Geek vs Life

I must have hit my head funny or had the worst case of deja vu ever. My visor reset as the gravel fell from above, a brief blip as the video uplink established itself once again. The ground below me started shaking as the sky suddenly dimmed.

“Incoming Scarab,” the voice over my intercom announced. I looked up at one of the gargantuan four legged beasts that had caused so much destruction in the past towering over me. Balls of unstable supercharged particles erupted from the mouth of mechanical creature, while a small group of alien warriors fired at us. I looked over at my partner in the battle, raised my plasma cannon, and ran in to join the fury.

I have to admit that in the past, I have really disliked Halo. Perhaps more because the controls seemed off, or the people that generally played it. Yet, this time around, I’ve totally enjoyed myself. I haven’t had this much fun playing with friends since the days of You Don’t Know Jack.

Graphically, the game is superb. Crisp sharp figures and detailed backgrounds make for a very visually immersive experience. Be careful when playing this on a non-HD TV. Some of the text and minute details will blend in with the background, especially on the desert levels. The physics engine makes much of the objects around you interactive, and the general feel while you’re playing is very real. A lot of attention to detail has gone into the game.

It’s easy to play through the solo and campaign modes in about 10 hours, but you’re going to miss out on a lot that’s going on. The campaign mode allows players to go through the solo mode storyline with partners, either sitting next to you or over Xbox Live. But if you’re playing it, you’re really just doing the storyline for fluff, and practice. Where the game shines is in multiplayer. With several new maps that are larger and more open than previous incarnations of the Halo series, there is a lot to do. New weapons and vehicles populate the game that can be ridiculously powerful.

Another new feature of the game is the Forge mode. This gives players, either local or networked, the ability to adjust levels according to their own wishes. At any point, a player can swap out of their bodies, taking the form of a floating camera. They now have access to a menu that shows items and decorations that can be placed anywhere on the map, as well as a price and maximum number that can be bougth. All players can access these items, but the pool of your inventory is shared. While in the camera you can pick up and move things already in the level, potentially really pissing of your fellow players. Keep in mind that as a camera, you can still be killed.

There are a few easter eggs to look for as you’re playing through, along with some choice lines if you pay attention to the world around you, as well as some quarky vehicular accidents.

Halo 3 doesn’t redefine the genre of first person shooters, but it is a gleaming example of them. But be forewarned, if your internet connection isn’t strong, you can lag yourself to death, or make the game unplayable. I give Halo 3 a 9 out of 10. It is genre defining, but does not change the industry overall, but it is most definitely a lot of fun and makes Xbox Live worth it if you don’t already have it.