Halo 3

Carrying on from the Chillout Weekend and Halo 2, here's Halo 3.

First Halo on the Xbox 360, wow…

So… I started taking photos and making some notes… Then… Oops, a few photos and two notes in and I couldn't stop until I'd finished it… what… a… game… Second attempt, ah there we go…

1) Arrival - "Brace for impact." (Cutscene, tutorial on single player)

Cortana! 'they let me pick', you had… luck' yeah luck and my awesome skillzz… look up and down :smile:

2) Sierra 117 - "Rise up. Start the fight."

The Arbiter! It's ok, he's with us… Nice loading screen. Nice UI, slight blue transparency as if you're looking through the helmet, top left grenades, middle shield bar, again no health, top right weapon and ammo, bottom left minimap with distance. Sun rays, lighting, mist, all graphics incredible update from Halo 2. Amazing water reflections… Nice waterfall :wink:.

Brute with grunts, Brute uses a Bubble Shield, Cortana cut scene stopping you moving, Health Regen, duel wield Spiker, level of details, shading, lighting has really stepped up. Brute shot, battle rifle, awesome. Sniper, tunnel underneath, Grav Hammer :smile: Amazing detail on Phantom and able to destroy gun turrets on it. Phantom destroyed :smile: Destroyable windows, ride in Pelican.

3) Crow's Nest - "Clear the base, whatever it takes."

Secure perimeter defenses, Neutralize hostiles in the hanger. Get back to the ops-center. Rescue marines in the barracks.

A Spartan! We're going to be alright. Truth digging in South Africa. Prophet of Truth looking for the Ark to fire all the Halo rings. Commander Keyes, Lord Hood, planning a low lever strike… Oh oh… Prophet of Truth has taken over the feed. Evacuate. 'Dude, have you got socks I can borrow' lol!

Lots of grunts, got Flared, Deployable Cover, huge Covenant ship in bg, with lot of other smaller ships fighting. The old Halo favourite… Go back to where you came from 'Get back to the ops-center', max 2 grenades each, loads of Covenant 'Buggers', bomb set, nice transparent UI computers, lot of Brutes up ahead and a Grav Hammer Brute, Grav Lift, Stick Grenade, another Cortana cut-scene, shotgun, corridors full of Brutes, Brute holding Plasma Turret, activate lift. Brutes with jetpacks on, but you can't pick them up :cry:. Trip Mine, oh… Back to ops-center (again), another Cortana cut-scene. Fuel Rod nice, suicide grunt with a load of plasma grenades! Back out, Cortana cut-scene, screen shake, lighting going dark, buggers and grunts running all over the place, Cortana cut-scene, into elevator, another Cortana cut-scene… 'This place will become your tomb'.

4) Tsavo Highway - "Mount up. Get to Voi."

Lead marines away from the base.

Find transport, nice fire animation, different types of Warthog, one with a Turret Gun, one with a Roll Cage, awesome open landscape, Brute Chopper bike awesome… Wraith, plant grenade, boom! Back in Warthog, lots of Wraiths and Choppers, lots and lots of Brutes! Made it :smile:.

5) The Storm - "Reclaim the city. Make a hole."

Destroy first anti-air Wraith.

Start off in a Warthog convoy, rain and thunder and lightning, 'Traxus Heavy Industries' that would make a nice T-shirt :wink: Opening up the doors for convoy, Ghost, anti-air Wraith, amazing views, ships fighting above, love the blue flames on the destroyed Covenant vehicles, Power Drain, Cortana cut-scene, loads of Marines and Covenant fighting in vehicles on ground and in the air… 'Something big closing on your location', Scarab!!! Amazing detail, on it whilst, it's moving, find the core, 'Get away it's going to blow!', amazing explosion! Parts still move now it's destroyed, driving Mongoose with Rocket Launcher Marine on back, Mongoose not allowed in :/ Another.. Cortana cut-scene, Hunters, Brute with Grav Hammer goes invincible, Massive Gun in distance, operate / detach turret, destroy big gun :smile: Nice Master Chief shot, Cortana.. 'This is the way the world ends'. Damaged Covenant ship comes in and crashes. 'What is it? More Brutes, Worse…'.

6) Floodgate - "Stop the infestation. Find Cortana."

The Flood! Eeeek…

So… you have to go back the way you came. Lots and lots of flood. Flame Thrower! Cortana cut-scene, mentions the Gravemind. Loads and loads of flood, different types of Flood and Covenant helping out, 'Do not be afraid, I am piece' cut-scene Gravemind. Inside Flood like corridors, retrive Cortana, the Oracle / Monitor! Cortana 'It doesn't know about the Portal' a way to destroy the flood without the Halo rings.. Covenant and Humans now working together to take out The Flood.

7) The Ark - "Search the waste for the Cartographer."

Awesome intro video showing the Pelican dropping down and landing.

Ncice view, sniper practice :smile: hunters, corridor 'terminal' back outside, get vehicle, found a cartographer like on the first halo ring, follow pelican to LZ. Get to LZ, Brutes, Wraiths, Ghosts, clear LZ and 'dawn' arrives (huge!) and drops off some tanks, nice job. 'Tank beats ghost, tank beats hunter, tank beats everything!' Destroy Covenant Phantom! Following Monitor, get an Auto Turret, long way down, transparent bridge, back outside, Scarab, waterfall in distance, long hill down, good fun taking down Scarab and massive explosion. Up to top, Arbiter comes back, 'Real me dont'read maps', keep going down, back outside, activate Cartographer, cut scene, head downstairs, Mauler weapon (like a nail gun), Brutes in active camo.

8) The Covenant - "Breach the barrier. Stop Truth."

Deactivate first barrier tower.

Green Phantoms, laser! Waterfall, water, Pelican drops of a Mongoose and a Warthog, 'get to the first station and shut it down', huge Covenant ship in distance in sky, dang Mongoose not allowed in, Brute with invisibility Grav Hammer, lovely view through transparent floor, deactivate shield generator, Johnson in trouble, head back to the beach, Hornet… amazing! Kicking ass :smile: Hunters, Buggers, Brute with Turret, Brutes with active camo, deactivate shield generator, oh oh.. flood! Back outside, Tank and Warthog waiting, 2 scarabs! One down, one to go, stop Truth from firing the rings, no vehicles allowed again, Cortana cutscene.

FMV Johnson forced to activate rings, Keyes killed by Truth, Flood arrive and will help deaactivate rings, single path, lots of Brutes, Brute with Grav Hammer, oh oh hit off platform, back to activate bridge across, FMV - Truth killed, rings deactivated, Flood back to kill us.

Head back to the lift, Cortana cut scene, lots of Flood, there's a 'mini ring' can activate this to wipe out the local Flood.

9) Cortana - "Cleanse High Charity. Save Cortana."

Find Cortana, on Flood type planet, Gravemind cutscene, Cortana cut scene, and again, lol floating Elite, nice spark animations, looks like a Covenant place that's been taking over by the Flood, Flamethrower :smile:, oops got, skulls and bones, Flood corridors open up, tower blows up, find Cortana, she has the Index from the first Halo.

Go back the way you came, destroy High Charity, start a chain reaction, everything blowing up, Arbiter with Flamethrower, Pelican and out of here.

10) Halo - "Light the ring. Destroy the Flood."

Find the control room, snow, head through the cliffs with the Arbiter, icicles, Flood dispercle pods, get to top of tower. Lots and lots of Flood, Gravemind cutscene, FMV - Johnson goes to fire the ring, the Monitor says this is unacceptable as a premeture fire could destory the arc. Kill the Monitor! Get Laser from Johnson, Johnson doesn't make it, Halo activated, go back the way you came, escape, corridors, Warthog, awesome drive to the finish with everything exploding :D

Extra FMV! - Cortana tells Master Chief the Halo ring was fired and we got through the portal, Master Chief goes into cryo and tells Cortana 'Wake me, when you need me'. Other Notes

Duel wielding but no longer with Needler, minimap, no health bar, just shield, recharges faster, no immobilise with plasma gun, unlimited flash light, for the first time new 'side' weapons e.g. Bubble Shield, Power Drain, Trip Mine, Grav Lift, Radar Jammer, Flare, Regen, Auto Turret, no target to lock on with Rocket Launcher, 2 frag grenades / 2 plasma grenades / 2 spike grenades / 2 firebombs, new weapons Laser, Mauler, Grav Hammer, Spiker, new vehicles Hornet, Mongoose, Anti-Air Wraith, Brute Chopper, Brute Prowler. Tank has no machine gun only turret.