Related Links | Halo 3: Hands-on with Campaign
Fans have been rapt with anticipation for news of the Halo 3 Campaign mode, and prospects for the co-op mode combined. The good old Bungie guys have cheekily kept everyone dangling until less than two months before the game is released. But good times are finally here – Campaign has been revealed!
While Halo 3 is still undergoing some final tweaks and balancing, the single level playable at the European Premier in Amsterdam raised our expectations to yet another level. With the news that up to four players will be able to tackle it co-operatively both locally and over Xbox LIVE, it’s hard to remember a game that has promised so much with such confidence. We jumped gleefully into Campaign mode in a level called Tsavo Highway, which opens with Master Chief and a small group of marines awaking from a big explosion in an underground hangar. Once you’ve found the power switch for the site you encounter a supped-up Warthog carrier that enables a driver plus four marines to make a quick exit toward a hot desert sun. Once outside it’s clear that battles have vastly increased in size and scope as environments teem with enemies. A careful approach is required on anything above the default difficulty. One of our best experiences was parking the Warthog behind a rockface, climbing up and taking out snipers with the ever-reliable Covenant carbine. As with all Halo games some incredible AI is showcased, the enemies turning all of the new gadgets and items first seen in the multiplayer Beta against you. Battles play out both on the ground and in the sky and the sense of scale is clear as a gigantic gunship swept over the sand scanning the horizon for your squad. As you engage the enemy with marines around you there is the familiar camaraderie and sense of responsibility that marked the first game’s sprawling on-the-fly battles. The marines who chatter away about you offer support and scolding as appropriate to your actions, and this contributes significantly to this sense of immersion. Achievements in Halo 3 have also been treated with characteristic Bungie charm as Brian Jarrard, director of franchise and community affairs explained to us: “Our designers have spent a lot of time and energy thinking about how to distribute achievement points. Happily, we think that all of these Achievements are attainable by the vast majority of players who are prepared to put a little time and effort in.” In many ways Halo 3 feels like a return to the first episode’s execution – less based around scripted events and with more emphasis on freeform action, something Bungie Studios has even suggested. For gamers everywhere Halo 3 looks to be an astonishing technical achievement, a fitting and epic conclusion to one of the most important videogame trilogies ever seen. |
