It’s interesting to examine just what the Halo franchise went through before settling into Spartan 117’s shoes and creating arguably one of the most memorable video game characters since Mario himself. Originally meant as a real-time strategy game that was trying to portray a “Myst”-like atmosphere within an intergalactic war, it was changed to a first person shooter and moved to Microsoft’s Xbox. It went on sale and broke all sorts of records, with its sequel following suit. “Halo 2” became a social phenomenon: all-night online battles, great ranking systems, and a fun distraction of a single player campaign. But many questioned how “Halo 2” could be topped in terms of sheer quality.

To be blunt, those questions should be put to rest. What “Halo 2” got right, “Halo 3” tweaks to near perfection. The players’ online avatars are now even more customizable, the online experience interacts with the Xbox Live interface seamlessly, and there are many new and better maps to play on. Players can decide on whether or not to play in ranked matches for each individual category of game types, or they can connect into a simple social game without worrying about affecting their ranks. Experience points are gained through playtime, and achievements are unlocked as you play so as to impress your list of friends. All around, the online multiplayer, what the Halo series is known for, is about as good as anybody could hope it could be.

But what of the single-player campaign? If there was any sort of valid complaint about both the Halo games before the third entry, it would definitely be that the campaign was unmemorable, repetitive and downright boring. The story wasn’t interesting, and people never really cared for what was going with the Alien Covenant–they just wanted to shoot the living stuffing out of those Elites. While “Halo 2” set a solid foundation for the plot to continue, it was still a disappointment.

Surprisingly though, “Halo 3” has a pretty enjoyable solo mode going for it. It follows the same basic and tired formula as the past entries: start the level, maybe get into a vehicle, ride around a bit, shoot some aliens, traverse a repetitive building, push a switch, end level. However, the story is actually something that could be cared for this time around–it feels like the Master Chief actually has a purpose. It’s definitely not Shakespeare or anything, but it’s functional. To top it off, players can storm through the campaign in online cooperative mode, so that’s a plus.

Overall, where does “Halo 3” stand? In a holiday season filled with heavy hitters like “Call of Duty 4,” “Super Mario Galaxy” and “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” it will still probably sit safely atop the charts and sell like tasty, tasty hotcakes. Its online mode is incredible and is something that will be a social aspect of the current generation for years to come. The single player is still a bit of a drag compared to the multiplayer, but in an age where nearly everyone is playing online games in some form or another, who really cares? “Halo 3” brings it all, and the Master Chief delivers. Thanks, Chief. It’s been great these last seven years.