The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'Halo 3'.
After all the excitement, all the hype and all the drooling fanboys eagerly awaiting it's release it's finally here.
Halo3 is set to be one of the biggest releases of the year and sales figures already show that it's likely to be even more popular than the previous two halo titles.
This review will probably be a little different to other Halo3 reviews as I am one of the small few who have never played either Halo or Halo 2. So no biased views based on the previous games here.
First off, from the first level you play, visually the game for me was a bit disappointing – when you compare it to great looking games like Gears of War then it lacks that little something special in terms of overall looks. Some textures appear a bit rough and jagged but you'll quickly put up with them and focus more on the gameplay and storyline. Especially when you reach areas that have so much going on on-screen at once – multiple groups on enemies in gun fights look pretty good and you'll soon overlook any dodgy looking textures. The in game cut scenes and explosions look great and you'll pretty soon become totally immersed in the game.
The storyline was a little tricky to follow as the game continues from where Halo 2 ended (or so I'm told) – so if like me you haven't played the previous two games then you might want to pick them up cheap and play through them first or have a look on the internet to get a run-down of the story the game follows. After a short opening cut scene your pretty much thrown in at the deep end and you'll need to work out what buttons do what on your own although most gamers should pick them up quickly. The campaign mode reminded me a lot of Half Life 2 (Which is no bad thing) in terms of looks and feel of the game and also the rather strange but entertaining storyline.
Once you get a few levels though you'll quickly begin to follow things to some extent although understanding the storyline fully is rather tricky and I'm not sure I'll ever really get what it's all about. Sadly like most first person shooters the game does seem to follow a very linear path and there are hardly any additional areas/rooms for you to enter or explore. You are given set objectives which you carry out in order to progress to the next level. The enemy AI varies at times, the hardest difficulty setting “Legendary” will provide a challenge even for the most experienced gamers around and the AI will pummel you with grenades and bullets from all angles – the snipers especially are very unforgiving. That being said though the enemy AI don't really make much use of cover and tend to stick around the one area making them easier targets. Only a few of them will actually make a move towards you in an attempt to attack you properly.
There seems to be little replay value in the single player game and I expect for most gamers a few plays through on their own or on co-op will be as much as they will play. Once they've collected all of the hidden skulls and achievements I doubt many will play through it again. Luckily though there is quit a vast online side to the game too.
There are some great new features included in the game too:
It's now possible to record in game footage and share the video clips with other halo3 gamers, what makes this feature even more outstanding is that the video can be viewed from any angle you wish. Great for capturing those special moments throughout the game. All the single player and multiplayer games you play are recorded automatically and through the theatre mode you can go back and watch them and save them or take screenshots from them to view later and send to your friends. It's an impressive feature that's sure to be used to provide some excellent screenshots and videos.
The forge is also another new addition to the game, basically you set up an online game and then while the game is in progress you can place weapons and vehicles anywhere you like and move objects all over the map. It's an interesting feature but sadly I think it may go largely unused as the other multiplayer options seem to be ultimately far more popular.
You are also able to play the entire campaign mode as co-op with a total of 4 players – for me this made the campaign mode much more enjoyable and made playing on the hardest game setting that little more possible to get through. Your friends take on the role of allied characters – two of which are completely new to the game. It works very well and makes hunting for skulls or trying to reach point totals all the more enjoyable.
Online is where Halo 3 shines through, there are the usual multiplayer game modes to get to grips with such as capture the flag, team death match etc. as well as some not common to most games such as infection and king of the hill. Fans of Halo 2's online features will find this exactly what they are after and many Halo 2 maps have been re-produced and included to play on. You can customise your characters appearance slightly and unlock new options as you progress through the game. There are quite a large variety of maps and weapons and add in some vehicles and decent sized teams and you are in for quite an entertaining multiplayer experience.
I did notice at times though some online games taking quite a while to set up (struggling to locate matches that match what the party were looking for seemed common. But once the games started they seemed to run well and there was very little lag or cheating going on.
All of your multiplayer stats are also recorded and you can view these and share them with others via bungie.net.
With this likely to be the most popular online game on the 360 you certainly wont struggle to find people to play with and against.
So it does seem that Halo 3 will be the most popular game this year for the 360. The online mode is great fun but when I compare it to the enjoyment I've got from the Call of Duty 4 online beta halo 3 comes a close second. Fans of the series will no doubt find it more of the same and the online game modes will keep the majority of gamers happy for a very long time. Those new to the series may find it a little hard to get into but stick with it and you'll find an enjoyable game with plenty of online features to get your moneys worth out of it.
Playing through it has actually made me consider getting Halo and Halo 2 to experience the entire Halo trilogy first hand.
Certainly recommend everyone to give it a go – maybe not the huge excellent blockbuster game many expected it to be but a very enjoyable game none the less with plenty of online multiplayer content.
9 out of 10
Halo3 is set to be one of the biggest releases of the year and sales figures already show that it's likely to be even more popular than the previous two halo titles.
This review will probably be a little different to other Halo3 reviews as I am one of the small few who have never played either Halo or Halo 2. So no biased views based on the previous games here.
First off, from the first level you play, visually the game for me was a bit disappointing – when you compare it to great looking games like Gears of War then it lacks that little something special in terms of overall looks. Some textures appear a bit rough and jagged but you'll quickly put up with them and focus more on the gameplay and storyline. Especially when you reach areas that have so much going on on-screen at once – multiple groups on enemies in gun fights look pretty good and you'll soon overlook any dodgy looking textures. The in game cut scenes and explosions look great and you'll pretty soon become totally immersed in the game.
The storyline was a little tricky to follow as the game continues from where Halo 2 ended (or so I'm told) – so if like me you haven't played the previous two games then you might want to pick them up cheap and play through them first or have a look on the internet to get a run-down of the story the game follows. After a short opening cut scene your pretty much thrown in at the deep end and you'll need to work out what buttons do what on your own although most gamers should pick them up quickly. The campaign mode reminded me a lot of Half Life 2 (Which is no bad thing) in terms of looks and feel of the game and also the rather strange but entertaining storyline.
Once you get a few levels though you'll quickly begin to follow things to some extent although understanding the storyline fully is rather tricky and I'm not sure I'll ever really get what it's all about. Sadly like most first person shooters the game does seem to follow a very linear path and there are hardly any additional areas/rooms for you to enter or explore. You are given set objectives which you carry out in order to progress to the next level. The enemy AI varies at times, the hardest difficulty setting “Legendary” will provide a challenge even for the most experienced gamers around and the AI will pummel you with grenades and bullets from all angles – the snipers especially are very unforgiving. That being said though the enemy AI don't really make much use of cover and tend to stick around the one area making them easier targets. Only a few of them will actually make a move towards you in an attempt to attack you properly.
There seems to be little replay value in the single player game and I expect for most gamers a few plays through on their own or on co-op will be as much as they will play. Once they've collected all of the hidden skulls and achievements I doubt many will play through it again. Luckily though there is quit a vast online side to the game too.
There are some great new features included in the game too:
It's now possible to record in game footage and share the video clips with other halo3 gamers, what makes this feature even more outstanding is that the video can be viewed from any angle you wish. Great for capturing those special moments throughout the game. All the single player and multiplayer games you play are recorded automatically and through the theatre mode you can go back and watch them and save them or take screenshots from them to view later and send to your friends. It's an impressive feature that's sure to be used to provide some excellent screenshots and videos.
The forge is also another new addition to the game, basically you set up an online game and then while the game is in progress you can place weapons and vehicles anywhere you like and move objects all over the map. It's an interesting feature but sadly I think it may go largely unused as the other multiplayer options seem to be ultimately far more popular.
You are also able to play the entire campaign mode as co-op with a total of 4 players – for me this made the campaign mode much more enjoyable and made playing on the hardest game setting that little more possible to get through. Your friends take on the role of allied characters – two of which are completely new to the game. It works very well and makes hunting for skulls or trying to reach point totals all the more enjoyable.
Online is where Halo 3 shines through, there are the usual multiplayer game modes to get to grips with such as capture the flag, team death match etc. as well as some not common to most games such as infection and king of the hill. Fans of Halo 2's online features will find this exactly what they are after and many Halo 2 maps have been re-produced and included to play on. You can customise your characters appearance slightly and unlock new options as you progress through the game. There are quite a large variety of maps and weapons and add in some vehicles and decent sized teams and you are in for quite an entertaining multiplayer experience.
I did notice at times though some online games taking quite a while to set up (struggling to locate matches that match what the party were looking for seemed common. But once the games started they seemed to run well and there was very little lag or cheating going on.
All of your multiplayer stats are also recorded and you can view these and share them with others via bungie.net.
With this likely to be the most popular online game on the 360 you certainly wont struggle to find people to play with and against.
So it does seem that Halo 3 will be the most popular game this year for the 360. The online mode is great fun but when I compare it to the enjoyment I've got from the Call of Duty 4 online beta halo 3 comes a close second. Fans of the series will no doubt find it more of the same and the online game modes will keep the majority of gamers happy for a very long time. Those new to the series may find it a little hard to get into but stick with it and you'll find an enjoyable game with plenty of online features to get your moneys worth out of it.
Playing through it has actually made me consider getting Halo and Halo 2 to experience the entire Halo trilogy first hand.
Certainly recommend everyone to give it a go – maybe not the huge excellent blockbuster game many expected it to be but a very enjoyable game none the less with plenty of online multiplayer content.
9 out of 10
Pretty good review there, Aliboy. Managed to keep it balanced, which is something a lot of Halo 3 reviews don't seem to be doing at the moment. I'd recommend this one for a GAD...
After all the excitement, all the hype and all the drooling fanboys eagerly awaiting it's release it's finally here.
Halo3 is set to be one of the biggest releases of the year and sales figures already show that it's likely to be even more popular than the previous two halo titles.
This review will probably be a little different to other Halo3 reviews as I am one of the small few who have never played either Halo or Halo 2. So no biased views based on the previous games here.
First off, from the first level you play, visually the game for me was a bit disappointing – when you compare it to great looking games like Gears of War then it lacks that little something special in terms of overall looks. Some textures appear a bit rough and jagged but you'll quickly put up with them and focus more on the gameplay and storyline. Especially when you reach areas that have so much going on on-screen at once – multiple groups on enemies in gun fights look pretty good and you'll soon overlook any dodgy looking textures. The in game cut scenes and explosions look great and you'll pretty soon become totally immersed in the game.
The storyline was a little tricky to follow as the game continues from where Halo 2 ended (or so I'm told) – so if like me you haven't played the previous two games then you might want to pick them up cheap and play through them first or have a look on the internet to get a run-down of the story the game follows. After a short opening cut scene your pretty much thrown in at the deep end and you'll need to work out what buttons do what on your own although most gamers should pick them up quickly. The campaign mode reminded me a lot of Half Life 2 (Which is no bad thing) in terms of looks and feel of the game and also the rather strange but entertaining storyline.
Once you get a few levels though you'll quickly begin to follow things to some extent although understanding the storyline fully is rather tricky and I'm not sure I'll ever really get what it's all about. Sadly like most first person shooters the game does seem to follow a very linear path and there are hardly any additional areas/rooms for you to enter or explore. You are given set objectives which you carry out in order to progress to the next level. The enemy AI varies at times, the hardest difficulty setting “Legendary” will provide a challenge even for the most experienced gamers around and the AI will pummel you with grenades and bullets from all angles – the snipers especially are very unforgiving. That being said though the enemy AI don't really make much use of cover and tend to stick around the one area making them easier targets. Only a few of them will actually make a move towards you in an attempt to attack you properly.
There seems to be little replay value in the single player game and I expect for most gamers a few plays through on their own or on co-op will be as much as they will play. Once they've collected all of the hidden skulls and achievements I doubt many will play through it again. Luckily though there is quit a vast online side to the game too.
There are some great new features included in the game too:
It's now possible to record in game footage and share the video clips with other halo3 gamers, what makes this feature even more outstanding is that the video can be viewed from any angle you wish. Great for capturing those special moments throughout the game. All the single player and multiplayer games you play are recorded automatically and through the theatre mode you can go back and watch them and save them or take screenshots from them to view later and send to your friends. It's an impressive feature that's sure to be used to provide some excellent screenshots and videos.
The forge is also another new addition to the game, basically you set up an online game and then while the game is in progress you can place weapons and vehicles anywhere you like and move objects all over the map. It's an interesting feature but sadly I think it may go largely unused as the other multiplayer options seem to be ultimately far more popular.
You are also able to play the entire campaign mode as co-op with a total of 4 players – for me this made the campaign mode much more enjoyable and made playing on the hardest game setting that little more possible to get through. Your friends take on the role of allied characters – two of which are completely new to the game. It works very well and makes hunting for skulls or trying to reach point totals all the more enjoyable.
Online is where Halo 3 shines through, there are the usual multiplayer game modes to get to grips with such as capture the flag, team death match etc. as well as some not common to most games such as infection and king of the hill. Fans of Halo 2's online features will find this exactly what they are after and many Halo 2 maps have been re-produced and included to play on. You can customise your characters appearance slightly and unlock new options as you progress through the game. There are quite a large variety of maps and weapons and add in some vehicles and decent sized teams and you are in for quite an entertaining multiplayer experience.
I did notice at times though some online games taking quite a while to set up (struggling to locate matches that match what the party were looking for seemed common. But once the games started they seemed to run well and there was very little lag or cheating going on.
All of your multiplayer stats are also recorded and you can view these and share them with others via bungie.net.
With this likely to be the most popular online game on the 360 you certainly wont struggle to find people to play with and against.
So it does seem that Halo 3 will be the most popular game this year for the 360. The online mode is great fun but when I compare it to the enjoyment I've got from the Call of Duty 4 online beta halo 3 comes a close second. Fans of the series will no doubt find it more of the same and the online game modes will keep the majority of gamers happy for a very long time. Those new to the series may find it a little hard to get into but stick with it and you'll find an enjoyable game with plenty of online features to get your moneys worth out of it.
Playing through it has actually made me consider getting Halo and Halo 2 to experience the entire Halo trilogy first hand.
Certainly recommend everyone to give it a go – maybe not the huge excellent blockbuster game many expected it to be but a very enjoyable game none the less with plenty of online multiplayer content.
9 out of 10
Halo3 is set to be one of the biggest releases of the year and sales figures already show that it's likely to be even more popular than the previous two halo titles.
This review will probably be a little different to other Halo3 reviews as I am one of the small few who have never played either Halo or Halo 2. So no biased views based on the previous games here.
First off, from the first level you play, visually the game for me was a bit disappointing – when you compare it to great looking games like Gears of War then it lacks that little something special in terms of overall looks. Some textures appear a bit rough and jagged but you'll quickly put up with them and focus more on the gameplay and storyline. Especially when you reach areas that have so much going on on-screen at once – multiple groups on enemies in gun fights look pretty good and you'll soon overlook any dodgy looking textures. The in game cut scenes and explosions look great and you'll pretty soon become totally immersed in the game.
The storyline was a little tricky to follow as the game continues from where Halo 2 ended (or so I'm told) – so if like me you haven't played the previous two games then you might want to pick them up cheap and play through them first or have a look on the internet to get a run-down of the story the game follows. After a short opening cut scene your pretty much thrown in at the deep end and you'll need to work out what buttons do what on your own although most gamers should pick them up quickly. The campaign mode reminded me a lot of Half Life 2 (Which is no bad thing) in terms of looks and feel of the game and also the rather strange but entertaining storyline.
Once you get a few levels though you'll quickly begin to follow things to some extent although understanding the storyline fully is rather tricky and I'm not sure I'll ever really get what it's all about. Sadly like most first person shooters the game does seem to follow a very linear path and there are hardly any additional areas/rooms for you to enter or explore. You are given set objectives which you carry out in order to progress to the next level. The enemy AI varies at times, the hardest difficulty setting “Legendary” will provide a challenge even for the most experienced gamers around and the AI will pummel you with grenades and bullets from all angles – the snipers especially are very unforgiving. That being said though the enemy AI don't really make much use of cover and tend to stick around the one area making them easier targets. Only a few of them will actually make a move towards you in an attempt to attack you properly.
There seems to be little replay value in the single player game and I expect for most gamers a few plays through on their own or on co-op will be as much as they will play. Once they've collected all of the hidden skulls and achievements I doubt many will play through it again. Luckily though there is quit a vast online side to the game too.
There are some great new features included in the game too:
It's now possible to record in game footage and share the video clips with other halo3 gamers, what makes this feature even more outstanding is that the video can be viewed from any angle you wish. Great for capturing those special moments throughout the game. All the single player and multiplayer games you play are recorded automatically and through the theatre mode you can go back and watch them and save them or take screenshots from them to view later and send to your friends. It's an impressive feature that's sure to be used to provide some excellent screenshots and videos.
The forge is also another new addition to the game, basically you set up an online game and then while the game is in progress you can place weapons and vehicles anywhere you like and move objects all over the map. It's an interesting feature but sadly I think it may go largely unused as the other multiplayer options seem to be ultimately far more popular.
You are also able to play the entire campaign mode as co-op with a total of 4 players – for me this made the campaign mode much more enjoyable and made playing on the hardest game setting that little more possible to get through. Your friends take on the role of allied characters – two of which are completely new to the game. It works very well and makes hunting for skulls or trying to reach point totals all the more enjoyable.
Online is where Halo 3 shines through, there are the usual multiplayer game modes to get to grips with such as capture the flag, team death match etc. as well as some not common to most games such as infection and king of the hill. Fans of Halo 2's online features will find this exactly what they are after and many Halo 2 maps have been re-produced and included to play on. You can customise your characters appearance slightly and unlock new options as you progress through the game. There are quite a large variety of maps and weapons and add in some vehicles and decent sized teams and you are in for quite an entertaining multiplayer experience.
I did notice at times though some online games taking quite a while to set up (struggling to locate matches that match what the party were looking for seemed common. But once the games started they seemed to run well and there was very little lag or cheating going on.
All of your multiplayer stats are also recorded and you can view these and share them with others via bungie.net.
With this likely to be the most popular online game on the 360 you certainly wont struggle to find people to play with and against.
So it does seem that Halo 3 will be the most popular game this year for the 360. The online mode is great fun but when I compare it to the enjoyment I've got from the Call of Duty 4 online beta halo 3 comes a close second. Fans of the series will no doubt find it more of the same and the online game modes will keep the majority of gamers happy for a very long time. Those new to the series may find it a little hard to get into but stick with it and you'll find an enjoyable game with plenty of online features to get your moneys worth out of it.
Playing through it has actually made me consider getting Halo and Halo 2 to experience the entire Halo trilogy first hand.
Certainly recommend everyone to give it a go – maybe not the huge excellent blockbuster game many expected it to be but a very enjoyable game none the less with plenty of online multiplayer content.
9 out of 10