Halo 3

[Swallow]

Level 2 on Halo 2 is utterly sublime, better than anything I've seen up to Level 4 in this game.

How many levels are there altogether?

[Concept]

Nine. I like level 2 in Halo 2 as well but it was utterly linear, much more so than similarly themed outdoor levels in Halo 3 with regards to combat.

[Charlie]

You think Halo 2's levels are better?

I do. They were memorable and often original. The only distinctive level in Halo 3, to my mind at least, is the wooded one with the three towers - I forget it's name.

[Concept]

You mean, the 'homage' to Halo's second level?

I think Halo 2 is atmospherically superior in a couple of places to Halo 3 and it's characterisation is stronger, but in terms of structure/pacing, combat, balance, AI and set-piece design it's somewhat inferior.

Halo 3's level design leans more to the original's thankfully, especially with regards to weapon balance.

[Swallow]

I don't like the fact there is no explanation of who you are or what you're fighting for.

I repeatedly hear "games are different to films" - if the final part to a film trilogy was coming out, it would be easy to watch the preceding parts before time to know what was happening - this is certainly not common (or even encouraged to tell the truth) with games. If it's acknowledged that games are so different, here would the harm be in giving us a nice little story recap?

[Dirty Sanchez]

That's what t'internet is for. Go wiki it, it's all there.

[Swallow]

Excuse me?

I think that's a horrendous attitude for anyone to take to be honest.

Motivation is the most important artistic characteristic in any media, Halo 3 fails enormously on this point.

[Lyris]

I've barely touched the single player campaign to be honest, it's not grabbed me at all so far. I'm having too much fun with the multiplayer right now.

[Concept]

To be fair, it isn't a television series. There was never going to be a 24-style recap in the main campaign, though Bungie could have included 'the story so far' movie in the options menu for newcomers. What did surprise me about Halo 3's storyline were the references to the books in the things Cortana says and the (don't read until you're near the end)

->Open Spoiler<-

Forerunner terminals.

I've read other reviews criticise Halo 3's story for not making sense. It's not Gears of War or Lost Planet where things were a complete trainwreck with regards to narrative. If you're on your toes then it's easy to understand.

The problem for me is Cortana. She's in peril but

->Open Spoiler<-

as soon as you find her, five seconds later it's as though nothing has happened and everything is as right as rain. It completely destroys any sense of drama you had when she was contacting you and Gravemind was partially speaking though her over the com channel.

[yesteryeargames]

great game single player is good online awsome

, has anyone else noticed jaggies? i have a 40 1080ptv with elite xbox hdmi setup, and the game has loads of jaggies, ive checked my settings and its deffinatly running in 1080p,

is it the game that has the game that has the jaggies? and because of my tv high res and clarity they show up more?

[MonkeySteve]

I don't like the fact there is no explanation of who you are or what you're fighting for.

I repeatedly hear "games are different to films" - if the final part to a film trilogy was coming out, it would be easy to watch the preceding parts before time to know what was happening - this is certainly not common (or even encouraged to tell the truth) with games. If it's acknowledged that games are so different, here would the harm be in giving us a nice little story recap?

If you look in the manual, you'll find that the first couple of pages are entitled 'The story so far...'

[TheBlackLodge]

What a minute.......Read the manual ???

/Does Don Sutherland Pointy Scream thing

[stepp]

great game single player is good online awsome

, has anyone else noticed jaggies? i have a 40 1080ptv with elite xbox hdmi setup, and the game has loads of jaggies, ive checked my settings and its deffinatly running in 1080p,

is it the game that has the game that has the jaggies? and because of my tv high res and clarity they show up more?

Yes the game has jaggies, tbh the graphics aint all that great, more like xbox 1.5.

I have the same problem and so have others ive spoken to, its the game, not your setup.

[Charlie]

I certainly would have welcomed a little recap of what had gone before in the story too - I know it's it's in the manual but better to see and hear it on screen - and maybe it would have helped me understand what was going on because for much of the game I had no idea what was going on or why I was doing what I was doing. Maybe I'm thick but I found it quite confusing.

[Swallow]

To be fair, it isn't a television series.

That's just my point. Films and tv series' have found ways to make every installment accessible (on the whole...). Halo 3's lack of advancement in this regard makes a lie of MS' "appealing to new demographics" line: this is quite clearly the biggest game release of the year, and if they can't be bothered to improve accessibility and emotional involvement for this, when will they ever?