Metareview: Halo 3 (Xbox 360)

And here we are, the moment where the Xbox 360 (those that made it) fulfills its destiny of allowing Halo 3 to be played by the masses. At midnight tonight, the floodgates will open and we'll finally finish the fight after being left so full of rage at Halo 2's ending (we will never forget). The reviews are in from almost every media outlet between here and Alpha Centauri and they've been glowing. Here's some of what has been said:

• GamePro (100/100): "I want to first start off by saying that Halo 3 is worth every penny: Go buy it! In fact, it's worth investing in an Xbox 360 if you don't already own one -- I'm willing to bet there will be more than a few gamers who line up on launch day to buy not only the game but a console as well. The Limited Edition for $69.99 is the sweet spot for me. It comes with some really cool bonus features, such as Making Of documentaries and a nifty A/V Calibrator for your television. The Legendary Edition for $129.99 is a little ridiculous unless you're a Halo fanatic and have a small cat or dog that can wear the helmet. The standard version for $59.99 is just fine too if you don't care about any of the fancy extras."

• Game Informer (98/100): "Halo 3 does have a few small problems that are primarily located in the campaign. First off, full on boss battles are noticeably absent. Sure, you'll fight a few massive enemies, but none of them really feel like a true boss. And the last major fight is more like a quick interactive cutscene than a knock-down, drag-out fight ... Overall, Bungie has crafted another masterpiece that serves as a fitting end to the trilogy (no big cliffhanger here). Of course, not every mystery of the Halo universe is answered, but it does look like the next game is moving in a very interesting direction."

• GameSpot (95/100): "As games start to consider user-generated content, it's becoming clear that more and more games will be ready to give you back just as much as you're willing to put into them. On the surface, Halo 3 is every bit the sequel you would expect it to be, in that it delivers meaningful upgrades to both the story-driven and competitive sides of the package. However, it's the addition of the Forge level editor and the saved films that give the game an even longer set of legs, legs that will probably keep you running at full speed until Bungie figures out where, exactly, to go from here."