Finishing the fight

If one were to say that "Halo 3" is just another video game release, they'd be wrong. "Halo 3" isn't just any game; it's the biggest game in history. \nAbout 4.3 million units have been shipped with 1.7 million of them pre-ordered; within its first 24 hours it made $170 million in sales and on release day more than 1 million gamers signed on to Xbox Live to get their frag-fest on. \n"Halo 3" features a full four-player co-op campaign, similar to the two-player co-op found in "Gears of War." With a full party, you can beat the campaign in less than six hours, but by yourself it can take as long as 10 hours.\nFor most gamers, though, campaign mode isn't the point behind the "Halo" series; it's all about the multiplayer mode. Whether it's getting frags in Team Slayer or a heated game of Capture the Flag, multiplayer is where it's at, and that's exactly the area Bungie Studios expanded upon for the latest installment. Two new modes are the most noticeable: Theater and Forge. With Theater Mode, you can save your game play and upload clips of your favorite shoot-outs and various other antics that occur. With Forge Mode, you're in full control of your online experience via a map editor, which allows you to control every detail of weapon and vehicle placements, spawning points, etc.\n"Halo 3" is so big that it comes in three different editions. You have the standard game ($60); a Limited Edition version ($70), which comes in a metal case and includes a bonus disc of "Halo"-related content and an art book; and finally the Legendary Edition ($130), which is comprised of the game, two bonus discs and your very own life-sized Spartan helmet. In case you're wondering, yes, I was a big enough geek to buy the Legendary Edition, and yes, I would wear the helmet if I could. Too bad the helmet is only designed to sit on the stand it comes packaged with.\nSure, I could complain about the short campaign and the fact that it sometimes takes a while to connect to multiplayer matches (I blame my internet connection), but the simple fact is that "Halo 3" is everything I expected it to be and more. I can't count how many hours I've already put into it, but "Halo 3" is one of the best games on Xbox 360. Now, if you don't mind, I think it's time I got in a few more rounds of Team Slayer.