Horribly, it's that price tag that ultimately does for Halo 3: ODST. This is a marvellous campaign, and its clever pacing, shifting focus and expert storytelling all heave effortlessly under cover of wisdom inherited from the phenomenal Halo 3. Our fear had been that the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers would struggle to escape the Master Chief's shadow, but the developer's improving craft means they have no difficulty doing so over a short distance. Instead, it's the shadow cast by Halo 3 itself, and its contemporaries then and since, that proves slightly too long and broad for Bungie's valiant efforts of the past 18 months to escape, because no matter the quality of what's on offer, they can't reasonably make the same demand of your wallet, and yet they still do. It's all the more disappointing, because as a roadmap to the future of Halo, if not the future of Bungie, Halo 3: ODST is fantastic.
There are places where Halo 3: ODST could be improved, but when it comes right down to it, every Halo fan should buy this game. Even if you've lost interest in the franchise over the years or haven't ever given a Halo game a look, you'd do well to grab ODST and a few friends for some of the best multiplayer gaming around, especially with as wonderful an addition as Firefight. The campaign is a tad short, but well-crafted and exciting. Then there's a whole disc full of multiplayer maps, though you may already own the bulk of them.
Halo 3: ODST isn't a true sequel, but it is more than a standard expansion. If you're on the fence about buying it, drop your reservations and go snag a copy. If you love Halo, you owe it to yourself to pick this up as soon as you can.
While ODST could have been a lot different from other games in the franchise, it is what it is: a great Halo game with a fun, cleverly told story and a fantastic new multiplayer mode. Perhaps, somewhere down the line, my dreams of a squad-based ODST game will be realized... but for now, I have an entertaining game with a multiplayer component I know I'll come back to again and again. If nothing else, ODST proves that you don't need a space ring or a Master Chief for it to be a Halo game.
In many ways, Halo 3: ODST marks a bold departure from the franchise formula, with story, characters, atmosphere and multiplayer that are refreshingly, surprisingly different. Due to a short campaign and overly familiar gameplay, however, it fails to escape the “expansion pack” label.
It seems a silly conclusion, but Halo 3: ODST is still Halo. It's still cracking fun. ODST is an absolutely essential purchase if you're a Halo fan, but if you're not, if you've never quite understood what all the fuss has been about, then ODST will do nothing to convince you to join the fight. Some will be disappointed with it. Some will see it just the way the unnamed reviewer sees it – as a cynical release. Some will bemoan the lack of change - I guess that'll have to wait till next year and Halo: Reach (hopefully). Until then, there's a gap in the office lunchtime Firefight match with my name on it.
ODST is no rush job and to call it an expansion is unfair. This is a meaty, loud and epic new Halo with a superb new campaign and an awesome co-op multiplayer mode with all the Halo 3 multiplayer shenanigans thrown in for good measure.
It may be a little short and it's not a far cry from what Halo fans have seen already. But it's more of the same industry-defining quality you expect from Bungie. Halo fans, it's time to book the week off work/school.
Halo 3: ODST fills in a few interesting spots in the Halo timeline, even if the characters themselves aren't strong enough to carry the narrative. But it strikes a healthy balance between new twists and more content done in Bungie's trademark style. The more important thing is that if you've enjoyed playing Bungie's Halo games in the past, chances are you'll continue to enjoy that style in ODST.
ODST does suffer for the lack of genuinely new elements it adds to the Halo universe, and the campaign mode is a bit brief. Yet between the enormous scope of New Mombasa, the unique atmosphere, and the brilliance of Firefight mode, I can easily see myself pouring more time into ODST than any other Halo to date. As a student of the "quality over quantity" school of entertainment, I'll take a compact but meaty experience that keeps me coming back over a long, drawn-out exercise in tedium any day. ODST may be a side diversion in the Halo universe, but it's an awfully good one.
Experienced Halo vets will probably criticize ODST for its lack of new multiplayer modes, maps and of course, Master Chief; after all, serious Halo fans probably purchased those 21 maps several months ago. That makes the game's $59.99 MSRP a bit tough to swallow; to us seasoned Halo players, this feels more like a $39.99-$49.99 package. But for the new Halo fan, ODST has a satisfying amount of content. Fightfight's sweet, the single player adventure's good enough and that second disc has a lot to offer. So while it doesn't reveal Master Chief's whereabouts, Halo 3: ODST is a welcome addition to the series and another quality first person adventure.
Good scores as expected. The lower ones are probably just "to be cool" and "edgy".
Should have this on Monday.... going to be great especially looking forward to firefight mode after all the fun I had in L4D survival and Horde Gears modes.
Fair enough; the lower scores relate more to the expectations for a $60 game and not poor quality of what's included. If it weren't for the MS slavemasters I'm sure the Bungie guys would admit that the proper price point is more like $40.
In Europe the game is priced quite a bit lower then other Xbox games. In the UK it is priced 10£ lower then the Modern Warfare 2. In Denmark it's 400DKK compared to a normal retail price of 550DKK.
Or most likely the ones that MS forgot to bribe with advertising revenue in exchange for decent review scores.
Or it could be that they're charging 60 bucks for 40 bucks of content, but hey, you don't actually have to read anything. This is the internet, after all.
Can't wait to play this next week. Makes me glad that I have a xbox and not ps3 haha....
Me too, but Uncharted 2 makes me sad for the very same reason.
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