Halo 3 Retrospective (9/10)

Halo: Reach is literally just weeks away, so it seems only right to take a look at the final act in the sci-fi 360-exclusive FPS trilogy, given its acknowledgement as the best in the franchise so far- Halo 3: ODST included (8/10). Halo 3 takes place just moments after the second installment concluded, and forces the Master Chief into dark new territory as he ventures through crashed Flood ships (if you haven't played Halo before, believe us when we say that's a lot worse than it sounds), previously MEDC Earth countries wrecked by the war with the Covenant, and even onto the third Halo itself (as if the title wasn't a big enough giveaway). I got Halo 3 as part of a package with my 360 in 2007, so wasn't a brainiac with regards to Halo at the time, so can now say that, having played the trilogy in its entirety, the plot is definitely the best way to finish on (while annoyingly inconclusive at its climax), the graphics are pure, glorious high definition Halo, and the game-play is as compelling and accessible as ever. My only gripe (and this would have remained even in 2007) is that for the Halo series this doesn't break huge new ground (cue space combat being introduced in the new title next month): while it does achieve some landmarks, we've seen Scarab battles, Flood ambushes and ring-escaping via Warthog two times before, so it doesn't feel as fresh this time even with HD and a new plot to tie it together. Leaving this aside, however, Halo 3 is one of the 360's best titles so far (hopefully to be eclipsed by Reach!), and while not overly original, is easily the best in the franchise (so far...)!