Games Page

Fallout 3

I first got introduced to the Fallout series in 2009, when I went to my friend's house and he showed me Fallout 3. The open world was unlike anything I had seen in a video game before. I definitely got this game before I was old enough to play it, but whatever. I really like the post-apocalyptic retro future aesthetic this game has. Wandering through the ruins of the nation’s capital that has been divided into trenches and war zones, trying to sneak past super mutants all while my pipboy is blasting “Bingo Bango Bongo” at full blast. This game does not at all shy away from the gruesome violence of the Fallout series. There are slavers, rapists, murderers, mutants who eat people, rich assholes who live in a giant tower and kill people for fun. There are a lot of choices the player can make on how good of a person they are to others, but the main story is more linear. Fallout 3’s best parts are exploring the wasteland itself. The world space was so vast back then, I could hardly comprehend it all at the time. A lot of this games mechanics are done better in Fallout 4 and New Vegas, but to me, Fallout 3 has an unmatched post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

Halo 3

Halo 3 is the first Halo game I played in 2008 when I was 9 years old. Since I never played the first 2 games, I had no idea what was happening in the story but I still loved it. Halo 3’s story is just the cut ending to Halo 2 that has been extended into a full campaign. Not much happens, but the story beautifully ends the Halo trilogy and lets the player finish the fight against the Covenant and The Flood. The environments are breathtaking, especially the levels on the Ark, which gave me my love for the series. Levels are an improvement from Halo 2, with way less frustrating and repetitive sections and a bigger emphasis on vehicles and exciting action and badass moments. Gameplay wise, Halo 3 is the same as Halo 2 but with better weapon balance (no more duel needlers) and the inclusion of equipment items. And you can’t talk about Halo 3 without talking about the multiplayer, which made Halo 3 one of the most played games for years. The addition of armor customization let players show off how skilled they were to others, and the new forge mode led to the explosion of new creative custom games that was a staple of Halo 3.

Halo 2

Before I played Halo 2, I heard many praises for it, with a lot of people online saying it is the best Halo game. What this game excels at is its' story. Halo 2 has the most campaign missions and cutscenes of the games and they are used to tell the best story in the series. The story is split between the Master Chief and the UNSC, and the Arbiter - a disgraced elite in the Covenant hierarchy. The Master Chief missions are badass and triumphant, and the Arbiter missions are political and tense. Playing as the Arbiter and seeing the story from the Covenant's pov, brings a nice dichotomy that makes the narrative even more interesting. The beautiful cgi cutscenes in the anniversary edition create a cinematic experience that makes the story much more engaging.

Halo 2 however, is a step back in the games sandbox from Halo CE. With the addition of duel wielding, some guns become way too weak and others way too strong. And the level design is a bit more frustrating than Halo CE. Too many levels are spent waiting on doors and riding on elevators while fighting waves of enemies as the level seems to not progress at all. That being said, Halo 2 is a great experience that expands Halo's universe.

Halo: Combat Evolved

I've been playing Halo games since Halo 3 in 2007, but I first played Halo CE in 2015 when it came with the Master Chief Collection. I assumed being the first Halo game, that it would feel outdated, but Halo CE actually runs circles against so many newer first person shooters, even most other Halo titles. Gameplay wise, Halo CE might be unmatched. The weapon sandbox is so well designed, no weapons ever feel useless or weak; every weapon has its purpose. The enemy ai fight in a pattern; Elites yell when their shields go down, Grunts run in terror, Jackals expose their heads when you shoot them in the arm. These things, combined with the level design, create this tight smooth gameplay where you are flowing through these levels. Another thing that is great here is the art direction. The design of the Forunner structures looks like a mix between futuristic technology and ancient ruins. There is a lot of visual storytelling in these designs. The Halo ring is an ancient weapon designed to kill all life in the universe, and the mechanical and mysterious nature of the Forunner ruins matches that. Great Game.