If the summer movie list leaves you unexcited, the summer gaming line up will not.  There are an unprecedented number of hot first person shooter titles coming out over the summer. Whether you have a PC, a 360 or a PS3 there is sure to be a title to catch your interest.  Rather than jam all of this into one article, it is going to be a three part series.  We are going to avoid the niceties and focus on what really counts, the things that go bang.  We have gone out of our way to source as many images of the weapons as possible.  There is a high likelihood, however, that we missed some out.  If you believe that one was missed, make a comment and include a link to an image and we will work on getting it up.   The first part of our series is Halo 3.  Please put your fanboyism on hold and appreciate some of the fine games that are available for the different consoles.

Bungie’s Halo 3 is perhaps the most anticipated game for Xbox 360 gamers.  It is not going to hit any other platform initially, though it may go to PC later.  Microsoft is going for broke marketing the game.  “Halo 2″ had the most impressive first day sales of any game ever released.  $125 million on its first day alone, there are only movies that have ever beaten “Halo 2″ in the box office, “Spiderman 3″ and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” This could be just the game to dig Microsoft out of its Xbox 360, considering the amount of faulty consoles that they sold.
Microsoft has really gone to town promoting this game.  There is Halo 3 everything, a  Halo 3 Zune and a Halo 3 Graphic Novel.  For your in-game nourishment, you can purchase Halo 3 Mountain Dew and Halo 3 Doritos. It is perhaps the best way to see the Microsoft marketing machine in action as the game is cross-promoted around all of the different Microsoft platforms.  While it might go to PC at a later date, it will certainly not go to PS3.  Halo 3 is pure Microsoft and it looks to be one of the best first person shooters ever made.  The release date is September 25 in the U.S and September 26 in Europe.  It has already pre-sold over a million copies.

Halo3 is much in line with previous Halos, but it is visually stunning.  The most important thing with any game is the variety of weapons with which you can dispatch your enemies.  Halo 3 has a lot of them.  More weapons equal more ways to experience the game, I mean who plays a shooter for the story line.  The Beta release included at least fifteen different weapons, not counting grenades.  There may be one or two surprises in the big release as well.

Assault rifles and sub machine guns aside, there are two weapons that really look interesting in Halo 3.  As a sometime first person shooter fanatic, I tend to lean most heavily towards assault weapons.  I only occasionally take enjoyment in the use of sniper rifles, too much time crawling around on your belly.  I prefer to experience the action in the thick of combat and always on the ground.  Big weapons are, however, the most fun, especially when you are having a bad day.  Halo 3 has several to choose from, but there were two that caught my eye: the Spartan Laser and the Missile Pod.  The Spartan Laser could just be the BFG of Halo 3, after an initial charge it will take out everything in its path.  You will need a team that is tactically strong to make use of the heavy support that the Spartan Laser can offer.  The missile pod looks slightly more mobile, it holds eight missiles and they will home in on your target.  Yeah, you will run more slowly, but heavy firepower always equals certain kills.  It is just the thing to use after a hard, stressful day of work.

Check out the thumbnails, courtesy of IGN, of the Beta weapons.  If you want to check out more detailed information, go over to the Halo 3 site.  There is sure to be something for everyone.  Yes, the grenades were left out, who needs to see grenades?

Price: $60 (for the standard version)

Sources: IGN (for all those great Beta screenshots), PC World (for the interesting stats)