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A lot of people are going to try and tell you that ODST is simply another chapter in the Halo 3 saga, and in a lot of ways they’re right. But while ODST doesn’t bring much new to the table in terms of visual impact or game mechanics, there are two key components that help set ODST apart from it’s predecessors and make this an experience all its own.
ODST takes place 10 years before the events of Halo 3. Unlike previous games that have put you in the space-faring books of the super soldier Master Chief, you’ll be slipping into the outfit of a typical grunt on the frontlines on the Covenant war. As an Orbital Shock Drop Trooper (ODST) your team will be dropped into the war on Earth in New Mombosa. Oh – New Mombosa? That’s one of those key components I mentioned.
New Mombosa is more than just the setting that the story takes place in, it’s one large and perfectly seamless city. Halo games have always provided a fairly linear experience, but New Mombosa changes that for the better. Each section of the city offers up countless areas for cover and manoeuvring around your enemies. As a lone, relatively weak soldier, you’ll need to really think out each entanglement before you jump into it. Unlike previous Halo efforts, you can’t simply run and gun your way through an environment. You’re too squishy and the areas are too big and Covenant-filled for old, simple strategies to be effective. Run straight towards one group of enemies and you’ll likely find there were two more groups you didn’t notice positioned right behind you, just waiting for the kill. Not only do these huge areas and confrontations change the way you’ll play Halo, but they’re practically begging you to find a co-op partner. Sure you can power through on your own, but these areas become much more fun when you can turn the enemies flanking manoeuvres back on them.
Not every part of the single player takes place in New Mombosa. Every so often your trooper will find a helmet or other artifact that will then lead to a chapter detailing the adventures of his now scattered squadmates. Sometimes this will happen within the city walls. Sometimes it will be out in the African safari. There's enough variety with these side chapters that the environments of the main game never get to feel stale. It's a good thing to, because the drab, future-proofed grays and bland architecture in New Mombosa would certainly start to feel repetitive if it wasn't for these fresh chapters breaking things up.
Drab future describes not only the sites in ODST, but the sounds as well. The soundtrack is simply haunting. It has a real early 80's sci-fi vibe, and we mean that in the nicest way possible. There are hints of John Carpenter in there. People have been known to buy Halo soundtracks in embarassingly large numbers, but for the first time in my life I think I might want to plunk down the cash to listen to the soothing sounds of New Mombosa.
Like Halo 3, The main campaign is terrific fun but incredibly short. You should have no problem blowing through this one in 6 or 7 hours. But Halo has never really been about the main campaign. Sure the story is engaging in that epic, ultra-violent Star Wars kinda way, but let’s be serious; Halo is a multiplayer machine.
While some people consider it a weakness, I can’t help but love that ODST includes all of the previously released maps for Halo 3. Critics are quick to argue that this is filler content for a game that is light on new things. I couldn’t disagree more. Including all of Halo 3’s modes and maps in the ODST package will help lengthen the shelf life of Halo 3 multiplayer. Had ODST been a completely new package, Bungie would have been competing against themselves in the multiplayer arena. Anyway you cut it, that’s just bad business. Besides – this gives part-time Halo fans such as myself who haven’t stayed up on downloadable content a chance to check out what’s new in the world of Halo 3 multiplayer.
But ODST wouldn’t be a true Halo game unless it brought something new to the multiplayer arena, so it has… sort of. The second component that helps set ODST apart from its predecessors is the new multiplayer mode Firefight. Firefight will let you put together a team of four friends to fight wave after wave of Covenant troops on a variety of maps until you’ve wiped out everything the other side has to offer. It’s frantic, it’s fantastic, it’s… Horde Mode! It doesn’t matter how you slice it, Firefight has lifted the epically successful (see what I did there?) Horde multiplayer from Gears of War 2 and stitched it into the Halo Universe.
It seems like it would be easy to criticize Bungie for seeing a successful gameplay mechanic and cutting and pasting it into their own game, but why criticize? Horde mode was endless fun and Firefight is no different. What it lacks in originality it makes up for in sheer endless fun. Besides – we already have a criticism about Firefight, and it runs far deeper than mere copycatting concerns. Firefight mode, while online, can only be played with your friends. Let me just say that one more time: the new, awesome, wonderful multiplayer mode can only be played with your friends.
On the one hand, I can see the logic here. Like Horde, Firefight is a mode that will take a serious time commitment on the part of the players. Having strangers dropping out because they’re bored or irresponsible is bad for everyone. But then there’s the other hand – people can make their own decisions. There’s no reason that “Friends Only” and “Everyone” can’t simply be two different options. I love Firefight, but I’ll be damned if I can nail down a time where I can get three other friends to commit to an evening of gaming. People have lives. Lives mean different schedules. This is probably going to work great for 15 year olds who can blow off an afternoon of class with their friends. But for the rest of us? I just want to jump into a game with some strangers when things can work on my time.
Halo 3 ODST offers up a solid Halo experience in an open environment that is starkly different from it’s predecessors. But while the changes in the single player campaign can only be spoken of in the highest regard, the friends-only Firefight multiplayer really took the wind out of our sails. Here’s to hoping there’s a loud enough outcry that a patch comes along and makes this the tremendous online experience that it was meant to be.
YAY! - Excellent open world freshens up Halo gameplay. Firefight is a terrific addition to the Halo family.
NAY! - Firefight is friends only.
For those of you who really hate reading, or only learned to read numbers: - 7/10
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Anyways, great review and I really love the change up of this game, I hope REACH can give us something fresh too
Uto