I'm not surprised that H3 is getting the high reviews that it is. However, I'm not sure I'd give it more than a 9 out of 10.

I also think that in the coming weeks we are going to see some unhappy gamers fussing about map load times (too long - sometimes the maps thank a minute or more to load) and lag.

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currently playing: Shadowrun, Call of Duty 4 MP beta
currently supporting: Ron Paul

Yeah, I'm not sure 10/10 is warranted, either for Halo 3 or Bioshock, which recently received that score from some reviews. I'd probably give it 9.5, though.

Since I've yet to get in on a MP game other than beta, I'm sure that my opinions could change. It's definitely *close* to a 10 though campaign wise. I hardly ever run through a campaign twice in a row. I'm now halfway through it a second time (after just 1 day).

Actually, the H3 MP is much like the beta MP. I can't say that there's a huge difference at all between the beta and retail except that all of the new maps seem very big.

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currently playing: Shadowrun, Call of Duty 4 MP beta
currently supporting: Ron Paul

Finished the fight on normal about 20mins ago...I do think its the best single player game I've ran through. Though it was a little short it did include the best stuff from both halo and halo 2. Me and my spartan helmet are very happy objects so far.

Agreed. It was epic.

"Halo 3 is Halo 2 with better graphics" from a NYTimes article today. This resembles my assessment of my review of the Halo 3 beta over at the Newsweek LevelUp blog when I said:

"I would say that the second biggest surprise in the Halo 3 beta was how similar it was to Halo 2. In my opinion, there is very little gameplay change between Halo 2 and Halo 3. The changes in gameplay from Halo 1 to Halo 2 were quite large. I was expecting that drastic change again in Halo 3. I found that 90% of the time Halo 3 is played like Halo 2. That's not a bad thing because I certainly enjoyed Halo 2's gameplay. It is still the most popular console shooter and for good reasons. However, this is not what some were expecting or hoping for. I guess if it's not broke, why fix it?"

Having played a little more H3 MP lately, I would sum up Halo 3's multiplayer by saying it's "a slow and bigger Halo 2". The weapons seem weaker. The maps are bigger - which makes it seem like everything is happening slower.

I'm actually scratching my head right now wondering if I'll play the Halo 3 multiplayer as much as I played the Halo 2 multiplayer. I had free time to play Halo 3 multiplayer last night...but instead I watched Kid Nation and Top Chef.

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currently playing: Halo 3, Shadowrun, Call of Duty 4 MP beta
currently supporting: Ron Paul - issues

I guess I don't get it. I know I'll definitely play H3 as much as H2, most likely more. They fixed a few glaring problems that H2 had:
-F'ing sword
-Dual weilding BS (my grenade and a BR are much stronger than a dual wielding newb)
-Newb combo (still there, but not as prominent)

I've turned my console off many times because of that sword and because of the spray and pray newbs. H3 is just not this way.

Most of the H3 that I've played has been fun...

however... and this is a big one. When playing in a party that knows what they are doing, and against a party that knows what they are doing, H3 turns into a bit of a campfest at times. Not controlling the power weapons means your going to get spanked. Spawning with that assault rifle is not fun. In those situations it's less about aiming skill and more about knowing the map.

Team shooting is still required, so yes, the H2 aspect is there. I think this is the only explanation for the weaker weapons. Bungie wants to force teamwork on us, and they did. I enjoy team play, some don't.

Whenever your shooting someone from a distance, if they know what they are doing, you won't be shooting them for long. They'll duck behind cover. The weaker weapons will force you closer to each other for the kill. (H2 like)

In all actuality, I thought the maps of H3 were very large... until I played quite a bit of multiplayer yesterday. Maybe learning the maps made it seem smaller to me. Isolation is comparable to Beaver Creek in size and speed. Maybe the spawning will force the fighting to one side of the map, making it seem smaller, I don't know yet.

I can tell you one thing, There's no way in hell I want to play the H2 maptypes again, small corridors, bumping into dual wielders at close range, to heck with that. H3 maps will do just fine.

other stuff:
-they brought back the mele
-Is it me or can I throw a grenade farther, almost H1 far
-the sword == nerfed (a great thing)
-dual wielding < battle rifle (a great thing)
-grenades are a necessity(when weren't they)
-M6G(why Bungie.. why? Give us the M6D... eh, whatever)
-Autoaim is less prominent

I'm having a blast with it. Maybe I need to play in some parties that are uber-competitive to see more of the downsides. That's something I haven't done yet(other than a couple games with the JDizz and Willdafeast last night, one of which went very badly because of those other freaking campers). On a strange note, I found myself yelling "Carbines are up!" multiple times...

I still haven't finished the campaign... and I haven't played any matchmaking yet.

BTW, what I have played of the campaign, which is most of it... is awesome! To me, it definitely reminds me of H1's campaign. I especially like the beach level, and desert-like levels.

You like candy?