IGN says...

9.5

"The campaign, which is very good, is Halo 3's weakest point. It doesn't capture the cavalier spirit of the original Halo, but you'll still have fun playing through it. There's no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3's blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay. Look beyond the gameplay and you have a rich feature set unlike anything ever delivered in a videogame. The Forge and the replay functionality raise the bar for console shooters so high, it may never be surpassed this generation. There will be plenty of aspects for fans to nitpick, but it's hard to argue against Halo 3 as the most complete game available on any console."~IGN


As does IGN UK.

"So let’s recap. Single player’s good, without question, but the sheer weight of hype alone brings inevitable disappointment. It would have had to have troubled the very best single-player games ever to reach for those highs but it doesn’t. But it all pales into insignificance against the tech-brimming majesty of the multiplay. Again, the conventional multiplay aspects would have left most reviewers a sweaty mess on their carpets, but Bungie’s innovations have pushed the boundaries on not only what multiplay does, but what multiplayer is. Shooting doesn’t seem to be the be all and end all, all of a sudden." ~IGN UK

AND Gamespot
"Halo 3 builds upon the concepts of Halo 2 in ways that you'd expect, but there are also new modes and options that send the series in exciting new directions."

Basically they say that everything was damn good. The few complaints were minor ones about the graphics (let's face it, they're not that impressive compared to what we've seen before on the 360) and the campaign that, while great, is apparently disappointing due to the overhype that could have killed BioShock's campaign. Basically they were expecting more, as will millions of gamers come Tuesday. If you wanna know what I'm talking about, the review page loaded slow for me (and probably will for you) because so many people are checking it.

However, those are really the least important aspects of a game, especially when you have the sheer number of options, great gameplay, and over funness of Halo's multiplayer. The new weapons, vehicles, and enemies are a great addition, as well as the new multiplayer options and maps. Everything a Halo fan could want, they got and there's no doubt that this 'un's a must-have.

No word yet on removal of helmet. I say not gonna happen just because it would kinda ruin the character that's been established as a big, tough anonymous space marine. Or maybe it would go well like Samus Aran.