First Halo 3 Reviews Hit: Not So Bad (Understatement) [UPDATE]
- Scribbled on September 23rd, 2007 by Devin Grimes
- Filed in Microsoft Xbox 360, Shooter
[UPDATE: The MetaCritic score for Halo 3 is 96 so far. That is stratospherically high for anything on Metacritic. That is universally acclaimed, Half-Life 2 (PC) level. - jonahfalcon]
Just a few minutes ago, the embargo officially broke, and reviewers are now allowed to post their final thoughts on this fall’s biggest title: Halo 3.
GameSpot’s is the first to hit the net, giving Bungie’s baby a big, fat 9.5 out of 10. Jeff Gerstmann gives his opinion on how the finale shaped up:
On the surface, Halo 3 is every bit the sequel you would expect it to be, in that it delivers meaningful upgrades to both the story-driven and competitive sides of the package. However, it’s the addition of the Forge level editor and the saved films that give the game an even longer set of legs, legs that will probably keep you running at full speed until Bungie figures out where, exactly, to go from here.
TeamXbox made a few bold statements with their 9.7:
Halo 3 is the best Xbox 360 game to date. The single-player campaign and storyline are both very strong, but it’s Forge and the Saved Films features that will likely go down in history as Bungie’s crowning achievements. They’ve basically taken everything great about the series and improved upon it in every way, then added some amazing new features that we’ll be using for years to come. The fight may be finished, but this amazing experience is never going to end.
Need more? Here’s what the rest of the outlets are saying:
Keep your eyes tuned in here later in the day for our final take!
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
97 Metacritic score so far. Wow.
Me and a few others have been posting review scores at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_3#Critical_reception
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 pm
I’m positive if this were called “Sci-Fi Shooter” it would NOT be receiving the reviews it has been. I’m not saying Halo is bad, I’ll reserve judgment, but I mean the name is likely to help. Anything poor in reviews says it’s “more of the same”. For me, THAT IS A PROBLEM. I DO NOT WANT TO PLAY JUST ANOTHER SHOOTER.
I can’t wait till Tuesday because I want to love this game.
September 24th, 2007 at 12:34 am
It’s not just a sci-fi shooter though - it’s an f’ing brilliant one. There’s a reason Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are revered as well.
September 24th, 2007 at 1:34 am
WHY is Halo brilliant? Half Life brought REAL STORY to the table, while Halo brings cinematics that tell a pretty retarded story (Halo 2 - H1 was okay story-wise)
There’s NOTHING brilliant about Halo except the Forge. Multiplayer is deep, but not Brilliant.
September 24th, 2007 at 1:59 am
Half-Life brought a real story? Funny, Half-Life had no narrative, just “You’re a scientist in trouble… GET OUT!!!”