Halo 3 ODST Review

Halo 3 ODST is a game that has been out for a number of years but only now am I playing it. I can say without a doubt that it is one of the best games In the series and possibly one of my favorites. A lot of things make this one stand out for me, the fact that you aren't playing as a Spartan, the environments are a little less linear that other games in the series but most of all it feels like the expansion packs of old. Originally planned as a small project called Halo 3 Recon the project grew into a game of it's own and was recalled Halo 3 ODST.

A game that in no way should be called "Team Based"

Now what makes the game stand out from the others in the Halo series is that you aren't the humanoid tank designated Master Chief but rather a normal human being. The characters you play as have more personality which makes the game a little more enjoyable not to mention a good change of pace. There is even some back story for the characters that make them seem more likable but that is indeed partly due to the voice actors. This is where ODST caters to two fandoms at the same time, two of which I happen to be apart of, which helped the game attract my attention. 

The campaign while enjoyable is shorter than other games in the series and that is what works against it. Now they have a group of characters that are different to the others in the series. We are not the super soldiers anymore but one of the common soldiers who can't go one on one with a brute in a fist fight. One of the scenes that stands out the most in this game is when three ODSTs have to team up to take down one Brute. What would have made this better? A campaign that lasts longer than nine missions that allow you to play as every character at least once. 

"Quick! I'll go for his legs!

A task force of ODST soldiers are dropped into New Mombosa, a city under siege by the covenant. Not long into the assault the drop pods are knocked off course and scattered by the Covenant carrier entering slip space. The Rookie, the character you play as the most, wakes up six hours after the drop to a city over run with Covenant forces and little else. From there the player explores the city coming across small signs left behind by his fellow ODSTs in their wake. When you find an object like this you are cast as one of the other ODSTs and discover what was happening when the rookie was unconscious. This was a good aspect of the game but I feel that in a longer game it would only take up a chapter or two.

As for the gameplay all I can say is that it is similar to other halo games. You run, you shoot, cut-scene occurs, you shoot, throw a plasma grenade and so on. There wasn't really much in the way of change to that formula unfortunately but the game didn't suffer because of it.

"What are Reavers Mal ?"

Character modelling was a high point of the game considering that facial capture wasn't used back then. Nathan Fillion and Tricia Helfer provide their voices and their looks to their characters as well. For science fiction fans this is a nice touch but not an easy one to achieve. Character modelers would have to make the characters look like the voice actors by hand, a task that would take some time to do. 

For my closing statement I will reiterate what I said before, Halo 3 ODST is indeed a good edition to the franchise,  a refreshing change of pace. Even with its short length it still manages to entertain the player and there are full length games that fail to do that. 

8/10