I found a REAL review of Halo 3!

[oldboy]

IGN: Halo 3 Review

This is the Austrailian review. They actually use thought and process what they played to make the review, and think exactly what i'm thinking.

Cam: So where does all this leave us? With a game that is worth playing, no question, but that – for me at least – is a long way from game of the year. If you’re a Halo or Halo 2 multiplayer ***** you may feel differently, as the Campaign will be the icing on a delicious multiplayer cake stuffed with maps, modes, replays and options galore, but for me the actual gameplay itself – potential aside – simply doesn’t warrant a 9. It’s very close, but not quite there. Care to bang out a Conclusion Bennett?

Bennett: Hang on a second Cam, I’m just on the phone to a security firm. See, we’re going to need personal bodyguards for at least the next month, because I agree with you that this isn’t quite a 9/10 game. There’s no denying how awesome the replay and Forge features are – but they’re not the core of the game. Don’t get me wrong, the single player campaign is very strong, the action is tight, and the AI is F.E.A.R.-killing. But for every positive, there was an area of the game that left me wanting more – the backtracking, the overly cheesy storyline, the underwhelming visuals. And multiplayer feels too much like a HD-version of Halo 2 with a few gadgets you can toss around. Which to Halo fans is fine – but compared to other online shooters, I get the feeling that Halo 3 is staying a little too close to its roots. It doesn’t really matter what you or I think Cam – Halo 3 will still sell more copies in the first second of release than all of the games ever created in the history of electronic entertainment combined. But does that make it the best game on the 360? I think not.

Finally some one has the heart and balls to tell it like it is.

[Conflicted]

Wtf....they didn't even list one negative thing about it. (backtracking/cheesystoryline/ visuals?)

Is that all? Wow, from the way you're putting it, they really shot this game down and said what everybody else was afraid to say....except they didn't say anything.

[oldboy]

are you sure you read all 3 pages? every comment had a positive and negative. I'm not trying to bash halo, but i'm just saying it isn't god's child...and definetly not Game of the Year.

[FazeD]

At least bungie didn't bomb Halo 3 like Zipper did Socom 3

[TixBomber]

How do you gauge Game of the Year, and look at GoW, it won GOTY, and had half of what Halo does. And I'm not even a Halo fan. It is GOTY material seeing as how, it has an astounding multiplayer, tell me one multiplayer game that would wanna make you come back for more, more than this. Forge, replays, kickass weapons, etc.... I've never played Halo save for a few times before this, and right now I would say GOTY material only because of the feature sets it has, I think anyone would be hardpressed to even give something slightly equivalant.

[oldboy]

It's not game of the Year because of games like Bioshock. Halo 3 has nothing on that game story or gameplay wise.

[zero2000]

Originally Posted by oldboy

It's not game of the Year because of games like Bioshock. Halo 3 has nothing on that game story or gameplay wise.

But then again, Bioshock's story and gameplay is IDENTICAL to System Shock 2.

Wii has some large contendors for Game of the Year. MP3, Brawl, Mario. 360 has some big ones, Bioshock, Halo 3 (ugh), etc blah blah. PS3 not so much, possibly some title that ends up being really good and sneaks under the radar, but PS3 is going to dominate next year.

[TixBomber]

Yes, Bioshock is a contender, but to me just as easily not GOTY material, only singleplayer and a short one at that. GoW won last year, it had basically a 6 hr. campaign and multiplayer. To say Halo isn't a contender is rediculous, they have a campaign, and the best multiplayer to date. And since, GOTY is decided by people, you would have to assume, a game with the highest game sales record to date would have alot of influence, not to mention the community behind it. It doesn't seem to me that you're encompassing enough of the grey area of your debate, and thinking in black and white, which is not the case. It would be the same if I said Halo was gonna win hands down. There's no definate winner until it's decided, so I guess we'll have to wait and see. I thought the new Zelda was ten times better than GoW, which it is, and it still didn't win GOTY.

[oldboy]

Originally Posted by zero2000

But then again, Bioshock's story and gameplay is IDENTICAL to System Shock 2.

Wii has some large contendors for Game of the Year. MP3, Brawl, Mario. 360 has some big ones, Bioshock, Halo 3 (ugh), etc blah blah. PS3 not so much, possibly some title that ends up being really good and sneaks under the radar, but PS3 is going to dominate next year.

How is it identical? I still belive Shock2 is better than 99% that come out today...Also it's story is not that short, and is longer than some other notable shooters. 15 hours is a very good length for an FPS. Halo 3's campaign isn't even half as long as Bioshock's and mulitplayer doesn't make a game GOTY. God of War was GOTY and there was no mulitplayer in sight. Though, it dominates with an amazing story with great addictive gameplay on top.

[TixBomber]

Not God of War silly, Gears of War... God of War came out over four years ago... And I beat Bioshock in about 10 hours max, it was more like 8 hours. But it is a good game, I just don't like how you seem to have a one sided my opinion and I'm right kinda attitude, not that it invalidates your opinion in general, but I still stand by that you are seeing the "debate" in nothing but black and white based upon your own thought process. There is way too much grey too even guess right now, in general, there's way to many games out and coming out in this year still waiting to come. Surely you can agree with that, even if you think hands down Bioshock is gonna win, which at the moment I dont disagree with you...