Customer Reviews

Halo 3 Limited Edition

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I purchased the Limited Edition version of Halo 3 that comes with a bonus disc of video, metal case with slip cover and small hard cover book with additional information on the game and its elements.

I would like to clarify that I did not have the original Xbox or get into Halo: Combat Evolved or Halo 2. I purchased an Xbox 360 as I believe to be the best choice for me for a gaming console, and I jumped right into the excitement over Halo 3. I rented Halos 1 and 2 to see if I would like them. I enjoyed both games, despite not finishing them completely prior to Halo 3's release. I even purchased both of those games. I completed about 75% of the first game and about 20% of the second. I just couldn't wait to solve both of them before playing the "next-gen" version. That being said, I am not as familiar with the Halo story or universe. I don't think this made too much of a difference in getting into Halo 3. I think one could get Halo 3 having never played the other games...granted you would wonder a little about the back story, but the game play would suck you in and forget about that until you finished the game. Now I am going back to play the first two games to completion. I know it's a little late, but now I am into the Halo thing...

I have played the game completely through on Normal. I did not think it was too short. I thought that I had solved the game twice, when in fact there were more levels and more story. I felt satisfied with the campaign aspect of the game (even compared to BioShock, Lost Planet, Prey and Gears of War). Now, I am going back through the game to collect the skulls for extra features and achievement points. The campaign was a little challenge for me on the normal difficulty...it wasn't too easy and not too hard. I was stuck in about 3 places that took a day to move on through by myself versus co-op play. Now if I try to play on Heroic or Legendary difficulty, I will have to call in a friend for support via co-op such as I did with Gears of War on Insane.

Graphically, this game is impressive. While the screen layout and the weapons are similar to the previous versions and seem very familiar, they are better graphically. The designers didn't completely overhaul the Halo gaming experience...just gave it a renovation similar to what one might see on a TV show about flipping a house...excuse the analogy, but I think it is a good way to describe the difference. The Halo universe is prettier and even more colorful with sharper lines and details. This game has wonderful scenery like the jungles in the beginning to the futuristic interior of bases and spaceships, or later in the game from the desert with sand dunes to snow covered mountains.

The online play is where this game really shines. The online matchmaking system is wonderful. You aren't thrown into a game with a group of die hard Halo fans where you get completely slaughtered...you are matched by your abilities in the game with players of similar attributes for a fun and even handed match. There are a number of game modes where you can play death match type free for alls or team based games such as capturing the enemy's territory. With the Forge aspect of the game the online play is editable and customizable to give this game a great deal of replay value for the online players out there.

I gave this Limited Edition 5 stars for fun, and I do believe it lives up to the hype. This is a solid game that one can play over and over and enjoy it as much if not more as time goes on. However, I gave it 4 stars for the game overall as the extra stuff that comes with this version is not high quality or quantity. The bonus disc really only features one making of documentary if you play all of the segments as one movie. It is fun to see all the time and effort that went into making this game, but after watching it I thought that's it? There should be some added features like maybe including some features from making the older two games, or some more footage as to where they are thinking they will go in the future with other games or characters. I was also hoping for some exclusive content like gamer pics, themes, etc. The metal case is very nice, but as with many others who have reported...my second bonus disc was scratched! The disc comes loose inside the case very easily. The plastic center holder does not fit snug enough on the disc to anchor it in a way that eliminates damage during shipment. Be careful when buying it...gently shake the box before checking out to see if there are loose discs. Make sure you grab one that does not sound like a box of Legos! I didn't have an option as I preordered mine. The disc was loose and it was scratched, but it played just fine.

Buy with confidence...this is a good solid first person shooter game that lives up to the hype of the "next-gen" console war. I would add that if you don't always watch the extra making of features or documentaries, you may want to just buy the regular version with the game disc only. If you are a huge Halo fan, then you probably already have the Legendary Edition with the helmet...or if you are still debating on which one to buy get the one with the helmet and all the goodies...they are in a better box that anchors the discs better...plus Master Chief's helmet sitting in your game room just looks impressive!

Since the days of Halo 1 & 2 on the original Xbox, I have found the Halo series slightly over hyped and somewhat boring. Especially when compared to other online FPS's such as Counter-Strike / Quake / Unreal. So you can rest assured, this review was not written by a Halo "fanboy" or fanatic.

Now in 2007, Halo 3 is finally upon us and all I can say is I now do "believe" this is the best in the Halo series and will live up to its hype.

Pros:
I think the absolute number one feature for Halo 3 is the online play A SOLID 10/10. It is incredibly stable, easy to use and it just plain works! Within 10 minutes of inserting the game disc, my buddy and I were squaring off in battle over XBOX live along with nearly half a million other players! Voice over IP is loud and clear with an occasional echo, no lagging or stalling even on release day! The interface is absolutely beautiful. I'm sure things will be even further improved over time by online patches and updates.

The graphics are a 9/10. I have seen better effects & textures (BioShock, BF 2142, etc.) but all in all, I am very pleased. (Note: I am running an Xbox 360 elite w/ HDMI on a LG 32" 1080i display)

I give the sounds effects and music a 8/10, nothing really mindblowing.

Fun factor is a perfect 10/10! It really is addicting.

Single player story mode works great too. Although it is not the true "focus" of the game, single player mode will provide great entertainment when you're seeking a change of pace. It's somewhat short, but has excellent replay value. And YES you can play to story mode online with friends!

Cons:

I honestly haven't yet found many flaws in the GAME itself. If I were to be picky, I would say the graphics and sound effects "could" be improved further. Also, due to numerous reports of scratched discs in the Limited Editions, Microsoft was careless in its packaging method. I would say 95% of all the LE versions have loose discs and are scratched. (my copy was perfect though because I purchased it locally at Be$t buy and gently shook all the cases to listen for loose discs.)

Halo 3 is a true winner for noobies and veterans of the Halo series period. I think this game will offer endless entertainment for quite some time and the Limited Edition is $70 well spent. You get quite a few extra goodies with the LE, such as a metal case, mini-hard cover book, and lots of extras on the bonus disc. For a mere $10 additional dollars, it is well worth it.

Just remember, you may want to purchase the Limited Edition in a retail store so you can listen for loose discs. With some careful searching, you can find one that does Not contain scratched discs.

Goodluck everyone and game on!
5 stars!

After loving the original Halo, and being somewhat disappointed with Halo 2, I did not know what to expect with Halo 3. I still, being a fan of the series decided that this game would be on my must have list regardless. I wasn't "dying" for the game to come out and in fact I actually missed the release date and ended up picking it up the day afterwards. After playing the game for a while I must say that I am very impressed with the game overall.

First things first, if you get the Limited Edition, then know that you run a HIGH chance of having damaged game CD's due to the poor case design. Luckily in my case, the only CD that was damaged was the "Essentials CD", but still with me paying $70 for a game I would have liked to have both CD's in new condition. In any case Microsoft realized the issue and decided to replace all damaged Halo 3 CD's free of charge for the next few months.

With that out of the way let's get to the actual game.

When I first started playing the game, I thought it was going to be another disappointment like Halo 2 was, and ended up finding another great game, Bio Shock more fun to play. However after progressing further in the game, I am finding Halo 3 to be nearly as fun as the original. One reason of this is because of the new weapons, and vehicles. In addition you, Master Chief, no longer have to be driving a vehicle (with the exception of the scorpion). So if you want to man the turret on the warthog, while your computer controlled teammates drive, you can do it, same hold true for most every vehicle in the game. This makes things very interesting and fun. One of my favorite new vehicles in the game is the Hornet. My first air battle with this machine was an absolute blast. I enjoyed flying over beautiful scenery shooting down banshees while two of my squad mates sit outside on jump seats supporting me with fire of their own. I was having such a good time just admiring the scenery, I decided to fly the hornet high in the air and jump out mid flight into the sparkling ocean below. It was a looooong way down and needless to say I died, but boy it sure was fun.

Flying the Hornet allowed me to appreciate the incredible detail of the graphics on this game. In HD, the graphics are stunning. Whether it's walking through the jungles, flying through the air or scaling snow covered mountains, everything looks amazingly real. Aside from the detailed scenery, the characters themselves are also done very well. Characters move, attack and even die realistically. Its things like this that separate the average FPS's from the great ones.

I also am very pleased with the audio. This game boasts true surround sound and if you already haven't then I highly suggest getting an optical sound cable to experience the movie like experience from you're A/V receiver. Many gun sounds have that "punch" that I was missing in Halo 2. The grunts usually are the first ones to die, and for a little comic relief, many times you'll hear them saying things like "He killed my friend", or "How will I go on with him?" In addition to the exceptional in game sound, the soundtrack itself is very well done. Very often, after I finish playing for the night, I often leave the game on the main screen just so I can hear the music on the title screen.

The controls in Halo 3 are still quite intuitive with only a small complaint; in many other FPS games, the reload button is often the X button, but not in Halo 3. In Halo 3, the X button is the "Equipment" button. So whenever you pick up items like auto turrets, bubble shields or radar jammers, if you are not careful you may accidentally use them instead of doing what you really wanted to do. In Halo 3, LB and RB reload the weapon, and I suppose this was done to accommodate dual wielding, which is back in this game. In addition to the two standard grenades from the previous installments, Halo 3 has a couple of more grenades types; one is called the Spike Grenade, and the other...well I'll leave that up to you to find out; it wasn't in the manual so I was quite surprised when I picked one up during campaign mode. In addition to the equipment I already mentioned, there are lots of others.

As good as the single player is I must say that I am quite impressed with the multiplayer mode. If you know me I am not a big fan of playing online, but one night I decided to try my luck at Halo 3 on XBOX Live....and let's just say, I didn't get to bed until 5 in the morning. First off this game runs very smoothly online with no noticeable degradation in the graphics or performance and I haven't once encountered a laggy game. Best of all the game is very playable online, and not the chaotic mindless shoot fest that I experienced with Unreal Tournament. This was my first time playing online in a long time and I even ended up winning a Slayer match. One thing that makes this game playable online is that nearly every weapon either has a weakness or a counter thanks to the additional of the new equipment items. Sure the insanely good players will mop up the floor with people like me, but its still very fun playing just because it just seems fair. Games like Capture the Flag which proves to be nothing but a disaster in Unreal Tournament, is a true pleasure to play in Halo 3. And hey, if this game is good enough to allow ME to enjoy online games, then it must be pretty darn good.

In my opinion Halo 3 does not disappoint one bit. It was a slow starter, but now that I am finally somewhat deep into the game, I must say that I am enjoying this game VERY much. It's a blast to play both in campaign mode and in addition the online play will be sure to keep me playing this game long after I have beaten campaign mode multiple times. Other than the small issue with the controls, I can't find anything else really wrong with this game. On a 10 point scale, I'll give this a 9.7. While Bio Shock (another 5 star game IMO) is definitely more original and just as fun, Halo 3 is the best of the breed when it comes to your "typical" shooter, and the added fun one can have playing it online make it 5 stars in the fun category. This is a great game across the board.

This game truly re-captured the spirit of the first game's campaign mode. If you were let down by Halo 2's campaign, fear not, HALO 3 makes up for it in spades! Playing campaign with 3 friends is also amazing. Also, if you're in it for the multi-player, you won't be disappointed. The new maps are great, and the weapons are well balanced and it seems like they might have a new solution for laggers with a "new host select" option when it starts to lag a bit. So far it's been great! Okay, off to collect more skulls and finish it in Legendary mode.

I still play this from time to time online.
This game has no flaws it's perfect 10.

The game is great but the case has flaws. I received the limited edition and both CDs were free to move in the case and were scrached because of it. Amazon was happy to replace the product but the next one I received was the same way. Microsoft is replacing just the disks for free because of the issue they are having. It is not Amazons fault it is Microsofts.

Since people are not reading the BOTTOM, I said Credit goes to X3F For this REVIEW, Just wanted to give people a review asap.

It's not often that we here at X3F get a chance to review a high profile title like Halo 3 before it hits store shelves, and it's an opportunity I'm not taking lightly. I've spent the last 48 hours (give or take a few hours for the requisite food and sleep) embedded deep within Halo 3, doing my best to categorize the experience as I went along. In this endeavor I have more or less failed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy what I played, because I absolutely did. It's just that with as many features as there are in Halo 3, there's so much stuff to test that 48 hours really isn't enough time to glean enough information and condense it into a review. Still, review it we must. Read on for a (hopefully) defining glimpse into Microsoft's great green hope.

First and foremost on any Halo fan's mind is the campaign. Even fans admit that Halo 2's campaign didn't quite get the attention it deserved. Even beyond the cliffhanger ending and the divisive inclusion of the Arbiter as a playable character -- which, for the record, I loved -- the campaign just didn't seem quite finished. So, Halo 3 has a lot to answer for. I won't spoil the story, but Halo 3 picks up exactly where Halo 2 left off: Cortana (the Master Chief's AI) is missing, the Prophet of Truth is leading an attack on earth, and the Master Chief is rocketing towards the planet on an ancient Forerunner ship. Again, we had to rush through it a bit to get it finished, but by the time the game draws to a close, all loose ends have been tied and questions answered. Old friends and enemies are reunited, alliances formed and broken, and plots are twisted. It's the stuff you'd expect in the closing chapter of a trilogy, with a few special tidbits thrown in for dedicated fans. Also, for those that are interested, locating the secret terminals throughout the game fleshes out the story of the Forerunners and the first firing of the Halo rings. The terminals are optional though, so if you're more interested in blasting baddies, feel free.

But how does it play, you ask? I plowed through the campaign on Heroic (with a few snippets of 4-player co-op on Legendary), and I can assuredly tell you that enemy AI is much improved, and sometimes a little scary. Brutes, ape-like monstrosities introduced in Halo 2, are definitely not the bullet sponges they used to be. This time around they are smart, mean, and, appropriately enough, brutal. One of their most fascinating behaviors is how they use equipment to their advantage. More than once, I found myself launching ordinance towards a pack of Brutes only to see one of them deploy a bubble shield before my shot had landed, rendering it useless. Oh, and watch out for Brutes with gravity hammers. They tend to carry equipment that makes them invulnerable for a few seconds. An invulnerable Brute with a gravity hammer is the stuff of nightmares.

Don't think that the Brutes are the star of the show though, every enemy, in one way or another, can be pretty terrifying. You see, not only are enemies smart, but they use sound tactical thinking. So, if you clear out a pack of Brutes and Grunts, don't celebrate right away, because there's a very good chance you're about to be sniped by a Jackal that you overlooked. Hell, even a pair of Jackals with carbines can be a pain, especially if you thought it would be a good idea to pack a short-range arsenal. And yes, believe it or not, even Grunts can put you away if you're not careful. Oh, and remember what I said about Brutes and nightmares? There is one Grunt behavior that's worse. I'll leave you to discover what exactly the behavior is, but rest assured you'll know it when you see it.

And then there's the Flood, the body-snatching enemy that's threatening to devour all life in the galaxy, Covenant and human alike. Now, I'm not saying one thing about the Flood. Nothing. You play. You find out. I'll just say this ain't your Granddaddy's Flood and leave it at that.

Honestly, my biggest complaint about the campaign is that it's over too quickly. It's not like the game has a bad ending, far from it, but I wanted more. Don't misunderstand, the game isn't too short, I just didn't want it to end.

Fortunately, the campaign is far from the end. This time around Bungie has included plenty of incentive to go back through the campaign multiple times. Of course there is online co-op, but there are also skulls to be found, campaign scoring achievements to be earned, as well as finding terminals you may have missed. Campaign, to put it simply, has been done right. Now, let's look at everything else.

Unfortunately, online matchmaking wasn't activated at the time of this review, but I did get to mess around with some local multiplayer. Those who participated in the beta have a good idea of what to expect. More or less, Halo 3's multiplayer is a refinement of the multiplayer in Halo 2. Certain things have been tweaked, most notably the re-invention of the assault rifle. Given a decent starting weapon, multiplayer is no longer about a mad dash for a better weapon the second you spawn. Sure, there are great weapons to find, but the assault rifle is a competent weapon in most situations. Another addition is the ability to edit all kinds of traits in the game. Traits can be given to all players or the team / player in the lead. How you use this is up to you. Want to boost everyone's shields, increase running speed, reduce gravity, and give everyone a gravity hammer and a Spartan laser? Go for it (it's pretty fun, actually). Multiplayer is now (literally) what you make of it, and it's a blast.

Now, if you really want to control how a game plays out, there's the Forge. Succinctly, Forge is some of the stupidest fun you can have with a game. At least, that's what it is at first. Forge allows players to create map variants by placing, deleting, and editing objects. These objects include simple things like scenery, weapons, and vehicles, but you can also edit more complex things like spawn points and CTF capture points. Inevitably though, your first instinct will be to find a flat surface, pile it with fusion coils, and launch a Mongoose to the moon. Follow that instinct. Follow it hard. You won't be disappointed. In fact, why not cue up the film of my first attempt right now? No, really, you can click here, find the movie titled "Boomtastic-X3F", click "Download to Halo 3", and once you pop Halo 3 into your 360, it will begin downloading automatically.

And that brings us to saved films. Basically, every game of Halo 3 you play, be it campaign, multiplayer, or Forge, is automatically saved as a film. Once you wrap up a game, simply head into the theater lobby and load it up. The game caches your recent sessions, but you'll have to manually save them if you want them permanently. During a saved film, players have complete control over the camera, allowing them to frame the best view of the action. If you see a particularly cool piece of action, you can record it as a smaller clip. Also, players can take static screenshots of the action on screen. In fact, every screenshot in this review was taken in game using the saved film feature.

And that, as briefly as I can put it, is Halo 3. Honestly, as long as this review is, it's really not long enough. Regardless of how players receive the story's conclusion, the amount of content contained in the Halo 3 package is just staggering. With campaign co-op, multiplayer, Forge, and saved films, the game offers plenty of bang for your gaming buck. Many will claim that it's not as pretty as Gears of War, and arguably they'd be right, but it was never meant to be.

I never intended to write a review filled with nothing but praise for Halo 3, but it's just damned hard to criticize. Sure, there are things I could point out that are disappointing. The graphics aren't perfect. You can't save clips in campaign. The story will be confusing to newcomers. Yeah, I can pick nits all day if I wanted to, and doubtless many Halo detractors will do just that, but the game is good. The conflicts are huge, the levels are vast, and the gameplay is solid. Not only that, but the extras ensure that players will still be playing Halo 3 for a long time to come. Love it or hate it, Halo is back on top, and it's probably there to stay.

credit goes to 3xf, but In 1080P from my own personal exp ITS JUST INSANE!

Excellent game, the online multiplayer is awesome. The Limited Edition looks veeeery nice and the bonus DVD and race booklet are very nice.

I purchased the Limited Edition of Halo 3, as I always purchase these versions of my favorite games, and it is only $50 here at Amazon (thanks!). Some of these have had some defect with the hub being out of place; this new batch Amazon has is completely fine, to th extent of my knowledge. But on to the review of the game.
The bad will come first: You cannot fly Pelicans or dual-wield swords, and certain weapons have a lower ammo count (this might be a plus as I will tell you later). Also, the campaign is very short and the Easy and Normal modes are a little too easy for many peoples' liking. The story is also not nearly as in-depth as the one from Halo 1, but is a hundredfold better than Halo 2. Looking back on the campaign, I can honestly say that it accomplishes something, and arrives somewhere: a possible closing point, though I doubt it from the after-the-credits ending (sshhhh).
Now for the good: This game is mind-blowingly awesome in multi-player. Maps like High Ground and The Pit are what make this game worth every penny spent. There are dozens of different play modes ranging from Infection to Ninja Juggernaut and the classic Neutral Assault. There are more weapons and vehicles, which is always a good thing, and weapons seem more balanced. The shotgun now comes with a total of 18 slugs, not 36, which was too much in Halo 2, but it now has more of a punch behind it. Then there are firebomb grenades, which explode on impact and catch opponents on fire, killing them. There are also massively powerful "support weapons" such as a turret resembling the one on a Warthog, a similar Covenant variant, and a Flamethrower. The rocket launcher has lost its homing, to be replaced by the Missile Pod; this is a massive support weapon with 8 automatically homing shots, capable of firing in quick succession; only 2 are required to kill a light to medium vehicle, at most. One of my favorite weapons that is a new addition is the Spartan Laser, Splaser for short. It destroys anything in one shot, and rips through it with ease, penetrating and automatically killing anything in its path. The catch is that it takes just shy of 3 seconds to charge, has only 5 shots, and has only a 2x scope.
There are also Achievements in Halo 3, which give you Gamerscore for, say, killing 3 opponents in a Warthog with a Splaser, or doing a Triple Kill with a Sword. These are fun to get, and they give you new armor permutations, which brigs me to another aspect: being able to change the look of the player. You are no longer confined to being in MJOLNIR Mark VI; there are ten types of Spartan heads and 5 types of shoulders and bodies, five of everything for Elites.
Perhaps one of the more intriguing aspects of Halo 3 is Forge. Forge is a new addition which allows you to entirely delete all weapons and vehicles on a map, and place new ones wherever you want. On any level you want. At any time you want, while using the Forge system. You can even put yourself in the level to test its level of fun, and place gametype-specific objects such as Flags or Territories, and test out those modes. With Forge, the possibilities are limitless. You can also create you own custom gametypes, such as a Covenant vs. Human variety I made up, or a special type of Oddball or VIP.
The last new thing I can think of for Halo 3 is equipment. You can now carry objects used with X that perform specific functions, whether they be helpful to you or harmful to your enemies. These include, but are not limited to: the Bubble Shield (makes a stationary bubble round you that cannot be penetrated by weapons or grenades) the Trip Mine (just what it says, also destroys vehicles in one shot) and Invincibility (explains itself, but luckily not found in multi-player for balance reasons).
Oh, and one more thing, as Steve Jobs would say. Let's say you are dual-wielding an SMG in you right hand and a Spiker (new weapon) in your left. You spy a Mauler (new weapon) and want to pick it up. You can now choose which hand to use it in, rather than dropping one, switching it, then dual-wielding. Hardly a breakthrough, but it is appreciated.
The Limited Edition comes in a metal case, and has a hardback book called "Beastarium" which has all the info on all races in Halo 3, including Forerunner and Hunter. It also has a disc of extras. A nice touch.
Good job Bungie, I will be getting both of your Map Packs on December 11th and in Spring, you deserve a pat on the back.
Buy this game, but beware of being addicted and playing for days on end to get that last skull or that one acheivement.

This is the best Halo of the series. My little brother and sister love this game as i do. But my limited edtion disc (game disc) came scratched. But it still plays ...