Halo 3 Campaign Review - 5.4

Ripten's Rob Way reviews Halo 3's campaign mode.

"Halo's storyline finally comes full circle, and not the good kind of circle I used to draw in math class with a compass - the bad kind of circle I used to draw on the asphalt when I was five!"

Please Note: This is just the Campaign mode review. There is also a Multiplayer mode review that scored 10.0 by a different writer.

It is also important to note that Ripten rated Halo 3 7.8 overall.

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Manual Update: You know, I am really losing faith in this sites reader base. Denying a review because it is not following suit with others, i.e following the opinion of the masses is just wrong. Banning something because it is a duplicate news story or false is one thing, but "lame" reports are just that. Grow up.

[Jdash24]

even if the campain is short and the ai is a little lacking (not enemy ai, your allies ai) this game is still absolutely amazing

@nostradavis, i know that......but this guy is making moutains out of molehills

Edit: 5 disagrees? for what.....for saying i know this game has a few problems, but its an amazing game, and that this guys review was too unfair

[Nostradavis]

No one is saying it is a bad game overall.

[TheSadTruth]

you may not find the halo 3 campaign great, or even good, but it's beyond mediocre and the fact he gives it a 5.4 is solely because he wants more traffic on his site

[Jdash24]

wtf are you talking about? i never said i didnt like the campain, i love it, its just a little short

[masterg]

5.4 Isn't far off for me.

After playing a total of 1 hour of the campaign I thought to myself "This is not fun. It doesn't look good and the story doesn't hold me. Should I keep playing just because it's Halo 3... Hell No!"

After than I've been playing online. And now Gears of War is back in the box. I've gotten used to Next Gen graphics.. I can't go back.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

5.4 for campaign is plain rubbish.

[BLUR111]

i thought it was awesome but well yall just stick to halo 2 campaign then

[Lex Luthor]

Damn, talk about clutching at straws by sony fanboys. Why not post the whole review? Why do you only have to post the campaign score?

I give up.

[Nostradavis]

Not a Sony fan. I posted both reviews. The campaign and the multiplayer. The overall score was a 7.8. I agree that the guy who rated the single player was probably mad that it did not meet his expectations but that doesn't make him a Sony fan. If anything it makes him a diehard fan of a a franchise that he feels let him down.

Not everything is as black and white as you guys want to make it out to be sometimes. Come on, enough with the fanboy accusations. A review is nothing more then an individuals reaction to a game. The score means less than the actual review. Read it before you decide to disagree.

[Arkham]

So, only reviews consisting of 9s and 10s are to be approved? is that the logic?

This guy actually has a point. Halo 3's perfection lies in its multiplayer gameplay, not it's single-player mode.

[ReBurn]

I don't think that Halo 3's single player is all that great, either. Multiplayer is really good.

[heavyarms]

I say he is a hater plain and simple. The single player is not wow wow oooh ahhh ooohh ahhhh. But if you have played halo1 and halo2 than the single player was good. It was not great not a 9 or 10 but somewhere around 7. The multiplayer is a 10+. That review is lame and he/she is just trying to get some attention. When i played halo3 i had flashbacks to the first halo 1 and 2 so for me it was a good single player campaign.

[Nostradavis]

Heavy,

you are definitively entitled to your own opinion, but so is the writer of the review. That does not make him a "hater". It just means that the two of you have different opinions.

[skynidas]

i think is a little harsh

[WilliamRLBaker]

he's obviously not a reader, if he was he'd know the books expand on teh story when it comes to johns past.

LOL what a fool the storyline and campaign was great it closed up the storyline nicely and even promised later story with the legendary ending.

[Nostradavis]

Oooh, games that come with required reading. I get it.

[HarryEtTubMan]

I dunno i would say about a 7.2 for the campaign. 8.5 for multiplayer.

[hfaze]

Agreed... The only thing that really makes the multiplayer part of Halo 3 (and Halo 2) truly stand out is matchmaking. I have to admit that it makes things extremely simple to get an online game going.

The biggest match that I have been in was six on six... Where's the 32 (or more) player online? Where's the clan support?

Halo 3 is DEFINITELY a good game, but 10/10? No way... 8.5 - 9.0 would be far more realistic.

[OmegaKulu]

even tho i dont like halo anymore after 2(personal reasons)... but this is still a bit harsh

[Regret]

Multiplayer is not even close to one that UT2k4 on PC have. For a console, it's good, but overall there are many games above.

[jack who]

hi helllo ...

[IRONMAN_X57]

then about 8 for multiplayer

[RobWay]

If i wanted to read the books i would buy them. I shouldn't have to read the books in between each game to get the a full story.

The game is suppose to tell me the story, i shouldn't have to find it on amazon.com.

[Maddens Raiders]

Halo 3 ain't a perfect game. 10/10 < No way.

@ #12 - that 300 million is like all of the Republican delegates going to the RNC national convention and raising $300 million dollars for their candidate and then going "wooo-hoooo!!!!" lOOk what we did for our candidate --wow. Um...Well, there's still two other parties out there that don't give a rats ____ about your candidate and in fact are much bigger parties. That 300 million is part of your money (the base hard-cores) going to a 5.4 review of the campaign according to this guy so............Hope that the rabid buying of the hardcores rubs off on Suzie and Jon Q. Public going into the holidays because they just see Halo 3 as bunch of hooplah and overhype, God only knows what they'd think if they start hearing stuff like this not to mention the hardware issues.......

[jaja1434]

Why would you review only part of any game?

[RobWay]

Becuase i wrote campaign and another writer handled multiplayer, which he gave a 10/10. Which is 7.7 for the overall game.

thanks for reading

[jaja1434]

My fame is on the rise! To have someone such as you reply to this simple pancake bunny humbles me in the most modest of ways. It also gave me a chuckle. Thank you sir...

Anyways I actually read the review, though having a lack of funds prevents me from intelligently responding to such a review I still find the way it was reviewed a bit odd.

I understand that you just averaged the score together and its a perfectly valid way of reviewing. I just don't personally agree with it, but I don't write these kind of things so I suppose my opinion is moot. But none the less I still have one, and this non-personal virtual world is sadly and fortunately the greatest way to voice said opinion.

So hats off to you, though I disagree to the way it was reviewed, it was very well written.

[Xemnas]

..............

[Ri0tSquad]

Multiplayer came strong though so i'm not complaining about this game.

[akira]

xbox 360's flagship title and the game that really matters is just 5.4 in the campaign mode. after 3 years in development and this is what they got lame story + lame graphics = lame game. xbots are just blinded by the media who owns and controls them thats the main reason why they bought it in the first place.

[nobizlikesnowbiz]

There are 1,400,000 online in Halo 3.

[DeadIIIRed]

Not gunna say anything, I swear I'll shut my mouth this time around.

[Gina-get-u]

I'm not disagreeing or agreeing with this review because I didn't bother to read it. I'm just wondering how useful a review from an obscure website can be when it's this late. On the night before launch day this could have been interesting. But now that 2 million people already own the game, this review is just opinion # 2,000,001. It may as well be a forum post. What's the freakin point?

[otherZinc]

These fools are trying to get attention, they dont know they just lose credibility.

Any score for HALO 3 under a 9 should be marked as a dumb ass site.

[RobWay]

Fool? What's foolish? Wanting a game with a storyline, a decent ending? Wanting what was promised through advertising?

How about not being foolish enough and look beyond the hype, because thats all Halo 3 was, and i'm a fool for buying into it.

Thanks for reading :)

[Nostradavis]

@otherZinc,

SO...according to your logic every site that publishes a review is looking for attention? Or is it just the ones that publish reviews you disagree with? Wake up! He is not telling you to NOT like the game, or not even to NOT buy the game, simply that he was let down by the game and if you can't appreciate that and respect his opinion then that is on you.

Someone mentioned Heavenly Sword getting an 8.0. Well, that was a different writer #1, and Heavenly Sword has nowhere near the following of the Halo franchise. The hype behind HS was also nowhere near that of Halo 3.

If I tell you I have some money for you in this box and you open it and find $20 you would probably take it and not complain, but if I said the box had a million dollars in it and you opened it to find $20 you probably wouldn't be too thrilled.

[otherZinc]

With an 8.0 given to HEAVENLY SWORD, I guess its also better than
HALO 3?

Whatever!

[jackdoe]

I agree with a lot of the reviewers beef with the multiplayer. Save for the explosive finale, a lot of the campaign gameplay did not match the epic hype that Microsoft placed on the game through its "believe" ads and their "Starry Night" ad. Hell, the "Believe" ad scene where Chief gets captured by the Brutes isn't even in the game. There were lots of plot holes in the game as well and the campaign was short. I still love the game though. Halo 2's story was pretty bad as well but I loved that campaign as well. Halo 3 will be played enough to make up for the $60 that I paid for it and I'm glad I bought it. It is a great game for get togethers with friends.

[rogimusprime]

couldnt agree more. That 'messiah' stuff where the chief gets caught never happens...why would they even make us 'believe' that?

I read the books, the books are great. I think more people should read them, but the previous posters are right: you shouldn't HAVE to read the books to get the entire story. or the comics for that matter.

The story telling in Halo 1 was pretty good, I played the campaign at least 12 times, Halo 2 was garbage, and Halo 3 improved upon it only by default.

I can't believe it took 3 years to write that crap.

Wait, you mean after all billions of people dead, planets glassed, all the covenant have to do is say "the prophets made us do it" and they just go home?

The characters have no depth at all. Example: when capt keyes is dying in the first game, you actually feel bad when you have to cave his head in to get the self destruct codes. When Miranda Keys dies, you just thought "idiot" for turning her back on the prophet.

I think bungie made a good game, but even with all they hype they are not above criticism...which many people forget.

[Nostradavis]

jackdoe and rogimusprime,

Thank you for having brains and being able to see through the hype. It is refreshing to see that at least some of the readers on this site have the ability to think on their own.

[JosefTor]

I'm not even sure what to say to respond to this review. A 5.4??? Alright... maybe the campaign can take a hit on being a little short and not very good marine AI looks. The story is excellent though. Those Cortana moments really are part of the story. Near to the end I'm wondering if she is actually on my side which is what they wanted you to question. I know I am a harsher critic then most on Halo 3 but I will still say it is one of the best games ever made. I think the campaign is one of the most addicting of any game with unbelievable graphics and physics. I can see a Halo hater giving the campaign a 7 maybe but... 5.4??? I give the campaign a 9.6 and the multiplayer around a 9 (I hate not being able to play custom games and no perks or anything).

And of yeah... whoever is commenting that hasn't played the game and thinks it has a crappy storyline... it doesn't. If you want to know the boring history of Master Chief... read a book, if you want a storyline that twists and turns... play Halo 3. At one point I thought I beat the game and then a major twist happened. Nuff said.

-Joe

[JosefTor]

Woah woah woah... count gravemind out of the picture? There is a whole level playing in him. I respect his views and I see a lot of the stuff he pointed out but... I dont understand some stuff.

Plus... a 5.4??? That's a rating you give a game that the Japanese want... j/k on that. But seriously... that's a game that you want to tear out your eyes and pour salt all over them.

[JHFKDFNFGJKFHDKF]

HAY GUYS LETS HATE ON HALO. 5.4 ROFL.

in all seriousness; Halo 3 is the best single player shooter experience I've had on a console. so I really dont care what these negative reviews say.

[sak500]

Its already established its a classic game.

I played the campaign on heroic and finished it. Was like watching star wars, an EPIC battle fought through different levels. Now gonna go back and play it on legendary with my nephew and try to get the skulls this time. Anyone whose saying its crap has not played it on an HD TV with surround sound but with $ony's DIK UP THEIR A$$.

[dachawk]

First of all, the essence of Halo3 campaign begins in Legendary Mode. There are more vechicles and options for the player to save the world. Any review of campaign mode without the critic playing legendary mode should be viewed with skepticism. I also believe Legendary mode is not as hard as Legendary Mode in Halo1 and Halo2. Guess what, Bungie also agrees and offer the option of activating "skulls" that you can search for that makes the game harder to play ... with the reward of more achievement points. No critic has played Legendary Mode from what I've read, let alone explaining what skulls is all about. Only Legendary mode will it feel like Halo1 on steroids. (Note: Bungie made the other 3 modes way too easy as a way to entice gamers from Japan ... who often complained Halo was too hard to play).

Bottom line: this critic is not a gamer, just some political hack journalist that hates Halo. No credibility.

[TheXgamerLive]

This guy is soooo full of sh1t.

[RobWay]

Its ok sweetie, just keep your head buried in the sand, other peoples opinions can't hurt you there.

Thanks for reading :)

[GRAMPAGAMER]

can hardly put it down, after I beat it on legendary, I'll play thru with all the skulls turned on for a true challenge.

It's kind of hilarious to see all these "Nobodies" post their johnny-come-lately negative reviews.

people that haven't accomplished anything in life.

It's too late to try to tell me what halo is,..

already know what it is.

[Nostradavis]

Every site starts somewhere and while you may not view them on the same level as a joystiq or kotaku I actually have respect for people that try and do something on their own in life.

As far as the timing goes, it wouldn't matter if they released the review ten seconds after the game came out. With a game like this the majority of sales were preorder anyway. The hype sold this game well before any of the reviews came out. The reviews will come into play when the parents and casual fans of the world are thinking over the purchase.

They published a review you don't agree with and actually took the time to play the game on all settings dedicating two writers to a game to actually get a more unbiased opinion.

Wondering what you have accomplished in life? At least these guys and girls are going to conferences, interviewing producers, reviewing games, and trying to put their best foot forward.

The bottom line here is that you disagree with the reviewers score and want a little attention thrown your way so you run your mouth. It's all pretty funny since most of you would never have the dedication that it takes to try and run your own site.

Instead you just walk through life complaining about how everything and everyone is against you, full of excuses as to why you didn't do what you wanted to do. Keep talking because God knows you aren't doing...

[psycho360]

I doubt if anyone would reconsider picking up H3 from this idiots review. Hell, even if he gave it 1/10, he'd be the only laughing stock of the entire industry. CUZ H3 has broken sales and revenue records and this poor PO$ person cannot do anything to undo it. JUMP IN

[RobWay]

Just becuase a game made record sales dosen't mean its good, i'm not saying that other people have to dislike Halo 3 becuase I do, what im saying is not everyone likes it.

[JosefTor]

Gears of War was nothing special to last? Halo 3 sucks? I must be on crack cuz I thought these were two of the best games ever. I do agree though Call of Duty 4 will also rock. I can't play Crysis though cuz I dont have an expensive PC and... I hate the lead developer. I think he makes a lot of arrogant statements. Plus... he doesn't play (or hates) some of the best games of this gen so who is to say he actually knows what makes a game fun cuz I love this gen. of games? I dunno... just a thought.
-Joe