If you've been living under a rock like that guy and his family in that TV commercial, Halo 3 is the equivalent of the Holy Grail to many modern gamers. Sure, there are those who lean more towards the Zelda end of the spectrum, or the Madden games, but for a large portion of an entire generation, Halo represents the Rosetta Stone of gaming.

Something about its finely-tuned blend of non-stop, futuristic combat action and its compelling science fiction storyline, add up to one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, and the primary way the original Xbox justified its existence. And creator Bungie came up with a brand new iconic hero, the enigmatic Master Chief, whose face is never seen. A super-soldier leftover from a past war who was cryogenically frozen and then thawed out when needed, he is also called "Spartan 117," and he's accompanied at all times by the female artificial intelligence named Cortana.

When last we left our hero, he was about to crash-land on Earth to famously "finish this fight." And Halo 3 is indeed the conclusion of the trilogy, not to mention the first game in the series to make the jump to the next-gen Xbox 360 console. To say that Microsoft has a lot riding on this game... well, you can fill in the rest.

The game begins with a subtle voiceover from Cortana, as we watch the Chief come in for his crash landing from the surface of the now Covenant-occupied Earth. He lands in the aforementioned African jungle, and meets up with his longtime friend Sergeant Johnson and his new friend the Arbiter, just as they receive word that the Covenant has uncovered a massive artifact in the African desert. This artifact, called the Ark, is obviously of Forerunner design (just like the Halo rings are), and whatever the Covenant want with it, it can't be good. Naturally. So the Chief and the Arbiter and a whole bunch of UNSC Marines set off to stop them.

Not since the original Half-Life has there been a game that has defined the first-person-shooter genre like Halo. And as the series has now made the jump to a next-gen console, naturally the graphics are a substantial step up. The gamemakers seem to enjoy emphasizing this point in the game's very first level, which is set in an African jungle, rendered in gorgeous detail. Trees, leaves, grass, rocks, landscapes, and even water all look beautifully photorealistic. And some of those gigantic outdoor vistas that the title is known for are simply jaw-dropping.

The important thing to note about this game, with the hype being so out of control, is that it does not reinvent the wheel. What it does is realize the Halo universe perfectly. Everything about it feels as if everything the developers ever wanted this series to be has been brought to complete fullness. All the usual hallmarks of the series are here, but never before have they fired on full thrusters the way they do here.

New to the mix are some welcome variations on the familiar Halo combat. The Arbiter, introduced in Halo 2, fights alongside the Master Chief through much of the game (and his help proves invaluable in tight spots). Several new vehicles are introduced, including the Mongoose, which is essentially a scaled-down Warthog that rides like a four-wheeler, and the Hornet, a long-overdue UNSC flying vehicle made to counter the Covenant's flying Banshees.

The new weapons offer fantastic new variations in ordinance and firepower -- everything from melee weapons to rocket launchers have something new to offer. My favorite is the Covenant's Gravity Hammer, a giant club that you swing at enemies and make them go flying. One hit is all it takes to fell almost any foe, and it makes a satisfying whomp on impact that you can practically feel. Another welcome addition is the ability to rip turrets free and carry them with you. Your unlimited ammo becomes limited when you pull these super-powerful weapons free, and they're heavy enough to slow down the Chief's movements significantly, but the trade off is totally worth it.

You'll also find yourself with a whole new array of "equipment" -- a new class of resources that are activated with the "X" button. Here you'll find all sorts of helpful things, including portable shields and shield bubbles. And throwable weapons like grenades have taken on an altogether satisfying new tendency to stick to enemies when you throw them.

As always, the sound design is top-notch. I had the pleasure of playing Halo 3 in surround-sound, and the game's sound effects are undoubtedly some of the best in the industry. The familiar musical score is put to good use -- without the rock 'n' roll enhancements heard in Halo 2 -- with several new themes to be heard. At times, it sounded a bit too synthesized, but overall its epic qualities make it hard to complain about.

The voice cast does its usual fine work, selling the game's most cinematic moments with ease. Keith David as the Arbiter and Jen Taylor as Cortana stand out as the most realistic. The voice of the misguidedly villainous Prophet of Truth sounded remarkably to these ears like that of Terrence Stamp, adding a tremendous depth to the character.

Bungie took copious notes on the Halo fan community -- their love of player-vs.-player combat, their intriguing desire to record their gameplay moments for posterity, their need for bragging rights -- and have beefed up the game's additional content to suit this need. Not only are there more than the usual number of online battlefields, but you'll also find intriguing new tools like the Forge and the record-and-edit tool.

Forge mode allows one player to "play god" over the gaming world by plunking down vehicles and weapons and other supplies (or taking them away) in real time. So while gameplay is taking place, you can help or hinder progress by toying with what's needed to overcome the obstacles within the level. It also functions as an intriguing sandbox by allowing you to mix and match environments, characters, weapons, vehicles, and equipment in ways that are only limited by your imagination. Combat is only one possibility of what players are likely to come up with.

Recording is the real innovation of Halo 3. Taking its cues from the popular game-created "show," Red vs. Blue, Bungie has smartly integrated Web 2.0 sensibilities into their game, allowing users to leave their mark on the game world like never before. A simple-to-use interface lets players record their on-screen action, so that it can be easily shared online, or on Xbox Live. Because the recording is not film but code from the battle, it is rendered on-the-fly upon playback, and can be fully manipulated and edited by the viewer -- allowing you to even stop a battle mid-action and fly through any open space for a better angle.

The potential these new tools offer are sure to abound in an explosion of online content, and give the game incredibly long-lasting value beyond your initial run through the single-player story.

I can think of very few negative things to say about the single-player game. Foremost among them: it feels every bit as short -- if not shorter -- than the campaign in Halo 2. I have no doubt the most experienced gamers could grind through it in six hours or less; I took my time and still only required about ten. But they were ten glorious hours of pulse-pounding action, honed to precision, that gave me multiple opportunities to whoop and holler with glee.

More than once, I felt myself wishing that I could lean around corners while firing. This has become a common staple of FPS games, and its absence here is glaring. Shooting any weapon leaves you completely exposed to enemy attack, and the fire/duck/cover/repeat routine could have been spiced up a bit by allowing players to remain partially covered while shooting or sniping.

And then there's the ending. I'm not going to spoil it, but don't be surprised if it leaves you feeling a bit unfulfilled (as it did me). On the plus side, be sure to let the credits play all the way through -- an additional end scene is tacked on that brings things to a far more satisfying conclusion.

I have one last gripe that has nothing to do with the game or its construction. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this game is rated "M for mature." The ESRB's game ratings are proving more and more unreliable by the day. Gears of War was rated M and it certainly deserved it, with gallons of blood, characters who didn't know how to speak without cursing every other word, and fights comprised of vicious intensity. Halo 3 offers none of these things. There's wartime violence, but it's not of the gory variety, and I saw only the slightest helpings of red human blood. The characters swear, but only occasionally, and it's never gutter-level language. For crying out loud -- I've played "T for teen"-rated games that were more graphic and profane.

There's no way Halo 3 could possibly live up to the unprecedented hype that its release has generated, but it's a superb game that will more than fulfill every fan's hopes, and it easily cements Halo's well-earned place in gaming history.

• Visit the Screenshots Gallery for official images from Halo 3.

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