Browse > Home / Games, Headlines, Living & Arts / The Chronicles of Master Chief

The Chronicles of Master Chief

November 6, 2007

The final installment of the popular Halo series destroys doubts.

by Sinjin Jones

SinjinHEARTPinapples.jpg    2 a.m. Doritos at left. Redbull at right. Team Slayer on Valhalla. One win until rank Lieutenant 2nd Grade. One minute remaining. My Team: 45, Red Team: 43.
    “Hey, someone get in the Warthog,” a teammate shouts through the mic.
    I climb into the passenger seat and one of my blue brethren mounts the turret. We drive off, his lack of driving skills forcing a zigzag, toward the river. Off of the right flank I vaguely catch glimpse of a small red figure moving on top of a nearby ledge. I turn instinctively to see what it is and an aimed rocket launcher glares back at me.
    “Bad idea.”
    The sound of metal displacing air followed by an explosion. My tattered, joint-less MJOLNIR suit flies through the air and lands facedown in the water and begins to glide easily along it. The screen fades to black.

    None of the Halo series has failed to impress and the third installment is no different. New weapons, new maps, and a new and enhanced story provide for an epitomizing final chapter.
    The Halo series chronicles Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced super-soldier in the year 2552 and his computer companion, the artificial intelligence system, Cortana. A race of aliens known as the Covenant have been systematically eliminating UNSC (United Nations Space Command) outposts and it falls to Master Chief to lead the retaliation. The Covenant have, at their disposal, a series of seven interstellar rings known as Halos which hinder the Flood, a race of parasitic creatures.
    The campaign of the third installment picks up with Master Chief falling to the Earth. Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, a familiar character, along with Arbiter, come upon his disabled body while making their way to the UNSC outpost. The story follows Master Chief as he completes the final chapter in Earth’s attempt to defeat The Covenant as they invade Earth. The co-op feature in the campaign has been expanded to include up to four players cooperating to defend Earth at a time (online friends count too!) and the arsenal of new weapons, including the Gravity Hammer, the Spike Grenade, and the Spartan Laser, add to the depth and excitement.
    The pride and glory of Halo 3, however, is undoubtedly the multi-player function. Following the trends of its predecessors, the system has been enhanced to near perfection. The online Matchmaking system, in charge of allowing players to be matched via skill level (based on both the number of games you have played and the number of times you have won) is much more refined and the long wait times of Halo 2 are all but vaporized. A stream of new Custom Game types (such as a VIP game, forcing a team to guard one of their players who may brandish only a pistol) have been added, and the idea of user-created custom games has been expanded while core game play remains "Halo". Those familiar with the series will notice new "equipment" in the form of deployable items such a bubble shield, which forms a geometric shield that cannot be shot into or out of. These add more variety and tactics without disturbing the classic balance of intensity and skill known well to Halo fans.
    Overall, the game has proven to be what it promised: a final and perfected version of one of the most beloved first-person shooter (FPS) series of all time. With $170 million in sales in the first 24 hours, Halo 3 looks to be the must-have title for FPS enthusiasts. Bottom-line, fans of the Halo series will gawk at this final installment and newcomers will be entertained if not enthralled.

3…

2…

1…

    I am back among my teammates.
45-46
    “That was a good idea,” I say to the mic as I swap my Assault Rifle for a Battle Rifle and add a Brute Shot to my arsenal.
46-47
    I spot a sniper rifle at the top of my base and scramble to take control. On the top of a hill, in the distance, I spot a red trooper busily making his way across the field. I take aim. Zoom to 10x. He stops a moment to switch his weapon. Mistake. A bullet whizzes from my rifle and his body falls to the ground.
48-49
    I frantically look around attempting to find someone to demolish. I need this win.
49-49
    Two people on a small, two person Mongoose driving across the hill, one standing on the back, present the perfect opportunity. I am…slowly…a moving target is more difficult…steady…steady…

My Team: 49 Red Team: 50

GAME OVER

2:05 a.m. No Doritos. Amp empty. Angry. Time for homework.

Print This Article Print This Article

Written by Sinjin Jones · Filed Under Games, Headlines, Living & Arts