Halo 3

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5503 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,271 out of 5503
  2. Mixed: 542 out of 5503
  3. Negative: 690 out of 5503
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  1. AlexD
    Apr 20, 2009
    8
    Halo 3 has its flaws, but they are greatly surpassed by its strengths. Let's start with the flaws. The single player in this game was simply... average, maybe even bad. The storyline was hard to get into and you never felt an attachment to the characters. Aside from this there were very few moments in the single player that really gave me chills or seemed "Epic". Aside from the Halo 3 has its flaws, but they are greatly surpassed by its strengths. Let's start with the flaws. The single player in this game was simply... average, maybe even bad. The storyline was hard to get into and you never felt an attachment to the characters. Aside from this there were very few moments in the single player that really gave me chills or seemed "Epic". Aside from the single player, which is bad, the multiplayer is great. The only problem with the multiplayer is the fact that many people in the Halo community are immature jerks who enjoy making other peoples' game experience unenjoyable. The rest of the multiplayer is flawless. Controls and weapon systems are top notch, and battles are exciting. The gameplay requires a huge amount of skill, at least compared to most FPS's. I've played many of the FPS's that people always say are more skillful than Halo (Counter Strike, Unreal Tournament III, Team Fortress 2, Gears of War 2, Call of Duty Games, and a few older FPS's.) and Halo beats many of these by a large margin. (From a skill perspective). I usually do well in matches and am considered and consider myself (atleast when I was good at Halo a while ago, before I started playing Fallout 3) a good Halo 3 player and I still run into many people who could easily destroy me. Overall, Halo 3 has a very lackluster storyline with an amazing multiplayer, but if you're looking for a compelling single player, try Half-Life 2 or Bioshock.… Expand
  2. BenT.
    Nov 26, 2007
    8
    The online multi-player is highly addictive and is very fun, though the 4-player online co-op doesn't work as well as you may want it to. Forge is a neat idea, but won't hold your interest for very long, but the saved films feature is very good. But, the campaign mode is very disappointing, and leaves you hanging at the end.
  3. BradG.
    Oct 13, 2007
    8
    Really fun, I rarely enjoy console games. The multiplayer is about as much fun as I'm going to have with a gamepad/controller. Still, in terms of single player gameplay, it really isn't a glorious achievement in the FPS world. Solid, shiny, pretty, fun, but not really deserving of the massive hype machine that seems to have driven the series since the first title started to take off.
  4. TomE.
    Oct 17, 2007
    8
    This game has very good game play and thank god the creatures are not easy to kill, it makes the game so much better. this game i think in my opinion is the best one out of the 3 that is why im giving it an 8 What a GREAT game.
  5. AlexTing
    Sep 24, 2007
    8
    Halo 3 was a well-thought out game on Bungie's part, they basically took everything great about Halo 1 and 2 (minus the campaigns) and made it slightly better. Nothing about this game really stands out as truly revolutionary, but this will definitely keep gamers busy for awhile. One of the main problems (for people like me) is that this game, like all the other games in the series,Halo 3 was a well-thought out game on Bungie's part, they basically took everything great about Halo 1 and 2 (minus the campaigns) and made it slightly better. Nothing about this game really stands out as truly revolutionary, but this will definitely keep gamers busy for awhile. One of the main problems (for people like me) is that this game, like all the other games in the series, look exactly the same, and in all truth, you are playing the exact same game again only with new weapons, maps etc... If you are a huge huge fan of Halo, which I know there are many here, this is exactly what you've been waiting for, for people hoping for some radical change or something innovative, you should at least give the game a try, it won't blow your brains out but it will keep you busy.… Expand
  6. catraven70
    Sep 25, 2007
    8
    Not too much new here! Same game, same enemies. Some of the weapons have changed and the graphics are a little prettier-but not enough to warrant me spending 70$. I like it but don't love-it's not Bioshock!
  7. JasonE.
    Sep 25, 2007
    8
    Graphics could be better. Single player gets a little repetitive. If you're gonna get this, get it only for the multiplayer.
  8. Anonymous
    Sep 26, 2007
    8
    People are giving it a 10, well. i wouldn't give it anywhere near it, or a 0. Halo 3 is massive disappointment in both campaign and multiplayer. Sure forge is good as well as recording, but the game is in fact no different. The graphical improvements aren't even that amazing.

    I'd wait till its 20$ and then go pick it up.
  9. TelyS.
    Sep 27, 2007
    8
    The single player campaign is marred by shabby, last-gen animation, ugly character faces (its no wonder The Chief wears a helmet) and terribly directed cutscenes that do a poor job depicting the complex fiction that fleshes out the game world. What works brilliantly are the amazing set-pieces that are fun to play over and over, and, of course, the insanely deep multiplayer suite that The single player campaign is marred by shabby, last-gen animation, ugly character faces (its no wonder The Chief wears a helmet) and terribly directed cutscenes that do a poor job depicting the complex fiction that fleshes out the game world. What works brilliantly are the amazing set-pieces that are fun to play over and over, and, of course, the insanely deep multiplayer suite that gives console gamers a taste of what PC multiplayer has always been about.… Expand
  10. zoolanderjimmy
    Sep 27, 2007
    8
    Meh...short...same old same old, except now its gettign older....so again i say meh.
  11. VinD.
    Mar 17, 2008
    8
    Classic game that only improves from the last two. The game is fun single player and Multiplayer coop is great also. Must have for all 360 owners!
  12. JoshuaA.
    May 18, 2008
    8
    Pretty solid campaign mode. The levels are extremely varied but you will eventually getting tired of using the battle rifle(which is pretty much what your gonna be using the whole time) The enemies dont really vary to much which makes them kinda boring. The weapons seem pretty decently balanced. the removal of a lock on rocket pretty much makes it useless in campaign. So you'll have Pretty solid campaign mode. The levels are extremely varied but you will eventually getting tired of using the battle rifle(which is pretty much what your gonna be using the whole time) The enemies dont really vary to much which makes them kinda boring. The weapons seem pretty decently balanced. the removal of a lock on rocket pretty much makes it useless in campaign. So you'll have to get used to using the spartan laser, which at first is pretty difficult but extremely satisfying. The Theather mode keeps things fresh by allowing you to save short film clips and take photos, which if you have xbox live can be viewed by others. Multiplayer is where this game really shines. Bungie usually pumps out new maps and game variants pretty quickly so its pretty hard to get bored. The maps seem pretty fair in layout so you cant blame how much you suck on the unfair spawing points and weapon locations. Overall this is a fun game that you'll probally be popping in years from now. Its not without its flaws but im sure we can all overlook them and appreciate this game for its great points… Expand
  13. AlexB.
    Dec 27, 2008
    8
    If you vote 0 or 1 then your vote should be thrown out because there's no way this game deserves such a low rating. It's not perfect and I understand that emotion goes into how you vote, but honestly, a 0 or a 1?
  14. DeVr33z
    Oct 30, 2010
    8
    Halo 3 doesn't change the formula by much but the things it adds, like forge and improved matchmaking, are enough to make it worth a purchase. Just don't expect to have your mind blown if you already played Halo 2, as the campaign and main game mechanics are almost identical.
  15. CoDFather
    Aug 14, 2010
    8
    This game was a little different than the other Halos, in good ways, and bad. First off, on the good side, there is a bigger selection of weapons than the first Halo, and thank Lord Jesus for that! Another good side, the game, just like the others, is filled with the longest damned levels in video game history. Why good? Takes up your time. Mostly bad, 'cause we just want to find out howThis game was a little different than the other Halos, in good ways, and bad. First off, on the good side, there is a bigger selection of weapons than the first Halo, and thank Lord Jesus for that! Another good side, the game, just like the others, is filled with the longest damned levels in video game history. Why good? Takes up your time. Mostly bad, 'cause we just want to find out how it ends. The ending? I guess Bungie was just lazy, or something, 'cause, why else would it end the same way? Exploding ship, escape in warthog, die with Cortana, or whatever. Another Keyes dies, stupid. Spartan- 117, or whatever number he is, dies? Really? I'd rather have a cliffhanger, like Dead Space, or Portal, or Half-Life, or Splinter Cell: Conviction.… Expand
  16. claychastain
    Nov 25, 2010
    8
    This is a great game. It has enjoyable graphics, a decent storyline, and a great multiplayer offering supported in turn by Bungie.net's range of features and statistics. I notice that everyone reviewing this game calls its overrated, and then choose to underrate it. But, this game is a solid 8, maybe even an 8.5. I spent so many hours playing this game with friends and I have mostly foundThis is a great game. It has enjoyable graphics, a decent storyline, and a great multiplayer offering supported in turn by Bungie.net's range of features and statistics. I notice that everyone reviewing this game calls its overrated, and then choose to underrate it. But, this game is a solid 8, maybe even an 8.5. I spent so many hours playing this game with friends and I have mostly found memories of it. The single player was neat to play through, but I don't think anyone serious about the game will stay for that: the multiplayer is what makes this game and on that front, it offers a type of balanced team-based gaming that no other game can match.… Expand
  17. n00b678
    Dec 28, 2010
    8
    I know I'm a little behind the ball on this, but this is my first year owning a 360 (got one of the new wireless ones for Christmas), and so this is the game I happened to get for it. As a person who's played all three games, I have to say this was one of the more satisfying ones, and yet, at the same time, I didn't have as much fun with it. Keep in mind that as I'm writing this review, II know I'm a little behind the ball on this, but this is my first year owning a 360 (got one of the new wireless ones for Christmas), and so this is the game I happened to get for it. As a person who's played all three games, I have to say this was one of the more satisfying ones, and yet, at the same time, I didn't have as much fun with it. Keep in mind that as I'm writing this review, I have yet to experience it through multiplayer, and in my day, I LOVED having friends around to play splitscreen muitplayer with as we shoved eachother around and cursed in anger (and generally laughed our asses off at the hilarious kills we got). That being said, from a single-player standpoint, I though this was a really cool game. Sure, the story was a little hard to follow at times, and I did get annoyed that it seemed that you were the only capable fighter on the battle field, and yet even on normal, I found myself time and time again being killed by the simple fact that there were sooooo many people trying to tear my face off at once. Most of the time, I could handle the covenant and the flood by shooting at them until their shields went down or they just weakened, and then I slammed them in the face with the butt of my rifle. While this might work against certain enemies, I found that really you only want to do that if the baddies happen to get separated, otherwise they will gangrape you. Overall, I was alright with the ending for the most part, up until they showed that somehow the portal closed just as the ship got halfway through it, allowing Arbiter through but leaving Master Chief and Cortana behind. Now THAT'S just silly. Still, despite my griping, this game glued me to the seat for a solid three days of gameplay, and I still intend on keeping it to check out the multiplayer. For some fairly solid gameplay, a decent and gripping story of survival, and the fact that it's half sci-fi drama and half action movie, I give this game a solid 8 out of 10… Expand
  18. miramax123
    Jun 18, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Tbh, the game doesn't even deserve that much critical bashing from envious PS3 players who know that you can only play Halo games on the Xbox 360. But the fact is the story line is not clearly understandable, especially the ending that left a lot of detailed questions regarding the remaining Covenant's plans. The game play however, is diverse and consistent in weaponry, the ambiance in later levels when you begin to face Flood enemies was impressive, some of the USNC soldiers especially were quite convincing when they reacted to witnessing the Flood threat. However, what the game lacks is the sense of support by the human soldiers you get at occasional times, every time I lead a squad they either end up getting killed by their own grenades or they seem to not have the common sense in avoiding an enemy by taking cover which results in me being the only one as John-117 handling all the overloaded amount of enemies in one place, hence the AI of the game acting like a mechanical clown. There are too many enemies in the in the second-last and final campaign level, for me, they were as useless as statues while adventurously driving my Warthog with another alien just enjoying the well-fitted soundtrack (that was a good idea!). On the overall, Halo 3 was a satisfactory conclusion to the long trilogy.… Expand
  19. ReviewAvenue
    Mar 13, 2011
    8
    I kind of ignored this game for a long time! I was a Nintendork. I still kind of am, but now, I'm a Wii60er! This game is fun and challenging! The story is really complicated to me, but that's okay, I literally said, "screw the story, let's kick some alien butt!" at one point. I love the theater mode and forge, in fact, I'm thinking of making a machinima because of them! I own atI kind of ignored this game for a long time! I was a Nintendork. I still kind of am, but now, I'm a Wii60er! This game is fun and challenging! The story is really complicated to me, but that's okay, I literally said, "screw the story, let's kick some alien butt!" at one point. I love the theater mode and forge, in fact, I'm thinking of making a machinima because of them! I own at matchmaking! I love using exclamation points! I give tribute to this game for broadening my horizons by 600%.… Expand
  20. drlowdon
    Jun 28, 2021
    8
    The final entry in the original trilogy, Master Chief finally returns to Earth to find Covenant forces have landed. Working with the Arbiter, he must find Cortana and save the planet before it's too late.

    Halo 3 is generally regarded as the best game in the series, and it’s hard to argue with that. As has always been the case with Halo there are a few pacing issues when the game insists    The final entry in the original trilogy, Master Chief finally returns to Earth to find Covenant forces have landed. Working with the Arbiter, he must find Cortana and save the planet before it's too late.

    Halo 3 is generally regarded as the best game in the series, and it’s hard to argue with that. As has always been the case with Halo there are a few pacing issues when the game insists on shuttling you down a series of drab corridors, but what it largely delivers is rock solid shooting mechanics coupled with a series of fantastic action set-pieces.    … Expand
  21. AllenLord
    Jun 19, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. this game was great and the campaign was a little rusty as u get farther into it but like always halo still came out with a great multiplayer like the new forge mode being able to create ur own battle field to just the way u will get an advantage just great but not the best just cause the game changed so much from halo 2 to 3 like how in 2 around the end u have grunts, elites, and hunters yet in 3 u have only elites… Expand
  22. KingerSays
    Sep 8, 2011
    8
    Good game, unbalanced multiplayer ruins the online experience. I would buy a few games over this, such as Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty: World at War and Halo: Combat Evolved.
  23. GentlemanRick
    Nov 8, 2011
    8
    Magnificant game!! WOwZa! love it play it all day! now i have to get a bath... im the boss.....yep, life is good. im playing halo 3! awesome game...let me tell ya folks!
  24. sinadoom
    Dec 25, 2011
    8
    This game to shooters is like what Forza 2 was to racing games. A huge step up for the next-gen console. I don't like the gameplay, but I do respect the huge amount of work that's gone into it- esprcially the multiplayer. It really is a complete package. Halo 3 was the first ever example of a complete package, 7th generation shooter. The sheer scale of this game was just incredible. As myThis game to shooters is like what Forza 2 was to racing games. A huge step up for the next-gen console. I don't like the gameplay, but I do respect the huge amount of work that's gone into it- esprcially the multiplayer. It really is a complete package. Halo 3 was the first ever example of a complete package, 7th generation shooter. The sheer scale of this game was just incredible. As my first ever console experience of a shooter, I have to say that Halo 3 blew me away in all aspects. The graphics, environments, weapons, a map editor in Forge, the multiplayer matchmaking featuring TrueSkill, file share, the number of game modes. It's all just so revolutionary. So why can't I give it 10/10? Even though I've spent countless hours with friends playing split screen, changing the number of game setting which not even Black Ops can match, and also you get split screen online with guest account. But the one thing that makes this not worthy is simply my dislike of the combat system. There's no recoil and another contributing factor is that it's a console shooter so controls aren't as fluent as Call of Duty. Clearly this game set the benchmark for complete package games- more so than Call of Duty 4. However, the simple combat is what's stopping me from giving this incredible game 10/10. The campaign is fantastic and can be played in co-op, the split-screen and game modes and settings available for you to change... still no other shooter has come close to offering so much in a shooter other than Halo Reach. The creativity here and the impact it had in 2007 are just unbelievable though.… Expand
  25. MediaFreak
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    With my review here, Understand that I'm reviewing it now, in almost 2012, and judging it by todays standards.

    Halo 3 was a great game when it came out, and I myself was in love with it for a good year of my life. But going back to it, it's very dated now. Anyone who thinks that Halo: Reach is not much different, should try going back and playing this. First off, the campaign mode is    With my review here, Understand that I'm reviewing it now, in almost 2012, and judging it by todays standards.

    Halo 3 was a great game when it came out, and I myself was in love with it for a good year of my life. But going back to it, it's very dated now. Anyone who thinks that Halo: Reach is not much different, should try going back and playing this. First off, the campaign mode is excellent. I'm not usually a fan of campaigns but the fact that ti's co-op meant I could play it with friends and it was a lo of fun with some very memorable places and some good variation as opposed to just the same constant shooting tactics. I really like Halo driving mechanics and I'm glad it makes used to them.

    The Multiplayer has some beautiful levels that even in this day an age, look very nice in HD. However, weird things like being able to fall off anywhere and it not hurt you at all feel out of place within the game, and the jumping always feels a bit to anti-grav. Even now you can still find people online to play against easily enough, but I would strongly reccomend moving on to a new better FPS game. In summary, great co-op campaign and worth playing through, but don't get it for the multiplayer mode as it hasn't aged too well in that respect.    … Expand
  26. ConnKon
    May 18, 2012
    8
    I was rather disappointed with halo 3. I couldn't follow the story and the gameplay was a bit boring. Maybe it's because I didn't play the other Halos. It's still a fun game: the mulpiplayer is lots of fun and the graphics are pretty nice. What made me give this an 8 in stead of a 7 is thanks to it's fantastic music.
  27. Welterweight426
    Jun 9, 2012
    8
    An Overrated Game. Its definately not bad. In fact the gameplay and multiplayer are great. But as someone who was new to Halo. None of it made sense. It would have been nice if there was a summary of the other games or something. Still, a decent game.
  28. Armotekma
    Jun 26, 2014
    8
    One of the few games I got all of the achievements for. Playing FFA on The Pit.. Getting a quad-kill with an energy sword? Awesome. Getting your last two achievements? Badass. Unlocking the katana to remember that forever? Priceless.
  29. kane148
    Aug 6, 2012
    8
    While probably over-hyped by many, this game is still rather good and delivers a great experience in both single-player and multiplayer. I enjoyed playing through the campaign in co-op mode with my roommate and then spending countless hours battling it out online in multiplayer. If you never played this, go ahead and drop the $10 to get a copy.
  30. Compi24
    Jun 25, 2013
    8
    Excellent multiplayer and an interesting story should ultimately leave gamers satisfied with the tentative conclusion to one of gaming's most beloved franchises.
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2007
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 85 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
  1. GameSpot
    95
    It's the addition of the Forge level editor and the saved films that give the game an even longer set of legs, legs that will probably keep you running at full speed until Bungie figures out where, exactly, to go from here.
    Read full review
  2. TeamXbox
    97
    Halo 3 is the best Xbox 360 game to date. The single-player campaign and storyline are both very strong, but it's Forge and the Saved Films features that will likely go down in history as Bungie's crowning achievements. They've basically taken everything great about the series and improved upon it in every way, then added some amazing new features that we'll be using for years to come.
    Read full review
  3. GamePro
    100
    It's solid gameplay, immense replayability, online functionality and incredible production values will ensure its place in video game history, and it is, without a doubt, a satisfying and fulfilling close to the beloved trilogy[?].
    Read full review
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