Halo 3:ODST Review

A bit late, but it's better than never, right?


The latest installment to the wildly popular Halo series is a bit different from the majority of it's kind. Instead of playing as SPARTAN super-soldier Master Chief, you play as a unit of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (more commonly referred to as "ODST"), an elite group of UNSC Marines that specialize in special warfare tactics. Called "Helljumpers" for their method of infiltration by orbital drop, the ODSTs are the badasses of the military who carry out spectacular and impossible missions, even with the handicap of being normal humans.

The story begins during the events of Halo 2. You primarily play as "The Rookie", a quiet and mysterious new recruit who, during their drop into the besieged Earthly city of New Mombasa, is separated from the rest of his comrades. He is knocked out when he makes a crash landing and awakens to find the city deep in nighttime, with Covenant forces all around. He must find clues to his companions whereabouts while trying not to get himself killed.

This is when the most interesting part of Halo 3: ODST occurs. The game was originally called Halo 3: RECON, and when you play as the Rookie, you can see why it would get this title. The ODSTs, while being great fighters, are still human, and take very human damage. For this reason, it is sometimes advisable to stay that itchy trigger-finger, and try to avoid too much combat. You are given a VISR, a night vision screen on your helmet that outlines enemies and allies in different colors. This adds a tactical touch to the game. Also, your health doesn't regenerate, so keeping a watch on your gauge is more important than ever. You are given a HUDless stamina meter which, acts similarly to the shield of the previous games, and is a good indicator of when you should find some cover and wait to regain some strength before continuing your firefight. This adds a very human quality to ODST, and is all the more compounded while you wander the dark, open-world streets of New Mombasa with a emotional soundtrack behind you. You can truly feel how alone the Rookie is in his search for his friends.

When you aren't playing as the Rookie, you're playing as the other members of your unit through flashbacks. You find out where your buddies have been through these missions, and they tell the story of the game through their combat experiences. Each soldier is equipped with a default weapon, which I assume is catering to their specialty, although this doesn't play into the game at all. Playing as the other characters is more like the usual Halo experience, with high-powered combat and flashy battles, but still lacks the ability to perform the gargantuan feats that the Master Chief made look so easy.

Okay. I kept most of my own opinion out of this review so far, but now I am going to hit you with what I really think. Here it is:

Halo 3: ODST is the best game in the Halo series. It beat Halo 2, which occupied my spot as the best for a long time. I still haven't really played Halo 3, but from what I hear, it isn't as good as Halo 2. ODST captures what I loved about Halo 2, and then adds more. There have been complaints that the campaign is brief, but I find that it makes up for that with it's powerful story and interesting gameplay. Another great bonus is the inclusion of the Halo 3 online multiplayer, with all of it's DLC included. This is a fantastic addition for people who were a little late to the fight, like myself.

Halo 3: ODST doesn't reinvent the series entirely, but it does create a new style of playing that is all it's own. If you're a veteran of the series or a newcomer, you can find a lot of enjoyment in this game. I give it a 9.5/10. Play it and have fun.

Update: I've played through Halo 3 now, and Halo 3's campaign beats Halo 2's. Halo 2's multiplayer is still nostalgia X100 and really good, but Halo 3 has a better story. Also, on reflection, Halo 1 was pretty awesome. Well, at least before the Flood show up. Then it becomes your average shooter, with dark corridors and shotguns. So Doom rip-off. But the first parts are amazing, like traveling around on the ring and checking out the environments. Okay, this edit has gone on for a while now, so let me wrap this up by saying Halo 3: ODST is still my favorite in the series, but Halo 1 comes in close second, followed by 3 and then 2. Now we all know how I feel.

Also, REMEMBER REACH, FALL 2010!