Halo 3: ODST Game Review
SoHood.com Reviewed by: Mario Diaz
Format: Xbox 360
Game Rating: 4.5/5.0
It all begins high above Earth. A group of the fabled ODSTs are preparing to burn through the atmosphere and enter the battle for New Mombasa in tiny one-man pods. You’ll find yourself in the shoes of a trooper dubbed “The Rookie”, a calm, and not so experience.
Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper’s aren’t as strong as Master Chief, as far as his Healing capability. In ODST you’ll have a health bar that requires health packs to restore its overshield, which can be a pain, as you can’t just run away to heal. You’ll hear a beeping sound when your bar is low as well as the screen turn red-ish to indicate damage.
The VISR, itself is both are a good thing and a bad thing, you’ll need it when its night, as it’ll be easier to see enemies, as their bodies will outlined red. The VISR becomes something that when playing in the night levels, a must, be it’s something that after a while isn’t very pleasant to play with. It’s odd that one may become very depended on the VISR when it should have been something that one can flip on and off.
The campaign mode will last about 5 to 10 hours depending on your skill level, its a far cry from Halo 3 length. The campaign mode at times gets boring, dull and repetitive, mostly the night sequences, as you’ll ask to walk around the abandoned city looking for beacons, though you’ll encounter enemies at times, its too far apart to help move the action along. Luckily, the day missions are filled with enough action to balance itself out.
Presentation wise, Halo 3: ODST looks better than Halo 3. The Halo 3 engine is starting to show its age, but the designers decided to liven up the game with brighter colors, and grander visuals then the previous titles. Its voice acting is superb, as it doesn’t miss a beat, normally you’ll get your cheesy over the top acting, but it’s been tone-down a bit this time around. The sounds are also on par with what you’ll expect from a Halo game, as the weapons, covenant force’s voices, screams and explosions all sounds perfect.
The Firefight mode is what makes ODST fun, as theirs 10 Firefight levels, its very similar to Gears Of Wars horde mode. Every level forces players to work collectively in sync, as one slip-up in strategy means a quick death. Because the ammunition at your disposal is very limited, it adds more excitement to the levels.
About the Game:
Published by: Microsoft Game Studios
Developed by: Bungie Software
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: US: September 22, 2009
MSRP: $59.99
