Halo 3 has finally arrived. The battle to save Earth and the rest of the galaxy from the covenant and the flood is coming to an end. Humanity’s only hope lies with Master Chief, packed with new weapons, new equipment and new vehicles. It’s time to finish the fight.

Now I don’t want to spoil anything for those that haven’t gotten through the campaign mode, but let me just say it’s pretty damn good. The campaign mode isn’t very long (roughly 7 – 8 hours) and now you can actually invite three other friends to finish the fight over Xbox Live. And once you’ve beaten the game, make sure you wait until the credits roll through. Trust me, you don’t want to miss that.

The thing I really love about Halo 3 is that it still feels like Halo. Veterans will feel right at home and the learning curve isn’t that difficult for those noobs out there (all three of you). The A.I. is smarter than ever and the graphics and character models are some of the best on the 360, just short of Gears of War.

Honestly, I’ve never really been into the story of Halo. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun and entertaining, but the real reason I (and probably millions of others) play this game is for the multiplayer. Meeting with friends and hundreds of thousands of people over Xbox Live is what Halo 3 has best to offer. I was on the other night and there were over 700,000 people playing online. The matchmaking has been revamped and it’s easier than ever to hop online and find people to play with. With all new achievements, rankings and experience points, I’m pretty sure a lot of people are going to lose a lot of sleep over the next few months, if not years.

But remember kids, stay in school. Playing Halo 3 is not an excuse to skip out on class. But who am I am to judge? I’ve done the same.

Other than campaign and matchmaking, Halo 3 introduces two new modes, the Forge and Theater modes.

The Forge mode allows players to rearrange objects, equipment and even vehicles in any multiplayer level. It may not sound too interesting, but believe me, it’s a whole new way to play. You can go at it alone or play with friends over Xbox Live. Say a teammate needs a sniper rifle or a mongoose, you can just place that object near them to gain an advantage, but remember you’re opponents can do the same.

The Theater mode allows players to view, edit and take screenshots and clips from films of campaign and multiplayer games. Players can even store film clips and screenshots online through their file share to share them with friends. Got a sweet “no scope” or triple kill? Just record the clip or take a screenshot and post it online to show off your Halo 3 skills.

The only minor issues I found with the game were some freeze-ups during loading times in campaign mode and some rare issues of trying to retrieve information from the server during online play. Other than that, the game is flawless.

The wait was definitely worth it. Halo 3 has gone beyond my expectations with its compelling campaign, addictive multiplayer and new modes to play. Now I have to get back online or I might go crazy. I’ve really become a fiend for Halo 3.