So here we are back in the Halo universe, back in New Mombasa, but this time you are an elite Orbital Drop Shock Trooper ready to snuff out all forms of alien life in the name of intergalactic peace.
Oh yes, much has been made of the fact you are no longer the unbeatable Master Chief, but to be honest I failed to notice the difference. But about the fall damage, new pistol, health packs and no dual welding I hear you cry. Look, if we’re being really honest here there is almost no difference between Halo 1 Master Chief and the ODSTs. Here I am jumping clear over a car, sticking an enemy and flipping a jeep, all distinctively Master Chiefish if you ask me. Anyone who tells you otherwise is fooling themselves or working for Microsoft.
This isn’t a knock against ODST; I think it is a good thing that the game retains the fluid, satisfying combat that makes the Halo games so good. It is just that I don’t think the departure is as dramatic as advertised.
Storywise, ODST is much more of a change. After your initial drop goes a little pear shaped and you awake quite some time later in the Convenient occupied streets of New Mombasa, which acts as a hub world for accessing a series of flashback levels. Each flashback mission jumps you into one of your squadmates earlier in the day and then you play through their experiences after the drop. As an alternative to a more linear structure it works pretty well and it is nice to see how the various strands tie together for the final levels.
If you’ve enjoyed previous Halo campaigns, you’ll make it to the end of ODST with little resistance on normal. Like most things in life Halo is more fun with more people and playing through the campaign with a few mates on legendary is great fun.
Visually, the game looks great if a little samey in places, but when has that not been the case will the Halo. The new enhanced vision mode is a welcome addition and makes hunting down objectives and stray enemies much easier. I think the only criticism I can level is the human faces. I mean. Look. At. Her.
In addition to the campaign there is the now ubiquitous Horde mode, Firefight, and with a group of like minded friends there is certain fun to be had with ten levels of non-stop Halo combat it provides. But I can’t help but feel that it might be the least played part of the package and I feel no need to play it again.
On the second disc is a content-complete version of Halo 3’s multiplayer, which is excellent value, but less so if you have already invested in the existing map packs.
There are three new maps included and Microsoft claims it has no plans to release these new maps as DLC, but I recall them saying similar things around the launch of Gears of War 2.
And although it may be the second coming, the Halo: Reach beta does not count towards the value of the package despite its prominence in the game’s promotion and packaging. Should we as consumers really have to pay for the right to test a company’s incomplete products? I can’t help but feel that this is the top of a slippery slope.
While it is certainly no a rush job or cash grab, ODST feels like a side project nestled between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach and while this is no bad thing, the question of value for money does loom its head as it is essentially a full price game. If you have not dipped into Halo 3’s excellent, but now quite hardcore, multiplayer experience or want to trade in your disc copy of Halo 3 then OSDT comes highly recommend, but for everyone else you’ll end up liking ODST, but you might struggle to love it considering the price of entry.
