Today at midnight, "Halo 3" was released. Later at school, I was not surprised to see my classmates and friends discussing the highly anticipated game.

Developed by Bungie Studios, "Halo 3" is a first-person shooter, the third game in the Halo series that has become very popular among video gamers, including students at Uni. Last year's Agora Days included a class for playing Halo, which seemed to spill over into the hallways during other periods of the day. Now with the arrival of "Halo 3," it will be yet another step up in the Halo experience.

The series' popularity has been reflected in its sales: According to CNN, "Halo 2" generated $125 million on its opening day, and according to the Los Angeles Times, "Halo 3" is expected to generate more than $150 million by the end of today.

"Halo 3" continues a storyline of conflict between a future human race and technologically advanced aliens, centered around mysterious ancient structures called "halos." Although I haven’t gotten a chance to play "Halo 3" yet, it looks phenomenal from some of the gameplay footage I have watched.

What really stood out from the game were the graphics and sound. Compared to the already excellent graphics of the first game, "Halo: Combat Evolved," the graphics in "Halo 3" are mind-boggling. What really impressed me were the realistic features of the environment and atmosphere. The water effects are fantastic; the water reflects images, makes splashes, and flows around the player while he or she is traversing through it.

The sound in "Halo 3" is also incredible. The distant gunfire, explosions, rumbling engines of vehicles, and soldiers yelling can all be clearly heard in the background of the battles, making the player feel as if he or she were actually in the game.

After seeing these stunning graphics and listening to the excellent background sound, I really wanted to get my hands on "Halo 3." However, there was one problem. "Halo 3" runs exclusively on the Xbox 360, and an Xbox 360 does not rank among the game systems that I have. Nonetheless, "Halo 3" seems like such an amazing game that it might just be worth it to get a whole new console.