Halo 3: ODST

So Halo 3: ODST thusly came forth from the Heavens to deliver unto the faithful an expanded Halo adventure rooted firmly between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3, however speaking as one of the faithful I’ve been left with some mixed feelings. While the story is compelling in all aspects and the game mechanics are definitely Bungie, I still felt as though the campaign was far too short, even for a campaign. Regardless I admit that I did have fun going through it and I have a feeling I’ll be doing so again at a more relaxed pace in the near future. Conversely, I’ve given a bit of thought to the cost of the entire package. The expansion campaign, firefight and multiplayer content are all able to stand alone on their own, but is it really worth the asking full price of a retail title? Ultimately though, what settled it for me was certain long-term elements as well as overall playability when it came time for the credits to roll and that’s what I’ve looked back upon most for this review.

Without spoiling too much, I will say that the story was well worth the money I paid for the game. From the introductory crawl of text that explains the dire situation the Humans are in as the war with the Covenant has dragged on, it becomes all the more poignant, driving the point home when the game bluntly reminds you that Humanity is losing and the Covenant aren’t just on the planetary doorstep, they’ve let themselves in. Dropping into New Mombasa, the visuals have held up extremely well despite the continued utilization of the Halo 3 engine, especially when the Covenant Carrier jumps to slipspace which tears the city apart, leaving you incapacitated in your pod for a few hours. Exploring the city becomes easier as you go on, however I noticed a definitive change in my play style as opposed to previous Halo titles. When happening upon an enemy patrol, I began to avoid the fights if I could. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the night combat is outstanding when utilizing the VISR that ODSTs have been blessed with thanks to the Navy, but is rendered virtually useless during the daytime sequences. Speaking of which, all of the major combat played throughout the game occurs when you’re in the boots of a different member of the squad. However, abstaining from gushing too much about the voice cast including several members of Firefly, each sequence is voice and plays out in a very well done way. It never really got boring, and I kept waiting for that to happen. But, to avoid any spoilers I will refrain from any plot reveals here. Suffice to say, it isn’t disappointing but does feel far too short.

Having completed the game on Normal difficulty in just a little bit over four hours, I can understand the gripes about the length of the campaign. At the same time, it should be noted that I didn’t really stop or search for the audiologs, however when I did stumble on one I would have to stop and listen as Sadie’s Story was extremely interesting. There were times when I debated just hunting for all the audiologs before continuing on with the campaign, but with time constraints and a deadline for a review, it had to wait. But every clue, every mission kept me going forward and the Superintendent helping me along made the gameplay all the more interesting. After discovering that the New Mombasa Artificial Intelligence would guide me via signs, lights and abandoned police cars towards audiologs, I would have to hesitate for the sake of time and glance at my map for the quickest possible route to my next objective. And I assure you, that you will use that map quite a bit. It points out Superintendent cache locations, item clues and of course, Covenant patrols. But the length of the game offers a significant amount of replay value. After playing through on Normal, I plan on going back and playing through on Legendary, co-op and looking for all of the audiologs so I can fill in the blanks of Sadie’s Story. Finishing the campaign though led me into trying Firefight, which became deeply concerning when I looked out the window and saw the sun rising.

Firefight is for all intents and purposes the Horde mode gamers have come to know, love and play relentlessly from Gears of War 2, except this time, the Covenant is trying to kill you and not the Locusts. I started giving it a shot around midnight last night and come 5am, I was under the impression that there was definitely an addictive quality to Firefight I couldn’t quite put my finger on. More importantly was the fact that I was playing by myself, I would love to know how it plays with a full on team of people working in unison. The combat is hectic and furious, as combat with a species bent on destroying humanity should be. Once the skulls entered the equation though, I had the feeling the game was trying to stack things against me in an almost unbeatable way. But it never felt unmanageable and consistently remained fun no matter how many times I received a fair and sound beating. And even though the Battle Rifle has been removed, I can still take solace in the sheer amount of havoc I’ve been able to lay down using the silence smg and pistol. Both feel powerful and not once when firing them did I not feel like a complete badass. It felt almost unrealistic at how easy it was to pull off headshots and drop every enemy from Grunts to Jackals and even the daunting Brutes. So I can say that I’m relieved that Bungie didn’t reinvent the wheel, however I do wish they would have given us more.

The overall package is sound and it is put together very well, but the cost will always be a matter of contention. The campaign in my opinion was worth the money, however I went into it with the understanding that what I was receiving is an expansion, not a full retail title. Think of a PC game expansion and in my opinion, the extension is maybe roughly 6 hours of gameplay therein. Thus, I can be content with what I have gotten out of the game so far and replaying through again on Legendary is simply icing on the cake. Additionally, the firefight content will keep me busy for sometime, be it alone or with friends, since I’ll be trying to get the game to a point where no more waves show up. I’m sure that’ll occupy my time easily in the foreseeable future. Finally, since I never purchased any of the Halo 3 multiplayer maps, the disc full of them is perfect as far as I’m concerned because now I can see what I’ve been missing since I stopped playing Halo 3 on Xbox Live. Hence in the grand scheme of things Halo 3: ODST is an acceptable purchase for me as everything I have received is all new content. 

I admit that I am satisfied with ODST, but rightfully so since I am admittedly a huge Halo fan. But I don’t believe that Bungie made this title to appeal to anyone who hasn’t played Halo before. If you picked up Halo 3: ODST, it’s because you played any of the previous Halo titles and loved them. Thus, I believe that ODST is fun in it’s own right and does have a leg to stand on against other titles coming out this fall. However, I do feel that anyone who hasn’t played Halo prior to picking up ODST would most likely be lost amidst the lore, unless all they wanted to do was run around and shoot, in which case they’d feel right at home. But while the game is not perfect, it’s flaws are able to be overlooked because the underlying game mechanics are solid and the plot is well developed regardless of somewhat stereotypical characters. Truly, before buying this title, you should probably ask yourself if you’re a Halo fan or if you just like to run around and shoot things in the confines of a game. If you’re the former, definitely pick this title up, you won’t regret it. However, if you’re the latter of the two, you might be better off waiting for Modern Warfare 2 come November.