ODST: A Cruel Mistress
I don’t mean to get things off on the wrong foot, but I have a love/hate relationship with Halo 3: ODST. When I heard I was going to be able to play as one of the second most badassest (now it’s a word) soldiers in the Halo universe, I was pretty pumped. When I heard I would have to pay $60 for what was originally touted as a 4-hour expansion pack, I was significantly less pumped.
The story mode in ODST is a significant departure from all 4 previous Halo games, in that most of the story is told through flashback missions. You have been separated from your squad, and you wander around a semi-open world looking for clues about their location. Cortana, your helpful AI in previous games, has been replaced by the Superintendant, who controls much of New Mombossa’s municipal issues. Since garbage collecting is no longer an issue, he will help guide you by putting “DETOUR, KEEP RIGHT” and similar signs on billboards, and activating car horns and sirens when you near something of interest. While the Super lacks Cortana’s charm and wit, he makes for a suitable replacement. I breezed through on Heroic in about 7 hours, which is about the average amount of time I would guess for most players. The game has a heavy noir atmosphere, and the music heavily reinforces this. Low, sad sounding cues and the occasional quiet trumpet made this game one the most immersive I have ever played.
The voice acting in ODST is slightly above average, which pains me to say as the cast is stellar. Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, and Adam Baldwin of Firefly, Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica, and Nolan North of… other videogames, are the game’s main cast. They are phenomenal at what they do, but emotion and back story that the dialogue suggests just falls flat.
ODST introduces a new multiplayer mode called Firefight, which pits players against ever increasing amounts of enemies. Starting with small waves of the easiest enemies, the final waves of each round include multiple Brute Chieftains, which are tough enough to take down when there aren’t four of them trying to smash you in to bits. Firefight cemented its place in my heart after a ‘quick’ game with my roommates, which the post-game report told us lasted 76 minutes.
Visually, ODST is incredible. While it looks very similar to Halo 3 at first glance, the graphic engine has been tweaked and prodded and pushed to the extreme. The “VISR Mode,” which helps with night vision, is quite impressive.
Oh, and there’s a second disc that includes the original Halo 3 multiplayer, with every extra map Bungie has released, plus 3 more.
Verdict: ODST is a great addition for any Halo fan, but it just doesn’t justify a $60 price tag.
