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I finished Halo 3 on Legendary mode today. Although it was a very enjoyable ride and fitting conclusion to the series, I can’t help but feel a bit sad that my tour of duty with Master Chief has finally come to an end.

It was six years ago that I joined the fight against the Covenant in “Halo: Combat Evolved”. I eagerly continued the fight in “Halo 2” and have now finished the fight in “Halo 3”. Since that first mission back in 2001 the story and characters of Halo have been a part of my life and it’s with reluctance that I say goodbye.

Playing the single player campaign of a game like Halo for the first time is very special treat. It’s something that you only get to do once and will remember for years to come. It can be compared to seeing a favorite movie or reading a great novel the very first time.  There’s the excitement of being in the middle of an incredible story and charging ahead into the unknown.

This is the way the world ends…

This blog entry should really be dated March 3rd, 2553.  That’s because the war against the Covenant and Flood is finally over and the world, what is left of it, has been saved. 

Halo 3 doesn’t pickup exactly where Halo 2 ended. Instead, there is a comic series named “Halo Uprising” that takes place between the two games. It is a little confusing at the start of Halo 3 as to what has happened to Master Chief, however, I’m hoping that when I get a chance to read the comics it will all be made clear.

It was a pleasure to fight alongside the Arbiter through many of the levels. Although I enjoyed playing as the Arbiter in Halo 2, I was happy that Halo 3 stuck exclusively with the Master Chief. Playing as the Arbiter might have been okay if the game had been longer, but as it was, I preferred to spend the time with the Chief.

Several of the set piece battles in Halo 3 involve taking down a Covenant Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform (a.k.a, Scarab). Initially fighting the scarab seemed a difficult task, however after some practice I learned how to stay ahead of main scarab gun and avoid being spiked by the legs.

One cool thing about the scarab battles is that there are several ways to approach the fight. In my first battle I simply circled the scarab in a mongoose while a soldier in back hit it repeatedly with a rocket launcher. The second time I noticed the crane extending out over the battlefield and used it to jump onto the scarab, thus skipping phase 1 of the fight. In the second scarab battle later in the game, receiving a lift from a Hornet was definitely the way to travel in style.

Let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return – Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood

I love looking at Forerunner architecture in Halo. There is just something awesome about the structure and massive scale of Forerunner buildings. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to explore the Ark on Earth. That would have made a great level before jumping off through the portal.

The Flood were particularly creepy in Halo 3. It’s fun to take a close look at them in Theater mode and appreciate the increased detail of the models. I do have to say that my least favorite level in Halo 3 was fighting through the Flood infested High Charity to save Cortana. That level was simply a pain in the ass, particularly on Legendary mode. Saving Cortana at least made the trip worthwhile, however I don’t expect I’ll be replaying that level anytime soon.

 And to Sergeant Major Johnson, it was an honor fighting at your side. Your courage in battle and motivating pep talks will never be forgotten. I’m happy that I was able to grant your last request.

One of the innovative features of Halo 3 is the Theater. The game automatically saves both single and multi-player games so they can be viewed as a movie later. The game actually re-renders the video based on saved game data and allows the user to watch from any point of view (including a free roaming camera). This is a really cool feature, particularly for someone like me who likes to explore all the details of a level.

I guess there is a certain comfort in having closure to the Halo single player campaign. I’m satisfied with the ending and am looking forward to some day when I can sit down and play through all three games sequentially. For now, my next challenge is Halo 3 multi-player. I suspect it will be a lot tougher than during the beta…

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