Review: Halo 3: ODST

Halo Recon was announced at TGS in 2008 as a small expansion to the fan-favorite Halo 3. The game was stated to have a new campaign that would run roughly four to six hours. For the first time in the series, the playable hero of the campaign would not be Master Chief, but a new protagonist in ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) armor.  It was also said to have an expanded multiplayer with exclusive new maps, and all of this content was supposed to release at a discounted price.

Over a year, the game went through a name change from Recon to ODST, a price increase, and the additionof a new cooperative multiplayer game mode called Firefight, which was said to be similar to the Gears of War 2 Horde mode (one of the most incredible experiences available on the 360). The question now is whether or not this expansion is really worth the full retail price tag.

The campaign storyline follows a mute Rookie Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), who goes by the very original name, “Rookie”. He and a few other ODSTs are on a classified mission and are being sent to Earth. On their “Drop” to Earth and explosion causes them to scatter and crash land. You play most of the game as the Rookie, whose ventures take place entirely on New Mombasa’s silent streets. You search for distress beacons from his squad mates and on your travels, you come across small groups of covenant troops always ready for a fight. When you manage to reach a distress beacon, you get to play through one of your squad mate’s storylines and each time collecting a bit of information that will help you locate your entire squad. I know it sounds a little like a Tarantino movie; I assure you, he had nothing to do with this game.

ODST plays like a cross between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3. While it has almost the same basic controls as Halo 3, you will not be able to duel wield weapons similar to the Chief in the original Halo. Another similarity to the first Halo is the health system. Health packs and smaller over shields are back.

A new addition is the special visors ODSTs have that allow them to see better in low light conditions and also highlight enemies in red. You will use this function almost the entire time as the Rookie because most of his story takes place at night and the game is extremely dark. Weapons are the same ones you find in Halo 3, with some being improved and others you’ll wish were improved. The handgun is very similar to the one in Halo: CE, bringing back the scope and it’ss once again the headshot powerhouse it was back on the original X-Box. The SMG is significantly improved with more power and a scope – it is usually my go-to weapon. Other weapons seem to have a bit more killing power with a few exceptions. The assault rifle and shot gun seem to have been weakened, which is a shame due to the fact that most people enjoy using the human weapons over the alien arsenal.

Playing through this game as the Rookie, I instantly noticed the more open-world feel to New Mombasa, when compared to other Halo games. I am not saying it is like Grand Theft Auto, where you can drive around an entire city and go anywhere you want, but there are usually more than one distress beacon to get to and more than one way to get there. A nice change, but it would have been better if there where more vehicles the Rookie could use. Throughout my entire time with the Rookie I only found one Ghost, which I managed to keep in tact through only two run-ins with the Covenant. Other than that, it was a brisk jog through the dark quiet city streets.

Is Halo 3: ODST worth the price? Click to continue reading and find out…

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