TacticalFox88
Banned
While recently, I haven't been a fan of the series as ODST and Reach burned me out (I've already told GAF hundreds of times why I hate those games, no need to be redundant) I recently started to look up some old Halo 3 vids for the hell of it and it made me realize: Halo 3 was fucking amazing.
Let's start off with the weapons: They brought back the motherfucking Assault Rifle. AR vs BR rifle debates aside, I couldn't give a damn, this weapon was my primary weapon in CE and was in H3. Sure, stats-wise, it might not have been *that* great, but that just made it all the more fun. Killing enemies on Legendary with a supposed *weak* gun felt oh so satisfying. While the inclusion of new weapons like the Bruke Spiker, Gravity Hammer, etc were all very nice additions, nostalgia elevates the AR above every single one of them, at least IMO.
I loved the inclusion of items. At first I was worried, but then when I actually played the fucking game it was magical! Bubbleshield <3 o
Levels: While they're are some missions that are definite misses (No need to mention Cortana or Crows Nest). There are some lows, but when Halo 3 hits its highs my god is it one of the best gameplay experiences ever.
(Warning some spoilers)
Sierra 117: Let's start off here. Sierra 117 showed off the beautiful new engine Bungie had created for Xbox 360. In my eyes, it still holds up well. Not from a technical perspective, no. But from a purely artistic and atmospheric standpoint. Halo 3 starts with you in a goddamn jungle. Fighting alongside the freaking Arbiter. As you walk down the paths you start to get a feel for the world and astute players can see all the attention to detail Bungie put in its first level.
You hear sounds that clearly indicate Brutes are up ahead. Your first instinct is to tackle these guys like you did in Halo 2. Some follow this instinct, some don't. I admittedly did. So I rushed these guys without thinking, a bit excited that I was playing a next generation Halo game omg! and decisively got my ass handed to me (Heroic difficulty mind you). It was strange. The Brutes didn't act like anything in Halo 2. They had a pack mentality. The AI had improved to the extent where I had to switch tactics on the fly, and carefully plan my kills. The increased intelligence of the lesser Covenant Enemies didn't necessarily help things either.
Sierra 117 was the level that demonstrated that if you didn't play smart on higher difficulties (hell even lower ones) you were rewarded with dying...and dying....and dying some more.
The Ark/The Covenant: These are Hands down the best missions in the game and easily compete with The Silent Cartographer and Assault on the Control room for the title as "Best Halo mission ever!" This where Bungie threw everything but the kitchen sink at the player. Come on now, you can't tell me your jaw didn't drop the minute you heard "I see two Scarabs, I repeat two scarabs!" You could choose to tackle the missions in so many ways. One time I tried to defeat all enemies just by running them over with a mongoose. Or I can use the tank all the way. Hmm...how about seeing if I can use the tank all the way without it visibly taking damage? Covenant weapons only? So. Much. Variety. It's fucking ridiculous.
Story: Looking back, I think prefer the story here than Halo 2. This cutscene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iG1ElOrhII pretty much solidified my love for the story. The music. The dialogue. Voice Acting. Call Backs. Seeing the relationship between the Arbiter and the MC go from a common goal only thing keeping them from killing each other and then by end game genuine mutual trust was a sight to behold.
Multiplayer/Forge: This was where the game shined. Halo 3's MP was fuck-awesome whether offline or online. The additional weapons, vehicles, and items added a sense of scale and fun that hasn't been replicated (except...maybe....Warhawk) the rest of this gen.
TLDR: Everything about Halo 3 is still awesome to this day and I hope 343 looks here for inspiration than Reach, honestly.
Let's start off with the weapons: They brought back the motherfucking Assault Rifle. AR vs BR rifle debates aside, I couldn't give a damn, this weapon was my primary weapon in CE and was in H3. Sure, stats-wise, it might not have been *that* great, but that just made it all the more fun. Killing enemies on Legendary with a supposed *weak* gun felt oh so satisfying. While the inclusion of new weapons like the Bruke Spiker, Gravity Hammer, etc were all very nice additions, nostalgia elevates the AR above every single one of them, at least IMO.
I loved the inclusion of items. At first I was worried, but then when I actually played the fucking game it was magical! Bubbleshield <3 o
Levels: While they're are some missions that are definite misses (No need to mention Cortana or Crows Nest). There are some lows, but when Halo 3 hits its highs my god is it one of the best gameplay experiences ever.
(Warning some spoilers)
Sierra 117: Let's start off here. Sierra 117 showed off the beautiful new engine Bungie had created for Xbox 360. In my eyes, it still holds up well. Not from a technical perspective, no. But from a purely artistic and atmospheric standpoint. Halo 3 starts with you in a goddamn jungle. Fighting alongside the freaking Arbiter. As you walk down the paths you start to get a feel for the world and astute players can see all the attention to detail Bungie put in its first level.
You hear sounds that clearly indicate Brutes are up ahead. Your first instinct is to tackle these guys like you did in Halo 2. Some follow this instinct, some don't. I admittedly did. So I rushed these guys without thinking, a bit excited that I was playing a next generation Halo game omg! and decisively got my ass handed to me (Heroic difficulty mind you). It was strange. The Brutes didn't act like anything in Halo 2. They had a pack mentality. The AI had improved to the extent where I had to switch tactics on the fly, and carefully plan my kills. The increased intelligence of the lesser Covenant Enemies didn't necessarily help things either.
Sierra 117 was the level that demonstrated that if you didn't play smart on higher difficulties (hell even lower ones) you were rewarded with dying...and dying....and dying some more.
The Ark/The Covenant: These are Hands down the best missions in the game and easily compete with The Silent Cartographer and Assault on the Control room for the title as "Best Halo mission ever!" This where Bungie threw everything but the kitchen sink at the player. Come on now, you can't tell me your jaw didn't drop the minute you heard "I see two Scarabs, I repeat two scarabs!" You could choose to tackle the missions in so many ways. One time I tried to defeat all enemies just by running them over with a mongoose. Or I can use the tank all the way. Hmm...how about seeing if I can use the tank all the way without it visibly taking damage? Covenant weapons only? So. Much. Variety. It's fucking ridiculous.
Story: Looking back, I think prefer the story here than Halo 2. This cutscene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iG1ElOrhII pretty much solidified my love for the story. The music. The dialogue. Voice Acting. Call Backs. Seeing the relationship between the Arbiter and the MC go from a common goal only thing keeping them from killing each other and then by end game genuine mutual trust was a sight to behold.
Multiplayer/Forge: This was where the game shined. Halo 3's MP was fuck-awesome whether offline or online. The additional weapons, vehicles, and items added a sense of scale and fun that hasn't been replicated (except...maybe....Warhawk) the rest of this gen.
TLDR: Everything about Halo 3 is still awesome to this day and I hope 343 looks here for inspiration than Reach, honestly.
