Halo 3: Game of a Generation

Let me start by saying that Halo 3 wasn't the best game of the 7th generation. In fact, it wasn't even my favorite game of that generation. But Halo 3 was a game that shaped the generation that grew up with it like no other, while also providing an unwavering vision into the near future of video games before we even dreamed of it.

It's hard to believe that Halo 3 came out a whopping 8 years ago. As a wee little 11 year old with nothing but a PS2 and a Wii, I had never played a game in the series and could only imagine the sheer awesomeness of this third entry through the epic descriptions by kids in school. Looking back, I doubt half of those little bastards even owned the game, but my desire to play this game was killing me. I can still remember the day I finally got my chance like it was yesterday. It was during the winter break of 2007-2008 that my friend invited me over to play a mission co-operatively. I remember being super confused by the (seemingly) complex menus and the endless buttons on the 360 controller. But when we started up the campaign, oh man... Halo 3 shattered through my expectations like a thrusting Banshee. I had never played a game running on powerful hardware, and the way bodies flew about with that now cheesy rag doll effect, and the way grenades would set off a chain reaction of explosions, and the way vehicles took subtle damage as you blasted and rammed foes... it was truly something amazing for me at the time.

So thus, I turned into that fair-weather friend that deals with your crap just to play a couple hours of the awesome game on that console they don't have. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. I walked to the (now defunct) Game Crazy that was near my house and slapped every GameCube, PSP and Wii game I owned on that counter as a desperate offering to get my 360 and the ultimate game. All in all, my trade came to 230 bucks, only just below the asking price for an Xbox 360 Arcade and a copy of my plastic-clad love. I was already despondently putting all my games back up when a slightly smelly, disheveled, and dirty-bearded angel stopped me right there.

"Hey kid, wait."

"What?"

"Let me see those games real quick"

As he sifted through my big box of games, he laughed.

"Those guys are ripping you off. I'll give you 350, right here."

Needless to say, I took his deal. He even bought my copy of Halo 3 separate since I was too young to buy it at the time. Looking at the prices GameCube games go for these days, I really wish I waited the 3 months til my birthday and just got an Xbox 360 then. But none of that mattered now, I had my Xbox 360 Arcade with a staggering 200 MB's of storage and a generic case with Halo 3 in it. I was living the life!

That's my personal experience with the game, and it'll stand forever as the biggest sacrifice I had to make for any one game. But enough about me, let's talk about what makes Halo 3 so special.

At its heart, Halo 3 is a fairly generic FPS. In terms of gameplay innovations, Halo 3 is not as well regarded as its predecessor. While Halo 2 introduced dual-wielding and cool new weapons like the Energy Sword, Halo 3 had some goofy throwable items that were subsequently removed from later games and an overpopulated amount of vehicles that often felt pointless (The Prowler is cool, dammit!). Halo 3 also wasn't the best looking game, running at a sub-HD resolution and sporting its fair share of muddy textures. Why did the series once known as the pinnacle of console graphics abandon its crown? Where did all this power go instead? It went to the products of Bungie's brilliant foresight, Theater Mode and Forge Mode.

Every insane Legendary clutch on campaign, every climactic Energy Sword duel in Multiplayer, every spazzed out Brute corpse... it was all waiting for you to save in Theater Mode. From then on, every time you gloat about that crazy Infection match where you took on the whole lobby, you better have that clip to prove it. Theater Mode served another purpose, too. Inspired by the success of Red Vs. Blue, Bungie effectively brought the ability to make machinima to the common gamer. This means every nerdy group of kids made their best cliche-ridden zombie movies and Star Wars knock-offs in glorious 360p with impeccably cringeworthy dialogue delivered by cracking voices through fuzzy mics. Early YouTube at its finest.

So Bungie already foresaw the desire for gamers to share their best strategies and favorite moments with each other, but what else? Inspired by the success of a then obscure Source game called Gary's Mod and before the likes Minecraft or GTA Online... they knew gamers wanted to create. Forge Mode allowed for limitless game modes, maps, and fun to foster. Don't want to shoot people in the face? Play some Grifball, or Jenga, or Trash Man. For the first time on console, your mind was the limit. 8 years later, and many of today's shooters still lack this feature.

To me, the 7th generation can be summed up with 3 themes: social interaction, creation, and co-operation. Mainly in terms of the first two, Halo 3 was a total pioneer. But more than that, it was my Goldeneye, my Twisted Metal, my Super Mario 3, etc. It was the game that was always there for me, through all the awkwardness of middle school and the adventures of high school. And even though I've since drifted apart from FPS games in general, it was always a game I could come back to with the same friends and always expect a fun time. I'll never forget all the times I had with Halo 3, and I doubt any other game will spark those feelings of nostalgia the way it does whenever I hear its name, music, or I see others talking about it.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I would love to hear your own memories with this game.