Prepare to drop
An all new Halo experience with a new protagonist, new locations, characters, and much more, ODST is an awesome addition to the franchise. Despite the title, the game takes place during the events of Halo 2, but before the events of Halo 3, which makes the title misleading, though it might make sense as a sort of prequel to Halo 3.
The game was heavily criticized for being overpriced at launch since it costed 60 dollars upon release, and considering how short the game is (its extremely short campaign can be finished in a few hours) and its weak elements compared to other Halo titles this displeased both fans and critics alike.
With its amazing graphics, despite being very similar to the graphics in Halo 3, the gameplay, while identical to it's predecessor, is still great, with the Brutes still taking the Elite's roles. The game is, however, structured in a linear narrative, and the beacons are set in such a way that the game would be played linearly. For this reason, the story is pretty lackluster, which is unsurprising compared to previous titles. It also doesn't help that the narrative itself is lackluster.
The main protagonist, simply called "Rookie", unfortunately, has little to no involvement on the game's story. You can not only play as the Rookie, but also play at least as the two different protagonists called Buck and Dutch. The voice acting is also pleasing, especially from great actors such as Nolan North (Nathan Drake) as Romeo, and Alan Tyduk as Mickey.
The night sections are heavily atmospheric, with a really excellent smooth jazz soundtrack taking influences from the neo noir genre, helping give the game a neo-noir feel. This is something never explored in the Halo universe. The open world of the game's night-time sections feel rather tacked on, having little or no shortcuts, world building, or rewards for exploring the city. They could've easily made VISR a reward for completing "Sadie's Story" (more on that later) or as a gadget you earn later on in the game.
Speaking of, a scanner like device aptly named "VISR" allows you to detect enemies easier and have a better vision during the night-time sections. However, this works as a double-edged sword. The VISR gadget itself can unfortunately shatter the atmosphere when active during the night sections. It also doesn't help that turning it off actively puts you at a disadvantage, as well as there being no limit to using it.
There's a meta-narrative in the game called "Sadie's Story" that follows an African 19-year-old named Sadie as she survives the Covenant invasion. This adds some depth to the game, although there isn't too much payoff for finding said audio-logs.
The complete version of Halo 3's multiplayer was contained on a separate disc packaged along with this game. In addition to this it had added a new multiplayer mode known as Firefight, a survival mode which adds a lot of fun and excitement.
If you want more Halo, give this game a try and I hope you like it.
