The campaign for this game had a great aesthetic that I adore. The mission design was also good for the most part. The story was perfectly fine, however. I didn't hate it and it served its purpose. However it doesn't reach the emotional pains of Halo 2 or the bombastic feeling of Halo 3.

Firefight was a solid, yet difficult, distraction if you could find 3 other people to do a run with you. Sadly there was no matchmaking for this mode, which it desperately needed

A good side package overall, despite the price point at the time frustrating fans

This is my favorite game. Nothing can top it. Does it have problems? Yes. But I have too many core memories from my childhood for anything to ever top this one

The campaign is the equivalent of Infinity War/Endgame. You're not here for the story: you're here for the spectacle, and Halo 3 delivers in this. Aside from Cortana, every mission in this campaign has something fun and replayable to offer.

This multiplayer has problems. The wonky networking and non-hitscan weapons can cause inconsistencies at times. And yet I still love this multiplayer so much. The sense of community this game began to form was wonderful and would only be done better by its sequel

Forge has been a gamechanger for Halo as a franchise and, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons this IP is able to hold as many people as it does. Sure, casual arcade arena shooters are fun, but the custom games Halo 3 started is something I can't recall any other IP doing with consoles thanks to its forge mode.

I can't say enough good things about this game. Almost a masterpiece... almost

A great campaign overall. While some of the arbiter missions can feel like a drag at times, that's really the only negative I can offer. The evolution from Halo 1 to this is night and day. Its a campaign that has aged like a fine wine and continues to give me a smile anytime I play it

The multiplayer is phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about it. I can't talk too much about the online experience since I only got to play a couple rounds through my xbox 360 before they shut down the servers. Playing through services like XLink Kai though has shown me this multiplayer still holds up to this day

While I will never wish the development cycle this game went through on anyone, I do hope we can get another timeless masterpiece like this at some point down the line