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. ToddT.
    Oct 13, 2007
    3
    this game was a joke in comparison of the first two halos. it took around 8 hrs play to beat this game. it was short and way to easy, I hope this is not the last one, unless they can not do any better than this one.
  2. ClintN/A
    Oct 13, 2007
    6
    The game is good, way better than Halo 2, yet the time it takes to kill an opponent in multiplayer is waaay too fast, and it is way slower to turn around on a controller than with a mouse, the game seems to be the quick and the dead, and not much strategy is involved versus games like HL2: deathmatch or Kill Zone. 500 years of technology, a full metal suit with a shield, and Gordon The game is good, way better than Halo 2, yet the time it takes to kill an opponent in multiplayer is waaay too fast, and it is way slower to turn around on a controller than with a mouse, the game seems to be the quick and the dead, and not much strategy is involved versus games like HL2: deathmatch or Kill Zone. 500 years of technology, a full metal suit with a shield, and Gordon Freeman can still take more bulllets.… Expand
  3. J.R.
    Oct 13, 2007
    5
    I had this game for a week. My time playing it went like this, Before multi player i did campaign to get some practice. The AI is good, but the story is not. Following the mistake made in Halo 2's story mode, i was hoping for a BIG improvement. I didn't get it. The story lacked any excitement or drama that Halo 1 had. The new vehicles were fun for about 5 minutes, but it really I had this game for a week. My time playing it went like this, Before multi player i did campaign to get some practice. The AI is good, but the story is not. Following the mistake made in Halo 2's story mode, i was hoping for a BIG improvement. I didn't get it. The story lacked any excitement or drama that Halo 1 had. The new vehicles were fun for about 5 minutes, but it really wasn't anything that hadn't been done before. The new weapons also. Story mode finished in under 10 hours. Multi player. Filled with annoying teenagers, kids and some mature people. The word PWN has not been used so much over chat i swear. The multi player was repetitive and bland, doing the exact same as halo 2 multi player. Basically, this is Halo 2 with polished graphics, too much advertisement for such a thing. But i guess it got them money. Graphics - 7/10, Framey and far too shiny. Gameplay - 6/10, I would rate it higher if it hadn't been done before. Story - 4/10, No dramatic changes, nothing very exciting. Poor. Multi player - 8/10, I wont base this on the 5 million people playing the game. Personally, i think its crap.… Expand
  4. J.J.C.C.
    Oct 13, 2007
    7
    What the crap happened with halo 3? What made halo 2 great was the effect of being drawn into the game; the feeling that you are the master chief. But in this game, the FEEL of the game has changed, its as if you are playing warcraft with guns on a PC. Graphics are not fully necessary to make a game great; it is the gameplay people! Bungie should have made this game more REALISTIC; how What the crap happened with halo 3? What made halo 2 great was the effect of being drawn into the game; the feeling that you are the master chief. But in this game, the FEEL of the game has changed, its as if you are playing warcraft with guns on a PC. Graphics are not fully necessary to make a game great; it is the gameplay people! Bungie should have made this game more REALISTIC; how come a melee hit takes more damage than a bullet !?! So much hype for a halo 1 type gameplay with no 21st century REALISTIC physical dimentionality!… Expand
  5. A.Nonymous
    Oct 13, 2007
    2
    An obnoxious, uninspiring mess of a game. Halo truly is the Harry Potter of the gaming world; a generic thing at the right place at the right time. At best, I would have given this a 4-5, but the fact that it has been neglected to the point of utter indiference by it's creators and portrays itself as a masterpiece, it deserves a 2. Do not believe the hype.
  6. 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.
  7. Klm1
    Oct 13, 2007
    4
    Boring storyline. Really bad gameplay. here's a list of what could be done to improve gameplay.
    1. New storyline (enough with the cliff hangers leading to disappointing finishes)
    2. should have bought back the homing rocket 3. not enough use of the Spartan laser (whats the point of bringing it into the game if we are not gonna get to use it all that much) 4. Let's pilot more    Boring storyline. Really bad gameplay. here's a list of what could be done to improve gameplay.
    1. New storyline (enough with the cliff hangers leading to disappointing finishes)
    2. should have bought back the homing rocket
    3. not enough use of the Spartan laser (whats the point of bringing it into the game if we are not gonna get to use it all that much)
    4. Let's pilot more vehicles (wraiths were easily destroyed and I don't remember being able to pilot any banshee's). The stupid flying unsc vehicle (whatever its called) sucked. you could not get it to fly high enough. WHAT GIVES?
    5. Let's pilot a SCARAB. how about that?
    6. Give us better bosses (like halo 2). fighting the scarab's was the only boss that was interesting in the whole game
    7. If the gravemind was evil, let master chief finish him off, not another nuclear bomb-run-for-your-life ending.
    8. more ability to scale the terrain
    9. bring back dual weilding needlers
    10. if you are gonna bring back weapons from the first game, make sure the player has the ability to use it like they did in the first game (a.k.a pistol - no zooming capability)

    thats all i have to say. thoroughly disappointed after finishing the game even on legendary.    … Expand
  8. SteveR.
    Oct 13, 2007
    9
    For a longtime PC FPS gamer who didn't really get Halo 1 or 2, and why it was so popular, Halo 3 did an amazing thing. It converted me. I genuinely enjoyed the game so much that I wanted to press on with the Campaign mode to its conclusion, although when I managed this, I felt an odd sense of disappointment that there was no more. For me, this is rare, and only ever really For a longtime PC FPS gamer who didn't really get Halo 1 or 2, and why it was so popular, Halo 3 did an amazing thing. It converted me. I genuinely enjoyed the game so much that I wanted to press on with the Campaign mode to its conclusion, although when I managed this, I felt an odd sense of disappointment that there was no more. For me, this is rare, and only ever really experienced before with Half Life 1 & 2, Knights of the Old Republic and Final Fantasy VII. The only reason this didn't get a 10 is because as the 3rd game in a trilogy, some of the story is a little hard to follow for those who haven't played or failed to complete Halos 1 & 2. (I made sure I looked at the plot overview on Wikipedia for these so that I wasn't confused or lost by the plot). The online multiplayer also seems very good, although I have only just started playing. It does seem a lot more balanced than the Halo 2 multiplayer, which I dabbled with but didn't like half as much, (mainly due to the sheer number of people taking advantage of what I now know are button glitches). Hats off to Bungie for putting together such a fine game! Don't believe the PS3 owners on here who are obviously marking the game down because their system has no 'killer app' at present. Finish the Fight !… Expand
  9. EdmundL.
    Oct 13, 2007
    6
    Halo 3 wasn't great, It was average. A lot of places just seem to be giving it straight tens even though the campaign wasn't great, becuase apparantly the multiplayer "Makes up for that". But surely a 10 worthy game doesn't need excuses right?
  10. L.D.
    Oct 12, 2007
    9
    The best multiplayer game you'll ever play, but the campaign is a little short and unintersting... liked to see more out of the ending. Great game
  11. AdamK.
    Oct 12, 2007
    10
    Best campaign ever in a game (i could care less what others think) best ending ever in a game trilogy, even though its obviously not over and of course the worlds #1 MP. best game ever created.
  12. AndyL.
    Oct 12, 2007
    1
    I guess that Halo3 is great IF you've never played another FPS all your life or have only been playing games on console for the past 10 years. The story is weak, the graphics are pulled straight from Halo2, and the game doesn't really try to do anything innovative. If you LOVED Halo2 then you'll like this. If however you have played; Half-Life (1&2), System Shock 2, Thief, I guess that Halo3 is great IF you've never played another FPS all your life or have only been playing games on console for the past 10 years. The story is weak, the graphics are pulled straight from Halo2, and the game doesn't really try to do anything innovative. If you LOVED Halo2 then you'll like this. If however you have played; Half-Life (1&2), System Shock 2, Thief, Unreal Tournament, Quake, BioShock, or in fact any other FPS on a PC in the last 10 years, do yourself a favour, save the cash and buy Half-Life 2 Orange Box instead.… Expand
  13. JacobB.
    Oct 11, 2007
    10
    One of the best games I have played in a long time
  14. LanaR.
    Oct 11, 2007
    8
    Aesthetically, the game is amazing to look at. The campaign mode was definitely short but I found it really fun. I liked the new weapons and the revamping of the old ones to look and sound more amazing. The new tools, such as the auto-turret and the regenerator and the bubble shield, etc etc are kind of pointless in multiplayer and take too much concentration to deploy. I am having a Aesthetically, the game is amazing to look at. The campaign mode was definitely short but I found it really fun. I liked the new weapons and the revamping of the old ones to look and sound more amazing. The new tools, such as the auto-turret and the regenerator and the bubble shield, etc etc are kind of pointless in multiplayer and take too much concentration to deploy. I am having a problem with multiplayer mode in general. I thought I was pretty damn decent in Halo 2 multiplayer, and now I feel like I'm a total newbie. I feel like I have no advantage over other players with any weapon combinations I choose. It almost feels like you're playing in third person compared to Halo 2 feeling like you were right there in the game. Is it just me, or do you not FEEL getting hit or shot? It's like you're running around just fine and suddenly you're lying there dead without any warning, and I don't find multiplayer as fun as H2.… Expand
  15. IanL.
    Oct 10, 2007
    10
    Halo is simply the best game out there. Almost everything about it is flawless, and its replayability is endless.
  16. SimonR.
    Oct 10, 2007
    6
    The underwhelming, short campaign is saved by the multi player and it's new features - but only just.The end sequence is disappointing and unsatisfying while the constant backtracking is frustrating. Of course this was always going to be a solid FPS and it is - I was just expecting more. If you're looking for Halo 2 with nicer graphics - Halo 3 is great (maybe Bungie should have The underwhelming, short campaign is saved by the multi player and it's new features - but only just.The end sequence is disappointing and unsatisfying while the constant backtracking is frustrating. Of course this was always going to be a solid FPS and it is - I was just expecting more. If you're looking for Halo 2 with nicer graphics - Halo 3 is great (maybe Bungie should have called it Halo 2.5?). If you're strapped for cash, don't have Live and can only choose one game at the moment... Bioshock is an infinitely more memorable and rewarding experience.… Expand
  17. JamesH.
    Oct 9, 2007
    5
    Meh, It's better than alot of fps that are crap, I mean it's an operable and playable game. but as a single player experience it's pretty dull. Teh alienz wantz to killz teh galexiez with Teh Haloz! but no, really. It's polished, it plays nicely, you shoot stuff and blow stuff up. but theres not a whole lot of satisfaction. I just thought "I'm shooting aliens on Meh, It's better than alot of fps that are crap, I mean it's an operable and playable game. but as a single player experience it's pretty dull. Teh alienz wantz to killz teh galexiez with Teh Haloz! but no, really. It's polished, it plays nicely, you shoot stuff and blow stuff up. but theres not a whole lot of satisfaction. I just thought "I'm shooting aliens on halo.." when I could be doing "X". Other than that I'm sure the multiplayer mode is fun, and you're all really excited. (by you I mean the fanboys) but It's just not that interesting/rewarding/exciting compared to my game library, or even other XB360 titles (Bioshock, The orange box) and props to bioshock for holding a higher metascore than teh hype masheen.… Expand
  18. DanielS
    Oct 9, 2007
    0
    Just like Rolf S. said been there done that. They replaced the arborter guy's with brutes and kept the grunts. They still wear blue except the one with the gold on him. Weapons the same except for like 2 or 3 of them. You can't go anywhere with anything like you could in Halo 2 which was part of the fun. I liked trying to squeeze a tank through a doorway that it can't fit Just like Rolf S. said been there done that. They replaced the arborter guy's with brutes and kept the grunts. They still wear blue except the one with the gold on him. Weapons the same except for like 2 or 3 of them. You can't go anywhere with anything like you could in Halo 2 which was part of the fun. I liked trying to squeeze a tank through a doorway that it can't fit through. Also once I get through the door I like to use my tank to get through the level lol. That was fun. I don't know what happened to bungie but I think the only reason they had delays on the release is cause they were to busy drinking cocktails in the bahamas with the money they were supposed to use to make a great game. I can't wait for COD 4. It will blow Halo 3 out of the water then step on it to make it stop wiggling then put a hole in it's head.… Expand
  19. MichaelC.
    Oct 9, 2007
    1
    Listen up fanboys....you have been duped. Halo3 is nothing new. Sure they gave you a few new weapons and some new maps but heck..the best map of the bunch is from Halo2! This game feels like you are running in mud. The action is slow. Respawn times are excrutiatingly slow. I know that the fanboys who waited outside and bought the deluxe version will never admit that they bought a stinker Listen up fanboys....you have been duped. Halo3 is nothing new. Sure they gave you a few new weapons and some new maps but heck..the best map of the bunch is from Halo2! This game feels like you are running in mud. The action is slow. Respawn times are excrutiatingly slow. I know that the fanboys who waited outside and bought the deluxe version will never admit that they bought a stinker but I can admit it. "Hi, my name is Michael." (group) "Hello Michael". "I'm here today cause I fell victim to the media hype of Halo3" (group hug)… Expand
  20. Silence_L
    Oct 9, 2007
    5
    Multi-player sucks; only two game modes for team slayer (BORING) . I thought campaign was more interesting because multi player seems like you'll just get shot in the back after brawling it out with someone. Its rare you'll get more than two kills in a row becayse someone will just comes in fresh to kill you after you've already taken damage from the shoot-out you just had.
  21. masterchief.okmyrealnamesstephen
    Oct 9, 2007
    10
    please its obvious they are already making halo 4. *spoilers* if you have completed the game then you know the master chief dies. it doesnt show him dying it just shows him on the ship telling cortana that they are gonna make it. then it skips straight to some sort of gathering on earth talking boot how they won the war and saying that the master chief died. i reckon halo 4 will be aboutplease its obvious they are already making halo 4. *spoilers* if you have completed the game then you know the master chief dies. it doesnt show him dying it just shows him on the ship telling cortana that they are gonna make it. then it skips straight to some sort of gathering on earth talking boot how they won the war and saying that the master chief died. i reckon halo 4 will be about how he died. this is the best game on 360 but also the shortest. took me boot 6 hours.… Expand
  22. JasonLarge
    Oct 9, 2007
    9
    It never ceases to amaze me how many haters there are out there. Everyone seems like they want bungie to reinvent what made Halo so great. For all of you who say that you've played it before....what did you expect? Did you expect Bungie to say "well Halo 2 is one of the top selling games of all time but I think we can make it better if we completely change everything aboutit". YesIt never ceases to amaze me how many haters there are out there. Everyone seems like they want bungie to reinvent what made Halo so great. For all of you who say that you've played it before....what did you expect? Did you expect Bungie to say "well Halo 2 is one of the top selling games of all time but I think we can make it better if we completely change everything aboutit". Yes we all palyed halo 2 so we have all see this before but Halo 3 has a better campaign, better multiplayer options, new well integrated weapons and the multiplayer maps are better than in Halo 2. This isn't the end all be all of games but it is certainly better than the unfair criticism that it recieves on here.… Expand
  23. GuiltyDragon
    Oct 9, 2007
    9
    I thought we were past days where people would just look at the default campaign settings for the basis of a review. There is SO much here for your money. The game's story is pretty much a backdrop for the missions and does help the games flow, but is by no means essential for enjoyment. It's fair to say there is nothing radically different about Halo 3's campaign mode. If I thought we were past days where people would just look at the default campaign settings for the basis of a review. There is SO much here for your money. The game's story is pretty much a backdrop for the missions and does help the games flow, but is by no means essential for enjoyment. It's fair to say there is nothing radically different about Halo 3's campaign mode. If you didn't like the others, you probably won't like this. However, play it on heroic or above and you'll see what a finely balanced, intense and rewarding combat experiance it is. This is Halo at it's purest, most finely tuned level. I've found that most people who rank this game low has either played through it on normal (the "Wal-Mart crowd" setting) or has not delved into multiplayer, theatre mode or forge mode at all. Here is where the real meat is brought to the table. Theatre should soon become a standard amongst all multiplayer FPS games. RTS players have for some time now, treated match replays as gospel for improving their skills. Now FPS players have that chance aswell. By watching matches in which you did particularly well (or badly) you can definatly improve your game. For example, I have watched the early replays of my online games to learn which "weapon run" I should take from each spawn point, making it easier to get tooled up after I get killed. My only gripe at this is that there is no easy way to get your videos played back on a computer without hooking up your Xbox to a PC with screengrabbing software. Finally, Forge succesfully combines a sandbox game with a level editor. Everyone can have fun in forge. Seriously, my wife hates FPS games, but after a bit of nagging I got her to try forge. We spent hours on there mucking around in The Pit, creating piles of explosive crates, driving vehicles up walls, corpsehumping each other, it was awesome. There is no other way such a staunch opponent of FPS games could have enjoyed Halo 3 apart from like this. It's a breath of fresh air that the FPS genre really needs. … Expand
  24. BenA.
    Oct 9, 2007
    2
    Basically all that needs to be said about Halo 3 is that its Halo 2 redone with better graphics and a few new toys. The plot of the campaign is mostly meaningless and pointless to follow for the most part. Its done nothing new and even the fps elements that it did manage to pull off have been done already, and better. But the main reason why ever buys this game is of course for the MP, Basically all that needs to be said about Halo 3 is that its Halo 2 redone with better graphics and a few new toys. The plot of the campaign is mostly meaningless and pointless to follow for the most part. Its done nothing new and even the fps elements that it did manage to pull off have been done already, and better. But the main reason why ever buys this game is of course for the MP, which in and of itself is mediocre. There is nothing inherently ground breaking about anything in Halo. I for one don't accept the argument that the MP makes up for the poor single player. Its being hailed as such an immense achievement for the world of gaming. Shouldn't have to be excused for its poor story and game play because of all the 12 year olds that play it online What you really get when you buy this game is half of a game. Might as well save 30 bucks and buy Team Fortress 2 which is only a MP game.… Expand
  25. JackS.
    Oct 8, 2007
    10
    Who cares if it didnt completly change what halo 2 and 1 established, you know what they say if it aint broke dont fix it. The game keeps the awesomeness of halo 2 but rejuvenates it with nice graphics weapons maps equipment, and enough with the halo 2.5 nonsense, map editor, video editor, 4 player online coop, complex and in depth stat tracking system, equipment, completly makes it a Who cares if it didnt completly change what halo 2 and 1 established, you know what they say if it aint broke dont fix it. The game keeps the awesomeness of halo 2 but rejuvenates it with nice graphics weapons maps equipment, and enough with the halo 2.5 nonsense, map editor, video editor, 4 player online coop, complex and in depth stat tracking system, equipment, completly makes it a fresh experience. And if you think multiplayer is the same as halo 2 you barley played the game or suck at it, halo 2 multiplayer is very fine tuned and balanced adding one minor thing can drastically change the way its played, the introduction of equipment, unmountable turrets new weapons, completly changes the way the game is played, and not to mention halo 3 dual weilding is almost obsolete, unlike in halo 2 in which it was very important.… Expand
  26. RedR.
    Oct 8, 2007
    6
    10/10 for multiplayer 5/10 for obscenly short single player campaign. Did they really spend all those months working on this game? Single player can be completed by an average gams in probably 4-5 hours. 4/10 for graphics. Graphics are very dissapointing and bland and definitely NOT next generation. Most PC gamers will vouch for the fact that most FPS games on PCs from 3-4 years ago (Far 10/10 for multiplayer 5/10 for obscenly short single player campaign. Did they really spend all those months working on this game? Single player can be completed by an average gams in probably 4-5 hours. 4/10 for graphics. Graphics are very dissapointing and bland and definitely NOT next generation. Most PC gamers will vouch for the fact that most FPS games on PCs from 3-4 years ago (Far Cry etc) looked better than this. If multiplayer is not you thing, I cannot recommend buying this game. A 2 night purchase from Blockbuster will probably be more value for money. Overall 6/10 is a fair score. I expect Edge magazine will probably give it a 7/10 max.… Expand
  27. NathanP.
    Oct 8, 2007
    10
    Most game for your money. Very polished and balanced. Better features then any console game.
  28. RolfS.
    Oct 8, 2007
    2
    Yawn. Played it already. It was called Halo 2.
  29. EricV.
    Oct 8, 2007
    8
    The graphics WERE AMAZING! If your playing it on a 10 year old T.V. set then your OBVIOUSLY not going to be able to see the sharpness and high quality of the graphics. DUH! Anyways, I liked the campaign mode over all even if it was incredibly short... the other annoying thing was them having you fight your way forward in a level only to fight your way back the way you came all over again The graphics WERE AMAZING! If your playing it on a 10 year old T.V. set then your OBVIOUSLY not going to be able to see the sharpness and high quality of the graphics. DUH! Anyways, I liked the campaign mode over all even if it was incredibly short... the other annoying thing was them having you fight your way forward in a level only to fight your way back the way you came all over again in a attempt to avoid loading time. But overall, it was good. The ending leaves a lot to the mind.… Expand
  30. FPSMaster
    Oct 7, 2007
    6
    This franchise has not aged well. It basically hasn't changed since the first game 6 years ago, and in most ways is worse. The story that I used to think was so great seems really lame 6 years later and the campaign is just flat out dull and boring. The MP hasn't changed since Halo 2 other than some new weapons, some buttons switched around on the controller, more lag and worse This franchise has not aged well. It basically hasn't changed since the first game 6 years ago, and in most ways is worse. The story that I used to think was so great seems really lame 6 years later and the campaign is just flat out dull and boring. The MP hasn't changed since Halo 2 other than some new weapons, some buttons switched around on the controller, more lag and worse hit detection with everything from melees to grenades to bullets. Biggest let down in the history of gaming (something the 360 really didn't need any more of) so I'm glad Bungie split from M$ after playing this atrocity. This series and developer are nothing more than on-hit-wonders and I'm sorry I wasted so much time defending this fracnhise for so long. The fact that this console even exists merely because of this franchise makes me wonder what the Hell the world is coming to. Lame.… Expand
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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

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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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