I’ll start with this, for 59.99 you get every penny worth, ALL Halo 3 maps that have been released as well as new maps corresponding to ODST. The first line of them sold will include the beta for Halo Reach, which will release next year. And those that pre-ordered with Gamestop in time will get the playable Sergeant Johnson. So far a value pack, that no gamer should shun.
Now as for the game itself.
ODST jumps into the story line before the beginning of HALO 3. The Covenant began their invasion of Earth by invading New Mombasa. Your unit of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are deployed to ascertain damage, and clear out the Covenant invaders. The new HUD is nicely done, bearing a strong resemblance to Modern Warfare, (which has one of my favorite HUDs in the shooting Genre.) The AI is nicely turned up, and not being the Master Chief turns down your invincibility factor. I found myself actually thinking through confrontations instead of blasting my way through them. And for you Halo 1 folks, the pistol is back, and when I say back I simply mean I didin’t need a sniper rifle, I had my pistol. Allowing the characters to be outlined in red using the night vision helmet.
The new fire fight mode, brings a different element to the game that will spurn a new fan base. 2 player on console co-op, or 4 player co-op via XBOX Live pits you against waves of the Covenant working, for the first time in strong formations, and deadly accuracy. Fans of the Gears of War 2 Horde mode, or of terrorist hunt in Rainbow Six will attach to this easily, and I found myself playing round after round of the Fire Fight mode.
Over-all this game is a good transition for the Halo series, from my understanding you can blast single player on legendary (For the seasoned Halo kids) in 6-10 hours, and then will find yourself grinding back into the usual multi-player swing. Visually the game looked similar to Halo 3, no graphical improvements were really implimented, and for the art style Halo 3 utilized none were needed.
HALO FANS Go BUY THIS GAME, normal shooter fans, I believe the extra game play modes, and the amount of content they pack into this purchase makes it a worthy buy for any gamer.
- Graphics – 8
- Story – 9
- Replay – 10
- Sound – 7
- Overall – 8.25
To pre order it on Amazon, click here.