So, Halo 3 is finally out and we are obviously loving it. Of course, this screams 'Spy-Hunter to me, so I'm thinking that we'll have another 'Spy-Hunter event next Wednesday, October 3rd at 7:00 p.m. PST to prove that all the extra time we spent with the game before its release was totally useless to players as lousy as we. Unless we play with only swords, because I'm very good with the sword... especially thanks to the addition of the clash.

Lots of Trouble

Amid the cheers and praise, however, there are a couple of issues that I've noticed with Halo 3, some horrifically tragic and others not so bad. Still, I haven't encountered anything that would suggest that we scored the game incorrectly; keeping in mind that, by our scale, 5/5 does not imply total perfection but rather a guaranteed good time. There are a few things that I'd like to talk about though, because I'm feeling a little cranky since I have to write a column instead of playing more Halo 3.

First off, there's the scratched disc issue that seems to be cropping up on the Internet here and there (but most notably on Microsoft's Xbox.com). It seems that the spindle used to secure both the game and extras discs in the Limited Edition version are ineffective in actually keeping the disc where it is supposed to be, resulting in a rash of scratched-up mirror coasters. You can see the horror in the photo below, but please note that even though the scratches are evident (if you squint your eyes really hard or use a magnifying glass), this disc actually functions just fine: it will play Halo 3 with no problems. Others haven't been so lucky though, so be on your toes and hit up this link to Microsoft's replacement program if you have any problems.


Now that the genuine defects have been addressed, I feel comfortable moving on to griping about things that I find annoying about Halo 3 (don't fret, my fellow Xbots, there are only three things). I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying the game, but there are three things that are bothering me, and so I choose to vent all over you because, for whatever reason, you let me.

Petty Annoyance #1: If somebody drops out of your party while playing multiplayer co-op, the remainder of you party must begin the current level from the very beginning. Now, I could have sworn that we were told that people could jump in and out of games at will, but going back through the game manual, I see no evidence of this claim.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, but that's little succor for the 30 minutes of my life that were totally wasted on replaying the first level because one of my friends decided he had to do something else. Boo to that and boo to having to cater to my whack friends that can't hang with the Legendary campaign action... just follow me, we'll get our Achievements!