Great game! The game is not realistic, and there is very little human blood but a decent amount of alien blood. There is some strong language but it is rarely used. Great game for 'couch co-op' or playing with friends online
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Halo 3
(2007, Video Games - First Person Shooter, Rated M, Play it on: Xbox 360)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 16. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Well-made series finale too violent for kids.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 16–18
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Halo 3 was written by Marc Saltzman
Parents need to know that this adult game has been hyped by a massive advertising campaign that extends to normally kid-friendly establishments like Burger King and 7-Eleven. But the ESRB gave this first-person shooter game a "Mature" rating for violence for good reason. Throughout the game, players shoot aliens and humans using a variety of weaponry, and they'll see vivid images with blood. And know that when the Halo games are played online, players can communicate -- and curse -- via headsets.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about what makes the Halo games so popular. How are they different than other sci-fi shooters? For kids who want to play but have parents who put their foot down: What made you want to play this game? Why do you think Burger King and Mountain Dew helped tell kids about the game when the rating isn't T for "Teen" or E for "Everyone"?
More on Halo 3
What’s the Story?
This Microsoft Xbox 360 exclusive begins as your character -- super soldier Master Chief -- crash-lands on Earth and is recovered by teammates. Your first goal is to make your way through a densely populated forest with fellow space marines to uncover an alien base. While ducking behind trees, rocks, and waterfalls, you battle alien creatures that are loyal to the militaristic Covenant, an alien species that has long been fighting humanity. Expanding on the capabilities and features of its predecessors, HALO 3 lets up to four gamers play through the entire campaign together in a cooperative mode and allows you to record a portion of your game, like a homemade highlights reel, to play back at any time, from multiple camera angles.
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Is It Any Good?
Not only is Microsoft Game Studios' HALO 3 the most eagerly anticipated video game of 2007, but this action-sci-fi series has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning novels, comics, action figures, and a top-secret project with Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings).So the big question is: Does Halo 3 live up to the hype? Absolutely.
The extraordinary high-definition graphics, which include many non-interactive cinematic story sequences, push the limits of the Xbox 360. Thousands of lines of dialogue and a Hollywood-quality epic musical score also help you become immersed in this slickly produced sci-fi thriller. So whether you're an old fan or new to this franchise, Halo 3 is a must-own game for mature action or sci-fi lovers. Its gratifying solo campaign and many multiplayer modes, new features (including co-op play), and high production values all ensure that Halo 3 will live up to expectations.
ClosePublisher’s Details
Released on 9/25/2007, price $59.99, online enabled
ESRB rating: M (for blood and gore, mild language, violence.)
ESRB rating: M (for blood and gore, mild language, violence.)
Our Members Say
See all 319 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Safety isn't an issue
- Easy to play
Great for teens
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
- Easy to play
Just right for 10, 11+ year olds.
This is the best halo game yet! The constantly said theme in this game is that you're a giant human super-soldier trying to save all of humanity from an alien alliance. It is very easy to play, and probably the least vulgar of the series. Halo 3 is very violent to an almost ubsurdly extreme extent, and there is alien and human blood that splatters. The language is no problem at all, and is very mild.
- I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
for tweens and for older children
Halo 3 is the third (and best I think) game in the halo franchise, it seems to be advertising other halo products. The game is violent with lots of blodd and some bad language (a*s, sh*t, d*mn, hell) but the game isn't that bad, i can see why it's rated M but it could pass for a very grusome T game!
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
- Easy to play
Tweens and up are just fine
I gotta say...this reviewer went overboard. He gave it a 4 star rating for violence. I would have to say 3 AT THE MOST. 1 for having violence, 2 for guns, 3 for small blood spattering. Language I would put at a 1 star because it's not all that present in the game. Violence/Blood is neither excessive nor graphic. In multiplayer, for example, if you shoot someone in the head and it kills them, you'll see some blood spatter on the wall behind them, nothing worse in the ENTIRE GAME. The game is less than semi-realistic in terms of violence/blood. It's rediculous that this game is rated M, where you have to be 17 to purchase it. I'm not saying that because I want it, I have it, my parents have little problem with it. I'm saying this because it not only derides the significance of an M rating, but there are PG-13 movies out there which are much, much, much more violent. The entire "Bourne" trilogy ("identity", "Ultimatum", ect") is INFINITELY times more violent than this game, and you could have legally bought a ticket for that at age 13, shows you how inconsistent the ratings system is. in terms of what I think of the game...it's a perfectly balanced first-person shooter designed as a multiplayer game, there are much better games out there, in terms of single-player/story and multiplayer, but it's also one of those games that everyone seems to have, and is fun to play with friends once in a while.
- I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
- Safety isn't an issue
- Easy to play
Its perfect from young teens to seniors
Seriously CSM overdoes their reviews. Heck, I think they'd give Barney an off for 15 and up. I'm not saying you should let your 7 year old play this but the game really isn't that bad compared to the other games on the market right now. The in Mark's Review for this game what he means by "graphic blood" really means barely any blood and if any it's unrealistic and in small amounts. The game really is a heroic message. It's not like Grand Theft Auto where every button you push is a bad decision. There are very sci-fi ish weapons and some fairly realistic weapons. But seriously, I don't think this game is a bad message because I don't think there will be any alien war soon. The worst thing about that game is that players are free to say whatever they want when playing on XBOX Live. But It's not like it's the end of the world. Players can silence them if they wish. CSM needs to get their employees trained better because if I was the boss of whoever wrote that review they would be fired.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 63% | of parents say kids find it easy to play |
| 56% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 38% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 31% | of parents feel the site is safe |
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For Your Family
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FatherGamer213 recommends:
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for kids age 13
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