This is the Big One. Worth: $50
based on Halo 3 retail: Sep. 2007 on 360
26 Sep: finish the last two missions in two hours. Explore multiplayer maps, try out the Forge and Saved Films.
27 Sep: explore MP maps w/ the GamerGal. Discover the true meaning of "getting hammered".
Everything I'm reading about this game goes on about the graphics, the sound, and the gameplay. This was all nailed in H2 and does not deserve further comment. Yes, there are lots of new toys, but they all do the same things as the old toys (except one).
Single-player Campaign (on Normal).
The campaign is a let-down. The unique story started in the previous games finishes without any twists or surprises. You can guess what happens. You'll be right. Strike One. It's also outrageously short. If you start at breakfast, you'll be done by dinner. Strike Two. The final scene is totally derivative and shapeless. Once you know what to do it'll take four minutes without any challenge. Strike Three.
What Bungie has done is they've left the door open for other developers to move to the front of the line. For example, I liked the Gears of War campaign better than the Halo 3 campaign. It was just more interesting, even though there's practically no vehicles. Gears2 has a chance to be the greatest FPS campaign ever, if only because Bungie dropped the ball. Mercenaries 2 is another contender.
The user reviews I'm reading are mixed, with many people expressing disappointment. The users that love the game all have terrible spelling or type L1k3 hAck3r5. Meaning, they're the jackasses who taunt, curse, and generally ruin the online experience for those of us with some manners.
UPDATE October 22:
Single-Player (on Hard)
Much better on Hard. The sense of accomplishment returns, as well as the need to use some of the goodies. You can't just cruise through the game with the Assault Rifle. Certain baddies are more or less vulnerable to certain weapons, and this difficulty level forces you to figure it out. This makes the game feel deeper and more worthwhile simply because it takes longer. I got killed a lot more, but the game resets you quickly back at the checkpoint. Some of the checkpoints are pretty far apart, leading to that frustrating "I just did this" feeling, but hey, nothing's perfect.
I didn't use much of the Equipment, simply because I can't figure it out, the icons are meaningless. I have to drop and re-pick-up things to figure out what are. Why not just write the goddamn name for me? The portable cover was handy, but the other stuff seems totally superfluous. The Turrets are useless, and the Bubble Shields just make the baddies bum-rush inside and beat the crap out of me. For Power Drain, Flare, Regenerate, and the rest: by the time I remember to use them I've either: (a) won or (b) died.
Co-Op.
Totally awesome. Opens up a lot of tactical opportunities and lets you play a lot more recklessly. This is the game of choice when I have Arth or Angus over to visit.
Multiplayer.
So far I've just toured the maps to get my bearings. I've found:
Gorgeous, easy-to-grok maps. Forge games could be an entire new class of MP gaming. The save films are incredible. The Multiplayer side is obviously where 90% of Bungie's effort went. I guess it makes sense, because I've read that a lot of hard-core H2 MP players never did the single-player campaign at all! Bungie, of course, knows this and has put their effort into what will make the masses happy. Sometimes it sucks to not be part of the masses.
Multiplayer is where the one truly new toy comes into play: the Big Hammer. I got my ass kicked by the GamerGal when she was wielding this monster. She's _never_ played Halo, but she was whompin' my sorry butt from here to Calcutta. I see this weapon being a great leveler because anyone can be an ass-kicker with this sum'bitch. But, it could also be a huge turn-off because in the hands of a good player it will truly DOMINATE. All of us regular shitheads will have such a miserable experience that we'll just quit and go play MoH: Airborne or Stranglehold.
--- this post is being updated all this month ---
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