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Halo 3: ODST
Xbox 360
They even made Buck LOOK like Nathan Fillion...
3.5/5 stars
What started as an expansion to Halo 3 got promoted into it's own whole game. And now we get a chance to find out whether or not the Halo universe is fleshed-out enough to survive without its star player: Master Chief.
And the answer is a triumphant, "I guess?"
A lot of your Halo standards remain untouched. Those things include gameplay basics like the flow of combat, most of the weapons (though there are a few additions), the enemies, and most of the controls.
Most of the additions come from the fact that you're not playing as a Spartan anymore. This time around, you're an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper). As an ODST, you fall from - you guessed it - orbit in your single-soldier-delivery-coffin anywhere on a planet's surface. The idea is for highly-trained troopers to be deployed wherever they're needed most.
So... not being a Spartan soldier, what can you expect? First off, less durability. These guys do not have the armor a Spartan does, and can't go toe-to-toe with the Covenant troops like a Spartan. There's also an added emphasis on stealth (especially in this game, where you've landed behind enemy lines) which is where your two main weapons (and two new weapons for the Halo series) come in handy: a silenced sub machine gun, and a silenced pistol. You've also got a night-vision filter in your visor.
So really... the changes are fairly small from a gameplay standpoint.
The biggest change probably comes from the atmosphere and story of the game, which are quite a bit different from previous Halo games.
The atmosphere is designed to set almost more of a Metroid feel for the game. Alone. Vastly outnumbered. You spend a lot of time simply walking the dark streets of New Mombasa hoping not to run into enemies (or maybe you're a belligerent jerk and are hoping to get into a fight, I dunno).
There is one interesting feature that comes off the story. The city that you're in almost serves as a sort of "world map" as the main character treks from objective to objective. When you arrive at a location, the setting will shift to another member of your squad that arrived at that point a few hours ago and you play THEIR story. Then back to the main character as you venture to another point in the city for another dose of another character's story.
So, about that story... I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on it. The game tells the story of this squad of ODSTs that gained an important piece of info about the Covenant enemies in the war with humanity that could very well have turned the tide of the battle.
The problem is... I don't know if it did. The writers didn't do a very good job of proving that the events of the game came in handy during the conclusion of the war (Halo: ODST takes place between Halos 2 and 3).
Secondly, without any real focus (due to the lack of the Master Chief) the story tends to wander. All the characters look alike, because they're all in uniform and wearing helmets, so it can be easy to forget whose story you're actually watching. You almost need a scorecard to keep track of what this person was doing and who they were with last time we saw them. Eventually everyone meets up and we regain some focus for the final few chapters of the game, which were were a little stronger.
Lastly, my FAVORITE change from previous Halo games and this is the creation of "Firefight" mode. It's the Halo version of a gameplay mode that's becoming more and more standard in action games these days. It's not hard to figure out though: you're trapped in an arena, and the enemies don't stop attacking till you run out of lives. It's a great co-op arcade-game mode; you and your friends hold out as long as possible as the rounds get increasingly difficult on your way to hopefully landing a monster score. My friends and I played Firefight probably more than the story mode for ODST. There are about 10 different maps to play that are taken from some locations in the main story mode, so you're sure to find one you like.
So there you have it. The usually strong action and gameplay you'd expect from Halo coupled with a unique approach to a so-so story. Gotta love that Firefight mode though...
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