"Sites around the web agree," says Crunchgear.com. "Halo 3 is indeed better than when your wife got pregnant."

A brief survey of the reviews of Microsoft's latest title for the Xbox 360 video games console shows little to offset that judgment.

“There's no denying it - Halo 3 is the biggest videogame in history,” gamepro.com says.

“No other game has had as much hype, built-up fan anticipation nor the marketing push – try $10 million in marketing campaigns alone – as the last chapter of the premiere franchise in console gaming.

“But is the game worthy? … I have two words for you: 'Hell' and 'Yes'.”

Indeed, the site suggests, if you don’t own an Xbox 360 already, Halo 3 is worth going out and buying one.

Arstechnica.com follows a similarly enthusiastic vein. “The truly laudable aspect of the presentation is the solid frame rate,” it says.

“There are times when you'll be fighting in a congested environment, full of enemies moving and firing of their own accord, only to see overhead Pelicans and Phantoms weave through the air, dropping off more enemies and blasting at each other.

"Or perhaps you're coming over a crest with a crew of Warthogs following you before a pair of Scarabs fall from the heavens, landing on an encroaching horde of Wraiths and Grunt-driven Ghosts. During these intense moments, the game never loses a frame. Even in the most intense sequence of the entire game that comes as a climax just before the ending—which includes countless explosions, tons of enemies, and some insane environmental destruction—the game's pace stays rock-solid.”

Turning to xbox360fanboy.com, you might expect the review to be suitably gushing. And the site doesn’t disappoint.

It also offers a little in the way of background: “I won't spoil the story, but Halo 3 picks up exactly where Halo 2 left off: Cortana (the Master Chief's AI) is missing, the Prophet of Truth is leading an attack on earth, and the Master Chief is rocketing towards the planet on an ancient Forerunner ship," it says.

"By the time the game draws to a close, all loose ends have been tied and questions answered. Old friends and enemies are reunited, alliances formed and broken, and plots are twisted. It's the stuff you'd expect in the closing chapter of a trilogy, with a few special tidbits thrown in for dedicated fans. Also, for those that are interested, locating the secret terminals throughout the game fleshes out the story of the Forerunners and the first firing of the Halo rings. The terminals are optional though, so if you're more interested in blasting baddies, feel free."

Pocket-lint.co.uk voices a rare caveat. “Halo 3, like GTA, Half-Life and World of Warcraft is a gamer's game,” it says.

“This isn't going to appeal to the Wii generation looking for a bit of tennis.”

Kotaku.com adds: "While Halo 3 doesn't reinvent the genre, it doesn't need to. What it does instead is provide fans of the trilogy a sort of satisfying ending and a much more satisfying experience."

And we’ll give the last word to ign.com: “My father once told me, ‘Never start a fight you don't intend to finish’. Master Chief's pappy must have said something similar to him long before John-117 became a Spartan, because in Halo 3, the iconic action hero does indeed finish the fight.

"There is no cliffhanger ending that will have you screaming at your television, no doubting that this is Chief's tale and everyone else is along for the ride, and no question that it is a worthy conclusion to the most successful trilogy in videogame history. But just like that girl you dated in college, Halo 3 has some issues. Don't worry; the good far outweighs the bad. This is Halo 3, and it is indeed the game you've been waiting for the past three years.

It concludes: “The fight is finished. Anyone got a cigarette?”

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