Yup HALO is still king. I must be the only guy in the gaming community to be playing these backwards (not intentional, mind you...it's just that the newest ones were the ones I had access to first). But despite being quite a few years apart from its contemporary successor, HALO 3 still has more than enough juice to stand on its own. Gameplay is the same old tried and true gunplay HALO fans have known all along, with options like dual wielding and the ability to use break off and use turrets like miniguns and weapons like the Gravity Hammer (makes you feel like Thor) increasing the tactical range of the combat (true, dual wielding was introduced in HALO 2, and I'm guessing it functions similarly).

But the main reason I think people bought this game for was the technology upgrade from HALO 2. Now I don't know if they were using the same engine or not, but I'm guessing they were since the a models, designs, etc. seem recycled from the first game. That's not a bad thing because they're rendered with an incredible amount of detail this time around. Enemies like the Flood units have become truly disgusting and horrific; almost perfectly realized nightmares from a William Hope Hodgson/H.P. Lovecraft story. The extra technology and smart direction lends to some really awe inspiring moments here, such as the multiple times you'll have to find a way to infiltrate the interior of a Scarab unit (a Covenant "walking fortress"). These things are truly massive, and have multiple openings you can land on, so get ready to do a lot of jumping. I remember as a kid, I always loved moments like this in video games where the technology was developed enough for you to see the entirety of some massive structure in the distance, and you're charged with getting close to it getting inside it. No cutscenes to break up the action...just a perfectly smooth transition from massive object to giant new environment. It's like living the Death Star run in real time.

Unfortunately for a weirdo like me coming into without playing HALO 2, the story was a bit difficult to follow since so much of it is a direct continuation of that plot, while simultaneously bringing back elements from the first game (just what a good trilogy topper should do). But for what drama is there is played out engagingly enough. The voicework is also strong across the board, although I didn't find Commander Keyes to be terribly convincing as the "tough female commander" archetype. Now I know there were a lot of complaints when this game was released concerning the "weak weapons sound" due to the weapons fire not coming through the center speaker. I understand the problem, and the only way I found to get around that is pump up your surround system's volume to compensate. Believe me, you'll want to do this anyway just for the immersive factor.

Overall, HALO 3 is an incredible amount of fun. It does admittedly start out a bit slow, but the final levels are quite intense. Just don't play them out of order like I did.