When Halo 3 dropped, I was sucked into the hype machine along with everyone else.  Having been a huge fan of the franchise since the first game convinced me to buy the original xbox, I had high hopes for Halo 3. The game’s campaign was barely above average but the game’s multiplayer was just incredible. As good as the multiplayer was, the lack of an equally impressive campaign definitely hurt the franchise in my eyes. Fast forward to the present, with the release of Halo 3: ODST, which gives us a greater focus on the campaign portion than the previous installments. Did the campaign live up to the namesake of the series? find out…

STORY (8/10)

The story this time around is different than the previous games. While they all take place in the same universe, the same war, and essentially the same timeline, ODST shifts its focus from everyone’s favorite Masterchief to the perspective of a unit of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST). You immediately assume the role of the Rookie, a nameless, faceless, non-speaking, armor clad soldier (sound familiar?) who is a member of the elite ODST squad. The squad is preparing to drop onto a covenant ship that is hovering over the Earth city of New Mombasa. Something goes haywire as the ship teleports right out from under you, leaving you and the entire squad plummetting for the earth below.  Six hours later, you awake to find yourself alone in a city inhabited by covenant soldiers with no sign of your other squadmates. your mission is to locate their last known whereabouts and try to figure out what has happened.

GRAPHICS (8/10)

The graphics on Halo 3 were not horrible, but compare to the level of graphic excellence they were able to acheive with the original xbox hardware, I expected their transition to the current gen to be simply eye popping. Sadly, the game wound up only looking a few notches better than Halo 2. This isn’t bad at all, considering how great H2 looked for its time, however I really expected so much more from Bungie. ODST utilizes the exact same graphics as Halo 3.  The perspective is changed a bit through the use of the VISR, which is essentially just night vision, but not enough to really improve the game’s overall graphics. One big improvement, especially for all of you videophiles and HD freaks out there, is that the game runs all the way up to 1080 p. To the trained eye, this is a big step up visually.

There are some stages that just look awesome. They may not be as detailed as Gears of War, but the environments and the color palettes used just look great. One of the stages has you playing on a type of wildlife preserve, and the outdoor environments really come to life. There are a couple of other stages that stand out graphics wise, but overall the graphics are almost identical to Halo 3 (with the exception of it being in HD this time around)

SOUND (9/10)

To really appreciate the sound in this game, you definitely need a decent surround sound set up or some solid headphones. The convenant weapons have sound effects like none other. From a crushing Spartan Laser blast to the tinkling of little needles flying out of the business end of the Needler, everything sounds great.  All of the little details and sound effects that you’ve grown familiar with from this series over the years really come alive. 

ODST also features some solid voice acting. Firefly fans will notice that the character Buck not only resembles actor Nathan Fillion, but also he is voiced by him.  The game has solid voice acting across the board, and the marines still throw out some of the funniest lines, usually during the heat of battle.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

This is where the game truly shines. Since you are using an ODST trooper and not some Spartan super soldier, you are definitely more vulnerable. ODST troopers have recharging shields, but they also have a health meter that decreases whenever they take damage with their shields depleted. You must find health packs to stay alive. This adds a greater element of strategy to how you approach battles. In some cases it is better to sneak by enemies using stealth or if you dont have a choice you can simply just run for your life.

I enjoy this type of gameplay more, as I often use a Rambo type strategy in most games. ODST forces me to stop and think about how to approach a given situation rather than just rushing in with guns blazing. The health system reminds me of Halo:CE, and the combat in this game is equally intense as you are definitely more vulnerable than in the previous two games.

There is also a new game mode called firefight. This is essentially the Halo verison of Gears of War’s ‘horde’ mode in which you have to defend a map from waves upon waves of enemies with each wave increasing in difficulty from the previous one.  It may sound cheap and copied at first, but after playing a couple of rounds of firefight, it is one of the most intense gaming experiences one can have, especially when playing with a couple of partners.  Ammo is limited, health packs are limmited, even lives are limited and so strategy and teamwork are an absolute must in this game mode.

MULTIPLAYER (9/10)

There are three types of multiplayer featured in ODST. The first is the traditional campaing co-op mode. While this mode has been done many times before in many other games, ODST co-op is a blast to play. Before playing the game, I read on another website that suggested you play through the campaign first on solo in order to really experience the abandoned vibe that the game is going for. Having played through it solo and on co-op, I feel that this is true, but it is a hell of a lot more fun playing through it with a friend..or two or three.  Plus with the acheivements for the campaign, people will be playing this for a while trying to scoop them all up.

Firefight multiplayer is a must. Playing this mode solo is fun for a while, but soon you will start to feel overwhelmed, and rightfully so as this mode is meant for more than one player. There are enough maps in firefight to keep people busy for a long time. In fact the only thing preventing me from giving this a perfect 10 for multiplayer is the fact that neither firefight or campaign co-op utilize matchmaking. If you want to play with someone else, you’ll have to play with a friend or invite some random person as the game doesn’t set you up with other parties looking to play.

Then there is the 2nd ODST disk which features all of the Halo 3 maps ever released along with 3 new maps exclusively released with ODST.  Perhaps the highlight of this entire map pack is the recreation of the insanely popular ‘Midship’ multiplayer map from Halo 2. Despite no real changes  the Halo 3 multiplayer has help up very well over time and with all of the new maps emerging from this release, expect Halo 3 to remain near the top of the list of most played xbox live games for some time to come.

OVERALL (9/10)

Halo 3: ODST is an excellent game. Despite the campaing being a bit on the short side, there is so much to come back and do. Firefight, multiplayer, and acheivements are all huge reasons to revisit ODST after completing the campaign. This game is definitely a must have for Halo fans. For anyone looking for a new take on the Halo experience, you will not be dissappointed by ODST. The game boasts one of the best campaigns since the first Halo, all new firefight mode, and the intense multiplayer goodness of Halo 3 including all new maps exclusive to this game.