Oh, what a long, frag-filled trip it’s been.

Back when Microsoft first got into the games biz, they needed a system-seller for their underdog Xbox and found it with Bungie’s 2002 first-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved. The title may have been boastful, but it was not entirely unwarranted. The mega-selling Halo single-handedly made the Xbox a credible (if still second-place) console, ended PC domination of the FPS genre and managed to turn the mostly unseen avatar Master Chief into a pop-cult icon, right up there with Mario.

2004’s Halo 2 upped the ante even further, earning $125 million in its first day--a monetary figure so astounding it automatically ushered gaming into the mainstream even though the game appealed mostly to the hardcore male fanbase. Meanwhile, Halo 2’s then-revolutionary multiplayer mode turned Xbox Live into the still-unmatched online console industry leader. In fact, H2’s death matches remains hugely popular three years later--with many continuing to play the last-gen game on their Xbox 360--and has clocked about a billion hours of gameplay.

But as for the sequel’s single-player campaign, Halo adherents were disappointed by its fan-frustrating cliffhanger. Well, now there’s finally an ending. Yay, I guess, but then again I never understood what the hell was going on story-wise anyway.

The final volume of this incredibly convoluted sci-fi yarn begins with Master Chief falling through the sky, protected from atmospheric burn-up and earthen impact by his ubiquitous, chunky green armour. The game only picks up momentum from there. Basically, the main theatre of this alien holy war has moved to our home planet with the alien crusaders determined to wipe out humanity. Naturally, it’ll be up to you to end the genocide.

So what’s so great about this latest Halo? Well, it does feel like you're playing a movie. The set-pieces are cinematic and the graphics are better than the multiplayer demo may have led you to believe. The environments, ranging from African brush and concrete bases to verdant jungles and snow-covered plains, are drawn in an evocative art style (only the water effect are photorealistic) that fulfils the design promise of the earlier games.

There are occasions when you may find yourself lost, since the designers provided no map, but for the most part you’ll suss out the largely linear path. And if you have a bitch of a time driving those damned warthogs, then relax because you can just ride shotgun or, better yet, man the turret while an NPC drives you to your destination. The various weapons have also been upgraded, but the most fun is the brand-new gravity hammer and its ability to deliver gratifyingly visceral beat-downs to the various bad guys.

H3 is bigger and realer than before. The war doesn’t feel confined to your immediate vicinity---that fighting you see in the distance is not set design. But still, Halo 3 is a spiffier conclusion to a well-worn book not a groundbreaker.

So what’s left after the story’s conclusion? Well, machinima fans can rejoice because Bungie has added an amazing “save films” record function that will tape several minutes for you game, then allow you t manipulate the roving camera to either shoot the best angle of your battle (you can see what master Chief looks like!) or check out what else was going on in the vicinity while you were finishing the fight. They’ve also included the “forge” feature allowing the on-the-fly customizing of multiplayer maps during gameplay as well as the ability to save and share the new maps.

Microsoft is dubbing Halo 3 the “biggest consumer entertainment launch in history” and yes, that’s silly hype, especially in this year of Harry Potter. But who cares how much money H3 brings in, what's important is that Bungie delivers some bang for your buck.