Every story, sooner or later comes to an end. Here are the creators of Halo and decided if you do not put a full stop at the famous TV series (this guide will almost certainly not allow), then, at least, pause, and until then send the last Spartan to retire - but not earlier than the famous super-soldier would say the decisive word in the war for the future of mankind. Fight will be on several fronts at once, because the hero must protect the tribesmen and the covenants, and the monstrous The Flood, whose plan is to subjugate every living thing in space. Well, besides, Halo 3 - that's hundreds and even thousands of innocent victims hours of free time spent on the joint transmission network and fierce battles to Xbox Live. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and tell you everything in order.
The heavy tread of heroes Speaking of gameplay story campaign, we have - both in relief, and with some annoyance - to recognize that no major innovations in Halo 3 we were unable to detect, even though we honestly tried to find them. Developers found it unnecessary to something radically alter or modify and restrict repetition of material covered many times and earned more in the days of Halo 2 (which in November, by the way, turns three years). Before us is still a first person shooter where the player for up to nine levels high (this is not too much, believe me) have to perform various intermediate tasks to achieve some global goal. Terse Master Chief then wade through the thick undergrowth in order to save fellow soldiers fall into the trap, then rushes through the maze of the military complex, trying to prevent the onset of covenants and defuse the bomb, then, risking their lives every second, it destroys the enemy's air defense system, in order to pave the way for the world's fleet. Finally, it comes to that and to much more serious missions, in which the rate will be the fate not only of Earth but of all sentient life forms in the galaxy.
Different in words, the job is usually not too different from each other in content - in fact, ultimately, to achieve a particular goal from you primarily want to destroy the enemy forces, using any means at hand. By the way, the last Master Chief never lacked - and Halo 3 is no exception. It offers the player a huge arsenal of various weapons - from a primitive (but extremely dangerous in the hands of a professional) to the fanciful creations of a gun military-industrial complex covenants, such as a hefty battle hammers, capable of causing a small earthquake.
 | Support |
In addition to primary and secondary weapons in Halo 3 has a pretty impressive list of ancillary items that you can find a very different application. There are a couple energoschitov - they will survive under heavy fire of the foe. There are more sophisticated devices, like the dazzling pieces, "silencing" radar, and time bombs.
 | |  | The whole team of characters in the collection - Master Chief, Arbiter and two novice enthusiast. | | Shooting with two hands allows for a few seconds to unleash a barrage of enemy fire. The main thing is to have enough ammo. |
Alas, such a variety of turns constant agony of choice - after all, as before, the hero can wear a maximum of two weapons simultaneously, in addition to grenades, so you just have time and again in something currently denied. And once and for all give preference to any rifle or shotgun can hardly get: Bungie decided to tackle the "pets" a primitive but highly effective way of: providing a perpetual shortage of ammunition. Patrons constantly missing, and you barely emptied store matched a couple of minutes ago automaton going to have disposed of the gun grown fond, trusting his life to a new trophy tucked under the arm. I doubt whether anyone will want to be a decisive moment in the face of the enemy without any means of self-defense. Viewed this approach as an advantage or disadvantage - you decide, but the game he is without a doubt, diversify.
Is worth mentioning the so-called Support Weapon. This category includes machine guns, flamethrowers stationary and the like very, very serious adjustment. First they had to use quite literally "on the spot, but now the characters have learned no qualms off and fly with me, even then the state property that carefully nailed down or something stronger. Thus, any whopper-turret turns into a dangerous weapon attack - though a single use.
Well, we can not say about the techniques presented in the game - the more so because it will use quite often. List of vehicles has risen slightly since the Halo 2: In line with the already familiar to veterans of Warthog and Ghost rose new items such as Mangoose (compact and incredibly easy to maneuver quad) and superbly protected and not unarmed Brute Prowler. Most of all they come in handy in multiplayer mode - but amateurs perform feats alone can hardly abandon the proposed wonders.
| Master Chief |
About how a little boy with a remote planetke become a legendary warrior Master Chief and the war began earthlings with covenants you can read the article on the history of the studio Bungie. We will focus on events, a direct participant who could be anyone, having played consistently in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and, of course, Halo 3.
Thus, familiarity with the world of Halo began with waking Master Chief on board the Earth ship Pillar of Autumn - only the ship broke through the blockade of the besieged planet Reach, committing hyperspace jump into the unknown. However, go far failed: far from the giant space station inexplicable appointment the ship was captured by pursuers boarded.Covenants broke into a vessel in an attempt to tidy up their hands, and began a fight ... The battle ended an emergency landing on the surface of a giant object (which is called Covenants Halo) and further developments led to the emergence of a hostile race in outer space parasite The Flood, escape Master Chief and his assistant, e Cortana to Earth and destroy the mysterious rings Halo. Victory? Not so fast.
In the sequel to the Covenants have calculated the same coordinates of the Earth and immediately brought down to the cradle of humanity all its military might, yet earthy honored Command Master Chief of Merit. Meanwhile, in the community covenants there has been political divisions caused by the intrigues of Preachers (Prophets) and the opposition of the two strongest kovenantskih races, Elite (Elites) and Brutus (Brutes). As a result, enters the scene is another key character, a referee - at first a faithful servant of Preachers, and later, when the truth about the reasons for the war and sailed out - worst of their enemy. He will lead the elite in the outbreak of civil war and become the main hope for survival covenants. And do not forget about parasitic on living organisms The Flood - Halo 2 its victims are men, and covenants. And even Cortana lost by his fault, when the Citadel covenants absorbed cosmic contagion.
In Halo 3, the main character was back on Earth, there has arrived and the referee. Joint efforts they will stop contributing a preacher of righteousness, the only one of the three dozhivshego before the decisive battle. However, maddened by hate fanatic - not only concern the players will have to pay attention to rescue Cortana, and finish with The Flood. And, of course, solve the riddle of Halo.
 | |  | Favorite tactic of the enemy - landing almost on your head. | | As before, Master Chief freely use any found weapons - including an alien. |
In the yoked As to the multiplayer mode, it can not hesitate to call the main achievement of the developers - and the main advantage of Halo 3. Something that Bungie employees have altered, something that was removed, some of the elements, by contrast, added. The result is an excellent gift to those who can not imagine gaming without the passage of a joint or matches on a "wall to wall" - and here, there and then, and more.
Cooperative mode allows you to pass campaign four users (compared to two in Halo 2), including on one console - through the good old split screen. And if the partners had played for the Spartans and colorful scenes in the story featured only one of them (actually the main character), but now the situation is different: the first player controls the Master Chief, the second takes control of the Arbitrator, the third and fourth are responsible for two young covenants, N 'tho' Sraom and Usze 'Taham. Features all the characters more or less the same, only different starting arsenal. Immediately warned: to get four (or even together) campaign on the standard difficulty level - employment gay, but has every chance you get bored very soon. Another thing, if you find the strength and courage to challenge the Covenant and The Flood at the level of Legendary, where every error is threatened with destruction of the entire group at once and then return to the long traversed checkpoint, and the success depends primarily on the ability to seamlessly work in a team . We are not talking about the secret ending, which would only reward for completing Legendary.
No less interesting and network battles to sixteen people - even most of them boil down to the usual Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Those wishing to play into something more original, probably like mode Infection, where part of the fighters began the match in the role of infected The Flood «zombies" and can only fight hand to hand.The problem of "sick" - to infect all the "healthy" in the opposing team (jab energomechom), after which the newly-born "zombie" goes into the camp of the enemy recently. The battle lasts until the field will not remain the last uninfected partner.
So far, eleven multiplayer maps available - but Bungie has already talk of work on the various additions to Halo 3, so we dare to suggest that the number of cards over time has increased markedly, as was the game-predecessor.
| Deservedly |
In addition to the familiar index of Skill, in multiplayer mode, there is another option by which assess your progress - the experience (experience). Experience directly affects the military rank of players (for example, "The Recruit" or "General") and earned part in the match. That is, the longer and more often you fight, the more experience can earn and the higher your rank. As well as setting Skill, experience is measured in points rating (Rating Points or simply RP), which can not only earn, but to lose. For example, the desire to prematurely leave the battlefield and cast mates in the lurch will cost you exactly two RP. Cowardice and indiscipline in Halo 3 is punishable.
 | |  | Mobile shield generator can be a reliable protection to the enemy and a serious obstacle for you. Or vice versa - depending on who will pick up the device first. | | Bereft of armor, huge Brutus often headlong rush to close quarters, relying on its prytkost and brute force. |
Show and tell Halo 3 I remember, shortly after the network beta version of the game, we pretty much written on the schedule - in particular, have expressed doubt that Bungie will be able to beat the competition on the part of high technology. Well, now that Halo 3 get to the store shelves, is an excellent opportunity to discuss her appearance again, incidentally deciding where to put a comma in the sentence "can not execute the pardon".
First of all, be mentally prepared for the fact that nothing supernatural you will not see - on the contrary, the initial stages is not so much surprised as disappointed. After such a campaign, and such budgets are waiting for, at least, a revelation. Meanwhile, the initial stages of Halo 3 is not impressive. Local jungle does not compete with the lush vegetation in the upcoming Crysis and Haze, a military base is no different from dozens or hundreds of military bases, we've seen in other shooters - the same dull and monotonous. After such entry glove suspect developers in bad faith ... but the findings should not act hastily. Indeed, real power graphics engine can recognize only choose to open space. That's where the staff Bungie squared his shoulders, did not spare neither the time nor the energy - and the result is what the resources expended. Somewhere to disappear blurred, similar to one another texture, almost every scene turns out to be bigger following the previous one, and even the special effects look like something else. Of course, some places come across to avoid the "clean" technical roughness, but fortunately it is easy to forgive and forget. Nevertheless, Halo 3 can hardly claim to be the most beautiful game for the Xbox 360 - there on the platform and more powerful in terms of graphics projects, some of which were sold long ago.
Musical accompaniment is perhaps typical of the series, all audio tracks, including new sound surprisingly familiar - notice the difference except that it is very vigilant music fan.But the voice acting is once again raised to a qualitatively new level - the good, talking characters (and the key, and minor) permanent, readily commenting on any event and the actor was where to turn. Especially tried to Jen Taylor, the third time, performed the role of Cortana, and a Hollywood veteran Terrence Stamp, whose voice is broadcast one of the main antagonists staunch preacher of righteousness.
| Architect of one's own fortunes |
Very interesting innovation in the multiplayer mode has some semblance of level editor, called Forge. To complete the editors Forge is difficult to classify - it is rather a means to add to the levels of new objects, including weapons and equipment. And the player can use Forge not only before the match, but during the battle. True, this does not mean that another "smith" becomes invisible or invulnerable - other players can still kill him, thereby severely complicating the creative process.
 | |  | The popularity of Halo 3 guarantees an influx of newcomers battles online. Here are just pity them veterans probably will not. | | Even under the control of AI, the arbitrator can be very useful in battle - strength and vitality, he is not inferior to the Spartans. |
Shadow of a doubt Put Halo 3 single overall assessment - the problem is rather complicated. So in reality we have two completely separate project, which could well exist separately from each other. The first - a chic network shooter, having no equal on the consoles, the purpose and raison d'être of any self-respecting Xbox Live subscribers in the next few months, if not a year or two. And 9.5 points (or even all 10) in this case would have been rightfully deserved. Project for number two - where a more conventional and ordinary in the best sense of the word. Play - fun to use, monitor the development of the plot - is interesting. But at any surprises forces (and perhaps desire) at Bungie was not enough. Employees of the studio just did their job. Carried out professionally and conscientiously, on a step will not fail twice already proven formula for success. Fans, of course, different and is not required. Those who are not among the staunch supporters of Master Chief, or so far only heard about Halo, but never got acquainted with the series closer to the third part is likely to receive slightly less than expected. And because a separate evaluation for the story campaign would have been lower - somewhere "8.5".
Nevertheless, we are willy-nilly to seek a middle ground. And I think the final "nine" would be a reasonable compromise - on her and stopped.
| Expert opinion |
 | Sergei Tsilyurik - My acquaintance with the Halo 3 limited campaign. Which was terribly short unbearably pretentious, it is extremely boring, predictable, linear, and quite vaguely in terms of plot.Multiplayer is where the bots are absent as a class, certainly flawed: what if I do not have "Live"? |  | Red Cat - Not being a big fan of online games, priced, especially the storyline campaign - which is somewhat disappointing, I was expecting from it a little bit more. Nevertheless, in its genre Halo 3 will be met not so many worthy competitors - both on the Xbox 360 as well as on any other platform. |  | Artem Shorokhov - With all the conventions and clear blemish, Halo 3 - one of the few games managed (for the umpteenth time!) Both offer excellent networking and multiplayer, and a decent single passage, and a sweet bonus co-op for four. But here's the newcomers, it did not loyal. Be careful! |  | Alexander Ustinov - A very sad without online and additional game modes. I am disappointed: Sega-AM2, which is so thin at guessing the mood of players in Arcadia, does not understand the soul of the foreign consolers. Again made a simulator for the Japanese and the "best game that nobody will play." What potential is lost ... |
 | |  | Melee weapons, including swords and energy, remains an important element of the game mechanics. | | Useless in the crossfire in the open spaces shotgun can be very useful in tight corridors. |
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