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Saturday, February 14, 2009 |
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Halo 3 = done
From 6/30/08
Holy crap.
That phrase best summarizes my experience, enjoyment, and astonishment with this game.
Obligatory Late-to-the-Party Explanation: I HATE fanboys, and by extension, approach their games with trepidation. This includes the Halo, Mario Brothers, Civilization, and Zelda Franchises; Crysis (still haven't purchased it yet), Oblivion (still haven't played it yet), etc.
But I can only hear the hype (propped by an occasional voice from one I respect) for so long, before I get curious... or lucky.
A few years ago, I purchased a new piece of computer hardware (graphics card?) that came with Halo for the PC. While it wansn't fantastic or groundbreaking, it was intruiging and fun enough to make me finish the game and enjoy the time spent. "If this is the best thing Xbox owners have, I pity them. But at least the game doesn't suck," I thought.
After buying a Xbox 360, I borrowed Halo 2 from my brother-in-law. It was ok. It should be noted that I don't often play console games for multiplayer - I prefer competing with a mouse and keyboard The game advanced the plot, but I couldn't help but feel that the script was a failed literary attempt at reproducing "The Empire Strikes Back."
I'm glad I played it, else the third game's plotline would have left me clueless.
After copmleting Halo 3, I see that Bungie has put its money into wise territory: polish and production. While the gameplay, art, story, etc. all felt like staple Halo, every aspect of the game seemed to gleam with polish. I could practically envision the large pile of paper that sat in the editor's trash can. Everything just felt tighter, more alive, and better presented.
The only gripe I have (yes, only one) is the AI for friendly drivers. To illustrate the low quality pathfinding skills the AI possesed, I had a ten minute conversation with my wife while my character electronically fought-back nausea due to his companion's constant donuts. That's right, the AI had the driver of a Warthog (like a Humvee to the uninitiated) driving back and forth, round and round, over 20 feet of the map. This ceased when I finally yanked the driver from the wheel, steered the vehicle forward 5 feet, turned around a tree, and then gave him back the wheel.
That easily-bypassed issue aside, I enjoyed this game so much, I may actually go back and play on a harder difficulty, try co-op, or even (gasp) multiplayer.
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