Halo 3: ODST Review
Bungie had originally planned Halo 3: ODST as a budget title to be developed in a span of one year to compliment its trilogy and tide over gamers until Halo: Reach was ready. What was once a small project labeled as an expansion has grown into a full game packed with features that both Halo fans and newcomers would enjoy. While ODST does not revolutionize the Halo series by making any incredible changes, it takes the formula and refines it into a short but very sweet experience that is sure to make an impression.
At the start of the single player campaign players are introduced to yet another silent space marine, “The Rookie”. There is no Master Chief or Cortana this time around so Halo veterans will get to shake hands with a new squadron of soldiers as they charge into battle. Initially the characters lead by squad leader “Buck” (voiced by Nathan Fillion) come across as quite shallow and uninteresting. Each of them gave off the impression of being the gruff, grizzled war veteran seen countless times in other First Person Shooters. However as players delve deeper into the storyline the characters become somewhat more fleshed out and there does develop a slight attachment to each. Pity that Bungie didn’t add more back story to each character since the player is tasked to find out the whereabouts of every one and when something happens to them it would have made more of a dramatic impact.
Players find themselves suspended above New Mombasa six hours after all hell broke loose and the Covenant went to slip stream space. Not only will the beginning of the campaign be slightly disorienting, it will be full of new surprises as soon as you hit the ground. There are a variety of “flashback” missions the player must travel to and investigate in order to unlock. Each mission tells a story of where the player’s squad mates have ended up and helps to put together pieces of the mystery to why players are in New Mombasa.
There are noticeable refinements in gameplay for ODST including the return of fall damage, a slightly higher arch in grenade tosses, faster movement while holding large weapons, the inability to duel wield and a brand new Vision mode. The ODST helmet seems to have better technology then the Spartans as the Visor (VISR) mode lights up the surroundings and highlights enemies and weapons in distinctive color patterns. While this new vision mode is a welcome change and certainly helpful it becomes more of a crutch then an option. New Mombasa is incredibly dark which forces players to rely on the Vision mode all the time just to get around without walking into a wall. This gameplay mechanic really takes away from the mood and incredible visuals of the city that Bungie has designed.
While the vision mode doesn’t exactly help the impact of being alone in a war torn city at night, the in game audio excels in tremendous leaps and bounds. The older Halo games have a distinctive tribal sound to each piece of music that is somewhat incorporated here but is refined with the addition of the saxophone and other horn instruments. They never retread on previous pieces of music and while the familiar Halo chant is absent, the soundtrack never feels like it is missing something. Bungie has done an incredible job conveying the perfect atmosphere of ODST through sound alone that makes the player feel alone and vulnerable. There were often times where I would just walk around New Mombasa listening to a sad piece of music while scanning the wreckage of cars and storefront shops.
A game developed in a year is going to have a few shortcomings that are mostly evident in the length of the campaign. Clocking in at just about six hours on Legendary difficulty, there isn’t much challenge to keep players from breezing through especially with three other friends. While the campaign is exciting and does offer a lot of different confrontations, it seems a little rehashed from previous Halo games. There are many defense situations fighting off waves of enemies, the obligatory tank mission, and even a finale involving a warthog. Despite this, Halo 3: ODST is like a streamlined version of Halo with all the fun action parts without the padding.
A testament to this is Firefight mode, which pits up to four players against waves of Covenant. Players must defend themselves against endless alien scum with a limited supply of weapons and respawns. Survive a round and each wave gets progressively harder especially when the skulls are activated. The action is always intense and closer than anyone would like but it is frantic and fun. It can be somewhat difficult in setting up a Firefight, as Bungie has not included any form of matchmaking. Anyone without any friends who have ODST is going to find Firefight to be extra baggage. However if players can grab a few buddies then Firefight is perfect for a long, intense session or a few quick rounds.
Some may argue that Halo 3: ODST does not have an online multiplayer component even though it includes a second disc full of extra features. Bungie packed Halo 3’s multiplayer including every single map pack, theatre mode, and forge mode all on a second disc for those who either missed out on what Halo multiplayer is all about or held off on buying the map packs. However those players without Xbox LIVE will find themselves limited to forge mode. With a subscription to Xbox LIVE this disc alone is an incredible value that will offer hours of fun.
Halo 3: ODST had some hurdles to overcome as it was poised to justify itself as a full retail game and not a budget expansion title. For the price of a retail game players are receiving a very well polished single player experience, a brand new defensive game mode, Halo 3 multiplayer including all map packs, forge and theatre. There are many reasons in this two-disc set to keep players coming back for more and anyone who is a Halo fan should purchase this. Anyone who isn’t a Halo fan but is interested in involving themselves in the series for the first time should pick this game up, as it is everything Halo is with none of the unwanted fluff.
Concept: 9.0
Sound: 9.5
Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 7.0
Final Score: 8.5/10.0
Go Team Rocket, Time to cock it:
