History Videogame / Halo3

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: As with the other Covenant races, Brute armor color differs based on their rank. It's a bit more obtuse than that of Grunts or Elites though; the lowest-ranking Brutes have blue armor, while the highest-ranking Brutes have armor in a different shade of blue. In fact, the majority of Brute variants have armor colored in some variant of blue.

The game was by far the most successful in the ''Halo'' franchise, with lifetime sales of [[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-3 more than 14.5 million.]] On October 16 2013 until October 31, ''Halo 3'' was offered as a free-to-own download for [[http://www.gamespot.com/news/halo-3-free-on-xbox-live-starting-october-16-6415124 Xbox Live Gold customers]]. 10 years after release, the original version was announced to be backwards compatible for UsefulNotes/XboxOne, followed by its first release on PC as part of the ported ''Master Chief Collection'' in July 2020.

* SchizoTech: With the ''Master Chief Collection'' and [[TemporaryOnlineContent certain time-limited accessories]], it's entirely possible for a multiplayer Spartan to be decked out in 26th-century armor and have [[UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} a video game console from the dawn of the 21st century]] strapped to his back (complete with the power, AV, and ethernet cables connected) and MARK VI pauldrons bearing the "Duke" controller (an Xbox-themed backpack with two controllers was also available).

** During the level "The Storm", surviving civilians took up arms and teamed up the Marines to help Master Chief destroy the Covenant's AA cannon to allow the UNSC's fleet to the destroy the recently uncovered artefact. As this was apparently the definitive battle for the fate of humanity (because [[spoiler: the artefact was incorrectly presumed to be the Ark, which can fire all the Halo rings]]) the on screen acclaim for the valour of these civilians is magnified if any survive the end of the level as they (potentially along with any surviving Marines) would all shoot at the cannon's core in an attempt to help Master Chief destroy it, and if enough survive they can be seen briefly in the background of the subsequent cutscene playing heroic music following the cannon's destruction.

* DropTheHammer: Gravity Hammers (or Fuel Rod guns) are the weapons for Brute Chieftains. Fortunately, you can pick them up and use them as well.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When the Chief finally rescues [[spoiler: Cortana, the Gravemind's MindRape has left her lying on the "floor" of the holo-projector looking ashamed and broken. Just like a stereotypical rape victim.]]

* CallBack: Escaping an exploding station in a Warthog, just like in ''Combat Evolved''.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: If, during the flying section of "The Covenant", you trap yourself on an island by destroying your aircraft, a replacement Hornet will fly in for you.

* ArcWords: "Were it so easy", which the Arbiter says at both the beginning and end of the game.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: A hundred millennia after its defeat at the hands of Offensive Bias, Mendicant Bias (via the terminals on the Ark) contacts the Master Chief and expresses a desire to atone for its role in the genocide of the Forerunners.]]

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: When the Chief finally rescues [[spoiler: Cortana, the Gravemind's MindRape has left her lying on the "floor" of the holo-projector looking ashamed and broken. Just like a real rape victim.]]

* RocketlessReentry: Chief has to make an impromptu evacuation from Truth's ship. He leaps out and falls from low orbit, using a door as a drag shield, and lands stunned for some hours, but still alive. Johnson finds him and lampshades Chief's tendency to keep doing this.

** [[DarkFantasy Blackguard]] - The UNSC is a FeudalOverlord-themed organisation named the Solarian Core, while Spartans (named the "Blackguard") are made up of outcasts lords and knights from the various kingdoms on the edge of society. The Covenant in this universe are TheHorde.

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Arbiter to Truth. He is quite incensed when it looks like the Flood might do it instead.
-->'''Arbiter:''' The Prophet shall die by my hands, not theirs.

* DropTheHammer: Gravity Hammers (or Fuel Rod guns) are the WeaponOfChoice for Brute Chieftains. Fortunately, you can pick them up and use them as well.

-->'''[[spoiler:343 Guilty Spark]]''': '''[[MadnessMantra UNACCEPTABLE! UNACCEPTABLE! ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!]]''' '''Protocol dictates action! I see now that helping you was wrong!''' You are a child of my makers, inheritors of all they left behind. You are Forerunner, but this ring... '''[[RedEyesTakeWarning is mine!]]'''

* SequelEscalation: In the previous game, the only time you fight against a Scarab walker is in the "Outskirts" level, and the Scarab itself was basically a piece of 100% scripted walking scenery that was indestructible during gameplay, with the Chief blowing it up in a cutscene. Come ''3'', you fight against Scarabs far more frequently, and they've been modified to be actual enemies with actual AI that you'll need to take out during actual gameplay (options include using a Scorpion tank or being a one-man boarding party); at one point, you even fight two at once.

** [[Machinima/RedVsBlue Church, Caboose, Grif, Simmons, Tucker, and Doc]] make a cameo in an EasterEgg, though which of them you see depends on the difficulty level. Outside of this easter egg, Simmons is also the Marine reporting in at the start of "Floodgate" ("We're surrounded, Sergeant!").

* EasterEgg: If you go a little out of the way on the level "Crow's Nest", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL8K2SGR1M you can come across a marine trying to get past a locked door by banging on it and asking it to open up, to which someone on the other side asks for the password, leading to a long conversation about the marine and the Chief needing to get past the door.]] The voice actors for the marines are from Creator/RoosterTeeth's ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' series, and the pairings change depending on what difficulty level you are on.

** Season 5 - Anvil: This update chiefly introduced content from the cancelled ''Halo: Online'' title, including twelve new Spartan armour permutations and a "Techsuit" customisation option, which allowed players to use ''Halo 3'''s original GEN1 techsuit (with the update slimming it down to fit the new armour pieces) and ''Halo: Online'''s GEN2 techsuit. A few more weapon skins were also introduced, notably including original skins alongside additional Season 2 ports.

** Season 7 - Elite: This Sangheili-focussed update implemented seven Elite armour permutations and the map "Edge", both originally featured in ''Halo: Online''. The update also introduced skins for the Energy Sword and GEN2 techsuit, distributed across both the season pass and the Exchange.

*** To celebrate Halo's 20th anniversary, a series of Exchange-exclusive cosmetics for Halo 3 were released over several weeks from November 2021 to January 2022, including; the MIRAGE armour set (based on the fan-favourite Semi-Powered Infiltration (SPI) armour featured in extended media), "Duke" Shoulder armour (Mark IV shoulders with original Xbox Gamepads strapped to them), five backpack accessories (including 3 rucksack variations, a Grunt plush and a whole original Xbox console) and OGX skins for most UNSC weapons.

* DungeonBypass: You can essentially skip the first [[SpiderTank Scarab]] battle by taking advantage of the anti-air turret emplacement situated on the catwalk to the left-hand-side of the arena. This allows you to bombard the Covenant superweapon's [[AttackItsWeakPoint rear weak spot]] with homing missiles while it's distracted by friendly AI. This is especially useful on Legendary, given that the default strategy involves skirting around the behemoth in a Mongoose.