The Halo franchise is something of a gaming phenomenon, selling more than 27 million video games over the course of its fairly short lifetime. It has become the flagship series for Microsoft’s consoles and helped move developer Bungie into a top-tier level of creative power. A couple years ago the release of Halo 3 broke more entertainment sales records than any video game before it, making sure the general public knew the power of interactive media. Adding the word “Halo” to any product will make it a commercial success, some more than others, but still topping charts everywhere. Books, video games, toys, animated movies (coming next year) are only a few examples of the types of products that the Halo franchise can produce. One of this year’s biggest releases on the Xbox 360 platform is the supposed last entry in the franchise from developer Bungie and first-party publisher Microsoft Games, a prequel going by the name Halo 3: ODST. ODST is the first game where players will not be controlling the iconic Master Chief character; this time around it’s all about the UNSC: Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.
The story runs parallel to the events of Halo 2 and shows fans what was taking place down on Earth while Master Chief and the Spartans were busy fighting evil up in Space. Most of the battles in Halo 3: ODST revolve around the location of New Mombasa, one of the most important battlefields in the long-lasting war against the Covenant. There is a good bit of untold story information in ODST that will be very familiar to serious fans of the Halo books and the general Halo lore. This helps fend off complaints that ODST is just a downloadable game with nothing new to offer, even though that argument may be true when looking at other aspects of the first-person shooter. The story of the troopers is told through a number of CG movies, in-game discussions, and hidden “audio logs;” across the ten or so levels in the single-player campaign. It took us somewhere between 8-10 hours to complete one play-through of the campaign by ourselves, collecting about half of the hidden audiotapes.
Halo purists need not worry because as with previous games the “Superintendent” plays a large role in the story progression of this game. ODSTs pride themselves on being the first unit deployed into hostile situations, often in one-man squad against a massive number of enemy troops. Because of this setup there are parts of the SP game that are played alone or with a team of AI counterparts, there are also a few vehicle levels (warthog and tank) that brake up the FPS gameplay overkill. We enjoyed the campaign thoroughly, so of course we wish it had been a smidge longer; however the addition of the hidden story-items, online co-op, firefight mode, and the complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience help make this full-priced game worth every penny. It’s obvious that the developers at Bungie made every attempt to ensure gamers who pick up Halo 3: ODST next week will be convinced that this is not the downloadable add-on many pessimists want you to think it is. The entire story campaign is playable with up to three friends via online co-op over Xbox LIVE, complete with “campaign scoring” and saved films/screenshots (Theater mode).
Halo 3: ODST includes a number of new enemy types and various different weapons for gamers to kill them with. The entire feel is very different from previous Halo games, yet is still has that familiar aspect that fans have come to expect. The best way to describe ODST is Halo meets Call of Duty, which for us is what we have always wanted a Halo game to be. For many it will also be easier to personally associate with the characters throughout the campaign because they are humans, fighting a war to save the human race from the Covenant. It’s always easier to associate on a personal level with a normal solider than it is a superhero Spartan warrior. Because the new main-character is human players of ODST will no longer be able to regenerate health, track enemies, or fend off enemy fire with the help of an energy shield. New elements specific to the Shock Trooper is the stamina aspect of self-preservation and the VISR (pronounced visor), which helps the player from a visual angle while playing.
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