Halo 3: ODST

10 Review to this product

• 

  Craig Moller
  September 23rd, 2009 on 7:28 am

  Rating

  Halo: ODST was rumoured a small expansion to Halo 3. However, what you get is a six hour campaign which further expands the boundaries than that of Halo 3, a great new mode built on cooperative called Firefight and an entire second disc filled with every single map released for Halo 3′s multiplayer.

  Halo: ODST brings about some changes, there is no Master Chief and there is no sight of the game being played by his rules. This includes no dual wielding, recharging shields and gravity won’t feel mocked anymore by Chief’s jumping. Instead, you’ll take the role of the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, or ODST. These guys don’t have all of the strengths of the Chief. They can only aim one weapon at a time. They have a health bar that requires health packs to restore once their light overshield is depleted. They can’t jump as high or fall as far or take as many bullets without stumbling into Death’s open arms. They handle quite like Master Chief did in Halo: Combat Evolved, and they have a powerful scoped pistol to complete the throwback feel.

  The ODST may handle like the Halo of yester year but the campaign among other modes is as fresh and exciting as one could hope for. With the Chief sitting this one out, Bungie has gone from its usual Spartan driven romp and has focused on a more character driven, thus creating one of the most satisfying Halo storylines yet in the franchise. The ODST actions take place during the events of Halo 2 (ah, the memories), just as Master Chief is wreaking havoc on the Covenant and forcing the Prophet of Regret to make an emergency slipstream escape.

  However, the big guns of this army is the the new mode firefight. The action is non-stop with one random wave of Covenant foes coming after another. As you make it further into the match, difficulty modifiers, called skulls, get turned on, dramatically increasing the level of challenge. It’s a hell of great time. My match with some mates lasted just under three hours and by the end of it all we restarted for another load of fun. Good times.

  Halo 3: ODST isn’t a true sequel, but it is more than a standard expansion. If you’re on the fence about buying it, drop your reservations and go snag a copy. If you love Halo, you owe it to yourself to pick this up as soon as you can.
• 

  Anonymous
  September 25th, 2009 on 2:58 am

  Rating

  This is the best gun EVER!!!it coms with 2 discs and da first is campain and firefight second is no different from normal halo 3 ecsept no campain.you can even play with you freinds if they are playin normal halo 3. over all buy it.PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and excuse my misspelled words
• 

  Andrew B. Leadford
  September 25th, 2009 on 6:26 pm

  Rating

  I’ve read a few reviews here, and I think that, although there are some valid points, people are treating ODST as something that it was never meant to be.
  
  So, what is ODST? It’s an expansion. Expensive? Yes, but one has to realize that in reality, it’s several expansions built into one, a `collectors pack’ for Halo 3 fans. (After all, it’s named Halo 3: ODST, not just Halo: ODST)

  So, before I break the game down, let’s examine what ODST really is.
  
  1. Campaign (Short, yes…Fun? Very.)
  
  2. Fire Fight (One could say a different campaign. After all, a single match with good people can be hours long, and that’s one match.)
  
  3. All the maps (A $20+ value, considering there’s two map packs worth 1600 Microsoft points, not to mention the three new ones.)
  
  4. Halo: Reach Beta (Remember lockdown, with it’s Halo 3 Beta? Yeah…)
  
  Okay, first things first. The Campaign:
  
  This is fun. It’s far more tactical than any Halo game before it, and allows for so many new opportunities. Once in Heroic, you find yourself planning assaults, sneaking, factoring in how many grenades you have. Ammo is so sparse that you’re constantly forced to re-adapt and pick up new weapons, rather than keeping with the same two weapons (As was much the case with the first three halo’s). The characters are new, which again, is interesting. The Visor?…Man, probably my favorite addition. It’s so cool to able to switch around views, to get tactical or go all out. Wonderful. Not to mention the addition of engineers, which do nothing but add to the depth of game play and emphasize strategy.

  Fire Fight:
  
  Let’s be honest. Mention Gears 2? You hear about horde. Mention Call of Duty WaW? Nazi zombies. Now halo has it’s own, and it is beautiful. Fuller maps, with each offering their own advantages and disadvantages. The new call-sign features allow for quicker identification, and the new drop-off system (The enemies come in on Phantoms, rather than just spawning) allow, again, for strategy. Ammo shortages are common here, so know your weapons. The skulls always add a bit of flair and make each and every round a new experience. My only complaint? When I play with my Australian friends, the game is pretty laggy.

  All the maps:
  
  I wish I had known this going in. Woulda saved me twenty bucks. You know about new maps, right? The new three; awesome. A much called for remake of midship, an open map that will make for interesting swat, and a dock that features dingies and floating crates. Awesome, right?

  Halo Reach: Beta trailer:
  
  -This- is Halo 4. This is the one that’s going to blow people away. (For those who know the story, well done. Reach is actually…er, Halo -1? It’s a prequel). This is the unsung hero of ODST, as I already can’t wait. Remember people buying Crackdown ($60) for Halo 3 alone? This is much the same thing; only you also get the above mentioned features. No brainer, right?

  So, overall? If I knew someone who only had 60 to spend, I’d point them in the direction of Oblivion or Fallout or the like. But, for someone who knows they’re getting a huge expansion, and loves Halo? This is all but a must have. Just know what you’re getting into; it’s not a standalone, but it’s still pretty awesome.
  
• 

  iHyphy
  September 26th, 2009 on 4:55 pm

  Rating

  the question on everyone’s mind was….is Halo 3: ODST worth the $60 price tag? for people who already own the original Halo 3, this will be overpriced for you unless you don’t own any of the Halo 3 multiplayer map packs. if you do own the original halo 3 and all the map packs i suggest you try to find someone selling the odst on ebay or craigslist or try buyin it used somewhere.

  lets do the math on the contents of halo 3: odst:
  
  -the full halo 3 multiplayer experience on a separate disc $15 (half the price of halo 3 full version)
  
  -all of the halo 3 multiplayer map packs and 3 new maps unreleased which price at almost $40
  
  -ODST campaign and firefight experience $30
  
  -Free Sgt Johnson download for preorders
  
  -Free Halo: Reach beta invitation
  
  that puts the total at $85 and i payed $60 so i got my moneys worth!

  i felt the campaign for odst was short in comparison to its brother halo 3…depending on difficulty, it can be anywhere between 5-10 hours of gameplay…i beat the campaign on normal in 5 hours solo play and around 11 hours solo on legendary.

  you start off as a rookie in an odst unit…while during drop you get separated from your squad and this is where you begin the story tryin to maneuver through new mombasa finding clues into where the rest of your squad is. as you unravel another clue to another one of your squadmates you get to play a level as one of the other sqaud mates–the level is all the events the squad mate endured between the drop and up to the point where you found the clue. the clues are also beacons which help download data to your visr and intel. with out spoiling the whole campaign, you pretty much find your self fighting covenant, finding audio logs and clues, and tryin to rejoin up with your squad while at the same time diggin more into the story of halo 3.

  this game plays alot more tactical and different then the orginal halo 3 because yoru not master chief no more. you have to find med packs in the game to regain health and theres some new weapons introduced and some old weapons that aren’t offered in the game i.e. br assault rifle w/scope.

  the firefight mode is similiar to horde on gears of war. you fight off reinforcements of enemies through multiple round. where you and your team share a collective of lives. during certain stages certain skulls are activated/deactivated/combined to make the game more interesting and difficult. between rounds there are bonus rounds where you can’t lose lives but you can get some juicy points by killin as many covenant as possible in a 60 second period..as of right now there is no matchmaking for firefight, but the reason it was left out was because it was going to push the release date six months so they released the game and will release an update later.

  but if you need a firefight or campaign partner just hit me up on xbox live my gamertag is Mister Hyphy
• 

  Avid Reader
  September 26th, 2009 on 11:41 pm

  Rating

  Many people may have bought this anticipating another Halo game where one can just charge in headfirst into a pack of brutes on legendary difficulty and dispatch them with ease. That is not so. Because you do not play as Master Chief, you do not have regenerative health. You are just a normal, well-trained Orbital Drop Schock Trooper (also known as Hell-jumpers.) Basically, you’re only human. I played the game on legendary and found it very challenging at points. I used cover far more than I had in the previous installments in the Halo franchise, and was more than once terrified to see a pack of Brutes disembark a Phantom. When it comes to health, Bungie created an ingenious system. You start out every life with full health and stamina. If you are shot constistently, you will lose stamina. When out of stamina or losing stamina, the edges of the screen become red, most likely because of you blood. When you are out of stamina (you will know this from the large amount of red around the edges and your belabored breathing) you will start losing health with each bullet, needle, or plasma round that hits you. If you stay out of the line of fire long enough, however, your stamina will regenerate. This works much like a shield. If you lose health, the health bar at the top of the screen will go down. The only way to replenish health is to find an Optican free healthcare station and that will heal you right back up to 100%. Each station contains multiple life packs and can be used multiple times. Another amzing addition to Halo 3: ODST is the “VISR” system. When the VISR is turned on, it illuminates the battlefield and outlines everything. Enemies are outlined in red; inanimate objects such as trees, crates, or cars are outlined in yellow; weapons, grenades, and turrets are outlined in blue; and friendlies are outlined in green. The VISR also has communication playback, navigation, and mission objective display screens available from the VISR menu. Another great part of Halo 3: ODST is the addtion of new weapons. Though there are only two, they are each very fun to use and are my weapons of choice. The first is the new silenced SMG with a scope. It provides quite a bit of zoom, and with a silencer that also reduces kick and a very good rate of fire, it can quickly tear through waves of grunts, jackals, and those nasty space-bugs. The other newly modified weapon is the magnum. It now features a silencer, and a scope even better than that of the new silenced SMG. The only downside to it is the recoil. Still, it is capable of dealing one-shot kills to any unarmored foe that is unlucky enough to be shot in the head. It is also very handy when getting the “Boom, headshot!” achievement in ODST. There is also a new enemy. It is basically a big floating ball that, when hammered away at, explodes and showers triggered plasma grenades everywhere. The highlight of Halo 3: ODST is the new co-op mode, firefight. In this, 2 players from one console, and more from others can fight waves upon wasves of every type of Covenant troops during night (where you can use the VISR) or day in a myriad of maps. The main difference, though, is the setting. Halo players are most likely used to vast outdoor environments the majority of the time, but in ODST the player spends almost the entire game in the city of New Mombasa. This game is a must-have for any owner of an Xbox 360. Five stars!
• 

  Fadi ELCHAMI
  September 27th, 2009 on 4:42 am

  Rating

  I love Halo and I am glad they got us this update/upgrade this summer, I was expecting more maps with the mutliplayer DVD but it doesn’t add anything.

  The campaign is nice but fast if you play halo frequently online, you can manager your way around without dying.
  
  I think weapons are very scarce and its a challenge to refill most of the time.

  No major changes in the graphics but I love the fact I can carry 4 types of grenades.

  If like halo you can’t miss ODST.
• 

  J. Mulnix
  September 27th, 2009 on 7:18 am

  Rating

  This game is very enjoyable to play through. Firefight is AMAZING. The soundtrack is great and fits perfectly with the mood of the game. My only gripe is no Firefight matchmaking.

  The campaign lasted around 5 hours for me on Legendary so its on the short side for length but those 5 hours are finely tuned, action packed, and FUN. There is no fat in ODST (ie in Halo 3 playing through a level only to have to go back to the beginning to rearm a bomb).

  The pistol is AWESOME to use. Capping grunts and jackals with head shots is sooooo satisfying, especially when you get a killimanjaro or a killtastrophie with all headshots!

  BUY this game!
• 

  Mr. Negative
  September 28th, 2009 on 3:00 am

  Rating

  This game is the quintessential HALO experience for me. You are outnumbered, out gunned, and over matched throughout the game. You have really cool, specialized ODST weaponry, but, you are limited on ammo, don’t have the powerful shields of the Spartan armor, and are susceptible to losing health (rapidly, if you aren’t careful).

  You truly walk into a no-win situation as the “underdog”, and you have to be smart about avoiding patrols, fighting when you must (but, picking your battles), conserving ammunition, and using stealth to move from objective to objective.

  If you thought facing one (not to mention multiple) “Hunters” as Master Chief was tough, just wait until you face them as an ODST!

  This, for me, is the defining game in the HALO series, and, as much as I love the HALO universe (and Master Chief), what HALO should have been all along.

  If you are a “run and gun” player, and just like to run about (in the open) and fire mindlessly everywhere in between grenade tosses, then, you will probably find this game to be frustrating. Also, it can be difficult surviving with underpowered equipment (in comparison to what Master Chief had).

  If you take your time and think things through, moving stealthily between objectives and avoiding Covenant patrols (and detection)and pick your battles, you will find that this is a very enjoyable and challenging game.

  Also, Firefight mode is very enjoyable. It really tests you. Once again, you are over-matched and under-armored (and armed). It truly tests your skill.
• 

  trashcanman
  September 29th, 2009 on 4:49 am

  Rating

  First off, that’s pronounced Oh-Dee-Ess-Tee, fellow gamers. The game store clerks wish to punch you in the face when you attempt to say a game’s acronym as an actual word. Trust me. Anyhow, “Halo 3: ODST” is a separate Haloverse story that strips itself of the series’ iconic hero Master Chief. There are no super-powered Spartan cyborgs to pull humanity out of the fire in this one. Just you and your squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers standing between the hostile alien alliance known as The Covenant and the death of humanity. No pressure, though. The game was originally formulated as a mere add-on to Halo 3, but eventually grew to full-fledged game status. This has offended a lot of sniveling whiners who ran out and pre-ordered their copies based solely on the typical Halo hype and then sobbed themselves to sleep because they have no concept of story and ran through the game with 3 friends on Easy difficulty and found it too short on action for the money they spent. Real gamers will find that while the price tag may be a bit high if you already paid for all of the downloadable maps and don’t gather your friends together regularly to partake in the phenomenally fun “Firefight” mode. But if you plan on enjoying this game to the fullest, you will not be disappointed.

  As a single-player game, “ODST” runs a bit short and may be less bang for the buck then one might hope for. However, the manner in which the story is told is absolutely phenomenal. You begin your ill-fated mission hurling towards the Earth (which has just been invaded by Covenant forces) on a special-ops mission. But something goes wrong and your pods are separated and crash in different locations all over the Covenant-occupied African city of New Mombasa. You wake up as a trooper known only as as “the Rookie” many hours after hitting the ground in the dead of night. From there you search the city for clues about the whereabouts of your comrades. Each time you find a clue (such as a fractured helmet or bent sniper rifle) the game flashes back to a different member of the squad and you play out the scenario as that character and witness the events leading up to the object finding it’s resting place where it will be discovered hours later by The Rookie. In addition, there is another side story littered throughout the city in the form of 30 audio files that chronicle the adventures of a young girl caught in the middle of the invasion. It’s quite enthralling and I found myself looking forward to finding more pieces of that puzzle even more then the main story. “ODST” is a masterpiece of storytelling in that rite and it’s why a lot of people won’t enjoy it. They prefer to skip past the story segments and run around with their friends teabagging each other along the way. To really experience the game as it’s meant to be played, you need to go it alone and absorb the atmosphere,loneliness and ambient noise of the ruined cityscape. Half of this game is enjoying the tension of relying on cover of darkness, using your excellent night-vision visor to it’s utmost, hearing the amazing soundtrack, and exploring the city looking for audio files or finding the best ways to get the drop on roving patrols of enemies or the entrenched Covenant forces.

  Same old Halo gameplay here. That is to say it’s as good as first-person shooters get. But since you are not a Spartan, there are differences. First off, no shield. Your armor can take a few hits before your screen will turn red, indicating that you are fatigued and are taking damage to your health bar. To recover, you must stay out of combat for a time. It’s not a lot different from past games, but you can’t take quite as much punishment. You also no longer have gravity-defying jumps or one-hit kill melee capabilities, and no more dual-wielding. Don’t go jumping off any cliffs either. Wipes your stamina right out. You also get one new Covenant race -whose mystery turns out to be central to the story-, a brand new weapon in the form of a silenced SMG which quickly became a favorite of mine, and the extremely welcome return of zoom capabilities on the pistol. I was hoping for more of a focus on stealth aspects, but Bungie couldn’t help but make most of the levels typical shoot-em-ups. This definitely diminishes Master Chief’s importance as I felt I kicked as much or more tail as an ODST compared to when I played the penultimate Spartan. But I sure as hell did have a great time doing it. There’s also plenty of vehicular mayhem to enjoy. They could have easily recycled the epic score from previous games, but instead they crafted a new one that is as good as any they’ve done. And that says a lot considering every Halo score is among the greatest in gaming.

  Okay, enough about single-player. Games like Gears of War 2 and Left 4 Dead gave us a new mode of gameplay where you are challenged to take on wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemy attacks and survive with a little help from your friends. Not to be outdone, Bungie has crafted their answer in Firefight mode, which can go on for hours at a time if you’re good enough. If the campaign wasn’t action-packed enough for you, get three buds together and get ready to be dropped in a very defensible position with a set number of lives (more can be gained) to endure endless waves of attack from every baddie in the game. Watch those snipers! The longer you survive, the more difficult the game makes it for you. It will start turning on “skulls” which make the game harder by decreasing ammo drops, empowering enemies, or otherwise making your life harder to keep. This mode is ODST’s crown jewel, for sure. They’ve even added extra kinds of medals for you to earn based on your performance in battle. Firefight is unlimited fun and a FPS fan’s co-op wet dream, plain and simple. If that still is not enough, the second disc of the set contains “the complete Halo 3 multi-player experience” which consists of every map ever made for the game and three brand new ones. 24 in all. That is a ton of maps and seeing as they run a few bucks apiece if you download them from Xbox Live that is a large value if you’ve been holding out. Even if you haven’t bought Halo 3, you can join in the fun and madness of murdering complete strangers and then desecrating their corpse while they are forced to watch with all of the extra content using this bonus disc. If you are that guy, then this game is a steal. But I don’t know that that guy exists.

  Killer story: check. Awesome action: check. Multiplayer badness: check. New additions to the ever-growing Haloverse mythology: check. Incredible soundtrack: check. Yup; this is one fine game. Haters, keep on hating. Bungie gave the hardcore fans a treat with this. I’d have liked to see it priced about $20 cheaper, but I also want my very own Spartan armor and that ain’t happening either. The fact is, I’m happy with this game in spite of it’s brevity and the fact that I’ve already purchased most of the maps. If you’ve no interest in the story and mythology of Halo, I’d suggest you pass on this. The campaign is no challenge with 4 player co-op even on Legendary difficulty and there often are not enough enemies to go around so you will have to look for trouble to find it at times which will enrage many a fratboy. Firefight mode will still be a blast, but one can hardly be expected to shell out $60 for a single gameplay mode. And considering their is no matchmaking on that mode, you can only play it with people on your Friends List which is a pain. ODST isn’t perfect, but it’s obvious a whole lot of care went into it and it’s a great experience all around. Plus, with a dream team cast featuring a Firefly reunion of Nathan Fillion, Alyn Tudyk, and Adam Baldwin plus Battlestar Galactica sex goddess Tricia Helfer and voiceover mainstay Nolan North -who has provided the voice for Deadpool and various other animated comic book characters- who the hell can really complain? It’s more Halo, and that’s never something to whine about.

  4 1/2 stars, rounded up for a new wrinkle in the series.
  
• 

  Kelly Foster
  November 17th, 2009 on 6:46 am

  Rating

  I’m not much into gaming but wanted more quality time with my son.
  
  We purchased this game and played in split screen mode together and had a great time exploring for clues and fighting aliens. I believe we had the best time in fire fight mode. It’s really fun and intense helping each other survive an onslaught of invaders!