroic and I'm loving it. I have a 4-player co-op session scheduled tomorrow night on Legendary. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[pipo]

For the record - Edge score: 10/10

 

[Shifty Geezer]

How long is the single player campaign?

 

[Arwin]

How long is the single player campaign?

I thought I read mostly figures like 6-8 hours, with gamers often suggesting they expect to take 8-10. Something in that direction anyway.

 

[Acert93]

How long is the single player campaign?

My friend who played it this weekend got through Heroic in 9 hours and 45 minutes (according to his stats) not including the 41 minutes of cutscenes. He is quite good at Halo.

8-10 seems reasonable for players good at shooters on the right difficulty, with the quoted 10-15 for more typical gamers. I doubt most of the 8M Halo 2 gamers are very "good" by gamer standards. Having seen professional gaming press aiming at their feet with gamepads reminds me of this

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Well, that's a bit cheeky in my opinion. HS was heavily criticized for being short. An interview I've just seen on GT asked of Phil whether it's okay for HS to be short. Short games, I'm fine with, but if you're going to mark down titles for being short, you should do so across the board. Anyway, I'll see for myself hopefully soon enough, as a friend picked up his copy yesterday.

 

[Acert93]

I thought I read mostly figures like 6-8 hours, with gamers often suggesting they expect to take 8-10. Something in that direction anyway.

Maybe you missed the last request in the other thread where someone threw out that number as a guess, but do you have a link on that 6 hours?

Ahhh I smell POLL!

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Haven't reviews commented on length?

 

[D3B]

Maybe you missed the last request in the other thread where someone threw out that number as a guess, but do you have a link on that 6 hours?

Ahhh I smell POLL!

I wouldnt doubt it. Alot of the levels you can just drive right by,or just keep bunny hopping over and walk by.

 

[Oboro Shogun]

This game definitely matches halo 1's level of gameplay beauty. I blasted through Legendary solo (being a Halo vet)in two massive sittings and have to say it's intense from start to stop.

One of my favorite moments so far was running up to a Wraith after sniping it's gunmen, jumping aboard and beating it to pieces with my bare hands. Also figuring out you can mount enemy ghosts through thin cover like walls and such. Cheap retribution!!

Overall though Legendary is easier than Halo 2, which I found to be the hardest. Coop Legendary with even 2 decent players would be a breeze, but still incredibly fun!!

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Well there are many ways to play these levels trough. I'm sure if a skilled player would just speedplay as fast as he could then maybe 6 hours is possible, but IMO that's not very representative of normal playing or the way other games are measured either... I'm little over half way now and I expect the game to last 8,5-10h

 

[Oboro Shogun]

It was about 12 ish for me on Legendary. My friend finished Heroic in under 10.

 

[RobertR1]

For the record - Edge score: 10/10

Seeing how hard Edge is on games, this is rather impressive. Hoping to read their actual review on gaf at somepoint. I believe someone stated they wait on Edge reviews, well, there it is :smile:

 

[SugarCoat]

Well, that's a bit cheeky in my opinion. HS was heavily criticized for being short. An interview I've just seen on GT asked of Phil whether it's okay for HS to be short. Short games, I'm fine with, but if you're going to mark down titles for being short, you should do so across the board. Anyway, I'll see for myself hopefully soon enough, as a friend picked up his copy yesterday.

not sure why you brought it up, but theres a pretty big difference between 5-6 and 8-10 as far as games are concerned.

 

[Acert93]

Well, that's a bit cheeky in my opinion. HS was heavily criticized for being short. An interview I've just seen on GT asked of Phil whether it's okay for HS to be short. Short games, I'm fine with, but if you're going to mark down titles for being short, you should do so across the board. Anyway, I'll see for myself hopefully soon enough, as a friend picked up his copy yesterday.

How is it cheeky?

There is a difference between a short game without multiplayer and a short game with multiplayer.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

If you're buying a game for multiplayer online, I agree. But for a single-player campaign experience, if a short game is to be scored down, shouldn't that also apply to all titles? This was raised elsewhere, with the suggestion games should get independent single-player and multiplayer reviews. Well, it's off topic here anywhere, so I'll shut up now!