Halo 3: ODST on Xbox 360

wildobagins from Newcastle upon Tyne , 21/09/2009

Halo 3 ODST arrived with me on Saturday morning, and I have been playing it almost solidly all weekend. Its a much better game than Halo 3 and despite what all the nay-sayers have been spouting and spreading it is a legitmate stand alone game and although there is no revolution change to the gameplay from Halo 3 itself you will see a remarkable amount of content to play through.

The single player campaign is interesting and although I have yet to finish it due to the amount of time I have spent on 'Firefight' you will find hours of gameplay here...

The new gametype I am raving about is 'Firefight' and I would honestly buy the game if this was all you got. The only way I can describe it is as a sort of 'Defend a Point' style game. Yout team up with up to 3 local players or 3 xbox live players from your friends list. You guard a point where you have what I can only describe as a base behind you, where you can pick up health packs, ammo and grenades. There are a number of maps 1 of which I have been playing solidly all weekend, I haven't had a look at the others so I cannot comment on the variety, at a glance though there is about 12 maps 3 of which are locked and I haven't looked into unlocking these yet.

You are on high ground at the begining and enemy crafts descend from high above and drop off enemy mobs in succession. The artificial intelligence is really good and I have yet to finish the first map so there is definately hours worth of gameplay here.

Definately well worth the £30 launch price. I'd pay £40.

  9 out of 11 people found this review helpful

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TeamMike from Manchester , 24/09/2009

So Bungie have managed to create a full retail game out of what started life as a downloadable expansion pack. Let’s set one thing straight, this warrants the full price tag. I only paid £25 for my copy but I would of been happy to pay the £35 that most stores are asking for.

Whilst the game does not include the master chief at all, the story takes place during the events of Halo 2. With narrative never being the strong point of the halo series I can understand why most people are sceptical about dropping £30 on what is marketed as a short single player campaign. However this is by far the best Halo story in all of the 4 games that Bungie have released, I won’t go into detail about it because it’s hard to explain without spoiling and its defiantly best experience playing through on your own. It is certainly well worth the 5-8 hours it will take you to complete the story.

Whilst the game uses the same engine as halo 3, it has some minor tweaks that add to the feeling that you are no longer a 'super soldier'. Reverting back to health packs and making the ODST take less damage before collapsing add to the feeling that you are just a number. However there are some issues with this none more apparent then still having the ability to flip a warthog, Although the game wouldn’t work if you couldn’t do this, it does detract from what the guys at Bungie were trying to achieve. Overall the campaign is well paced and extremely well told,

Another great addition to the halo universe is Firefight, let’s not kid ourselves they saw how well received gears of wars horde mode was and wanted a slice of that action. Whilst it is a copy its different enough to feel original, in a nut shell you and up to 3 of your friends are dropped into a section of the single player game, which is sectioned of, and wave after wave of covenant ship drops off enemies of increasing difficulty for you to overcome. This in its self almost warrants the price tag, it’s great fun and brilliant way to get some more life out of the halo universe.

The second disc includes all of the halo 3 multiplayer maps including 3 news ones and is simply the halo 3 multiplayer we all know and love, if you bought all the DLC like I did kind of feels annoying having to buy the same thing twice. Overall this is a very good game and in my opinion better then halo 3, certainly worth a rent.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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DRE2XL from Milton Keynes , 30/09/2009

Im not a halo fan, but this ODST is atually alright, games graphics are kriss, and the enviroments are good, Rent this game, Buy this game

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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* * * This review contains spoilers * * *

i450 from Johnstone, Scotland , 23/09/2009

This game isn't as bad as some people have made it out to be. The single player is amazing and all the *SPOILER* flashback missions are amazing (: Great new fun way to playing single player. Making you more intune to what has happened around you and why you've woken up where you start and how you got there. The interaction with the superintendent is superb. they really out done their self this time. With out the mini-map in the bottom right its hard to see where the bad guys are... but the massive map you are given by the superintendent really does help you and make it sooooo much better than a sill mini-map. And the new visor vison you get make it almost impossible not to get lost. as like the old halo when you're running about for ages trying to find your waypoint. Now the big thing 'FIREFIGHT' It's NOT like Gears of War or Call of Duty and that makes it special. Its no fun to play by your self so id say its the only downside to this game. So rustle up some friends and play firefight in 4way co-op and rustle up those really hard achievments.

5stars

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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PrimalBanana from Northampton , 06/10/2009

anyone looking for a new experience shouldn't get their hopes up to much. it's a solid halo title that fits in nicely with the rest of the series but doesn't really bring anything new to the table. the best bit is the firefight mode which is kinda like horde on gears 2 but prob better. the online support and stats are great and i love theater mode, i only wish more shooters had one. its a good story but can be let down graphically. its a good expansion and with the halo 3 multiplayer value for money. would suggest renting before buying. the controls and options are good as usual and atmosphere suits it well too. the deciding factor is the value for money and invitation to the Halo:reach beta in 2010. solid shooter that ticks all the boxes but nothing ground breaking. worth the hype? yes probably.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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* * * This review contains spoilers * * *

i450 from Johnstone, Scotland , 23/09/2009

This game isn't as bad as some people have made it out to be. The single player is amazing and all the *SPOILER* flashback missions are amazing (: Great new fun way to playing single player. Making you more intune to what has happened around you and why you've woken up where you start and how you got there. The interaction with the superintendent is superb. they really out done their self this time. With out the mini-map in the bottom right its hard to see where the bad guys are... but the massive map you are given by the superintendent really does help you and make it sooooo much better than a sill mini-map. And the new visor vison you get make it almost impossible not to get lost. as like the old halo when you're running about for ages trying to find your waypoint. Now the big thing 'FIREFIGHT' It's NOT like Gears of War or Call of Duty and that makes it special. Its no fun to play by your self so id say its the only downside to this game. So rustle up some friends and play firefight in 4way co-op and rustle up those really hard achievments.

5stars

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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