Let me get something out of the way at the very start of this review. I am a fan of Halo... That's it. Halo:Combat Evolved. Not 2, not three. I understand that may make some people angry, so that's why I included the poll. I felt that Halo 2 and 3 were just trying to hard, had horrendous cliffhangers and the gameplay felt less...solid. I will post my retrospective review of the HALO series as a whole so you can flame to your hearts content D:. Anyways, onto ODST.
I have to say, as soon as I heard of the concept of Halo 3: ODST(hence referred to as ODST, even though the original name "Recon" sounded better) I was pretty hooked. Instead of being the one-man army killing tank that is Master Chief, playing a more vulnerable character, one of the grunts. I always felt these boys in black got a little shafted in the games so it's good to see them get some comeuppance. So the game starts with your drop-pod malfunctioning and most of your team scattered or dead...Yaaaaay comeuppance? Okay, kidding aside, the story's delivery was very satisfying and the additions of Firefly Alumni Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin really helped sell the characters to me and made me sympathyze with them. To the point that I actually cared when they teased us with the idea of some of the characters dying. Of course in True Bungie Cocktease fashion they never definitively die. The only story thing that disappoints is that the Elites aren't the enemies in this game, just the Brutes eve though this game takes place before the rebellion. In the words of Aristotle "WTF guys?"
But now onto the true defining factor: Gameplay. This game is, as my deliciously beautiful title suggests is what I call the "Real Halo 2". What makes this real? The simplee fact that it's a continuation of the design principles of HALO 1. Halo to me was never about confidently striding through a tide of flood, only pausing to one-liner and reload. It's a game about vulnerability. Most of the time in Halo 1, you were outnumbered by tons of well trained, lethal soldiers or things that just...won't...die! And ODST captures that beautifully, the energy shield (or stamina, so I like to call it "Energy Refractive Biceps") is more of a fail safe for when you do screw up rather than an excuse to plunge into the fray single-handedly and I love the return to the single-weapon-at-a-time system which makes you really consider your weapon choice and tactical options. I'm also glad that Bungie decided to let the Flood take the day off and didn't try to shoehorn them in there. The Brutes make for an interesting challenge and the return of the scoped pistol is a godsend. My only complaint is that its $60 for all that when even Bungie said that $40 was the most they'd charge for what is at best an expansion pack, remember Aristotle guys...
I don't have XBOX Live so I can't comment on the quality of the Multiplayer but I've played enough firefight to know that its as cool as it was when Gears of War 2 did the same thing and that Halo 3's multiplayer is a wheel that is quite safe from reinvention.
Overall, I think ODST is a marvellous return to form for Bungie, it's pacing, story, delivery and acting is on a much higher level than their previous Halo-sequels, but my parting shot(aside from the very out of whack Price-Amount ratio) is why was it Halo 3: OSDT, the 3 isn't really necessary. It's more about HALO 2. I guess they were just cashing in on the best selling video game of all time.
I give HALO 3: ODST an 8.75 out of 10, just shy of videogame nirvana and, like every videogame, can only be brought to a 10 by the inclusion of Jesus fighting The God-Emperor of Mankind and God-Emperor of Dune...or adding Liam Neeson
I have to say, as soon as I heard of the concept of Halo 3: ODST(hence referred to as ODST, even though the original name "Recon" sounded better) I was pretty hooked. Instead of being the one-man army killing tank that is Master Chief, playing a more vulnerable character, one of the grunts. I always felt these boys in black got a little shafted in the games so it's good to see them get some comeuppance. So the game starts with your drop-pod malfunctioning and most of your team scattered or dead...Yaaaaay comeuppance? Okay, kidding aside, the story's delivery was very satisfying and the additions of Firefly Alumni Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin really helped sell the characters to me and made me sympathyze with them. To the point that I actually cared when they teased us with the idea of some of the characters dying. Of course in True Bungie Cocktease fashion they never definitively die. The only story thing that disappoints is that the Elites aren't the enemies in this game, just the Brutes eve though this game takes place before the rebellion. In the words of Aristotle "WTF guys?"
But now onto the true defining factor: Gameplay. This game is, as my deliciously beautiful title suggests is what I call the "Real Halo 2". What makes this real? The simplee fact that it's a continuation of the design principles of HALO 1. Halo to me was never about confidently striding through a tide of flood, only pausing to one-liner and reload. It's a game about vulnerability. Most of the time in Halo 1, you were outnumbered by tons of well trained, lethal soldiers or things that just...won't...die! And ODST captures that beautifully, the energy shield (or stamina, so I like to call it "Energy Refractive Biceps") is more of a fail safe for when you do screw up rather than an excuse to plunge into the fray single-handedly and I love the return to the single-weapon-at-a-time system which makes you really consider your weapon choice and tactical options. I'm also glad that Bungie decided to let the Flood take the day off and didn't try to shoehorn them in there. The Brutes make for an interesting challenge and the return of the scoped pistol is a godsend. My only complaint is that its $60 for all that when even Bungie said that $40 was the most they'd charge for what is at best an expansion pack, remember Aristotle guys...
I don't have XBOX Live so I can't comment on the quality of the Multiplayer but I've played enough firefight to know that its as cool as it was when Gears of War 2 did the same thing and that Halo 3's multiplayer is a wheel that is quite safe from reinvention.
Overall, I think ODST is a marvellous return to form for Bungie, it's pacing, story, delivery and acting is on a much higher level than their previous Halo-sequels, but my parting shot(aside from the very out of whack Price-Amount ratio) is why was it Halo 3: OSDT, the 3 isn't really necessary. It's more about HALO 2. I guess they were just cashing in on the best selling video game of all time.
I give HALO 3: ODST an 8.75 out of 10, just shy of videogame nirvana and, like every videogame, can only be brought to a 10 by the inclusion of Jesus fighting The God-Emperor of Mankind and God-Emperor of Dune...or adding Liam Neeson
