The game that can be said to have defined my life as a teenager - a life I sadly no longer possess.
As a competitive player, Halo 3's multiplayer has given me over 12,000 games of fun, hardcore competition, and laughs. From matchmaking, to custom games (forge), to theater, you get to experience every angle of fun a FPS can offer you. But to backtrack to earlier, as a competitive gamer, I can easily say that Halo 3 multiplayer delivers. Legendary classic maps like Guardian, The Pit, and Construct provide excellent potential in variation for teamwork, strategy, and unique plays. The maps are very well balanced and sized (accordingly for various gametypes) and provide a plethora of unique encounters among players, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging. But maps aren't the only factor that add to Halo 3's perfection. Weapons. Unique weapons with all sorts of mechanics create an enticing selection of weaponry, each with their own proficiency niche. The weapon diversity and balance creates incredibly variable player encounters, mixing up player tactics and encourage - even force - players to diversify their play style. Players must learn the advantages and disadvantages that each weapon carries and apply these weapon characteristics to create their own individual play style while learning how to best your opponent given any situation that you are in.
There's so much more to say but I don't actually have the motivation to create an essay . . . Ranked system was almost perfect. It just needed ways to prevent illegitimate leveling tricks (boosting, etc). But the mode fostered intense competition, fun gametypes, and an alluring sense of accomplishment whenever your level increased! Character customization was modest, etc etc.
I said I played over 12,000 games in Halo 3. You can imagine how the first couple years of my high school career went. But it was worth it. I poured my soul into Halo 3 for the longest time. I enjoyed the game to its fullest potential and I do not regret spending all those hours staring at a screen, even if I look back now and think that I wouldn't do the same today. Because at the time, it was everything I desired. Halo 3 was, is, and always will be, a masterpiece.