SHORT BUT FUN, HALO: ODST PROVES THE HALO UNIVERSE STILL AS LEGS.
Playing a first-person shooter based Halo game without being the iconic Master Chief is rather odd at first, though in the end it seems to be a welcomed change. When Bungie Studios first announced Halo: Recon, it was originally intended to be a side expansion built using the Halo 3 engine. A total name change and a new so called 'full game experience' later, ODST looks to offer Halo fans a different take on a now familiar formula. It's a change that proves successful, especially to one who as grown tired of the Spartan/Master Chief story told in recent Halo games.Halo: ODST takes place in between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3, you play as The Rookie, a new member of the ODST team. Your about to drop down to assault a covenant ship called the Prophet of Regret but as you fall peacefully down, the ship decides to go into slipspace and disrupt the surrounding atmosphere. This causes a huge wave of energy that damages the HEV's (Human Entry Vehicle) and takes them wildly of course, eventually falling towards the city below. That city is New Mombasa in Africa and is the setting for the rest of the game. It's an interesting choice considering the recent Halo games as the player going from one extreme location to the next, it suffers from a feeling of repetition on a few stages but it also allows for a better tale to be told. The city becomes it's own unique character.
Being built upon the foundations of Halo 3, you'd be correct in thinking that the gameplay hasn't seen much change. That's not such a bad thing, after all Halo 3 played great and Halo: ODST is no different. Controls feel sharp and well laid out, and it still offers a great challenge at the right difficulty. It suffers from the expected repetition in areas, the Rookie feels a little to like Master Chief at times and while he is a lot more vulnerable to enemy attack then Master Chief was, he can still take a beating. It's also odd that Bungie decided to bring back health packs, considering it was Halo that made recharging health and shields a common sight in most games today, Still that extra challenge is nice and does bring some character to the main protagonist.
The Halo 3 engine is now over 2 years old, but Bungie have done a great job at creating a rather beautiful and different game. The action that takes place at day is very much your common Halo 3 action, in both look and gameplay. But the night stages are almost artistic, you'll find yourself stopping and standing just to appreciate the beautiful lightning and effects. Graphically ODST is a treat, there is a great contrast between the day and night and while the human character models look a little odd in cut scenes, there still passable and have a charm. For example the visor blacked out effect that takes place, it looks great and is a nice little addition. Great credit should also be put towards the soundtrack, while the Halo games have featured some memorable tunes over the years, ODST features a beautiful mix of jazz and classical that will please any audio loving gamer.
Of course Halo: ODST isn't just the single player campaign, on the same disc is a multiplayer mode called Firefight and on a second separate disc is everything one would wish for in Halo 3 multiplayer. All currently released multiplayer maps are found within (with three brand new ones) and many of the other key online features are found within such as Forge. It's a great package that makes up for the full price tag, though if you already own much of this content then the price is a little more questionable. Firefight is basically Halo's take on the Horde mode found in Gears of War 2. It's an interesting mode, which suffers from a lack of matchmaking. This means that you'll need to be playing with friends, though you'll probably end up playing the mode with friends anyway, even if a matchmaking mode had been added.
While Firefight is a pleasant take on the Horde Mode so commonly seen in games these days, you will either love it or find it a little to Halo. Much of it will depend on your liking of the Halo Multiplayer mechanics, but it works well and can be fun when your with the right group of friends. The extra disc of Halo content is great for those looking to get back into Halo multiplayer, and as I said it also makes up for the full price unless you already own much of the content included. Like many aspects of ODST, the game is affected by your past experiences with Halo 3. The game does a few things differently, though it's clear Bungie were nervous about moving away from their comfort zones and while that's not always a bad thing, I can't help but feel that this is an opportunity Bungie missed to truly develop the Halo franchise.
Overall Halo: ODST is a solid offering, it won't change your general opinion on the franchise, but may just reignite your interest in both the universe and lore. The unique settings and characters are nowhere near being used to their full potential and in the end Bungie played the experience a little to safe in my personal opinion. The single player campaign feels a little flat towards the end, but it's still a welcomed change to experience the universe through different eyes, even the general actions feel a little to Master Chief like. The extra multiplayer content makes up for the fewer campaign hours and Firefight can be great when your with the right crowd, though there are better examples of the Horde Mode formula out there. The best praise that can be given to Halo: ODST, is that it left me with a reignited interest in the Halo Universe, a flame that had died out after playing Halo 3. So for that Bungie have succeeded in creating an Halo experience that might be welcoming to all.
SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5.
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