YMMV / Halo 3

• Anti-Climax Boss:
  • 343 Guilty Spark. Possibly intentional, given that it's almost basically an excuse to purposefully blow the crap out of him with the Spartan Laser.
  • The Gravemind is also never properly battled. Bungie initially intended to make what became "Cortana" part of Floodgate, and have a different setting and "boss level" that was a more direct battle, but it proved to be too challenging to code.
• Awesome Music: "One Final Effort" is an absolutely stunning piece and was used to great effect during the opening to the assault on the towers.
• Best Boss Ever: The dual Scarab battle on "The Covenant". Probably the coolest battle in the series.
• Best Level Ever: Most players would nominate the entire second half of the game for this- with the notable exception of Cortana.
  • Many people consider multiple levels in the game to be this, despite the generally weaker story that is mainly tying up the cut ending from Halo 2.
  • The Storm is the best level in the first half, focusing on the player storming the city around the Portal and battling through the entrenched Covenant in varied covers.
  • The standout would be "The Covenant", where Master Chief and a small army takes out two Scarabs. And there are no cutscenes for that, you have to pilot something onto the backs of those things and blow them up yourself. (Or use the Scorpion, or the previous methods or Mongeese and Warthogs.) The reason fans love it is that the game just says, "Go ahead. Whatever it takes."
  • The second half of "Halo", the final level, which sees you escaping the Ark on a Warthog with the Arbiter on the turret as you plow through and shoot up hundreds of Flood while speeding up numerous ramps. It's considered a bigger, more bombastic version of the final Warthog run from Halo: Combat Evolved, which was already a beloved level from that game.
• Broken Base:
  • Similar to Halo 2, this game isn't without its fans and its critics. Halo 3 introduced features such as Theater, Forge, a more extensive customization for both SPARTANs and Elites, Co-OP over Xbox Live (up to four players, as well), and is heralded for its art-style and graphics — still considered the definitive look of Halo and just like the last game, it's considered the best game in the series. However, some disliked the Arbiter being only playable as a second playable character in Co-op — meaning the Human-Elite alliance wasn't able to be fleshed-out. Other Campaign complaints include Brutes not being as menacing or dangerous as they previously were; and the Covenant A.I. being neutered, as well. The weapon sandbox, was again, criticized, with people noting similar issues with dual-wielding making small weapons, like the Plasma Rifle and SMGs nonviable unless they were paired, and more weapons making the game feel cluttered. And the Equipment in Multiplayer were the prelude to Armor Abilities in Halo: Reach — they weren't met with open praise. The game's Netcode, combined with the slower bullet trajectory, led to a lot of bloodshots,^note meaning shots which would land on a target, but wouldn't register and the Battle Rifle made this even worse, because each bullet spread farther away than they did before.
  • In the Master Chief Collection version of the game, 343 started adding new armor options to Halo 3: Initially derived from the canceled Halo Online, followed by more original sets from both the existing canon and fantastical Alternate Universe settings. This effectively divides the fanbase into three camps: Fans who wish The Master Chief Collection would preserve the game as it was on the 360 and feel the new armors clash with the original game's art style, fans who enjoy the new canon-compliant armor and appreciate the restoration of content made for Online but dislike the more fantastical ideas, and fans who don't care about canonicity in a multiplayer game and just like all the new ways to customise your Spartan. This debate is softened a bit by the inclusion of a toggle which hides all new armor options from your game, but the question of how far an Updated Re-release should aim to change the original game remains.
• Catharsis Factor: The Arbiter killing Truth is a living example to the fact that a Cutscene Boss need not be a letdown. Twelve years later, and it's still one of the most satisfying bad guy deaths in video game history.
  • The only good thing about Sgt. Johnson's death is the chance to immediately take revenge upon his killer. With a Spartan Laser.
• Complete Monster: The Prophet of Truth. See here.
• Fan-Preferred Cut Content: Some fans prefer the cut version of Sergeant Johnson's involvement in the final level rather than the simplified sequence of events seen in the final game. To explain, the original plan was to have the Chief, Cortana and the Arbiter travel to Installation 08 on a Suicide Mission while Johnson returned to Earth with the rest of the human and Separatist forces. Johnson would quickly have a change of heart and go to join the Chief, bringing the Forward Unto Dawn with him. This sequence brings a few advantages over the final version: It gives far more significance to Johnson's death, as him willingly joining the mission when he could've safely returned home not only makes his death a Heroic Sacrifice, but he also provides the tools needed to help defeat 343 Guilty Spark and help the Chief and Arbiter escape the ring, rather than these things just being the plan from the start. It also makes the actions of the main trio far more poignant by showing that they are ready to sacrifice themselves, and it makes the scramble to escape the ring a bit more desperate as it was not their original intentions. On the other hand, other fans agree with this plot being cut because it makes no sense why the UNSC and Elites would send their most important soldiers on a suicide mission when they have the capability of retrieving them.
• Fan Nickname: Rtas 'Vadum (the Elite counterpart to Lord Hood) is also known by fans as "Half-Jaw," because, well, you know... Later, the novella Halo: Shadow of Intent (written by one of Bungie-era Halo's main story guys) established "Half-Jaw" as an official in-universe nickname.
• Franchise Original Sin: Halo 3 was the first game in the series to feature Story Breadcrumbs in the form of the Terminals. This trope is Downplayed; it wasn't a problem, here, because the Terminals only offered additional backstory to the universe and the main story of the game still made sense even if you didn't find them all; you didn't need supplementary material to understand what was going on, because it took place right after the last game. 3 also included some small continuity nods to the Expanded Universe, which were good fanservice for hardcore fans, but didn't hurt the experience for others. Later Halo games, however, were criticized for their stories inducing severe Continuity Lockout if you didn't keep up with not only the in-game auxiliary story bits like the Terminals, but the expanded universe as well, while the Terminals added to the Anniversary games basically spoil most of their respective stories. For instance, Halo 4 offers little info on its main villain outside of the Terminals, making him come across as a Generic Doomsday Villain if you didn't find them.
• Fridge Brilliance: Cortana says the reason she chose Master Chief over every other Spartan is luck. Check out what happens to Noble Six, a SPARTAN who is as equally skilled as John, in Halo: Reach, and her statement reverberates in hindsight.
  • The policy of the military is that SPARTANs never die, they are just listed as MIA. That's exactly what happens to Chief in the most literal sense.
  • Of course The Ark is outside the galaxy. If you were going to build a place to remotely activate weapons to kill all life in the galaxy, having it outside the galaxy makes perfect sense.
• Fridge Horror: If Gravemind wasn't in such a hurry to get to the Ark, the Flood would have had plenty of opportunity to infest Earth and wipe out what little remains of humanity, leaving the Chief and company backing up a graveyard while they were preoccupied with Truth.
  • Well, they did try to, dropping off an infected Covenant cruiser in Voi, which would have quickly taken over the entire planet had it not been for Vadum glassing the immediate area before anything could escape.
• Fridge Logic: Even had Truth succeeded in firing the Halo rings, he wouldn't have been able to kill all life in the Galaxy as the game implies - without Installation 04, there would have been a huge gap in the Array's firing coverage.
  • Although considering neither humanity nor the Covenant found Installation 04 beforehand, despite our already existing space telescope power in Real Life, it’s heavily implied there’s nothing remotely worthwhile in that 7th of the galaxy, anyway.
  • All life in sixth sevenths of the galaxy being killed isn't much better than all life in the galaxy being killed.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • One of Sgt. Johnson's last lines is even worse after Halo 4.
    Sgt. Johnson: "Don't - don't let her go. Don't... ever let her go."
  • Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum's claims that he would have glassed the entirety of Earth if it meant stopping the Flood also becomes much harsher and ironic when Halo 4's Terminals showed that Forthencho, the Lord of Admirals of prehistoric humanity, also glassed Forerunner worlds without advance warning in the hopes that the Flood would be stopped quickly enough.
• Heartwarming Moments: In Cortana:
  Master Chief: You know me. When I make a promise...
  Cortana:...you...keep it. I do know how to pick 'em.
• It Was His Sled: You finally get to kill 343 Guilty Spark.
• Moment of Awesome: The level "The Covenant", where you get an amazing shot of a battlefield you're about to be in (complete with two Scarabs and a whole lotta Banshees!) while having a lovely Crowning Music of Awesome.
• Memetic Badass:
  • In Halo 3 multiplayer, the Cone. In the first days of release of Halo 3, a player shot the energy barrels of the level, and was subsequently killed by a flying traffic cone. SPARTAN-II are afraid to tread near them. Bungie was so bemused at the video that the user got the Recon armour as a reward.
  • Water, bane of Spartans.
    • Strangely enough, there’s exactly one spot in the first level where you can hop under a river and be fine. It even makes things as murky as the water looks. So, some poor programmer worked very hard on submersion mechanics for nothing.
• Moral Event Horizon: Spark crosses it when he kills Johnson; particularly since he's so far gone that he's protecting his own Installation over destroying the Flood.
• Narm: Keyes' "To War" response to a technician asking where squad leaders should rally in "Crow's Nest" is frequently mocked, both for being an overdramatic and Out of Character non-answer to a valid question, but also because after the cutscene ends the two continue talking as if that line was never spoken. The MCC adds a cheeky reference to the line, with the Miranda Keyes nameplate description being: "What direction is the war in?"
  • Not only is the cutscene terrible and the conversation continues as though the line never happened, but to cap it off Miranda walks dramatically up the stairs and cocks her pistol as though she is about to go elsewhere. After the cutscene, she will come straight back down the stairs as though it didn't happen.
• Player Punch: The deaths of Keyes and Johnson, as well as Cortana's Mind Rape by the Gravemind.
• Poor Man's Substitute: Many fans were angered by the voice replacement for the Prophet of Truth.
• Scrappy Mechanic: The Cortana and Gravemind Moments are cool on your first playthrough, but on replays the fact that it slows your movement down to a crawl for several seconds is extremely annoying, with no way of turning them off.
• Signature Scene: The Chief's reunion with Cortana, for being one of the most heartwarming scenes in the franchise and the line, "Thought I'd try shooting my way out. Mix things up a little."
• Special Effect Failure:
  • As in the previous game, Flood combat forms can be blown to pieces when sufficiently damaged. Do this to any Elite ranked higher than Minor that's been infected however, and their armor will spontaneously turn blue upon being gibbed.
  • Flood infections just spawn flood blisters on the character model as if they're glued to the surface. This is especially jarring with Truth's infection.
• That One Level: For many, Cortana, particularly if on higher difficulties and God help you if you're doing it alone. The level is filled with droves of Flood, and shooting pods releases Infection Forms that will revive any Flood that you just killed. The level also keeps the same infested theme throughout, and combined with Cortana and Gravemind constantly interrupting gameplay, it can be hard to navigate.
• Underused Game Mechanic:
  • Elite allies only show up in two levels, and in two very short portions at that.
  • Brute Stalkers likewise only show up for two rooms, and since they're the only source of Fire bombs, that means those are incredibly rare. Thankfully, Halo 3: ODST, which is built on the same engine and reuses most of the sandbox of Halo 3, made them more common.
  • Speaking of fire bombs, the fire bombs and flamethrower are very rare in the campaign, with the flamethrower only appearing on Flood levels (Floodgate, Cortana and Halo), so there is no opportunity to use it on Covenant enemies, only on the Flood. It also only appears in Data Hive in Halo 3 ODST. It's also rare by default in multiplayer and even on custom maps only one can be placed without using cheats.

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