GB Gamer

Halo 3: ODST Review

As one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world, the expectation is always high for any new Halo. When ODST was first announced Bungie attempted to lower expectations by saying it was more like an expansion pack and would cost less than full price. As time has gone on it seems Bungie got more and more confident with the amount of content in ODST and Microsoft decided to make it a full price game. So is ODST worth paying full price for?

The game features a four to five hour campaign mode which may seem rather short and it is. However, this is also easily the most consistent campaign out of all the Halo games, there isn’t a single bad level. You have all your standard Halo levels in there; the warthog level, the tank level, the banshee level as well as the best on foot shooting sections out of any Halo game. Each encounter seems perfectly balanced and the infamous ’30 seconds of fun’ Bungie is known for remains and is as good as ever.

ODST uses pretty much the same engine as Halo 3. Technically, it is starting to show it’s age a bit, particularly the aliasing problems. Luckily Bungie’s art still shines through and there are some genuinely good looking areas in the game, I guess we’ll have to wait for Halo: Reach for the engine upgrade. The music also is very ‘Halo’. That’s by no means a bad thing though as it fits perfectly with the mood of the game.

Unlike previous Halo games you do not play as the Master Chief. Instead you take the role of various ODSTs (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers). The game takes place towards the end of Halo 2 in the Halo timeline and if you are a fan of the series it will answer some questions you have about what happened between the two games. However ODST also tells it own story, I won’t give away the plot but it was nice to expereince a more personal story instead of the usual epic ‘world changing’ storylines from past games.

Also new is the Hub world. Once you drop into New Mombasa at the start of the game you are given control of the ‘Rookie’ in this hub world. This is essentially just a portal to each of the missions that ties them together. You follow the arrow on your compass to reach various artifacts around the city (a broken sniper, a helmet etc.) and this triggers each mission where you take the role of one of your ODST comrades.

Playing as an ODST is not much different to playing as the Master Chief. The main differences are you have no shields (though you have the near identical ‘stamina’), you have health which must be healed by med packs adn you can’t dual wield or hijack vehicles. In truth, none of this really impacts much on the gameplay with ODST feeling pretty much the same as it’s predeccesors.

Once you have completed the campaign you can play the new Firefight mode. This is another mode similar to ‘Horde’ in Gears of War where you face ever increasing waves of enemies. You can play this mode (and the main campaign) online with up to three friends. The mode is great fun though it’s a real shame there is no match making so unless you have friends with the game or can organise matches with people you’ll be stuck playing it on your own.

The final part of ODST is included on the second disc. This is the full Halo 3 multiplayer mode including all the original maps, all the map packs and three new exclusive maps. If you like Halo multiplayer this is the definitive package (and also saves some hard drive space).

Overall ODST ends up being a great package. It features arguably the best campaign of the series (even if it is short) with one of the most interesting plots. Has the great new firefight mode and includes the full Halo 3 multiplayer mode. If you are a fan of Halo you probably already own this and whilst ODST doesn’t bring anything that will convert non-fans, everyone else should seriously consider purchasing it.

Score: 9.0/10