Halo 3 ODST will polarize gamers opinions due to the decisions made by Bungie and Microsoft to package it the way they did, and while the bulk of this review will talk about the single player experience and fire fight mode I will share some thoughts about the dual disc format and the single multiplayer split.

First things first, in ODST you are not Master Chief, heck, you’re not even a Spartan, the setting in the Halo Universe is such that if your were going to be a Spartan there is only one choice, and since we have already played through the trilogy and finished the fight as the MC. The decision was made to base this game on the more tactically inclined Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, the paratroopers of the future. You are part of a team, and while I don’t want to ruin any of the story for those of you looking forward to it, suffice to say that there is some separation from the team and the story involves piecing together what happened.

As far as the story telling goes it is done in a very unique way, it’s a method that has been used many times in movies. Swapping between the present and the past and also changing the perspective of who you play as creates a patchwork storyline that builds intrigue and drives you forward to discover the truth. There is the essential ass kicking in there for the gameplay, but the scripting, voice acting and story make this stand out from the other Halo instalments.

Without your super human strength you are left to rely more on stealth, tactical attacks and hiding, lots and lots of hiding. The ODST’s have the added benefit of a sight enhancement ability that highlights the outline of the environment and enemies, friendly blue and hostile red. The city-scape of New Mombasa is purposefully dark, the invading forces have wreaked havoc and their jump event caused massive destruction. The darkness allows you to be a little sneaky as the enemies don’t have your see in the dark enhancements. The tactical approach sometimes worked well, at other times it just evolved into an all out brawl, in my opinion this is the way things should be.

Another neat feature is the city map interface, it is top down and full 3D, it is updated by the city’s AI infrastructure computer called the Superintendant, the map allows waypoints to be set, and shows objectives. Scattered throughout the city are also some video/audio recordings that the Superintendant has made, it allows you to delve a little deeper into the occurrences that effected the citizens of the city.

There are two distinct varieties of gameplay that you experience throughout the single player campaign, the stealthy night time city search of piecing together the mystery, and the day time action based set pieces. The set pieces in the daytime action sequences are a great way to contrast the seemingly random and sporadic fighting at night, the end result is a well paced game that keeps you on your toes by changing enough to keep you interested.

As with Halo 3, ODST allows friends to play the whole campaign together with up to three friends, I would recommend Legendary difficulty if taking this route. There is also a new cooperative game mode called Fire Fight, if you think horde mode in Gears of War 2 then you aren’t very far off what you can expect in Fire Fight. Along with three others you can defend against wave after wave of covenant forces that increase in difficulty and number. As you are not the Master Chief strategy and team work must be employed. The new health system has a light recharge effect that is called “stamina” but this is not going to increase the level of your health bar, it is simply the portion before your health starts taking permanent damage. The only way to increase your health is the use of med packs located around the maps and in the city.

Competitive multiplayer is not something that has changed from the original Halo 3 formula, in fact owners of ODST will be able to play against owners of Halo 3. The only difference is that the map packs previously released for purchase will all be included on the ODST multiplayer disc. I am incredibly happy that Microsoft has gone this route, my biggest pet peeve about online gaming with consoles is that it doesn’t have the solidarity of ongoing long lasting communities for a game. The fact that this will reunite the community in the multiplayer of Halo 3 is in my opinion one of the best things to happen to the 360 since Halo 3’s initial release. Griffball tournaments, Rocket Races, Zombie Slayer matches, it’s all possible with friends that don’t feel the need to upgrade to ODST while still wanting to play with their friends in a game they already own and can continue to get value from.

Closing Comments

So that leads to the question, who should buy ODST? The story told here, while not integral to the Halo universe, does expand on its characters and while remaining true to the rules it does change the way you engage in the experience with more possibilities. The pacing is one of the highlights and the potential to reengage a splintered community deserves support. The campaign, while not incredibly long, does offer an entertaining experience. The price someone is willing to pay for these features will be different for each person, but the game is worth playing if you enjoy the Halo style of game but feel like something fresh.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 2:52 pm and is filed under Reviews, Xbox 360, sidereview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.