Halo 3 is the third instalment in the Halo franchise. Halo is perhaps one of the most popular and best selling games in the world for the Xbox 360, with Halo 3 taking $300m in its first week alone, and there are plenty of good reasons why!
Gameplay
Halo 3, like the other Halo games, is a first-person shooter which has the player fighting off a wide variety of alien enemies in order to on foot, and in vehicles. Halo 3 is a step up from Halo 2, in the sense that it is possible to dual-wield weapons and pick up usable items known as equipment. Set in the 26th Century, the game is based on an interstellar war between humans (led by the United States) and a collection of alien forces known as the Covenant.
Single player follows a campaign style gameplay through 9 levels, thus completing the whole storyline set up by previous versions of the game.
Multiplayer mode is perhaps one of the best parts of Halo 3 as, after completing the game, it adds a whole new bit of fun to it and allows for the formation of clans, and playing with (or against) your friends. The campaign from single player can also be played in co-operative mode with 2 players on one Xbox, or 3 players via Xbox Live.
The Review
Compared to Halo 2, the developers seem to have got some bits straightened out in it; for example the narrative seems a lot more detailed and easy to see what’s happening and the ending isn’t such of a cliff hanger compared to previous versions! Halo 3 loses the secondary stories of Arbiter and the Elites, and focuses solely on Master Chief, for a much more intense and enjoyable game than previous releases.
Many gamers were worried that Halo 3 just wouldn’t live up to its immense reputation, but these anxieties were put to rest when a multitude of game review websites and magazines gave consistently high scores for the new game, and decided that the game included the ‘winning strategies’ that the other Halo games had included, just modernised it to keep up with growing competition from other developers.
Best Bits
- Truly immense storyline
- Online play is excellent fun; adds a new dimension to the game
- The map editor allows you to make maps do the most psychedelic of things!
Forza Motorsport 2 exceeds all expectations where driving games are concerned. Like its Microsoft Xbox predecessor, this fun, simulation sequel is giving gamers a chance to race on some of the greatest tracks in the world—without leaving their seats! Even more casual Xbox 360 players are finding themselves giving driving simulation a try for the very first time. With over 300 cars to choose from, along with countless aftermarket parts, players can customize their very own dream cars and race them all around the world.
The choices include everything from sports cars to Volkswagens. Tracks such as Road Atlanta, New York Circuit, Tsukuba Circuit, and Nurburgring are brought to the players’ homes. The world’s top engineers, programmers, and professional race car drivers came together to help create Forza Motorsport 2, thus making it as realistic as possible.
Perhaps the greatest thing about Forza Motorsport 2 is the fan community. Players can sell their cars to others online. The customization features allow for the opportunity to create visually amazing cars. Even the decals are highly detailed. There are literally millions of decal and paint options, giving gamers the chance to be creative. They can show off their creativity by taking in-game screen captures of their cars and bringing the images to Xbox Live.
Online tournaments are held all the time, which gives players a chance to compete with each another. In-game credits can be earned through online competing. Top gamers from all around the world compete with one another regularly online, making the Forza Motorsport 2 community one of the most exciting as far as interactive gaming communities go. Those who prefer racing solo can complete other objectives and quests online in order to advance their in-game careers.
In summary, Forza Motorsport 2 is an amazing game with unparalleled features and visuals, so many in fact that players never have to worry about getting bored. The only thing better than this realistic, racing simulation game is actual, real life racing!
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – This is the latest game of the Metal Gear franchise, with the main character Solid Snake rapidly aging and near death. MGS4 has been said by Gamespot to be technically flawless. A unique feature of the gameplay is that Snake’s combat abilities can be affected by his mental state during battle, which is affected in turn by battlefield conditions and health.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – This is an adventure game along the lines of the Prince of Persia series with FPS elements added. It centers on an explorer who is the descendant of the pirate Francis Drake. A notable gameplay element is the lack of any on-screen health indicator; instead, the screen display desaturates. The game was known for having production values that nearly reached blockbuster film levels.
Valkyria Chronicles – Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical role-paying-game by Sega. It is known for its lush watercolor-like graphics and the tighter control of strategy. The player can control the individual actions of characters in real-time as they move into attack positions. The setting of the game is an alternate history of 1930s Europe.
Heavenly Sword – One of the first best-selling games on the PS3. This game was innovative in its use of many enemy models on screen at one time, allowing the main character Nariko to engage hundreds of fighters at once. The game made heavy use of cinematic gameplay, also called interactive cutscenes and had a sweeping, epic storyline.
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction – The newest Ratchet and Clank game showed what the Playstation 3 hardware can do. It’s one of the first games, along with Heavenly Sword, to make extensive use of the SIXAXIS motion-sensitive controller to direct projectiles. It is widely considered to be one of the best exclusive PS3 games thus far, and a solid entry to its own series.
Hungry for more? Check out the Wikipedia page Playstation 3 Only Games.
