It has arrived.......
Summary:
First, I love the Halo series. LOVE. So, if you are looking for an unbiased opinion about this game, then you came to the wrong place. I think even if ODST was terrible I would still like it. It wasn't terrible, but i'm just sayin.... ;)
If you enjoyed Halo 2 and 3, you will definitely like this game. Halo 3 to me was epic. It was moving, it was engaging, it had me in tears at some points. Do not go into this game expecting the same thing. ODST is a great filler between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach that comes out next year. If you have been aching for a Halo fix, much like I have, then this will hold you over for a bit. Again, don't be expecting Epic. The story is good but not excellent. The graphics are okay, nothing amazing. The gameplay is fun and the way they put ODST together is pretty darn good. It did not disappoint me and this is coming from a chick who has played thousands of Halo 2/3 multiplayer games and beat the campaign numerous times. I love Halo and I loved Halo ODST.
Game Facts:
It took me about 7 hours to complete the entire game, which might seem quick, but compared to the previous Halo's, it's really only a tiny bit shorter. (I can complete Halo 3 easily in about 8 hours.) The game price is $60, which I don't really want to get into. It isn't a full game and should have been cheaper, end of story. It includes 2 discs, one being the campaign with the multiplayer Firefight and the other being the Xbox Live Mutiplayer Halo with all 24 maps. The second disc is worth it for someone who is new to Halo or never wanted to spend the money to get the new maps. For people like me, who bought all the new maps as soon as they came out, I kind of get screwed. Now instead of playing multiplayer through Halo 3, you just insert Disc 2 and you play multiplayer through that. You also get an invitation to be the first to play Halo Reach (BETA) when it comes out next year, which would be rad if the damn thing wasn't coming out NEXT YEAR.
The Storyline:
I don't want to get too much into the plot as you can get this information on a million other websites. Briefly though - you do not play as Master Chief in this game (boo), you instead play as a normal human called "The Rookie". He is part of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) soldiers known as Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST). You are playing as them, during the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3. Not exactly a prequel...not a continuation. During a mishap, your team lands on the town of New Mombasa. You are all scattered across the town and must reconnect with each other. New Mombasa is were you are going to be during a lot of the game, so get used to it. It's sort of a run down, apocalyptic, futuristic town that is overrun with enemies. You pretty much roam this area while going from mission to mission.
New Thing Alert: You have a neat feature on your visor that allows you to see through the dark and it outlines enemies. It's pretty cool and it will help you move around in New Mombasa. Pic Below:
In ODST, you can open up your visor and you will see a map of New Mombasa. There are a few things this is used for. It shows you where enemies are roaming, it shows you where you need to go and it shows you weapons stashes. I only used it to find where I needed to go. Otherwise it's pretty much pointless. You use a compass on the top of the screen to guide you towards where you need to be, and at anytime during the game you get lost you just click the D-Pad UP and it'll show ya where to go. Theres also some audio file playback crap on your visor...you can find audio files throughout New Mombasa and listen to them. These don't have anything to do with you finishing the game, so I didn't search for any of them.
So, you land in New Mombasa and you need to find your homies. When you reach a destination (beacon) pointed out on your visor map you find an object that warps you to each of your homies destination after they landed. You then play as them, beat that certain mission and then you return to New Mombasa. It seems complicated, but it ends up making sense when you play. During this time you play as Buck, Dutch, Romeo, Mickey and Dare. There are 10 missions in total and you will be surprised on how short they are. A few of them were just downright easy. BUT, they are fun. Eventually you find everyone and escape. The ending was a little weak, but again, this isn't supposed to be epic its supposed to be nice fluffy filler between the two badboys that are Halo 3 and Halo Reach.
The Differences:
- The enemies/weapons are the same as before, the only difference is the SMG has a scope and the Pistol also has a scope and is badass.
- You hold more bombs. Woopidy doo.
- You are human so your jump is a little less than Master Chiefs and your bomb throw distance is shorter, but it's barely noticeable.
- Your health is almost exactly the same. You get hit, your visor turns red, you can hide out for a bit and regain your strength. The catch is that this can only happen a few times, after that your health bar will blink red and you will need to find a health pack. This might sound stupid (it did to me) but it really isn't that big of a deal. Most of the time you won't ever need to find a pack and when you do, they will always be close by.
- There is a neat feature that tells you how many more (sticks, kills, etc.) that you need before you get an achievement. For example, it will say "1 of 9 Pink Mist" on the corner of the screen when you kill someone with the needles. If you stay alive and get 9 needle kills, you get the Pink Mist achievement.
Overall:
The game is fun, it's a great addition to the Halo 3 series. It should not have been $60. Firefight is pretty cool but its only playable with friends that you invite into the game, there is no searching for game players (like on slayer, etc.). It isn't included on the multiplayer disc, it's included on the campaign disc. The UNSC chick named DARE, who is supposed to be some hottie, looks like a dude and the little love story between her and Buck is pretty stupid. Most of the dialogue is campy but the UNSC dialogue has been like that throughout the other games. I was disappointed that ALL of the enemies are pretty much exactly the same on ALL of the missions. There were a bunch that weren't included at all. Finding ammo proved to be a bit difficult. The soundtrack is killer.
If you don't want to buy the game, borrow it or rent it. It's easily beatable in a 7 hour session. Play it on easy and it would probably be beatable in 4 hours. But if you play it on easy, you are a pansy.
One love,
Jamie
twitter: @OrlandoJamie
email: jamie32182@gmail.com
