Back on November 15, 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved came out of nowhere and changed the videogame market, by single-handedly establishing Microsoft and their Xbox brand as console contenders, as well as elevating what people have come to expect from an FPS game on consoles by throwing the bar straight into the stratosphere. Six years later, the story of Master Chief and his quest to stop galactic genocide has come to an end. Halo 3 is easily the most hyped up game ever, receiving the kind of attention that one would expect to see from the likes of established franchises. But Halo, as a brand, as a franchise, has done the impossible countless times again and again.

However, let's cut the crap. All of this talk about Halo the franchise, Halo the pop-culture phenomenon, and so on. It's time to look at Halo 3 the first-person shooter, or simply, Halo 3 the game. Peel away the hype, and see it for what it truly is- the most polished and refined shooter released, ever.

"You are, all of you, vermin!"

Halo 3 is the conclusion of the Halo trilogy, as we know it, the end of the Master Chief's story. But it isn't everyday that a game comes along and walks all over both its predecessors as well as its competitors. However, Halo 3 is just that good. It may not be the same life-altering experience that the original game was, and the online portion may not be as fresh as it felt in the second. However, Halo 3 is a sequel, and like any good sequel, just like in the Mario and Zelda games, it is the most refined version yet. The campaign's levels all feel fresh and unique, the combat is fine-tuned to perfection. There is no doubt within my mind that Halo 3's campaign doesn't merely walk all over, but rather tramples, the campaigns of many other first-person shooters. The likes of F.E.A.R., Rainbow Six Vegas, Half-Life 2, and even the previous Halo games, simply cannot compare to what's found in Halo 3.

Without doubt, Halo 3 easily has the best pacing of any shooter around. It is one of the most intense thrill-rides ever. The firefights are grander, and of a much larger scale than ever before. The levels are all absolutely unique; none of them feel the same. The checkpoints are perfectly spaced out between the firefights in the game's levels. Perfect in the sense that those gamers who are looking for a challenge will surely find it, and those who are playing casually will never be frustrated by playing huge chunks of the levels over and over again. With all of these elements being tied together so well, it's hard to imagine any game, let alone another shooter, matching the masterful pacing found throughout Halo 3.

"Gods must be strong!"

The combat itself will feel familiar to those who have played the previous installments in the series. However, it's how good it feels to fight that sets Halo apart from other shooters. It just feels right, and Halo 3 has the best combat of any Halo game yet. The Brutes have replaced the Elites as your main foe, and the developers at Bungie have done an admirable job at making the Brutes more fun to fight against in Halo 3 than they were in Halo 2. The Brutes aren't just apes who charge at you the moment they spot you, on the contrary, they've become pack leaders, using items to give themselves an advantage, taking cover, and generally presenting much more rewarding confrontations for gamers. Keeping the review spoiler-free, you'll encounter various other enemies who only make the game's combat that much more interesting.

"Were it so easy?"

One thing to note about Halo 3 is the difficulty; it's both easier than the previous games, as well as harder than the previous games. Halo is a game for just about everyone, even my grandmother, who barely speaks English, knows what Halo is. A game with such a high level of appeal needs to be playable by all, and for that reason the Normal and Easy difficulty settings have been toned down for all of the casual gamers, while the Heroic and Legendary difficulty levels have been raised higher than ever before. Regardless of skill level, anyone can enjoy Halo 3, and that's a very good thing.

Halo 3 also introduces equipment to the gameplay. It's no longer the same mix of just weapons and grenades; equipment plays a large role as well. Reloading has been moved from the X button to the two new shoulder buttons, so if you choose to dual-wield then each weapon will be reloaded individually. The equipment has been placed on the X button. You'll come across various items, from bubble shields, to deployable cover, automated turrets and much, much more. Some of these items will definitely be life-savers on the harder difficulties in the campaign, though the majority of items will probably be put to best use in the game's multiplayer component.

Equipment cannot be used if two weapons are held, however. Dual-wielding often helps, but it's no longer the one road to victory like in Halo 2. The weapons have been balanced to the best that they have ever been in the Halo games, making no one weapon seem obsolete, nor overly powerful. Dual-wielding, equipment, grenades, or even just a single weapon, all of these are viable options to victory, and best of all, the game will seem different depending on the different types of grenades, weapons and equipments taken to each firefight.

However, Halo 3's campaign doesn't just end once you finish it. There's more to do, so much more to do. Bungie has not only hidden many skulls throughout the campaign, like in Halo 2, but this time, they've actually made the skulls a part of the game. Nine of the thirteen available skulls are directly tied to achievements, and when found, they can radically change the game itself. From not being able to see your weapon, to finding weapons with half the ammunition they normally would have had, or only being able to regenerate health by using the melee attack against enemies. The other four skulls provide some fun twists as well, one of which will have each headshot against a grunt cause confetti to shoot up out of the dead alien's head with the sound of children cheering.

But even then, it doesn't end there. Not only do the skulls change the game in fun and dynamic ways, but Bungie has implemented another new feature, campaign scoring. At first, this idea doesn't sound too exciting. However, in execution, campaign scoring proves to be one of the most enjoyable additions to any game. Suddenly, Halo 3 feels like an arcade experience where you're gunning for the highest score possible. The score is shown at the bottom of the screen, but dieing makes you lose points, and just that mad rush to kill as many opponents as you can without dieing once provides the sort of excitement that could be found only in the most hardcore side-scrolling shooters of the olden days.

"Sing victory, everlasting."

There is however, no doubt that Halo 3 will remain spinning in the millions of Xbox 360 consoles out there because of it's vast multiplayer options. The real meat of the game, where it will be played the most, surely won't come from the humbling campaign, but rather from the online battlefields. Taking the success of the same multiplayer formula that the franchise has had in all of its entries, Halo 3 easily rises above them with polish and refinement at the helm. The weapons, as mentioned earlier, have been balanced to the point of flawlessness. The maps themselves are as excellent as ever before, the boys at Bungie know how to craft a multiplayer experience, and whether it's aesthetically beautiful maps that service the various game types very well, or the balanced weapons along with the equipment and grenades, Halo 3 is sure to be a treat for online gamers for months, and even years to come.

However, the game doesn't stop with the flow of content just there.. Not only does Halo 3 bring one of the best competitive multiplayer games to the field, but it also presents endless possibilities for everyone. The Forge has been introduced as a map editor of sorts. You can switch between being a playable character, or a monitor, ala 343 Guilty Spark and 2403 Penitent Tangent, to add or remove items from the map, and then play on it. Of all the game modes presented in Halo 3, the Forge is the one where the creative people who think they have what it takes to make a game more fun, will undoubtedly enjoy the most. Of course, you also have the option using the Forge with other users, either locally or online. Imagine the possibilities, if you will, of this mode. Watching a hulking elite run for the rocket launcher, only to have it disappear in front of his eyes and to have an explosive energy cel fall right on top of him. The possibilities are endless, and the good times, limitless.

The Theater on the other hand is for all the show-offs who love to capture those "special moments." You can view and save various films from both the campaign as well as the multiplayer in the game for bragging rights, or if something absolutely cool happened. Saving entire matches, or just the clips that you want the most. You can, of course, view the saved films online with other users, so narration to help rub in the humiliation is sure to be a common sight for a long time to come.

All of these modes combined, whether for use alone or with up to 15 others make Halo 3 feel like one of the most complete packages ever. The game goes above and beyond any other shooter in terms of all the content packed onto a single disc. Halo 3 is the single most feature-packed first-person shooter quite possibly ever released.

"I will beat upon the Prophet's shield like a drum!"

Both the sound and the graphics in Halo 3 are top-notch, as expected. The game's audio is sure to provide some form of metaphorical orgasm to the ears of those playing. Halo 3 is the kind of game that demands to be played at one of the highest volume settings. The alien war cries, the hiss of the flood, and the trash talking of the marines all help immerse you in the world of Halo 3.

The weapons themselves sound powerful, and as they should sound. Not that too many people know what a Spartan Laser sounds like in real life, but if I had to venture a guess, it would probably sound like it does in Halo 3. Bullets tearing into flesh, ricocheting off of objects, explosions rocking the senses, and the whirr of vehicles as they speed past you. Halo 3's sound is some of the best out there.

Of course, there's also the musical score. There is no doubt in my mind that Halo 3 has the best videogame soundtrack ever. I'd also go so far as to say that Halo 3 would be less of a game without it's amazing music. Each track works in perfect harmony with what's shown on screen, and each one helps make the moment seem that much more dramatic or that much more intense. The music in Halo 3 is absolutely amazing.

The graphics themselves are quite beautiful. Halo 3 isn't an "in-your-face-shiny-plastic-looking" kind of game. It looks like Halo should look, but through amazing artistry comes to life. You feel as if you're taking part in guerilla warfare in the jungle, you feel like you're making the final stand for humanity. The graphics take you in, not through eye-bleeding technical showpieces, but through beauty and subtlety. Halo 3 feels as if it were made under a single, guided vision, as if everyone who worked on the game knew how they wanted it to look.

"Send me out with a bang…."

Halo 3 is easily the best-playing first-person shooter released yet. It has a level of polish that simply cannot be found in many other games, regardless of genre. The pacing, the plot, the combat, the campaign, the multiplayer, the Forge, the Theater, all of it adds up to make one of the most feature-packed games ever. But it isn't just quantity, there is more quality gaming to be had in Halo 3 alone than in most other games. The campaign is absolutely humbling, ending in a mature way and bringing closure to one of the greatest franchise of all time. Halo 3 may have been the most hyped game ever, but it deserved all of it, because games like this don't come along every day. With the end of Halo 3, one of the greatest moments in our generation has come to an end. It's been with me since I was a child, and has ended with me as an adult. Now, all that's left to do is wonder, what comes next, what happens now?

(This review is dedicated to Atsushi Matsuda, today on November 15, 2007, Six years after the release of the original Halo. Atsushi was a Halo fan until the very end and so I hope that one day you too can 'Finish the Fight.' Rest in Peace, friend.)

"It's been an honor serving with you, John."