This game isn't bad, but it is certainly over-rated.

The above statement sums up this game for me perfectly though will no doubt get me crucified by halo 'fan boys'.

Where the game is lacking is the single player campaign and more specifically, the story. The story and now that i think about it, gameplay is near enough a carbon copy of its predecessors buffed up only by graphical upgrades.

I loved the first halo game for being a competent first person shooter with an immersive story line, which left you wondering the motivation behind the hordes of alien foes aggression and their hatred for humanity. The second installment built on this by revealing more of the reasoning between the human vs alien struggle. The third game fizzles out with a dull, predictable, disappointing ending and ends up feeling unnecessary (in terms of adding to the story) and if the developers wanted such a lazy ending it feels like the story arc could have easily been wrapped up by the end of the second game.

The narrowing of the story also means that the verity of colourful enemies which gave halo 1 and 2 charm are narrowed to pretty much one type of dull grey enemy, yet more reason the story arc could have and in deed should have been wrapped up in the second game.

The only real reason to buy halo 3 is for the online multiplayer experience, the element of the game the developers seem to have poured most of their time, effort and resources into. However the online multiplayer is somewhat inaccessible (understatement of all time) to new players and will likely cause more frustration than pleasure to the majority due to the amount of hardcore 24/7 players who will kill you before you've even orientated yourself and they will subsequently hurl abuse at you in an online gaming language that is as far removed from eloquent as is imaginable. This aside there are several online gameplay modes and a ranking ladder which makes gameplay addictive and gives it high replay value once you're into the swing of things.

In conclusion the single player is disappointing and leaves me wondering why (other than the obvious answer of being a cash cow) the game wasn't just made as a multiplayer expansion pack at a cheaper price. Multiplayer, if you're willing to invest the time to overcome the initial frustration of being 'owned' become a competent player, is rewarding and fun to play with a group of friends.