So what was this mistake?
Well ... It starts out like this. As I was waiting on the 25th for the game to come out, I, like many of the Halo Nation faithful, was watching several of the Halo 3 Countdown shows that were on TV.
One in particular had two commentators arguing over what you should do first: A) Campaign, or B) Multiplayer.
Neither of them could agree, but the one pushing for hopping online and playing multiplayer was the loudest, so I decided to try that out.
After three matches, my kill total was an impressive two! Ok, that's not very good, but I would have had 3, except for the time I fell off the platform into the bottomless/foggy pit.
So, ready to turn it off, never to return, I decided to play the campaign and see how it was.
One word: "Amazing". I couldn't put it down. The surround sound was incredible, and the level of detail on the characters is incredible. Did I mention the soundtrack? The one thing that everyone remembers about Halo, and the 3rd installment doesn't disappoint.
The set-up on XBox Live is great as well. Although the multiplayer experience was fairly humiliating, they did put some thought into the experience. Finding a game was a breeze, and you can even create parties to stick together while you're online, so you can all be in the same game(s).
The new features they've added (never mind the new weapons and vehicles you can drive) are pretty cool as well. Being able to goof around with the maps, and then play them has HUGE potential. I'm especially excited about the 4-player co-op via XBox Live, and the optional scoring system that you can use with it to see who the best is.
The one thing that I don't like, and this probably comes from playing too much Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas, is that the jumping up and down is kind of annoying. Everything just FEELS solid, until you hit the A button and it feels like you're floating in space.
Other then that, and my lack of skill for human competition (I may have to stick with CTF, and team based games); I have nothing bad to say about the game. If you see me online (Gamer Tag: Nate Best), show a little mercy ... at least until I've taken you out a couple times ;o)
I guess it's time to pick up some Mountain Dew Game Fuel, and get some practice in before the big Halo 3 party we're having Friday night.
Final verdict: 9/10