Halo 3: ODST
Platform: Xbox 360
Developed by: Bungie Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Release date: September 22, 2009
Official Website: Bungie.net

Game summary from xbox.com:
"Halo 3: ODST returns players to familiar ground on a vital, top-secret mission. The gripping story, cooperative campaign and new multiplayer content will have Halo fans "Preparing to Drop" in Fall 2009. Originally titled Halo 3: Recon, the new game brings the perspective of new characters to the Human-Covenant struggle, as it explores the ODST, or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers."

Review Summary:
Bungie's next installment of the Halo universe is Halo 3: ODST. What was supposed to be an expansion to Halo 3 is now a full-fledged title. It features a new hero, new campaign, new weapons, and an all new game mode called Firefight. Does Halo 3: ODST make worth of its value as a full game or does it fall short to "just an expansion"? The GamingBits.com review just dropped and is ready to show you what is in store. Read the full details below.


Rating: 4 out of 5

Read the full review below.

Halo 3: ODST review

Halo 3: ODST's campaign takes place on New Mombasa, a city being run by the known enemy, the Covenant. You take the shoes of “Rookie,” whom we assume is a new recruit into the UNSC (United Nations Space Command). Yourself and a few other ODSTs drop onto New Mombasa and get separated by a disturbance as seen in Halo 2's campaign. You then find yourself embarking on a journey trying to find your lost squad mates by using clues scattered throughout New Mombasa. For every clue you find, you will be taken to another ODST's point of view from where they dropped. This is where you can figure out what happened to each of your squad members as you try re-grouping together.

The campaign takes is about 6 hours long to complete, about 5 hours if you are playing with a group of friends on co-op. The story during the campaign didn't really make much sense. You don't know why you were dropping into New Mombasa unless you followed up on the other Halo games and the Halo books. Anyone new to the series and starting off with Halo 3: ODST might not enjoy the story as much as fans of the Halo universe. For some, that makes the game slightly less exciting to play. However, players who have followed Halo's storyline might be able to make sense of the campaign and enjoy the story a lot more than others.

Even though I never could follow the story, I still had a fun time going around the city shooting the Covenant with the new scoped pistol and silenced SMG. The graphics on this game were quite amazing and the textures were good as well. Bungie did a really good job at making sure that the visuals of the game never let you down.

Bungie knew that gamers would want more on what is already one of the most famous online shooters. A multiplayer disc is available with the purchase of Halo 3: ODST. Included in the multiplayer disc are 24 maps, including 3 new maps which aren't available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace or on the separate copy of Halo 3. However, the only map I personally enjoyed out of the new additions was Heretic, as it was a remake of a very popular map from Halo 2 called “Midship.” You also get the other multiplayer features such as Theater mode, Forge, Custom games, and of course Matchmaking. Overall, the Multiplayer disc doesn't include too much if you already have the original copy of Halo 3. However, every fan wanting some new maps to shoot up will want to buy this Halo 3: ODST.

Bungie announced a while back that the “Road to Recon” mission, where you can achieve a new armor permutation called “Recon,” can be unlocked by completing all the achievements that are labeled “Vidmaster”. There are four Vidmaster achievements to collect in Halo 3, and three to collect in Halo 3: ODST. However, the challenge isn't easy. For example, one of the achievements requires you to play through a mission without shooting your gun or throwing any grenades on the hardest difficulty, Legendary. Although very tough, it adds that extra challenge that keeps you begging for more.

There are 5 waves of enemies in each round of Firefight and 3 rounds in each set, as well as an unlimited amount of sets until you lose all of your lives. When my friend and I booted up Halo 3: ODST, we easily got hooked into the Firefight mode because there are always many challenges. The challenges include fighting a whole group of Brutes, fighting a wave of grunts which constantly throw grenades at you, or fighting a group of hunters which are extremely hard to kill, especially in the later difficulties. I gathered myself and 3 other friends later on and we made it to Set 5, Round 1, Wave 2 on the Heroic difficulty with great struggle, almost dying on each wave. Playing Firefight on Heroic and Legendary is no easy task but with a group of friends who are hardcore gamers, you may be able to reach the 5th set and unlock one of the Vidmaster achievements as noted before.

Closing Remarks
Halo 3: ODST's Campaign was a bit of an improvement from its successor, but as an avid Halo fan, I found myself confused about what the campaign's main focus was and why Bungie decided to do the campaign from the ODST's point of view on the city of New Mombasa. However, ODST's Firefight mode really impressed me and I feel I will always be playing that mode for as long as I own my Xbox 360. With the new maps included on the Halo 3 Multiplayer disc, the ability to achieve the new “Recon” Armor, and the announcement of the new Halo: Reach beta coming sometime soon (date unannounced), the extras are surely no letdown.

Is Halo 3: ODST worth the price of a full retail game? If you are a huge Halo fan, then yes as you will have lots of challenges to overcome. However, if you don't play Halo or don't follow it's storyline, you may find yourself disappointed with this title and may want to wait until you find a used copy in stores, as the game does feel like an expansion.

See gameplay videos of Halo 3: ODST here on Bungie.net.