Ahh, the glory days of Halo 3. Back when there were no load outs, armor abilities or bloom. Back when it used to be simple and straightforward but also required skill and teamwork. Halo 3 is the best FPS I have played in my gaming years. Teamwork and communication is something that has become redundant in the current FPS games. Halo 3 had the perfect mix of game types and maps, later introducing ‘Double EXP Weekends’ with fan made game types and maps. Not only did it have a dedicated ranked mode but also a social mode for other less competitive players to lay back and have some fun.
Halo 3 was the first game in the series to introduce ‘Forge Mode’. Forge essentially allowed players to create their own maps. From floating islands that featured demolition derby game modes to giant Jenga towers where the zombies had to fling object at the tower to kill you. My favorite game type was zombies, otherwise known as infected. There was a certain variant called ‘Fat Kid’. The alpha zombie had the slowest movement but had 4x over shields and the damage modifier was reduced to 10%. This made the alpha a walking tank. Not only was he hard to kill but the idea that he would slowly come up to you was thrilling. When you lost sight of him, he would appear closer than before just around a corner sending players into a panic. Whenever he would infect someone, those infected zombie were fast, had low gravity but were a 1 shot kill. I played over 1000 Fat Kid custom games. It was fun, chaotic and somewhat scary.
How can we talk about a Halo game without mentioning the campaign. Everyone bought Halo 3 to finish the fight. Halo 3 had 9 missions. A few of those were big and long missions that boasted tank fights to aerial combat. The final section of the last mission was somewhat reminiscent of the missions ‘The Maw’ from Halo: CE. It featured a long warthog escape with falling platforms and tight curves all the while with Flood and Sentinels trying to kill you. It was hectic but one I remember clearly. There nothing like playing Halo 3 in 4 player co-op. It made the campaign more enjoyable. From the accidental friendly fires to the goofy glitches that your friends would find themselves in. Those were some of my favorite memories of Halo 3.
As the advertisements for the game said, ‘This isn’t the Game of the Year, it’s the Game of the Decade’. Truer words have never been spoken. Later Halo games just don’t compare to the masterpiece that Halo 3 is. To this day, Halo 3 still holds up the test of time. People are still playing ranked Halo 3 even though they have attained max rank. People are still playing campaign even though they have already completed it several times. Halo 3, for me, will be my most treasured and closest to heart Halo game of all time.
Missed it Monday is a unique segment designed to allow anyone part of The Hidden Levels to share a retrospective look at their favorite games from the past. These games are past favorites from no particular console or time. Simply put these are games we think you may have missed or that we personally miss and want to share our memories of. Missed it Monday can be followed on social media using #MiM and is published weekly.
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