Microsoft Halo 3

There's no denying it -- Halo 3 is the biggest videogame in history. No other game has had as much hype, built-up fan anticipation nor the marketing push (try $10 million in the US alone) as the last chapter of the premiere franchise in console gaming. View more screenshots in our Halo slideshow Indeed, the game has proved so popular that it has singlehandedly slowed down the Xbox Live service, due to thousands of gamers playing online at the same time.

But is the game worthy? Does it live up the high expectations that gamers world-wide have set for it? I have two words for you: 'Hell' and 'Yes'.

Price Of Admission

I want to first start off by saying that Halo 3 is worth every penny: Go buy it! In fact, it's worth investing in an Xbox 360 if you don't already own one -- I'm willing to bet there will be more than a few gamers who line up on launch day to buy not only the game but a console as well. The Limited Edition is the sweet spot for me. It comes with some really cool bonus features, such as Making Of documentaries and a nifty A/V Calibrator for your television. The Legendary Edition is a little ridiculous unless you're a Halo fanatic and have a small cat or dog that can wear the included Master Chief helmet. The standard version is just fine too if you don't care about any of the fancy extras.

Censored Campaign

Chances are, you've already conquered Halo and Halo 2, so you should be fairly familiar with the gameplay and storyline. If you haven't, no worries. The game is easy enough to pick up if you've played first-person shooters before, and all you need to know about the story is that Master Chief is a badass and Brutes are "evil," as George Bush likes to say.

So what's new in Halo 3, besides the single-player campaign that brings the legendary storyline of Master Chief and the war against the Covenant forces to a thrilling conclusion? How about refreshing level design, a slew of new weaponry, the introduction of equipment, competitive online co-op, and a detailed multiplayer level editor called the Forge, which allows you to design levels and play them online.

I'll get to all of those things in turn but first, let me talk about what many gamers consider to be the most important element -- the graphics.