Hey its Halo without any Halo
I have long been a big Halo fan and ODST had interested me from its announcement. The thought of changing the formula of Halo excited me as it has started to get a bit too familiar. Although Halo 3:ODST does not quite do this as much as I was expecting it is still another great Halo experience.
The first thing I want to get out of the way is the games length. Dispite a lot of controversy ODST has a campaign length of about 8 hours which although shorter than past Halo games in no way feels short compared to the average shooter. The story begins with you, The Rookie, being set on a mission with a small team to drop into action although during the drop a covenant ship jumps into slipspace throwing you off course and into the occupied city of new mombasa. Your role is to search the city at night looking for clues which trigger flash backs to your squad mates events. You eventually piece together some of the story until finding out why you are in new mombasa. The story is a reasonable way of tying together the gameplay and does help flesh out the Halo universe unfortunately it could have been a lot more if the characters in your squad were more fleshed out and memorable.
ODST is split into 2 parts. The first and in my opinion the best part of the game is when you take the role of the Rookie lost in the dark and mysterious city of New Mombasa. The city is dark and lonely and the brilliant mix of music and lighting make the city truly brilliant. You spend the time in this city trying to find clues in the form of weapons or objects although along the way you meet covenant patrols that can either be dealt with or snuck around. Two things help you around the city the first is your VISR which is the most unique and visually striking version of night vision in a game. The second is the city's AI known as the superintendent. This works by guiding you through the city in a truly brilliant way car alarms go off, signs say keep right, floors light up. It really is a great idea and the superintendent ends up becoming a character in his own right. There are also collectables to find in the form of audio logs for the completionists.
The second part of the campaign is straight forward Halo gameplay and its just pure fun. You do feel a bit weaker as the ODST although it doesnt get rid of that feeling of being a complete bad ass that I love Halo for. While in this section the visuals can show their age a bit it the gameplay is still thrilling.
Halo ODST also has a new multiplayer mode called Firefight which is a take on the Gears of War horde mode and it does it well. You fight through on going waves of covenant and skulls turn on at various waves increasing the difficulty its a great addition to Halo multiplayer although is much more fun with friends. The game also comes with the complete Halo 3 multiplayer on a seperate disc while I stand by that this is one of the best multiplayer experiences out there the fact that most people will already have it reduces its impact.
Halo 3 :ODST is a great expansion on the Halo universe with a solid campaign and brilliant multiplayer. Although forgettable characters and a formula which is starting to show its age just hold it back from being truly brilliant.
