20 years later, this classic Halo title is still the Xbox 360’s best game

For so many people, the Xbox 360 is seen as one of the best consoles that Microsoft has ever released. Now on its 20th anniversary, Xbox fans can look back at the Xbox 360 and its library of games with fond memories. It is the console where multiple Xbox franchises saw their beginnings, but many other key Xbox series saw new iterations come out as well. Some of the biggest releases connected to the Xbox brand come from the Xbox 360 era, which laid the foundation for aspects of current-day gaming. But all this time later, there is one game that is still the Xbox 360’s best game, and it’s arguably the most important release within the console generation.
When I think of Xbox, the first franchise that pops into my head is Halo. It is one of the biggest first-person shooter franchises of all-time, but is also the series that significantly impacted both the original Xbox and Xbox 360 console generations. But while the first two Halo games from Bungie defined the original Xbox, it was the release of Halo 3 that solidified the dominance of the Xbox 360 in the early 2000s. Here’s why, 20 years later, this classic Halo title is still the Xbox 360’s best game release.
The hype of Halo 3
Releasing the most important Xbox 360 game
In the first-person shooter genre, there have been a few foundational releases that influenced many games that came in later years. The release of Doom on PC formed our idea of what an FPS game is, while the release of Halo re-imagined how an FPS on home console could play. This is why both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 became so popular with everyone on the original Xbox. But with the release of the Xbox 360 in 2005, the anticipation for the next game in the series was staggeringly high. Its arrival would be the biggest game for the console at that time.
From the very first teaser trailer that Bungie released, people were incredibly excited about what Halo 3 would bring to the console. The hype for it in the entertainment industry was beyond anything that came before. Award shows, Hollywood celebrities, and thousands of gamers everywhere constantly kept the game on everyone’s mind, with marketing adding even more fuel to the fire on a daily basis. It quite literally captured the attention of the entire world. And when Halo 3 finally released on the Xbox 360, it was met with a very positive reception.
Refining gameplay
And a legendary conclusion
While the majority of Halo 3 plays very similar to the first two games, the gameplay of Halo 3 is a refinement of everything before. The smoothness of the controls, the feel of firing weapons, the challenge of every enemy in the campaign, and so much more was nearly perfect for everyone. A number of the weapons that people loved from previous games evolved in different ways, looking and sounding better when used. But an assortment of new weapons and combat abilities for Master Chief mixed things up and kept the foundational gameplay feeling fresh and fun. Firing a battle rifle at different Covenant enemies was very satisfying, as was sticking them with grenades or hitting them with any of the classic Halo vehicles to control.
Multiplayer continued the momentum and growing popularity of Xbox Live as the premiere service to play games online, adding a surge of players to match up with in Halo 3 matchmaking. If you were into competitive gaming back then, chances were you played Halo 3 with everyone else that had an Xbox 360. Some of my best memories of playing online through Xbox Live come from both the original Gears of War, which released after the console’s launch, and through Halo 3 multiplayer. Whether you were someone that loved Team Deathmatch or Capture the Flag, jumping online for matches of Halo 3 became part of the routine for many people following the game’s release, and it remains one of the best multiplayer modes in the series for die-hard Halo fans.
However, the biggest aspect of Halo 3’s importance to everyone wasn’t just its incredibly solid gameplay. It was the third and final entry of a trilogy that had been built over multiple years. The story of Master Chief and the war against the Covenant was coming to a conclusion that many anticipated for a long time, which was further enhanced by multiple pieces of outside media like books and comics. Seeing Master Chief and the Arbiter come together through circumstances edged on by the war going on was something that fans of the series were eagerly awaiting, which more than delivered through the game’s ten levels in the main campaign.
Fun sessions with co-op
Teaming up for the best of times
Playing Halo 3 alone was a great experience for everyone, but getting together with friends online or locally was something even greater. One of the biggest changes to come with Halo 3 was how the campaign could be played with up to three friends over Xbox Live or System Link. Previous Halo games had a cooperative campaign with only up to two players teaming up together, which felt limited. But not only could more people join in on the action, the challenge of tackling the campaign mode on the infamous legendary difficulty could be a shared experience among more people. Two players could take on the roles of Master Chief and the Arbiter, while the other two played as Elites who teamed up with them.
Other Xbox 360 games that released later would have a similar approach to co-op gameplay, but the first major title to do so in a big way was Halo 3. Tackling the campaign together not only brought people closer through Xbox Live party chat, but allowed for people to experience the campaign mode differently, even if they already finished the story beforehand. Tougher enemies on legendary difficulty could be brought down easier with human allies helping out, and moments like the big finale of the campaign were even more chaotic with multiple players driving vehicles together towards the end.
But co-op play went even further beyond the game’s main campaign. The Forge mode was a map editor that allowed fans to manipulate the environment of multiplayer maps and customize them. Multiple players could join and place objects within the area, as well as test out and play matches on custom maps. While one person was able to let their creativity drive what they did in Forge mode, the ability to have multiple players working together to make custom maps made things easier and more interesting. The types of multiplayer maps shared online through Bungie’s servers were creative and provided even more content to spend time going through.
A legendary legacy on Xbox 360