Halo 3: ODST Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 12th October 2009

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Halo 3: ODST Details:

	First Person Shooter
	Xbox 360
	Bungie
	Microsoft

16+

Out Now

One of the biggest appeals of playing any of the Halo games is of course playing as one of the most iconic characters on the Xbox 360 - the genetically engineered super soldier Master Chief. But with Halo 3: ODST Bungie has removed this opportunity and instead placed the player in the role of a rough and ready Orbital Drop Shock Trooper but does the game still hold the same appeal?

Halo 3: ODST tells an alternative story from the Halo universe which leads up to that of the Master Chiefs in Halo 3. At the beginning of the game you step into the role of the rookie, a new member of the elite Orbital Drop Shock squad. Who are tasked with a secret mission, which sees your team drop in to the mega city of New Mombasa. However, when the Covenant ship above the city creates a hyperspace tear things go wrong and your team drops short of the designated target. Becoming separated from your squad you must then search the city for clues as to their whereabouts, fighting the Covenant forces present in the city.

Halo 3: ODST is everything you would expect from a Halo game, but it does come with a major difference. Whilst the ODST’s are tough there not the Master Chief so even seasoned Halo players may find themselves in a little trouble from time to time. This increase in the challenge from the core gameplay also means that most will have to approach the game more cautiously. That isn’t to say that Halo 3: ODST is completely different it isn’t in fact it’s very similar to past games, and feels very much like a Halo game. Everything we have come to know and love about the franchise makes a return all the weapons, vehicles and enemies are included. Even some of the more annoying parts of past Halo games are present so expect lots of backtracking.

As already mentioned the game has you wandering around the city of New Mombasa looking for clues to the whereabouts of your squad mates. This portion of the game lacks a little intensity as few Covenant forces seem to be on the night streets. However, upon finding a clue a sub-mission is initiated which shows how that clue came to be at its current location, and you are thrown into the role of the character that each clue is linked to. These missions as you would expect provide a classic Halo experience offering frantic and intense fire fights, vehicle dashes and squad based play. It’s all what we’ve seen before but still as good as ever. Despite this swapping of characters and missions on the whole it does work but it can make it a little hard to relate to your main character especially as he’s largely anonymous.

The games campaign is relatively short, lasting only around 8 hours maximum, the level design is everything you would expect from a Halo game, tight winding streets that open on to small plazas. Indoors, it’s the same, tight corridors that open in to large rooms. The levels as you would expect from a Halo game look great and characters despite being the same as in past games still look brilliant. The games fantastic looks are also complimented by a brilliant soundtrack that helps create a very believable atmosphere and portrays the loneliness of the games main character as he searches the city for his squad.

Away from the campaign the game offers the exact same multiplayer experience as Halo 3 (including all the downloadable content) with the addition of three new maps to play on. It does however, introduce a new co-operative game mode called Firefight. This new mode allows up to four players to fight wave after wave of Covenant. It’s fairly good fun and can be extremely intense, however it does lack a little in lasting appeal and most will tire of it fairly quickly.

Halo 3: ODST introduces an entire new cast to the Halo universe, but despite not playing as the Master Chief Bungie it has still managed to make a campaign that feels very much like Halo, the only two disappointments come in how short the campaign is and the lack of expansion for the games multiplayer component. Overall a welcome new angle on the Halo universe.