Thanks to the generation donation from one of my friends, I was given the opportunity to play Halo: ODST. This latest expansion from Bungie drops you back into the Halo universe as the alien Covenant forces threaten to destroy the last bastion of humanity: Earth. Instead of taking the role of the genetic super-soldier John 117 aka Master Chief, you are now “the Rookie,” the newest member of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. The Covenant are attacking New Mombasa for an undetermined goal…a goal that after completing the game…I still don’t know. You and your team are separated in the drop to Earth and it’s now your job to piece together the clues left behind by the team.
The plot in this game runs more like a bizarre sci-fi soap opera. Instead of non-stop heavy paced action, this game feel more like a GTA sandbox game. You run from beacon to beacon, alone inside the city, alternating between flashbacks of the individual member’s experiences. While those moments are fast-paced and more like the old games, when you go back to being the Rookie, it’s slow, boring and frustrating. I’ve never been lost inside the Halo world before, but this game had me running in circles for a while. There’s a love connection between the female CO and your team leader and the characters almost try too hard to be likeable, something left relatively unattended to in the past games. I don’t care about the characters; everyone who plays Halo doesn’t care about the characters. We sit down and flip on the 360 to waste alien scum, not to get sucked into the love story of the ODST grunts that always die.
Gameplay is mainly the same, with some new additions. The ODST have “VISR” mode. Basically a glorified night-vision, the VISR highlights friendlies in green and enemies in red. VISR modes aides in finding extra ammo, guns and clues to your teams disappearance as well. There are a couple new weapons, but nothing ground breaking. The biggest change, for me, however was the health system. The health system hearkens back to the first game. If your shield is damaged, you begin losing health until your find a spot to hide and recharge your shield. They improved this in the next two games by having your health recharge along with the shield. ODST is a step backwards, returning to the frustrating element of looking for health and running away from fights right in the middle. The health system was almost a deal breaker for me, as it changes all basic strategy.
All in all, the game is good, but not good enough to buy at full price. If you must own it, buy it later. A simple rental will suffice for this one.
One Comment
I like some of the specifics you’re zeroing in on, like the love affair angle. Yeesh! What is this prime time? Be sure to use spell-check before you post, but even that wouldn’t have caught the “generation donation” that should be “generous” right?