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Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:43 pm EDT
17 Game Reviews

Written By: Daniel Richtmyre
D&W Reviews Editor

If you are one of many who enjoy the Halo games, than there is really nothing I can say that will deter you from buying Halo 3: ODST. In fact, chances are, you've probably already bought the game. Halo 3: ODST uses basically the same formula as pretty much every other game in the series. If you like Halo, you’ll like this game; but if you don’t, than this expansion probably isn’t going to change your mind. One major question it does bring up however, is if this package is worth its 60 dollar asking price?

In ODST you play as well, an ODST, which is short for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. Basically, you’re a normal guy, and not the super hero named Master Chief. That means no more power amour; you can’t jump nearly as high, and for whatever reason you no longer have the ability to duel wield weapons. The campaign spans a few different characters, all of which are members of the same ODST brigade. In between the intense fighting missions, you play as the silent "Rookie" character that must determine what happened to his squad mates by finding key clues.
These “Rookie” missions are sufficient, but there are very few enemies and it feels like odd filler in between the actual missions where all the real action takes place. You’ll end up spending most of the time looking at your map just to determine where the next clue is so that you can move on. These clues lead into a mission related to the specific clue, and this is where most of the classic “Halo” type gameplay takes place. That being said, you’re no longer playing as a super hero so fighting must be taken more conservatively. These missions are pretty standard fare; you’ve got your big battle missions, your blowing stuff up missions and of course your vehicle missions.  The problem is that the campaign is entirely too short, lasting only 5 to 6 hours.

The real ploy in Halo 3: ODST is the new game mode known as “Firefight”. It is a horde style of gameplay that is becoming more popular with recent games, where you fight off wave after wave of enemies. In horde mode you fight off five waves of enemies to start a new round, and after you complete three rounds it becomes a set. After each round a new modifier is added to make the match a bit more difficult, but really difficult modifiers turn on after each set. While there are 10 maps to play on, the enemies never really get any harder to defeat. But as time goes on; you’ll hit the fourth set, which is where the double damage modifier turns on. On average it will take you about an hour and a half to get to the fourth set, so you’re probably going to get somewhat bored before you even get there. It’s fun overall, but after a while it’s going to seem a little too easy; but on the flipside, turning up the difficulty just makes it too hard.

Halo: ODST also ships with a second disc that has basically the Halo 3 multiplayer on it. Included are all the original maps, all the map packs, and a new map pack exclusive to the disc. While this makes the ODST package a deal for anyone who isn’t a Halo fan, it punishes those of us who are fans of the series and have already bought the map packs.  So is it worth the price? If you’re a hardcore Halo fan and have all the multiplayer maps, I’d say wait it out and pick it for a bargain price later, seeing as there’s not enough new content here to justify a 60 dollar purchase. If you’re a casual fan who has none of the maps, but you still like Halo, I highly recommend it. The campaign is fun, Firefight will keep you going for a little while, and the second disc is a really good deal.

Overall: 8/10

Pros:
-Interesting new viewpoint of the Halo world.
-Firefight is fun.
-Second Multiplayer disc is a bargain.

Cons:
-Campaign is very short.
-$60 dollars is a bit much for such little new content.

Staggr - 4/4/2010 (reply)

I have the game and I like it but I think the campaign levels are very much the same

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