Prepare to drop, because Halo: ODST is finally here. The long awaited title from our friends over at Bungie is the next game within the Halo Franchise and boy is it impressive. Although this time around, don’t be surprised not to see Master Chief. You play the role of a Rookie ODST (Orbital Drop Ship Trooper) along with 4 other members of an elite combat squad. While this title is still made by Bungie, it offers a totally unique gaming experience unseen by any of the previous Halo titles. Everything from the characters you play to the way the story is presented is different from typical Halo games. So what’s so special about it, you ask? Well pretty much the entire package.
The game places you first in the shoes of a rook, separated from your squad upon drop, it is your goal to find your lost teammates and clear up any lost details along the way. Although many of the enemies are the same as in other Halo titles, the way you encounter them is totally different. You start by landing in the city streets of New Mombasa. Set in a dark ominous tone, the game allows you to free roam the streets to find clues about your missing squad members. Once you find a clue, it then transports you into their shoes, and you play a flashback of their story through their eyes as it happened. One thing I loved about this way of story telling is the way the game goes from cut scene to gameplay almost seamlessly. The City parts tend to incorporate more mystery while the main chapters tend to be more like typical Halo battles. Earlier complaints of the game having a short campaign can easily be voided by kicking up the difficulty level. My first play-through I did on Heroic and it clocked up to about 9-12 hours of gameplay.
The characters are all very diverse and great voice acting was incorporated. The main character, Buck, is voiced by Firefly star Nathan Fillion. And if it wasn’t obvious his likeness was used as well, adding a hypothetical 1up for anyone who is a fan of the show or just sci-fi in general. Many of Mal’s galactic allies also appeared as voices for the characters in the game.
One thing that can not go without mention is the soundtrack. Composed by Marty O’Donnell, it features some amazing relaxed, almost jazzy at times, city tunes for when you’re strolling the empty streets of New Mombasa, and for the character missions it’s just as good, keeping the pace moving and the intensity high.
The weapons in the game have changed a bit since Halo 3. The Battle Rifle was scrapped and in its place is the new and improved SMG. With a longer range and a scope it has become one of my favorite guns in the game. The pistol is another one of the guns that has been altered. Now silenced and powerful, many may feel it resembles the pistol from Halo 1. All the other weapons from previous halo games are there and at your disposal for kicking some Covenant ass.
If all that still isn’t enough for you, there is a new mode called Firefight, which let me say, is quite addicting. Like Gears of War 2′s Horde mode, you fight increasingly difficult waves of Covenant Soldiers. Skulls are activated and add an extra challenge to each round. On top of that there is a second disc which includes the complete Multiplayer experience from Halo 3. All 24 Halo 3 Maps are included along with three new ones. Ranks and Saved films carry over and it is just like playing Halo 3, in that aspect. For those of you who didn’t end up buying any or all of the Halo 3 DLC, it is now yours, included in the second disc.
Overall Halo: ODST is quite the bargain. Having a kick-ass campaign, all the Halo 3 multiplayer maps and the awesome new Firefight mode, it is quite foolish not to pick this one up, that is unless you are saving your cash for Modern Warfare 2, but don’t get me started on that. If you’re a fan of other Halo titles, this one is a must buy, and even if you’re not, this one comes highly recommended. Be careful dropping in, and remember, keep it clean.
