I lay here dying in the cold snow, with my blood splattered across the barren tundra. Unable to move, trapped inside bulky metal armor, I helplessly watch as my killer, FLUFFY BUNNY 419, stands over me. “”Clank, clank, clank.”” He repeatedly squats over my corpse, grinding his metal armor against mine in a humping motion to drive home the humiliation. Welcome to the world of “”Halo 3.””

Although it’s not always murder and vulgar displays of sexual
dominance incurred, the Halo series has had a history of
churning up an assortment of human emotions, such as passion and excitement. “”Halo 3,”” the last installment in the series, is no different.

The game opens where “”Halo 2″” left off: You are
Master Chief, the last of a platoon of soldiers genetically engineered from birth to stave off an invading alien race. The situation is grim as you hitch a ride on an alien ship as it descends toward Earth to eradicate humanity’s last stand.

The Halo games are known for their intricate plot and story arcs that surround a series of ring worlds named Halos. The “”Halo 3″” narrative keeps pace with the previous installments but is more abstract. During the campaign, Cortana, an artifical intelligence left behind during “”Halo 2,”” interrupts your missions echoing
cryptic messages. In the end, the “”Rescue Cortana”” theme is a little too reminiscent of the “”Super Mario Bros.”” save-the-princess staple.

The plot is interesting but constantly reuses old story devices from the original game. The cinematics are great, but as in “”Halo 2,”” the campaign mode lacks the surprises and twists that made the first game so memorable.

While the story lacks, gameplay is where “”Halo 3″” exce ls. The game boasts some of the most enjoyable and well-rounded gameplay ever crafted. Terrain, enemies and weapons all factor into to how and where to attack enemies.

New additions to the game also dial up the fun factor. A flamethrower, a four-wheel ATV and a deployable bubble shield highlight the crop.

Probably the most noticeable overhaul is in the multiplayer mode. The original “”Halo”” gained notoriety for its extremely fun, clear and balanced multiplayer system that was decimated by cluttered graphics and unbalanced gameplay in “”Halo 2.”” Multiplayer in “”Halo 3″” clears up all the past issues and adds to the game in leaps and bounds. In a word, the multiplayer in “”Halo 3″” is perfect.

The game also incorporates a horde of customization options. Players are allowed even more options with their soldier’s color and emblem and are now able to choose among 20 variants of unlockable armor. These include a “”Ninja

Gaiden””-looking hybrid and a homage to “”Marathon,”” one of the first games made by “”Halo”” developers Bungie.

A new map editor called Forge allows players to adapt vehicle placement, weapons and more. If you want to re-watch your match and record part of it, the new Theater mode lets you check out your latest assault in slow-motion and upload it to the online multiplayer Xbox live network. These new additions help make “”Halo 3″” one of the best multiplayer games ever made.

The game is nearly flawless, and everybody who owns an Xbox 360 will most likely pick-up a copy. The minor mistakes and cracks in the plot barely dent the surface of this Mjolnir-strength giant of video game fun. Naturally, “”Halo 3″” concludes the video game trilogy in an almost perfect circle.