Some decisions in life are obviously more important than others. There are the decisions such as where to go to college, who to marry, where to live, and when to retire. Then there are the really important decisions, like who to partner with to play through Halo 3’s campaign the first time. This helpful guide will aid you in selecting the best partners for your first time through Halo 3. After all, you want your first time to be special.
1. Do you have the same schedule?
Do not try to partner up with the guy who works the evening shift if you are in bed every night by 9 PM. Ideally, you have a set time that everyone gets together and plays. Lacking this, everyone involved should at least usually be available to play around the same time of day.
2. Will there be any connection issues?
First you must decided if you are going to play System Link or over Xbox Live. If you decided on System Link, as long as everyone lives close enough to regularly get together then connection issues will not be a problem. If you choose to play over Xbox Live, then it is a good idea to ensure everyone has a good connection to each other. Do not include your friend with the roommate who refuses to shut off his P2P downloads. Also, do not invite the guy who is using ICS to connect to Xbox Live through his dial-up connection.
3. Are you really friends with this person?
If possible, pick someone who is your friend outside of Xbox Live. xX cr4zy Co0t3r 69 Xx may be good for a pickup match of Gears of War, but if you don’t know even know somebody’s real name, chances are you will have trouble getting them to keep a steady gaming commitment. Ideally, you should know real names, cell phone numbers, and home addresses of the people with whom you are co-oping. If game times need to change, you should be able to contact a person directly and not have to just hope that he checks his Xbox Live messages.
4. Is this person actually into the game?
It may seem like a good idea to play through the game with the cute girl you just met who tells you how she enjoys video games and wants likes Halo. The problem is that some people will tell you anything to make you like them. You do not want to have to lead a casual gamer who is having problems using two joysticks through the game. Pick someone who has a proven record of Halo love. I have known a lot of cute girls. I have known a lot of hardcore Halo fans. I have never personally known anyone who is in both groups. There are obviously some exceptions.
5. Is this someone you will enjoy playing a game with?
You want someone who takes the game seriously. You do not want someone who takes the game too seriously. We have all had friends who are “controller throwers.” They get mad whenever they lose a game and say things that would make a sailor blush. Losing or dying is so bad to them that it ruins their whole day will let you know about it. If you tell them to relax, they will utter something about just being highly competitive. Whenever someone says they are highly competitive, what they mean is “I am a jerk.” You do not want to go through nine levels of Halo 3 with a jerk.
6. How will the gameplay styles mesh?
Most gamers seem to have at least one of each type of friends. The first guy is a great sniper who can hit players flying through the air from the passenger seat of the Warthog. The second guy is the one who refuses to play with anything but the sniper rifle and gets mad if the first guy, or anyone else, picks it up. These two do not work well together. It is preferrable to have the first guy on your team, but perhaps he is not available. You can still have fun with the second guy, but only as long as he is not constantly taking the sniper from someone much better than him. Basically, make sure everyone knows their role on the team. Who will play point? Who should stay back and snipe? Everything runs much smoother when everyone meshes together.
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