| Man, I've been busy... ... ...Granted that "busy" includes "playing Halo 3," I've been busy regardless >>; ... Today I went to go see Elizabeth: The Golden Age with a couple of friends (yeah, I still have some). I personally thought it was a good movie. Not "very good," but not "not good," you know? How about this: It depicts the defeat of the Spanish Armada in a way that doesn't involve overwhelming violence, so any movie I see based on a war that doesn't involve 2 hours of gunfire and is engrossing is good enough to be called good. Hence, since this movie was both engrossing and didn't involve 2 hours of gun fighting, it was good. It's a good movie, and if you would spare the time and money I suggest you see it some time soon ^_^ ...Or wait 'till it hits a "dollar theater," if you're the type to wait. ... I know I don't draw well, but recently I've had a...urge to produce stuff. I don't know what will come out if I try putting a pencil to paper right now (aside from nothing good), but we'll see what the future holds. I got an A- on my mid-semester report in 2D Design...though I doubt he would give something lower than a B to anyone unless they did absolutely nothing for the past 8 weeks of class. ... Halo 3. Humor me for a short while and let me be a critic. Halo 3, Halo 3. I hear Microsoft sent out $800 "bags" (*coughbribescough*) to critics, to try and keep their scores up. Not to say they needed to, because any self-respecting critic would give the game a good score; better-than-average good score, of course.
Here are the faults I see in the game:
First, the voice acting.
Generally, it's not quite so bad, but on one mission (The Covenant, I think it is) it reaches its epitome to my ears. Namely, the part in the level when you deactivate the first shield. Lt. Keys says "That's one down. The Arbiter should be just about to...""That's two." Now what, you may ask, is wrong with that? Nothing, grammatically, but my fault with it was in the timing. As soon as she finishes the first line the beam shuts off and she immediately says the second line. I see what the problem was, though: She says it like she cuts herself off because it happens, but when she says it in the game it comes out to be as though she's anticipating it happening, since it hadn't happened yet; then when it does, she picks up where she (would have) left off. See? Meh, if you play it, you'll see.
Second, the script.
The Chief had few lines, the Arbiter even fewer. C'mon, they're the main players here. Anyone else feel my grief?
Third, the campaign.
It seemed wa~ay too short. It is 9 levels, but looking back on them they take so little time to finish (aside from "The Ark" and "The Covenant," those were the longest ones...and "Cortana," but that was long for another reason). Also, while on the subject, I was a tad disappointed in the battles. When it came to the Brutes, I expected more "pack-fighting" than "Brute commander and Grunt underlings." Granted I can think of a few places where the Brutes begin to out number you ("Crow's Nest"), it just doesn't fulfill the epic fights I had hoped to see in this game. There. Bad news first, good news second.
First.
To everyone who says this looks very similar to Halo 2: get glasses. It feels like Halo 2, but it does not, in nearly any way, look like Halo 2. Aside from the nostalgic guns, nothing else looks even remotely similar...well...the Phantoms do, but even they have been pushed to the next level. The levels are (over all) beautiful, the world has been made anew; water is the best I've ever seen it in a game, i.e., it doesn't look like liquid JELLO. The lighting is done perfectly in nearly every way (nearly, meaning there was room for improvement), and the game played just as it should have: bang-bang-shoot 'em up. Boom. The (shields?) slime on the Arbiter glistens, guns reflect sunlight in such a way they glow and the Chief's outfit has got little lights on it. Can't beat the little lights.
In conclusion, bashers, this is NOT Halo 3 in any way except for the mood and game play; if you ever take the time to look past the story, characters and physics, you'll see something you had never seen with clouded eyes: aesthetics.
Second, The Forge.
This is quite possibly the most ridiculously simplistic idea that no one had ever done before. Instead of learning an entire Level Editing software (I.E. Unreal 2k4; which is a joy and a pain), let people edit what matters most: everything but landscape. Change spawn points, weapons, tanks; heck, you can even change the location of little chairs that mean nothing to you, or construction cones. With a few simple movements one can completely change a map. One possibility that comes to mind is in "High Grounds:" take everything away from the beach and put Covenant weapons and armor in its place, making it seem like the Covenant is mounting an assault on the base in the hills.
By the way, this is a source of immense amusement. Drop tanks on each other, place just the weapons you need when there's someone coming for you...heck, just drop a Flamethrower and let them come! Seriously, if you ever get bored of Matchmaking online, just get a few friends to join you in a Forge lobby, then let everyone have at! Whoo...gotta stop... ...I would give this game an 87 of 100. There were things they could have done to set it apart from the previous Halo games, and since they didn't, they get docked. 10 points. The other 3 came from the possibilities they had but didn't use. To be honest, the main thing they did was amp up the graphics, which is, of course, very good. I had a problem with Sgt. Johnson though...he looked too different from how he was...and Keys too; They look so much more realistic than before it's....it's....ugly, to say the most. But still, despite the difference between Halo 2 and Halo 3's faces, I'm glad they did what they did.
Still though.
13 points... |
