HALO 3:ODST part 1

At it's heart, Halo 3: ODST is just that: a Halo game. In the truest sense I can make it. The folks at Bungie set out at first to make an expansion to Halo 3. As they went through development, their ambitions became greater and the game got larger. The game released at full price as a full title. For months people debated as to whether the game was going to be worth the 60 dollar price point if it was originally an expansion. People asked how it was going to be different. People asked what set it apart from being "just another Halo game". So, what seperates it? Start with the fact that you aren't Master Chief anymore. This is a real gamechanger. The iconic hero of the Halo series is MIA. Not even a spartan in sight. The game instead focuses on the less focused upon ODST's, or Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. These marines are hand picked premium soldiers, second only to Spartans. There story and their perspective is a dynamic shift from Master Chief.

The ODST's are nicknamed "Helljumpers" due to their unique way of entering the battlefield through capsules shot towards the ground from a spacecraft. Halo 3: ODST puts the player in an ODST squad on a special mission during the attack on Mombasa at the beginning of Halo 2. Bungie felt that they needed to expand upon this pivotal point in the human-covenant war, and they did a great job in setting up the story amongst the timeline. Bungie did a complete 180 by creating a story with the ODSTs. So many things about the game changed due to this one shift in setting and placement. This isn't the Halo you know and love. But that isn't a bad thing at all. First off, ODSTs follow a completely different story. The struggles and the triumphs of the ODSTs feel completely different that that of Master Chief. Bungie did something that is very hard to do in any medium: they created a truly unique perspective that feels realistic and at the same time fits with the perspective previously known. So how is the plight and feel of the ODST different?

First off, ODSTs play COMPLETELY different that a Spartan. Gameplay in Halo 3: ODST is not run and gun. Gamers are all familiar with the gameplay style of being a Spartan. Common things such as being able to jump higher than a normal human, being able to take more damage, being able to deal more damage. The list goes on. The 3 gigantic Halo games can make the gamer forget that Master Chief has superhuman abilities. ODSTs don't. They jump the normal height. They take damage quite a bit. They deal only standard amounts of damage. They just aren't as powerful. This game makes you feel like something different. You realize that ODSTs are human and more fragile compared to Spartans, and that the way you approach a situation is different. Bungie creates this by several ways. Health is not regenerative. You have to be cautious about damage taken and look around for health packs to replenish lost health. Weapons are not dual-weildable. Choose your weapon wisely. Don't fret however. You aren't a pushover by any means. The ODSTs may be second best, but that means they are better than everyone else save 1. Bungie implimented a very smart mode called the VISR. The VISR is a vision mode that allows ODSTs to see all enemies and interesting points in the environment. It highlights important things, shows you where your teammates are, and indicateds threats. ODSTs also carry silenced SMGs and pistols, a tool extremely useful in combat. With these tools, Bungie created a new way of playing Halo.

The name of the game is caution. Bungie almost retrains you to think about your environment and the enemies in front of you. The VISR allows you to assess threats and deal with things in a smarter manner. And this skill is vitally important to staying alive in New Mombasa, the setting of Halo 3: ODST. Instead of linear levels, Bungie created the entire city of New Mombasa. From scratch. This is one hell of an amazing feat. A war torn city at night filled with covenant is the perfect setting for the game, and Bungie did one hell of an upstanding job. The game sets you in the shoes of the rookie from the previously stated squad. The rookie awakens several hours after the initially drop of the squad, and he is alone and lost. This is where the game takes a very much welcomed "noire" feeling. The dark color scheme of the city and the sense of loneliness add to the extreme desolation of the story. The rookie is given the entire city of New Mombasa from the beginning, and it is up to him to uncover the story of where his squadmates went. The game jumps to flashback levels ever so often when the rookie finds an area or object of importance. These levels are much more like classic Halo. You'll play with vehicles and spartan lasers and the works. In particular, its this switch from solitude to battle that makes the game so engrossing and engaging. Instead of a continuing story, each level has relevance to the city story. This level of immersiveness creates the perfect Halo story, something that (in my opinion) was not in Halo 3.

Ah, but the crowning jewel has not even been mentioned yet. The greatest things about this game, more than its immersiveness or noire style story, is the score. The music is absolutely amazing. It is the peak of perfection in gaming. Honestly, I have never played a game in my life that has had better music than this. To fit the new perspective, Bungie created a new score for Halo 3: ODST. From the outset, it was meant to keep the feeling of Halo and yet fit the human feeling of being a lone ODST in a strange battle-torn city. The score is almost indiscribably good. You can feel the Halo core of it, but the noire trumpets give it that great almost old feeling. The subtle guitar riffs and almost electronic synthesizers give the city the futuristic feeling. The ups and downs of the rythym fit the ups and downs of the story. It almost puts you to tears how incredible the score is. It is beautiful. This is the shining accomplishment of this game. Not many games put enough emphasis into their scores even though it is subconsciously important. Bungie realized this. The score is incredible. Period.

The story itself is intriguing with its mysterious like flow. The flashback sequences aren't just tacked on; they are real flashbacks that aid the entire story. The story itself is exciting enough. Without spoiling it, it is your classic case of a team going into something and realizing it was a lot more than command told them about. The story is fleshed out perfectly with amazing voice and virtual acting. A great cast with names such as Nathan Fillion and Tricia Helfer create a great number of characters. Halo hasn't exactly had the greatest acting, especially when the majority of the time you either have a virtual chick talking way too much or a wierd sergeant saying the stupidist lines ever. This casting is a great aspect of the game and hopefully marks a new commitment to good virtual acting in games for Bungie. The story is good at pacing. It gives points of excitement filled with points of sheer survival, which is great. The only point where this may be a little flawed is at the end of the game, since the pacing is a bit off, but it isn't that big of a deal.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the ODST review where I will focus on Firefight, the three new multiplayer maps, and my final reaction.