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What is it?
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For any fans of the Halo series of games then you will already know what is going on in the Halo universe and what to expect from the games. For anyone new to the series or new to gaming then allow me a brief explanation.
Halo ODST is a first person shooter ... Read review
A new Halo 3 game is about to hit, but the Master Chief is nowhere to be seen. This ... more
all-new first person shooter has evolved into something much bigger than a mere standalone expansion pack and is now a fully-fledged prequel to the last game.Discover m...
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A new Halo 3 game is about to hit, but the Master Chief is nowhere to be seen. This ... more
all-new first person shooter has evolved into something much bigger than a mere standalone expansion pack and is now a fully-fledged prequel to the last game.Discover m...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Halo 3: ODST continues the epic Xbox 360 franchise and tells the story of the infamous ... more
Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as they defend New Mombasa from Covenant attack. Leading up to the events in Halo 3, players leave Master Chief for a while as they assum...
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Advantages: Great fun, Good Campaign, More Maps and Firefight! Disadvantages: None at all for me
...For any fans of the Halo series of games then you will already know what is going on in the Halo universe and what to expect from the games. For anyone new to the series or new to gaming then allow me a brief explanation.
Halo ODST is a first person shooter video game developed by Bungie and is the latest release of the Halo franchise after; Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3.
Halo ODST (standing for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) ... ...gap between the release of Halo 3 and Halo: Reach which is released next year. From start to finish myself and 3 friends managed to complete the full story in about 6 hours on Heroic difficulty.
The storyline is pretty simple and easy to follow and there are a good amount of flashbacks and cut scenes to keep you filled in on what’s happening. It does feel rather like a full game with nothing held back on to compromise the enjoyment ... more
My fiancé and I are both keen gamers and play quite a lot of video games. I however, never used to like shooting games, purely because they looked hard and the once or twice I played I sucked. But after getting fed up of watching him having all the fun I picked up the controller and got him to show me the ropes. As someone wise once said, “If you can’t beat them, join them!”
4 years down the line and I am changing the saying to: “If you can’t beat them, join them...and once you’ve joined them, realise you can hold your own and beat them!” Nothing is more satisfying than beating a bunch of guys down with the butt of a rifle in pink armour! Trust me!...
So...ODST...
What is it? ----------------
For any fans of the Halo series of games then you will already know what is going on in the Halo universe and what to expect from the games. For anyone new to the series or new to gaming then allow me a brief explanation.
Halo ODST is a first person shooter video game developed by Bungie and is the latest release of the Halo franchise after; Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3.
Halo ODST (standing for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) takes place timeline wise BEFORE Halo 3, on the ground in New Mombasa where the Covenant (bad guys) are waging war on Earth.
Characters ---------------
With no link to the previous games character wise, you play as the rookie in a squad of ODST’s on the ground fighting for control of the city. As you progress through the game you will unlock the other members of the squad and all are then playable from then onward. The squad consists of Buck, Dutch, Romeo, Mickey, and Dare. The characters are voiced by some of my favourite actors including Nathan Fillion and Alex Baldwin (Mal and Jane from Firefly for anyone not familiar with them).
Buck being the funniest member who is a delight to play as, hearing all of his comments as he takes out the enemies is more than enough to have me loving the game.
Campaign --------------
The campaign (the main story) for this game is rather short. ODST was never meant to be a full game, just something to fill the gap between the release of Halo 3 and Halo: Reach which is released next year. From start to finish myself and 3 friends managed to complete the full story in about 6 hours on Heroic difficulty.
The storyline is pretty simple and easy to follow and there are a good amount of flashbacks and cut scenes to keep you filled in on what’s happening. It does feel rather like a full game with nothing held back on to compromise the enjoyment of the campaign, although it is rather short.
The setting for the campaign is wonderful however. New Mombasa is a completely free roaming city, where you can go in any direction you want to and explore. The detail is amazing and as ever, the game has great graphics and looks amazing. It is a little on the dark side and quite dull coloured. Due to this, there is a new VIZA mode, which allows you to switch on your helmet viza allowing you to see clearer and also helps highlight enemies and points of interest.
Multiplayer ---------------
The campaign mode is playable by up to 4 characters either on a local network (split screen) or over Xbox Live. Halo IS a multiplayer game, as much as it is enjoyable alone, nothing really beats playing with friends, when you can discuss strategy and laugh at the funny ways your team mates can and will die.
A new addition in ODST that was not available in Halo 3 is “firefight”. Similar to “Horde” in “Gears of War” you and up to 3 others play on one of a number of maps and must hold off wave upon wave of enemies. With weapons, health and ammo becoming more and more difficult to find, as the waves and sets progress and the enemies getting bigger and harder to put down, it’s a really exciting way to kill a few hours and see just how far you can get.
ODST comes with a second disk which has all of the maps that were available to buy for Halo 3. The Legendary and Mythic map packs are now playable on all online matchmaking sessions and as such opens up a new interest as you can play where you couldn’t before.
Weapons and Health -------------------------------
Another new aspect of the game that was not present in Halo 3 is how important health is. Previously, playing all other Halo games as a Spartan, which are basically super soldiers, health was never a worry. Now playing as an ODST, you have to be a lot more careful when engaging in battle. Health packs are available but you will still need to take care and use a lot more cover before charging in head first shooting your way through a gang of brutes.
All of the old favourite weapons are available with a couple of nice upgrades including the pistol you start with being a lot more powerful, which is something I love as headshots are a lot easier. Nothing is missing compared to the older games and people new to the game will no doubt find something to suit their tastes, from sniper rifles, SMG’s, shotguns and a whole host of grenades.
Achievements and Controls --------------------------------------
Being available on Xbox360 there is a whole load of achievements waiting to be unlocked. A lot will be done just by playing through the campaign and a few online multiplayer games. The rest are good fun trying to get and add another level to the game. (I still need to splatter 5 people with a ghost on the longshore map if anyone is offering to be targets?)
The controls are no different from Halo 3 which will be a relief to those used to the system. For anyone new to the Halo games its very simple and pretty standard for a first person shooter. With the basics being: A is jump, B is Melee, right trigger to shoot, left trigger for grenades, Y changes weapon and the right shoulder button picks up weapons and reloads.
It’s easy to get the hang of and pretty easy to master.
My Summed Up Opinion ---------------------------------
As a big fan of Halo 3, I pretty much knew I would love this. It has kept all of the aspects of the game that make it as addictively fun as it is, and any changes in my opinion have only served to improve enjoyment and make ODST stand out as a different game that little bit more. If everything was too similar to Halo 3 then what would be the point of buying a new game?
The campaign is great fun and although a little short it is enjoyable and has a decent story with some very fun characters. The multiplayer is just as manic and frantic and fun to play as always.
I like the new maps and I really love the characters. It’s a fun game that has a lot of longevity due to the achievements and all of the multiplayer action.
Being a 23 year old female I suppose I am not really the target audience, but I think that speaks volumes about the game and the Halo franchise as a whole actually. I am not into realistic war games or shooters that are especially hard to master, but I cannot get enough of Halo. It’s easy to play in the right way, not so easy it’s boring. You will never have 2 matchmaking matches the same, with all the different modes, weapons and ways to kill each other you’re in for hours of fun each time you turn it on.
I would recommend Halo ODST to anyone, especially fans of the games. I think anyone could get to grips with the game play and enjoy it.
Advantages: Firefight Mode!, Awesome gameplay, Great graphics and Genuine Fun Disadvantages: Badly lit levels, Very few new covenant and Similar levels
...installment of Bungie's spectacular series, Halo 3: ODST promises to deliver us an insight into the early events of the Human - Covenant battle. As a great Halo 3 fan I was slightly pensieve about another Halo game as I believed that nothing could or should top the smash hit we all know and love. Halo 3: ODST has dellivered on all levels in my view, being able to be the ideal prequel to an iconic game. Set at street level of the Halo war, players ... ...the outragous sci-fi gameplay of Halo 3. Major differences can be felt, such as the more realistic health threshold that means that you can't take 400 bullets before you go down and if you are hit with a gravity hammer you travel a frightful distance; this makes the game feel alot more daunting and a sturggle to survive as a mere mortal. The AI within ODST is very similar BUT as you aren't surrounded by dozens of disciplined soldiers and aren't 7, ...
Tame-the-Game 27.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
Advantages: Good fun Disadvantages: Nothing really
HALO 3: ODST (XBOX360) =================== Halo 3: ODST is the next instalment in the Halo franchise it is the first person shooter to be released this fall but is facing some stiff competition, so is it worth our £30? With the Master Chief missing can this game live up to the high standards set by its predecessors? The ODST story unfolds during the time of Halo 2 so even though the Master Chief may have already finished the fight in Halo 3 your ... ...scenes. For those Halo franchise fanatics there is plenty to collect and witness in this game that expands the Halo back story and universe. Its singleplayer will come as a surprise to Halo fans, with the Master Chief MIA it instantly takes on a different pace. Solo or co-op with a friend you are allowed to roam the streets of Mombasa, scattered throughout are the remains of your team which when encountered trigger flashback missions. It is these ...
Maximus-Qualitus 03.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
...video games. ------ Halo 3: ODST has proved that Bungie can do it again and again without losing any of their flare or the franchise's value. The Halo series has become so elevated in computer game culture that it has a multi-million strong fanbase lapping up everything and anything related to it, from merchandise to collector's edition boxsets selling at £60! How do they do it? How can game developers Bungie continue to churn out popular, original ... ...no denying it, having played Halo 3: ODST the past few days, it is already one of the best games I have ever played. The graphics are not groundbreaking for the most part (although there are sequences which take your breath away). It seems to be running on the same Halo 3 engine with perhaps slightly more intricate detail. The available weaponry is almost the same as the previous game with a few slight modifications: more grenades than in the past, ...
bengar 23.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
Advantages: graphics enhanced - new heads up display - good sounds etc Disadvantages: Online is a little difficult at times
Halo 3: ODST is a standalone expansion that does not require you to own a copy of Halo 3... However, its a great game full of more exciting things for you to do... Without a doubt the new revamp of Halo is a great idea... However, the dual-wielding is gone of all weapons; however, you do have the pistol from Halo 3 with a silencer and a silenced SMG... The game however doesn't have a long play through, it took me around 6 - 7 hours overal to complete ... ...recall from previous versions of Halo 3; "Flashbacks" are what keep you playing even more, and make you want to find out more about the person you are... But, I do tell you, don't play the mission in any order as the story line doesn't fall together as smoothly and transitioned as you might think it does... However, overall the game is fun and a nice addition to the Halo franchise, the final thing, I wish to say... The Online was a let down, people ...
UnseenB4 29.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
Advantages: Great new firefight mode, enjoyable story-line to the single-player mode. Disadvantages: The single-player is criminally short.
...start off, if you liked Halo 3 or any other game in the franchise then you will love Halo 3: ODST. It would be cheap to say that its more of the same, and whilst the enemies, the guns, the vehicles, and the sounds are the same, its what you would expect from a game staying loyal to its roots. Simply because what it has already from previous games is amazing, and most importantly, fun. What makes this game really shine is the new multiplayer mode, ... ...is stronger than the previous Halo games and although there is slightly awkward voice acting it brings the characters who are stuck in the embattled city to life. The situations that the story takes the various characters to are varied and challenging and there was a sense of accomplishment when each chapter ended. When this happens you are returned to play as the "Rookie", who spends most of the game searching for his squad-mates. I felt this broke ...
tribalsj 11.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
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Product Information for "Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)" »
Product details
Publisher
Microsoft
Developer
Bungie Studios
Release Date
September 2009
Age
16+
Genre
Shooter
Sub Genre
First Person Shooter
Theme
Sci-Fi
Format
DVD-ROM
Platform
Xbox 360
Manufacturer's product description
Halo 3: Recon is a standalone expansion for Halo 3, based in the fictional Halo universe. In the game, the players will take on the role of a UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) during the events leading up to Halo 3.
New campaign. New hero.
