Halo 3 from PS 2
The gameplay of Halo 3 largely builds upon the previous iterations of the franchise. It is a first-person shooter that follows the character Master Chief and his struggle against the Covenant and the Flood. The game's action takes place largely on foot, but also includes segments focused on vehicular combat.
The balance of weapons and objects in the game was adjusted to better adhere to what Bungie Studios Multiplayer Designer Lars Bakken describes as the "Golden Triangle of Halo". These are "weapons, grenades, and melee", all three of which are normally available to a player. Halo 3 also contains the ability to dual-wield,
where a player forgoes both grenades and melee attacks in favor of a pair of weapons. All of the weapons available in previous installments of the series, except for the Brute Plasma Rifle, return with minor cosmetic and power alterations. Unlike previous installments, all weapons a player is carrying are visible; weapons
not in use are holstered or slung across the player's back. Halo 3 also introduced "support weapons", which are exceptionally large, powerful and cumbersome two-handed weapons such as machine gun turrets and flamethrowers. These weapons drastically limit the player's normal combat options and slow them significantly. In
return, they offer greatly increased firepower. In addition to new weapons, Halo 3 added a new class of usable items called Equipment. These items have various effects and functions, ranging from defensive effects (Bubble Shield and Regenerator), or objects which blind or confuse the enemy (Flare and Radar Jammer),
to ones which can actually harm and kill (Power Drainer and Tripmine). A player can only carry one of these items at a time. The majority are placed on the battlefield, where they can be destroyed by weapons fire or explosives. Most equipment also has a limited duration after being used.
Halo 3 also features a strong vehicular component, with new vehicles never before seen added in the third installment of the series. Most vehicles can be used by the player, but some are A.I.-controlled. Certain vehicles usable in campaign are not available in multiplayer due to balance concerns
Halo 3
Halo 3's campaign contains nine levels, which complete the storyline of the Halo trilogy. Players can play through by themselves, or play cooperatively with other players via Xbox Live or System Link. For plot reasons, instead of having each player be an identical Spartan as in previous Halo games, the first player plays as Master Chief, the second player the Arbiter and the other two players newly created Elites; N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham, each with their own backstories. Each player has identical abilities, although the Arbiter and his Elites have different starting weapons. A.I. behavior was improved over Halo 3's predecessors, occasionally drastically changing gameplay; for example, the behavior of enemy Brutes the player faces has been modified, giving them a "pack mentality" when attacking. There are also various Forerunner computer terminals hidden throughout the campaign which can be accessed for additional storyline information. After accessing one of these yellow hubs, the player can read translated text for a short time before the terminal redirects them, shutting off the translation and turning the screen red. While they don't serve to propel the story, they fill in background on the forerunner's struggle to contain the flood prior to the first activation of the rings.
Halo 3 features a "campaign scoring mode", called the "meta-game", which introduces a competitive aspect to cooperative play. Players are awarded points for defeating enemies while completing a level in the campaign. Extra points are awarded for stylish moves such as performing headshots or defeating multiple enemies in rapid succession. Players lose points if they die or kill a cooperative team-mate. The player can find hidden gold or silver skulls (based on the easter egg skulls in Halo 2) on each level which, when activated, cause changes in game-play, such as giving the enemies extra health, changing in-game dialogue, or improving enemy behavior. The Gold skulls provide a multiplier to the score on top of multipliers that are applied for playing on higher difficulties or completing the level quickly and achievements, but the Silver skulls go towards unlocking Hybasa Armor. Players are awarded gamerscore points for successfully reaching a certain score in each level (15,000 or 50,000), and medals are awarded for specific accomplishments.