There's one word in today's gaming vernacular that epitomises everything associated with the term 'big'. That word: Halo. It's big in theatrical scope with the narrative thick in intensity and as wide-reaching as the universe it's based within, big on familiarity that evokes large slabs of homesickness thanks to the previous titles and of course, big on potential sales. No, more like bloody massive on potential sales. Saying it's bigger than Ben Hur doesn't quite cut the mustard. It's the gaming world's equivalent of Star Wars, where intimacy and tragedy expressed through likeable characters share the stage with a story that shakes and will shape our concepts on what constitutes a pedigree first person shooter for many, many years to come. It's s immense a game you'll ever likely to encounter. Surely the 'B' in Bungie stands for just that: big.

But enough of this emotional guff. We're here to get an insight into Halo 3 and celebrate the close of the gaming world's most successful and monumentally staged series of all time.

My first insight? Just how easily I slipped back into the game. It's like a leather jacket I only just rediscovered sitting back of the closet; just as good now as it was years ago. With the time lapse between Halo 2 and Halo 3 separated by mere moments, it's a seamless, almost anticlimactic beginning where the opening cinematic winds down into the game proper. In trademark Bungie fashion, you pick up the Xbox 360 controller and almost immediately guide Master Chief through some of the most perfectly designed, non-repetitive, organic, frustration free first-person shooter levels you'll ever face – straight into the sweet, sweet action with a bare minimum of fuss.

The basis of Halo 3 is pure and unadulterated familiarity. It's a constant series of déjà vu moments as veterans of the series will recognise the same creatures, weapon line-up and world physics, not to mention the same types of furious close-encounters and huge set-pieces (the biggest being the four-legged Scarab tanks). In a world that carries the illusion of openness and freedom for the player, the levels still manage to funnel you through a torrent of set-pieces and enemy encounters that thankfully manage to remain frustration free and well balanced, no matter the level of difficulty played. The degree of different environments you end up travelling through is pleasingly large. Players will look through a mixture of gloomy, confined interiors such as a bunker or even what looked to be(but thankfully didn't smell like) a large section of intestinal tract, as well as lush jungles and the nicely textured expansive exteriors. Variety isn't something you'll be able to complain about, though what will eventually begin to gnaw at the back of your mind mid-way through the first level is the lack of graphical oomph. Gargantuan machinery: tick. Colossal vistas: tick. Jaw dropping graphical prowess: forget it. That's not to say the graphics weren't something to appreciate, but I was after a melting of the cortex experience, a gasp or two from being constantly barraged by beautifully rendered next-generation graphics. With one exception, all I got were a few moments of 'nice'. I just couldn't get out of my head the visual difference between this title and Gears of War – a world or even a universe apart.

Aside from that, and the slightly shortish single player campaign as played on normal level (around 10 hours), those are pretty much my only disappointments with Halo 3. Adequacy be dammed. I didn't want just an improved version of Halo 2's look, I wanted more. The one exception I mentioned earlier was in a later level where I happened to look up. Some of the sky and distant backdrops were truly spectacular but this... this was literally out of this world. It was a moment I won't be forgetting anytime soon, if ever. Multilayered wisps of blood-red clouds, together with the mind-boggling enormity of the Halo arc curving high into the night sky... now if only that level of attention was carried across the whole graphics department, this would just about be the perfect game. Still, after all's said and done on the graphics, most people playing this on 1080p in large screen glory won't have an issue at all.

Despite the huge level of sameness prevalent in the game, which by the way does not at all reflect negatively on the title, there are some changes, both subtle and huge. First and foremost is the welcome return of the stalwart of weapon load-outs – the assault rifle. Subtle differences include the hugely welcome weapon balancing (good riddance to that previously all powerful dual-wielding combo) and some minor differences in the weapon cosmetic department. A large change includes lugging about invitingly powerful but fiendishly cumbersome energy chain guns initially found as fixed weapons. In terms of periodically kicking large amounts of arse, these babies do the trick well. When used, the view point changes to third-person, providing an interesting angle on events while cutting a swathe through large numbers of enemies. However, in terms of spicing up the action, it's a tacit nod towards tactical game play; a convincing although temporary improvement on your typical "gun and run" affair.

Another addition, perhaps more useful in upcoming online battles is the new Equipment – a list of items when used provides useful offensive and defensive capabilities. In a tight spot out in the open with no viable cover? Drop down a Bubble Shield, giving you a small opportunity to regain armour while ducking out a few pot shots to the enemy. Confusing and damaging the enemy is achievable by locating and using Radar Jammers and Power Drainers respectively.

While it may seem like a massive presumption, it's fair to suggest a lot of you will choose normal difficulty, at least to start with (at the risk of being labelled soft, so did I). Completing the game in well under ten hours, the early levels seemed to act as a spring-board, slowly but surely drawing the gullible player towards the later more convoluted sections, where difficult encounters seemed to be in full and constant display. When confrontations erupt (very regularly as it happens) the range of responses differs remarkably depending on the difficulty level. On normal, it's a mixed response, with grunts both showing the inclination to avoid grenades when tossed in their direction, as well as knowing when to run on the odd moments when Master Chief gets into the killing rampage mood. Some charge when desperate, others avoid extreme bombardment by deploying shields, some duck behind available cover while others seemed more inclined to show off boot scootin' moves alien style, with synchronized sideways dance sequences the norm until they flop down dead. Roughly translated, there's nothing awe-inspiring or phenomenal about the performance of the artificial intelligence, it's consistent to the point that you will neither be frustrated by brazenly difficult set pieces, nor mind-numbingly under whelmed by the ease of it all. That's the same across all difficulty levels. Let's face it; you wouldn't be playing heroic or even legendary levels if you knew you'd have no chance at survival. AI difficulty is perfectly shaped to match just how taxing you want it to be, nothing more - and more to the point, nothing less.

When it comes to delivering the quintessential Halo experience, nothing can match the lustful joy experienced from driving the warthog – actually, every single vehicular activity, human or alien, on the ground or in the sky is extremely pleasant.
Case in point: the Hornet. It perfectly showcases the modified Havok physics engine powering Halo 3 - flexible, very manoeuvrable and very, very fun.