Almost exactly three years since beating Halo 2 - if it can actually be called "beating" that game - a short while ago I finished playing Halo 3, the final chapter of the saga that started with the original Halo in 2001.
As Lisa put it, it was "beautiful".
After going all the way with Halo 2, I complained about all the threads of the story that had been left dangling. Halo 3 brought everything to a satisfying conclusion, while significantly adding to the depth of the story. It also made up greatly for what I think were some of the weaknesses of Halo 2: getting to play the Arbiter in that game was a neat twist... but I think that Bungie might have overdid that aspect of the game. Fortunately you play Master Chief the whole way through Halo 3, although the Arbiter does have a much-appreciated role to play in this tale. It's hard to tell for sure, but I think the game itself might have been a bit longer than Halo 2 was, too.
Most mind-blowing scene of the entire game: the reveal of the newly-created Halo. If you ever wondered how the heck those massive rings are built, you find out in Halo 3.
Most satisfying moment? When you finally, finally, after three games, get at last to open up a can of whoop-butt on Guilty Spark. Stupid little blue twit: he had it coming for a loooong time.
I can honestly say that the time spent playing it was very enjoyable and perhaps even enlightening a bit. How often can that be said of a video game?
If you play the game and get to the end, make sure to stick around for the final credits. In true Halo tradition, there's one last scene that reveals much about the fate of two major characters (and you can probably guess who they are if you've ever played a Halo game).
So ends the Halo trilogy proper. The war with the Covenant has drawn to a close. So of course, a prequel is in the works: bring on Halo Wars!
