Halo 3 PC - Review

I really never thought I would go back to playing Halo 3 again, sure I gave it a quick go as past of the Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, but I figured that was it. Turns out that with the PC release, I was given the chance to jump back in to finish the fight and I am glad I did, because the game is just as fun as I recall.

This is not a review of the game as a whole, just the PC port and given that this is the first time the game made it to PC, this was a big deal. Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 both made the jump to PC, with the first done by Gearbox and the sequel by a small internal team. 343 Industries oversaw this port, but it was handled by multiple studios, giving it the potential to fail, but somehow, they did not. Now the game still tells the same story, the multiplayer features the same modes, but everything just feels smoother here than I can remember it being.

As a PC release, you would expect there to be some visual or performance options available to you and you would be right, at least, in a sense. The game offers one major option, but it is a considerable one, with players able to choose between Original, Enhanced or Performance modes, depending on preference. Now Original, as you might expect is just that, the game as it was made, same effects, same textures, lighting and audio, there are no changes here, except for resolution. Performance mode drops some of the effects and lighting back, making it perfect for those with an older PC, giving those who have been waiting 13 years to finish the fight on PC. Now while Enhanced might sound perfect for those that want overhauled visuals and beyond, but it does not do that, just offers some slight improvement and I do mean slight, though you can unlock the frames, so that’s nice.

Of course, visuals aside, the gameplay is still the most critical thing, if the gameplay did not work with a mouse and keyboard, then nothing else matters and honestly, it is pure butter to play. Being able to move around, jump, shoot and more, feels incredible, even when plugging in a controller, it still feels good, not as great, but still better than the original release. Character models do suffer from age a little, not that they are bad, but they are just old and blocky, while The visuals do hit a snag when it comes to uncapped framerates and some animations, as they appear to be locked, which causes them to look weird, but they don’t happen enough to worry about it a great deal.

The audio is also wonderfully brought across and hearing that epic score kick in, during the midst of battle still sends chills down the old spin, a testament to Martin O'Donnell and his incredible score. But it is not just the music, each of the sounds comes across nice and clearly, guns feed weighted, explosions have bass and even the screams from terrified enemies as they all flee before you, are easy to hear. People have had issues with past audio packages for the PC releases of Halo games, but I couldn’t find one here at all.

Those looking for multiplayer are set as well, as everything from Halo 3 is here, including Forge, the playlists are here, and everything works. Playing prior to general public release, finding games via matchmaking was made harder, but since it has become available to all, things are a lot better. Fans who were hoping for something more, are not going to be disappointed as, in addition to bringing everything across that was in Halo 3 by the end, they have also added more, including a full armour customisation system. If you recall, in Halo 3 on the Xbox One release of The Master Chief Collection, you could select what set of armour you wanted to wear, but that was it, now though, you can select which piece from which set you want, it has been reported that Xbox One players have it as well. Those looking to enjoy Forge, given its debut with Halo 3, will be happy to knew that there are a few new features included here as well, taking some of the later improvements for Forge and bringing them back to where it all started.

Halo 3 for PC is a game you are either already in on, as an owner of The Master Chief Collection, or it matters little to you. Given that it took 13 years for the game to come across, what is presented is one incredible title and while it does not look the most amazing, it has a solid presentation across the board, minus a few issues and offers sublime gameplay to boot.

The Score

9.0

Review code provided by Xbox Game Studios

The Pros

+The entire game is smooth, from performance to controls, it just works

+Mutliplayer, which is a core experience for Halo, works well and features everything it should

The Cons

+Visual enhancements are fine, but not clearl explained as to what is being done

+Not a lot of options for those looking to really tweak the experience on PC, just the basics