Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft
Rating Guide: How I Review Games
Screenshots: Available Here

Review:

You’re headed into battle in your fancy space shuttle when all of a sudden you realize you’re headed for a crash landing.  This wouldn’t be so bad if not for the fact that you’re crash landing on New Mombasa and there’s a shit load of Covenant waiting on the ground.

To top it all off you’re just a rookie Orbital Drop Shock Trooper and you’ve been separated from your squad.  There is no Masterchief to save you.  It’s just you.  This story will be new.  Your story is about to unfold.

Halo 3: ODST is your story.

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound

Halo 3: ODST lets you play through the eyes of several Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs).  It’s a new campaign in the Halo universe and one that is done rather well.  In fact, I have to say that I enjoyed ODST’s campaign moreso than I did that of Halo 3.  You crash land on New Mombasa and have to find the rest of your crew while figuring out what the hell is going on.  And ofcourse you’ll have to engage and destroy the Covenant while you’re at it.

One of my favorite things in ODST is using the Visual Intelligence System Reconnaisance Class or VISR.  Pressing the X button equips this and turns your HUD/visor into an awesome identification system that points out friendlies, hostiles and other important things in the environment.  It’s a very cool addition to the HUD.  I wish I could’ve used it throughout the game but it’s not so useful in bright lights.

There are a few new weapons at your disposal in ODST.  I absolutely love the M7 Submachine Gun.  It’s my weapon of choice now.  There’s also a fire grenade to set those pesky Grunts on fire (and whatever other Covenant you can torch).  Everything you’d expect from the Halo world is here for you to do battle with.  Those familiar with Halo should be used to the controls as the setup is the same.

Make sure you remember that you are an ODST when you’re fighting.  You are not a Spartan super soldier so your health is much more fragile.  There are health stations scattered in the city for a reason so be careful with your battle strategies.

Also scattered throughout the city are audio files to find, Skulls to unlock and the Superintendent to guide you.  There were a few times when I lost my way because of a suspect compass and map but overall it’s pretty straight forward as far as finding your way.  And for you Achievement hunters out there you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a system implemented to keep track of the Achievements in the game.  (most of them anyway)

Visually Halo 3: ODST is a lot cripser and more detailed than what you saw in Halo 3.  The environments aren’t too spectacular but the detail in the Covenant is impressive.  The mood of the levels though are something to experience.  It felt like a city in ruin and I definitely felt like I was alone searching for my lost squad.  ODST has one of the better soundtracks I’ve heard in a game that takes you and puts you in the place that you’re playing.  I felt like I was in New Mombasa or rather whatever it would feel like if New Mombasa really existed.

Xbox LIVE Extras

Firefight Mode is a blast to play!  That’s really all you need to know when it comes to Xbox LIVE play with Halo 3: ODST.  There aren’t many people out there who haven’t experienced the multiplayer of Halo 3 alone so the inclusion of the entire multiplayer experience of Halo 3 was really just icing on an already delicious cake.

There are new maps to play on the second disc that includes the Halo 3 multiplayer but believe me it isn’t as much fun as Firefight.  You can grab 3 other friends and battle waves of Covenant enemies while trying to survive.  If you’re lucky, you can even use old Sergeant Johnson to rip through the battlefield.

I’m a big fan of Horde Mode in Gears of War 2 and Zombie Mode in World at War so it just felt fitting to take those elements and apply them to Halo.  It gets very difficult as you complete waves.  The Covenant gain all kinds of crazy advantages and skills as you progress.  One of my least favorites is when they go grenade happy on you.  It pays to watch how they’re getting better as you’ll be given a brief description of how the playing field is changing.

Although it’s difficult, I have to say that it doesn’t quite feel like you’re trying to survive anything but rather a big huge firefight instead.  I guess that’s the point but something didn’t feel as hectic about it when the maps are as widespread as they are.  You can literally drive a vehicle the entire time on a few maps just tearing through Covenant after Covenant eliminating any real challenge or threat.

If I had to complain about something with Firefight, it’s the fact that there is no matchmaking.  It seems normal to include such a thing but for whatever reason Bungie decided not to.  I’ve heard of reasons being cited that deal with “keeping it part of the campaign experience” but well that still sucks.  It would’ve been a nice addition to a good little mode especially for those who don’t have friends on call to play with.

Conclusion

Halo 3: ODST surely doesn’t feel like a rehash of Halo 3.  It is in fact its own story and it has its own flavor if you will.  One of the big questions I had was whether or not Bungie could deliver something that didn’t feel like the Halo I had grown accustomed to and they definitely did.

I didn’t think a story could be told in the Halo universe properly without the Masterchief but ODST proves otherwise.  Firefight, a good campaign story, a visual upgrade and all the stuffings of Halo 3 make for plenty of good times in ODST.  Is it worth the price?  Well, I’m not in your shoes so decide for yourself.  Personally, I think it’s well worth it.