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Xbox 360 | Action | Halo 3

Boxart for Halo 3
Halo 3 397 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.75
  • SOUND: 5.00
  • CONTROL: 5.00
  • FUN FACTOR 5.00
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.5
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.8
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Review: GamePro Reviews Halo 3! (Page 5 of 7)

Review by Travis Moses | 09/25/2007 | 15:22:34 PM PST

Machinima 101

Let's move on to Halo 3's film and screenshot sharing options, something that I feel is a feature that truly helps define the current generation of gaming. Now that eye-popping graphics are the norm, it's features like these that really set a game apart from the status quo. In Halo 3, players can save both their single-player campaign and multiplayer experiences, store them to the Xbox 360 hard drive, take screenshots, and share them with friends via a service dubbed "Theater." For example, say you Spartan Lasered your way through four players with a single shot. First, save the replay (because that's quite an achievement). Then, replay the film, edit those few seconds of glory into a short clip, and send it to the poor chaps you toasted. As if getting tea bagged wasn't humiliating enough, now you can watch your corpse getting humped in slow motion, over and over again.

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

Easy as 1, 2, 3...

Let's All Go To The Lobby

The Theater also has a lobby which supports numerous players. This is the perfect place to let all of your friends see your Halo 3 highlights, but you can also hunker down with your clan and game-plan strategies the way professional sports teams do.

The best part is that you don't even have to hit 'save' at the end of each match: Halo 3 will store your last 24 played games, whether it's in the single-player campaign or online. There are also so-useful viewing options: When watching a saved film, players can slow down and speed up time, detach the camera from first-person view and roam freely around the entire battlefield, edit clips, and even take screenshots. It's also great for trying to find those pesky Skulls.

Again, I took this screenshot. It's my favorite vista in the game. Amazing what you can do!

Again, I took this screenshot. It's my favorite vista in the game. Amazing what you can do!

Total Recall

The one oddity is that there is no rewind function in single-player films -- this is especially confusing because a chapter rewind function exists when you view multiplayer films. It's pretty frustrating when you want a specific frame for a campaign screenshot, and if you miss it you'll have to reload the clip. Did I mention certain campaign levels can take more than an hour to finish? Hopefully, Bungie can add rewind functionality via an Xbox Live update down the road.

Regardless, when you add it all up, there's no denying that Bungie has yet again created the slickest and most versatile user interface possible. Each mode, from online co-op all the way down to the Forge, is considered an independent lobby. If you have a full party watching a saved film and everyone suddenly feels inspired to kick some butt in multiplayer, you can simply switch lobbies and take your party with you, which eliminates the need to reinvite everyone.


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